Blessings and Beyond

Days Like Today...

2012-01-27T13:35:00.005-05:00

I love days like today when we get to stay in our jammies just a little bit longer cause we have no place to go. I love days like today when we get to play outside with our neighbor friends cause the rain has finally stopped.
I love days like today when I get to spend sweet time with my little loves!
We have a fun weekend ahead of us and it's off to a great start...I heart Fridays!

Happy Hump Day:)

2012-01-25T20:27:00.005-05:00

Today was such a great day at our house! We started out our morning by heading to Chick-fil-@ for our FREE breakfast! We enjoyed having breakfast with Daddy before he went to work and of course playing for a long while in the play place:)

We finished up just in time to head to the library for story and craft time.

We played on the computers...

and read stories and did puzzles!

The weather was GORGEOUS today! We have had soooo much rain the last few days that the warm temperature and sunshine brought about a welcome change.

Some of the neighbor kids were out when we got home, so we joined them in the cul-de-sac for some fun.

The boys had fun bowling...

While the girls took their babies on a walk:)

So sweet...
After some time outside it was back in the house for a little lunch and nap time. Jake talked me into a no nap day, so while I did some planning for school he played on my computer and got out the rice table.

Daddy was home at a decent time tonight so we were able to have dinner together as a family. Jake went to bed early and Sissy and I are spending our last few minutes just hanging out winding down our Wednesday!

Just Like Daddy...

2012-01-23T14:52:00.003-05:00

Last night Matt and I were working on picking up a few things around the house. Brooklyn was close by playing and we thought Jake was too, but when we started to look for him we found him here...on top of the counter...shaving! Ah!

I had to run and get my camera so we can prove to him one day just how much of a stinker he was!

He said he was just being like daddy! Ha!

Love that boy!

Daddy's BIGGEST Little Fans

2012-01-20T21:46:00.002-05:00

The Lord has given Matt an incredible gift and passion for sports. Not only does he LOVE to participate in just about any kind of sport, he LOVES coaching. He has been coaching for years, but a few years ago he began coaching at HGBCS, which was a dream come true for him! Last year he was asked to take over the varsity girls basketball team and he couldn't have been more excited.

He is dedicated to this team and loves teaching, encouraging, and working with his girls everyday. He sacrifices soooo much to coach them, but he knows it is what God has for him right now. He strives to build unity among his girls and challenges them to become better basketball players and Christians.

The time and commitment it takes to be a head coach is unbelievable. Practices throughout the week, home games, away games, scouting, keeping stats, watching film, reporting to newspapers, organizing camps and workouts, talking to colleges...it is a full time job...and he is only coaching at a high school level! Ha!

I will be the first to say that being the wife of a coach, especially during season, is HARD! I try to go to games, but it is tricky sometimes with two (soon to be three) small kiddos.

I do have to say though, that we are his BIGGEST FANS!

We watch as much of the game as we can (before having to get juice cups and more popcorn) and we cheer the loudest when the game gets close!

We love Coach Daddy and are so very proud of his team!

We are in the last few weeks of the season (woot! woot!) and are looking forward to finishing strong!

GOOOOO LIONS!

Cousin Time!!!

2012-01-16T13:41:00.007-05:00

This weekend my kids had a BLAST with their cousins from Florida...

Matt's brother and his wife came up for a weekend visit with their kids to see us. We hadn't seen them in quite a while so it was a real treat. Matt's parents usually host them, but they were feeling a bit under the weather so everyone crashed here. It was a houseful, but lots of fun!

We pretty much stayed around the house as the kids just had fun playing together and being around each other. We played games, laughed a lot, and just caught up on life:)

Rebekah and Jake...

and Rebekah and Brooklyn...

Sweet Isaiah...

The last time (and only time) we saw him, he was just a few weeks old.

He is now 8 months old and a busy little guy! Several people think he looks like Jake did when he was a baby. I see it some too. Especially with that sweet little bald head:)

And this is the best we could get of all the cousins together...

They are all soooo close in age...8 months, 1, 2, 3, and 4! Whew!

A fun time was had by all:)

The Bubble Gum Magic Trick:)

2012-01-12T21:27:00.004-05:00

Do you see Jake's shirt? I found it at a consignment store a while back and just chuckled! I knew I had to get it. We have had quite a few "moments" these last few weeks, if ya know what I mean.

My sister Kelly was showing him a magic trick this morning while I was at school. Bless his heart she had him stumped! He could not figure out how she was making an object disappear from sight only to make it reappear in his ear! Ha! When I picked him up later that afternoon he decided to try that same trick with the piece of bubble gum I had given him. I continued to tell him to keep it in his mouth, but I was driving so there was not much I could do. A few minutes later he yells out, "Mommy, my gum has a hole in it"! I turn to look and the gum was all wrapped around his fingers and up his arm. Ugh! Trouble!

And this little girl is catching on quickly...

Last night while I was giving the kids baths Brooklyn kept standing up in the tub. I continued to tell her to sit down! Not long after that she stood up again and put one foot over the side. I knew she was ready to get out, but I was brushing Jake's teeth. Next thing I knew she tumbled out of the tub and onto the bathroom floor. She wasn't hurt, but it did scare us both!

Not more that 20 minutes later the kids were playing in Jake's room together. They were looking for something in Jake's dresser and the whole thing tumbled over! Thank goodness the drawers came out and stopped it from falling down completely. And again...thank goodness, no one was hurt. Ugh! Never a dull moment around here:)

What's On My Mind This Wednesday

2012-01-11T14:43:00.009-05:00

This week has been pretty ordinary for us. We started off by going to the bookstore at the mall for story and snack time. My MOM's group was going, so I thought it would be fun to go too. I was a little nervous about taking the kids to the mall, but they actually did great. Jake was even spotted by the "mall police" because of his good behavior and was sent to the mall's treasure box to get a prize! I was so proud of him! We are working REALLY hard these days on making good choices:)

The weather has been a bit cold and rainy here so we have spent much of our time inside. I found this giant tic-tac-toe board out in the garage that I used at school, so I have been teaching Jake how to play. We have painted and colored, watched Curious George, played trains, and played several rounds of "Don't Break the Ice":)!

Look at my BIG girl!

Brooklyn had been so funny lately. She has learned to wink. Ha! She does it with both of her eyes and is just so stinkin' cute when she does it. She does it the most for her daddy:). She also waves at everyone and she does it ALL. THE. TIME! Ha! She is also done with her bottles! Yay! I am so happy I get a little break from all the washing:) I also put a pillow in her bed the other night. My mom made her a pillow case for Christmas so she loves to sleep on it! I can't believe she will be a BIG sister pretty soon!

Today I had my regularly scheduled baby appointment. I took both kids with me so I was praying that I wouldn't have to wait long and that they would be good! I packed all sorts of snacks, books, and games just in case:). They were actually very good and we didn't have to wait long at all! Brooklyn actually cried when we got called back and the nurse came in. I think she thought that they were going to check her! She cried again when the doctor came in, so I had to hold her while I laid on the table. Bless her heart:(.

Everything looks GREAT with Baby Boy! I will be 23 weeks tomorrow! I heard his heartbeat loud and clear, which I LOVE. The doctor said that it sounded fantastic! He also said I was growing:) I guess that's a good thing! He asked me if I am feeling lots of movement, which I am! I love to feel him move. Matt still hasn't felt him on the outside. Hopefully he will soon though. My next visit is in 4 weeks. This will be my glucose test and our 3D ultrasound! That should be a fun visit!

This week our church started "The Year of the Bible". We have all been challenged to chronologically read through the entire Bible. We will be going through the entire Bible verse by verse. I have read through the Bible once before and I am ready to do it again!

I also started a new Bible study to do on my own. It is called "Vertically Inclined" and is written by Mary Kassian. I finished up another one of her studies right before Christmas and decided to spend my Christmas money on another one of hers. I really enjoyed the last one I did on the names of God.

These last few weeks Matt and I have had a lot on our hearts! We have been praying very specifically about some BIG things. We have been praying and seeking out what the Lord might have for us. We are still waiting on some things to unfold, but can't wait to see how the Lord will work. I wanted to blog a little about it so I can look back and see God's hand in this situation. We are trusting, relying, hoping, and waiting! We are fully depending on Him to reveal his plan to us and we can't wait!

We are also praying for some very sweet friends of ours who have been trying to have a baby for quite some time. They have finally started the IVF process and things are looking GREAT! I received a note from her yesterday and they seemed very hopeful that things will work.

Please pray for them!

We are also praying for a family that is apart of the school I taught at. I don't know all the details, but I do know that the mom's cancer has returned and the situation does not look good. She has 2 young boys. I can't imagine what they are going through.

Please pray for them as well!

Warms My Heart and Tummy:)

2012-01-04T07:07:00.012-05:00

The weather here has been so crazy lately! Saturday Matt and I took the kids to the park to ride bikes and play and then yesterday and today it has been sooooo cold we can't hardly stand to be outside! I took the kids to the library this morning for story time and then we came right back home! They needed to get a little more energy out so we still put winter coats on, but played out in the garage!

It was still a little cold, but at least not NEAR as cold as it would have been if we were outside!

So, lately I have been LOVING Pinterest for some great dinner ideas. This has been my go to place whenever I am making up my dinner menu for the week. I have pinned some really delicious dinner ideas and since they turned out so good, I wanted to share!

The first was super duper easy and a big hit with my family! We have only had it once so far, but it is on the menu again this week. It is called Ranch Chicken.

You can find the recipe here.

You have to try it:)

The next recipe takes just a bit more prep, but well worth it. It is still pretty easy and tasted great! It is baked sweet and sour chicken and tasted JUST like something you would get from a Chinese restaurant! I'm not kidding! I served it with white rice and broccoli! Delish!

You can find the recipe here.

Two yummy dinner ideas for you to enjoy! I have more dinner ideas that I am going to be trying soon, so I will let you know how those turn out too!

My Last Post Of 2011

2011-12-31T21:29:00.003-05:00

Well, we are in the last few hours of 2011. I am actually at home, in my p.j's, and in my bed! Ha! I have never been much of a late night person, not even on New Year's Eve. We did go to a party with some of our friends in our Sunday school class, but we all brought our kids, so of course we had to get them home and in the bed.

I have been thinking today about the many things that took place this past year. Many good, some sad, but each one made up our 2011.

1. Matt and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary! A lot has happened in 5 years:)

2. Matt turned the big 3-0 this year! (My turn is coming very soon...yikes!)

3. My Bubbie, Jake, turned 3! He learned how to ride a bike, sleep in a big boy bed, write many of his letters, and became a GREAT swimmer! He went to his first movie (Cars 2), went roller skating for the first time, and went to his first Steelers game!

4. Brooklyn turned 1! She has changed sooooo much this past year! She went from a tiny newborn to a big 1 year old!

5. We spent lots of time together as a family. We enjoyed trips to the park, the splash pad, Monkey Joes, the library, school football games, Dan Nichols park, the NC transportation museum, Discovery Place Kids, and Carrigan farms for apple picking!

6. I was able to quit my full time teaching job and just take a small part time teaching job so that I could spend more time with my kids! What a blessing it has been. I have LOVED every minute with them. I can honestly say I just can't spend enough time with them!

7. We lost my Grandpa this year back in July. His health had been declining for quite some time, but not a day goes by that I don't think about him. I miss him dearly!

8. Brooklyn was hospitalized twice this year for RSV, croup, and pneumonia. We are soooo thankful that she has been healthy since then and growing big and strong! (She even survived a fall down our entire flight of stairs the other day with just a scratch! Wow...scary!)

9. We didn't do much traveling this year, but did make it to the beach and the mountains. We went to Surfside Beach with my entire family for the 22 year in a row! What a fun time that was! The sun, the sand, the surf, and the memories!

We went to the mountains (Boone) for the weekend and crossed the "shaky bridge" as Jake would say!

10. We trusted the Lord (and still have to every day) to provided for us through Matt's job in real estate. Things have been a bit slow these past few months, but we are choosing to TRUST HIM even in the hard times. We are praying expectantly for some BIG changes this next year in Matt's job. We are praying some very specific things for him. We can't wait to see what God will do!

We have grown in our walks with the Lord this past year. I have studied the names of God in my own quiet time and learned about the Gospel in church and Sunday school.

11. And some of the most exciting news of 2011 for us was finding out that we would be adding a BABY BOY to our family! In just a few months we will get to meet him! What a blessing that will be!

Wishing you a Happy New Year's!

See you back in 2012!

A Winter Swim

2011-12-30T15:13:00.005-05:00

Today is the last official day of Christmas break for us. Next week our normal routine will be back in full swing. I have fully enjoyed every minute with my family these last two weeks!

We finished up our break with a fun swimming day at the pool where I used to work at. My sisters still work there and offered to give Jake and Brooklyn a little lesson this morning. I love the fact that both of my kids love the water. They had so much fun swimming around like little fish. This summer might be a bit hard for me when it comes to the pool. With a 3 year old, a 1 year old, and a newborn, we might not get there very often!

Jake hopped in first and loved every bit of his lesson:)

He practiced swimming back and forth from the table to the steps...

worked on his kicking,

and of course...JUMPING through the hula hoop:)

Brooklyn bear got a turn too...

This girl has no fear! She splashed away and kept putting her face in the water!

She practiced doing little swims to the wall...

And was pretty comfortable on her back too!

What a special treat to be able to swim in the middle of winter time:)

Thanks KK and Al!

Birthdays, Baby Boy, and Rollar Skating!

2011-12-29T21:40:00.007-05:00

Today has been a fun filled day for us!

We started out our morning by celebrating my nephew Riley's 6th birthday!

He has a December birthday like Brooklyn, which makes a busy month even busier! He had a few of his buddies over for a reindeer themed party which included an all time favorite of our family...doughnuts!

In baby news...

I am 21 weeks today! Yay! Just over half way there! I am feeling good these days as baby boy is growing bigger and bigger! I can feel him move more and more now too. I still have to be pretty still though. Matt can't quite feel him move yet from the outside. I think he will be able to soon though. His heart rate was 157 at the ultrasound a couple of weeks ago. We are also going to be scheduling a 3D ultrasound which we have not had before! It is new in my doctors office so they are offering it to all their patients! The nurse said that it is best to do it around 28 weeks so I think that's when we will have it! That will be kind of cool!

Also, please pray for a sweet, new friend of mine who sent me a message today. She and her husband have been trying to have a baby for quite some time now. I don't know all of the details, but she is starting the IVF process. So far things are looking hopeful! She asked for good health as she goes through this and that also financially God would provide for them to cover all the costs that comes with this process.We are believing God in this situation!

Yesterday I got an e-mail from my MOM's group letting us know that a skating rink in our area was having a dollar night tonight! Jake has never been skating before and Matt was going to be home, so we thought it would be fun to give it a try!

Getting all laced up...

Jake was excited, but very unsure about things...

Sissy and I sat this one out and just watched as my boys would pass by!

Jake was VERY frustrated at the beginning, but after tightening up his wheels a bit, he did GREAT:)

They enjoyed a few laps around the rink and a few skating games too!

Now we are home and a bit exhausted from our great day! Whew!

The Celebration Of Our Savior~ Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T15:11:00.012-05:00

We had such a beautiful Christmas season celebrating our Savior's birth! We were able to spend lots of time with our families and make lasting memories together!

Christmas Eve is always spent at my parents. We all get together for appetizers and plates and plates of all kinds of cookies and Christmas treats.
We exchange gifts with each other...

each one simple, but sweet...

and enjoy time together eating, laughing, and sharing stories!

My favorite girls...

Love my Brooklyn under the tree...

It's hard to believe she was just days old last Christmas:)

My beautiful Grandma...

My brother Tim...

(We missed my brother Steve sooooo much again this year. We were all hoping he was going to surprise us by coming home! Ha!)

My sister and her family...

My amazing Dad and Mom...

And look at this picture...

LOVE it...

And next year there will be two more cousins in this picture! What a blessing!

Since the kids were up pretty late on Saturday night they slept in until about 8:15 Sunday morning. We didn't have to be at church until 10:45, so we still had time plenty of time to open presents, have a small Christmas breakfast, and get ready to go.

Brooklyn taking in all the goodies that Santa left for her...

Jake and Brooklyn opening their gifts...

Light Sabers and a remote control car were at the top of Jake's list...

I guess Troy gave Santa a super good report because he got both!

After presents were opened, we went to church. What a special morning it was to actually be able to go and celebrate Jesus' birth on Sunday! It doesn't happen very often and it was wonderful!

The next stop for us was Matt's parents house for Christmas lunch.

We were a little sad because Matt's brothers and their families didn't make the trip to Charlotte this year. We missed seeing them dearly and being able to celebrate with them.

We had a delicious lunch together of honey baked ham, honey baked turkey, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, stuffing, mac and cheese, black eye peas, and rolls! Whew! We were all so full after eating all that, that a chocolate pie and a pumpkin pie got sent home with us!

We exchanged gifts with each other...

Jake was in heaven when he received his pirate ship!

But most of all enjoyed just being together!

We had a very Merry Christmas 2011

and we look forward to all the blessings that 2012 will hold for us!

The Last Few Items On Our Christmas Calendar

2011-12-23T08:05:00.014-05:00

These last few days before Christmas have not slowed down one bit. We have been busy participating in more Christmas fun!

Wednesday morning Matt and I took the kids to see The Leonard Bearstein Symphony Orchestra, or the Bearstein Bears as they're affectionately referred to, at Founders' Hall.

We had a great time! We don't really ever have a reason to go up town, so it was kind of fun to go! We watched the bears for a while

and enjoyed the Christmas music they were playing!

Next, we headed to the fancy Ritz Carlton hotel to see their giant gingerbread house! We felt a bit out of place, but what a sight to see!

Thursday our fun continued...

My mom's group was planning an outing to the Great Wolf Lodge for their story time and snow fall. I signed up to go and invited a few of my neighbors to come along with their kids too. We got there in plenty of time to grab a quick bite to eat at Dunkin Donuts before things got started! Of course chocolate was the best choice!

Everything was decorated so beautifully!

There were Christmas trees everywhere (and even an angry birds tree, which Jake thought was great)!

When story time began all the kids gathered around for a fun filled show and Christmas songs. After a few songs, all of a sudden the snow started to fall! It was sooooo neat! After all, that will probably be the only snowfall we see this year around here!

My kids LOVED it and it will definitely be apart of our Christmas calendar next year as well!

Then it was off to Mimi's for an afternoon of baking.

Every year we get together to make up goodies for our Christmas Eve get together! It can get a little (or a lot) messy and a bit crazy with so many little hands helping, but that is just part of the fun!

Mimi helped the little ones with the sugar cookies

while Brooklyn and I made our own cookies. We made our own version of thin mints which are super easy and very delicious!

Everyone had wwwaaayyy to much sugar, but a super fun time:)

Today are doing a little last minute shopping, cleaning, and baking and then tonight the wrapping party beings!

Merry Christmas Eve Eve:)

My Kids This Christmas

2011-12-20T12:54:00.010-05:00

There are a few things that my kids are doing this Christmas season that I don't want to forget. I want to be sure that I blog about them so I can look back in several years and laugh at their Christmas cuteness:)

Jake is really enjoying all the Christmas activities that we have done so far this season! He loves to listen to his Christmas CD in the car every time we are driving around. His favorite is "Away In A Manger", but "Jingle Bells" is a close second. I always get the giggles because he always asks me who "Miss Fanny Bright" is and who "Miss Fortune" is. I try to explain that misfortune is not a person, but he doesn't get it:)

We have also talked a lot about the Christmas story. We sing songs, read books, and even took him to the live nativity this year. Every night when we tuck him into bed he ALWAYS asks us if he can be a shepherd boy. He wants us to take one of his blankets and wrap it around his head just like he has seen the shepherd wear.

Brooklyn has been pretty funny too. She has two favorite things this year. She LOVES to spy our Elf on the Shelf, Troy. Every morning we say, "Sissy, where's Troy?" and she just grins, giggles, and points at wherever he is hiding. She gets soooo excited when she finds him!

She also LOVES her advent calendar. Well, let me rephrase that. She LOVES the chocolate that comes inside her advent calendar. Matt does this with the kids every morning. If you tell her to come do her calendar she runs to the kitchen. Even throughout the day she will point to her calendar because she wants more! Ha!

I love these two more than anything!

Hard to believe that we will have another baby with us next year!

There Will Be Parties For Hosting...

2011-12-19T05:58:00.005-05:00

I have to play a little catch up from all the Christmas activities we participated in last week. There is always so much going on that it is hard to keep up!

Last Tuesday evening we met my sister and her kids and my mom and my sisters at the Ballantyne Hotel to see their "Walk Down Gingerbread Lane" display. We have done this the past several years. It is always fun to look at all the neat creations and of course we all have our favorites!

We were constantly reminding the kids to look, but DON'T TOUCH!!! Ha!

I think Jake would probably tell you that his favorite was the Angry Birds gingerbread house. He thought that was pretty neat!

My favorite was of course covered in chocolate!

I liked the Willy W0nka gingerbread house!

Then this weekend it was our turn to host some holiday parties.

Friday afternoon we opened up our home to Matt's basketball girls. We had a spaghetti lunch and the girls had a small gift exchange. My kids (especially Jake) LOVES when the girls come over. The girls were thrilled that school was out for Christmas break and just enjoyed relaxing and getting ready for the game they were going to be playing later on that evening.

Let me tell ya, Matt LOVES this team more than anything. Being a coach is hard work and it takes a lot of time and commitment. As a coach's wife, it can be hard. Matt gives so much of his time to practices, is gone many (many) nights with games and when there isn't a game he is out scouting. We both know that the Lord has called him into this position and has given him a ministry that he adores. He is very good at what he does and has a burden to see that these girls not only get better at basketball, but come to know Christ.

Then Saturday it was my turn!

I decided that I wanted to get some of my very closest college friends together for a cookie exchange party! I have been so blessed with wonderful girlfriends and I love them dearly. We don't see each other all that often, but when we do, we just pick right back up! We had a super fun time chatting, eating, and exchanging our cookies!

The table was covered in yummy treats and we all got to take a few of each kind home.

These girls are the best of the best! Most I have known for a very long time! We were laughing because a few girls brought along their kids so there were babies everywhere! What a blessing!

And just because there is less than a week before Christmas, I had to share this last pic of my sweet girl with you! Oh how I love her!

Our McAdenville Christmas Announcement:)

2011-12-15T06:36:00.007-05:00

Yesterday was an extra special day at our house! We got to find out if we were going to be adding a brother or a sister to our family! Matt's mom came over and kept the kids for us while we went to the doctor. We had thought about keeping it a secret until Christmas morning (Matt's idea) but, HE just couldn't hold out and I was OK with that:). We were so blessed to see a healthy baby growing inside of me! Everything looked great and we were sooooo excited!

Later on that evening we had BIG plans! We were going to see the amazing Christmas light display in McAdenville! Matt and I had our first date there 11 years ago (wow!) and we try to go back every year. Now it is fun to bring our own little family! Crazy!

Our first stop was to get a quick bit to eat though. We like to stop at a McD0nalds with a gigantic play area. Brooklyn ate so nice,

but Jake didn't even take a second to get a bite. He was off running and playing the whole time!

When we finished we jumped back in the car and off we went!

McAdenville is sooooo beautiful! Everything is decorated so nice and the kids loved looking at it all! And Jake had fun shouting "Merry Christmas" to everyone we passed! Ha!

Most people drive through the little city, but we like to find a place to park and just walk down each street. It actually wasn't too cold last night which made it just perfect!

Every house is lit up and decorated! Jake liked the manger scene at this house...
And sometimes we call him the Grinch...so he thought this house was fun:)! Ha!

We even made a stop at the McAdenville Fire Department. The fireman let Jake up in the front seat and even ring the fire truck's bell. He thought this was pretty cool!

And this was the family shot we got this year...

We are thrilled that God is blessing our family with another little BOY!

We are Blessed Beyond!

McAdenville Christmas 2011

Brooklyn's 1 Year Check Up

2011-12-13T22:36:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I took Brooklyn to the doctor for her one year old check up. I was excited to get all her stats, but I knew that shots were going to be apart of our visit. The idea of shots makes me soooo sad.

She was all smiles in the waiting room as she didn't have a clue what was coming:(.

Thankfully they don't remember any of it. Ugh!

We were at the doctor for two LONG hours yesterday. Matt came with us for a bit, but then had to get back to work. He wanted to come along because I think the idea of his little Sissy getting shots made his heart hurt too.

The office was way behind schedule. We waited and waited and waited just to be called back.

Finally it was our turn. The nurse took her stats. She was 23 lbs. 12 oz. (80%) and was 30 inches long (87%).

She had to get her finger pricked two times. The nurse couldn't get what she needed the first time. Lots of tears were shed. Poor girl:(.

Finally she calmed down a bit, but then the doctor came in. She got upset all over again.

She asked all sorts of questions about how she is developing. She is right on track with everything she asked me. The doctor was surprised she was walking so good too!

Next up...more shots. Three routine shots were coming and we decided to get the flu shot too.

She actually did pretty good. She cried of course, but stopped pretty soon afterwards.

Here she is showing off her band aid. My poor Sissy.

I am so thankful for a healthy baby girl! She is getting so big and growing strong! So glad we don't have to go back for a while:)

Love her to pieces!

Oh What Fun...

2011-12-11T20:42:00.006-05:00

This past week was such a busy week for me. 'Tis the season, right?

Besides celebrating Brooklyn's 1st birthday, a lot of our Christmas parties and fun all fell this week too!

Friday night I was invited to a neighborhood cookie exchange party. It was going to be with some of my neighborhood girlfriends that I have gotten to know over the last while and I really wanted to go.

I had to get busy though because we each had to bring seven dozen cookies:) I thought about what cookies I wanted to make and I found this recipe for Red Velvet Pudding Cookies and thought I would give them a try.

They were super easy and were a hit at the party and my house as a few samples were tried:). I came home with such a nice variety of Christmas cookies! It was so much fun!

Saturday night was our Sunday School class Christmas party.

We had such a nice dinner catered by the church. I think both Matt and I ate until we were STUFFED! We enjoyed chatting with some sweet friends and then laughed at all the white elephant gifts that were exchanged:)

But today was probably my most favorite Christmas event so far!

Matt had been telling me for weeks that he had a surprise for me. I was not allowed to check the mailbox until he received what he was waiting for. I had all sorts of guesses, but he did not leak any clues to me! He had asked two sweet girls from his basketball team to come over and keep Jake and Brooklyn for us so we could go out.

I was sooooo excited just to be going out on a date, just him and I. He is gone so much during basketball season that we don't get to have much time together.

I had mentioned several weeks ago that I really wanted to go to see the Singing Christmas Tree. I had never been before and just thought it would be a fun holiday thing to do one year. Well, that was the surprise!

We had such a great time and I loved it! I think he actually enjoyed some of the Christmas music too:) It was so nice to just get out and do something, just the two of us!

Ah, Merry Christmas to US:)

This week is going to be busy too. We have more Christmas stuff on the calendar! Can't wait to share all our fun things!

The Sweetest 1st Birthday Celebration!!!

2011-12-09T06:42:00.011-05:00

Wednesday night our family and a few of our close friends gathered to celebrate this sweet birthday girl...

Brooklyn turned 1 year old so we decided to do a sock monkey themed party. Her sock monkey is "Ruby" and is pretty special to her.

We kept it pretty simple by having lots of red and pink! We just did desserts and a few treats. We had pink sock monkey cupcakes, strawberry trifle, kissed pretzel cookies, and white cheddar popcorn.

After everyone snacked a bit, we brought out Brooklyn's birthday cake on our special birthday plate...

"Happy Birthday to YOU!"

Mommy and Daddy were so excited to celebrate YOU on your special day!

Making my sweet girl even sweeter with some birthday cake:)

It took her a little bit to figure it out, but she did...with a little help from Jake:)

This is the cake afterwards...

Next up was present time!

Brooklyn was blessed with soooo many great things! Lots of baby dolls, clothes, sweet pajamas, a stroller, a baby doll crib and high chair, and fun toys for outside:)

Brooklyn enjoyed her party with her sweet best friend, Sophie! Love this pic of them:)

Thank you to all of our family and friends for making Brooklyn's 1st birthday so sweet! We love you all and are so thankful that you are a part of her life!

She is blessed for sure:)

Happy Birthday, Sisssy. While your day was everything I wanted it to be, a part of me was sad because it means you are growing up! I can't believe you are one now! Daddy and I want you to know how much we love you and how thankful we are for you! You are so precious to us and we can't wait to see what this next year holds for you!

Happy Birthday to you, Brooklyn bear!

Love ya. Mean it!

XOXOXOXOX

Love,

Mommy

Happy 1st Birthday, Brooklyn!!!

2011-12-07T08:13:00.006-05:00

Today is an Extra Special day at our house! Sweet little Brooklyn turns one year old today!

How did we go from this...

to this...
so fast?
Brooklyn, it has been such a fun year with you! I have loved seeing you grow and change everyday! Your Daddy and I have LOVED having a little girl! You are such a precious little girl who is loved by LOTS of people!
You have been and still are very easy! You still sleep good and eat great:). You like to play outside. Every time you think someone is going outside you want to go. If I get your coat on to go play, you get sooooo excited:)! You love to try to keep up with your big brother too. If he is playing soccer, you want to kick too. If he is playing on the swing set, you are close behind!
Your favorite things to eat would be pretty much any kind of fruit (especially grapes), spaghetti, tacos, and jelly sandwiches! Ha! You mostly drink milk or water. We have given you juice, but you don't really care about it.
You are wearing 18 month clothes and a size 4 shoe.
You are walking great and it probably won't be long before you are running! When you have a big brother, you don't have much of a choice! Ha!

You are a mommy's girl for sure. You cry whenever I leave you and love for me to be close.
My ALL TIME favorite trick that you do these days is hold your hand up to show us "I Love You". Daddy always says..."Love Ya, Mean It" before he goes somewhere and he holds up I love you. Now, you do it (or try to) too! We LOVE it!
Having a December birthday is a bit tricky. It makes a busy month even busier! We are getting to celebrate YOU tonight though with our family and close friends! We are looking forward to a special time!
Happy Birthday, sweet girl!
We love you and pray that you will continue to grow into the little girl God wants you to be!

I am thankful you are mine!
Love you to the moon and back, Brooklyn bear!

Happy 1st Birthday. May it be as special as you are!

XOXOXOXOXOXOX!
Love,
Mommy

Tis The Season for Christmas Fun!!!

2011-12-05T16:51:00.007-05:00

This past weekend was full of Christmas festivities! Thursday night my sister Kelly came over for supper and then we took the kids to a church just down the street to take part in their annual "Walk Through Bethlehem Village". It is VERY well done. It is set up as if you were actually coming for the census to be counted. You have to pay your taxes, and then make your way through the village to find a room in the inn. At the end you make your way to the stable, where you see the live nativity complete with real animals.

I have been trying to teach Jake about the Christmas story and this was perfect for him! He loved it!

Friday night the little town that we live in was having their annual tree lighting. We have been the last several years and it is always fun! This year Memaw, Matt's mom, joined us. We had dinner at McD0nalds and then headed over for the lighting. We went on a horse drawn carriage ride, saw Santa, listened to Christmas music, and saw a live nativity,

and ate some Christmas cookies:)!

It was a little chilly, but not too bad! Jake was bundled up and liked to warm his hands by the fire if they got too cold!

Saturday was special too! It was the annual Christmas tea at my mom's church. We have been the last several years and is a special tradition for us now. This year my mom, sister, and grandma decorated 2 tables. They were both gorgeous!

This is the one we sat at...

These are all the girls at our table!

We enjoyed our tea and our time together!

This week doesn't slow down for us. It is super busy with more Christmas and Birthday parties! I can't believe Brooklyn will be one!

I love Christmas time!

All Aboard The Santa Train!!!

2011-11-28T14:00:00.016-05:00

Saturday Matt and I took the kids to the Santa Train in Spencer, NC at the NC Transportation Museum. We picked a beautiful day to go and had such a great time! Our train ride was scheduled for 10:45, but we had to be there a few minutes early. We waited patiently for our train to arrive!

Sweet Brooklyn...

Jake was looking forward to his first train ride on a real train!

I love this picture of my three loves...

Sissy heard the train coming down the track, which was getting ready to pick us up!

We took a 25 minute train ride all the way to the North Pole:) On our train were a few of Santa's helpers who wished us a very Merry Christmas and told us to get ready because Santa was waiting to hear what was on our wish lists this year!

My kids LOVED the ride!

They took in all the sights...all the way to the North Pole:)

After our ride, we made it to the North Pole Station where we hopped off and toured the museum until we saw Santa Clause!

It didn't take us long to find him!

So close to getting a good family pic. Ugh!

Jake would much rather share his list with "Troy" our Elf and Brooklyn was gripping me for dear life. She wouldn't cry though as long as I would hold her on my hip opposite of him! Ha!

What a super fun day we had on the Santa Train! We are definitely getting in the holiday spirit!

Deck The House...Fa La La La La

2011-11-26T19:13:00.007-05:00

So last night all the elves in the Trent household got busy decorating for Christmas. The boxes came out of the garage, the Christmas music was playing in the background, and the light strands began to be untangled.

One of Matt's traditions growing up was to make trays of cheese, crackers, and lunch meat to munch on while the tree was being decorated, so that's just what was on the menu for dinner.

And while we were all busy decorating away, guess who decided to show up?

Our Elf On The Shelf, Troy! He always shows up the day after Thanksgiving to keep an eye on everyone's behavior each day until Christmas. It was extra fun this year because just as we were wrapping up our decorating the "Elf On The Shelf" movie came on t.v. Jake LOVED it! We recorded it so we could watch it again. Let me tell ya...Jake is taking Troy's visits very seriously:)

Our tree is just perfect for us. It is not too fancy, as someone's little hands love to explore all our ornaments:) It has many special ornaments that we have collected over the years...First Christmas together, Jake's first Christmas, Brooklyn's first Christmas, and of course our EXTRA special "Will You Marry Me?" ornament!

There are many fun things I like to do this time of year with my kids. Our December calendar is VERY full! One of my very favorite things to do though is pull out our Christmas stories and enjoy a few each night. I LOVE books and have collected some good ones over the last few years!

These are just a few of our favorites!

I love cuddling with Jake and Brooklyn by the fire and the Christmas tree and enjoy these stories together! Sweet Christmas moments!

With Grateful Hearts We Gathered Together

2011-11-25T10:15:00.025-05:00

What a wonderful Thanksgiving we had this year! We celebrated in much of the same way we do every year with lots of family, plenty of football, and way to much food!

I was the first one up yesterday morning and I was ready for the fun day ahead of us! We were planning on starting our morning off with a yummy breakfast. We decided that we would have a BIG breakfast so that it would hold us over all the way until we ate dinner later on that evening. Matt and I made cheese eggs, doughnut muffins, fruit salad, bacon, and orange juice. It was delicious! By the time it was ready, the 85th annual Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade was on.

We had a picnic in the family room as we watched the floats pass by!

After we ate, Matt scoured the adds for the deals and I started cooking and baking for our afternoon Thanksgiving feast. I made homemade mac and cheese and ice cream sandwich dessert. Pretty easy:)

The morning passed quickly by and we layed the kids down for an afternoon nap so they would be ready for more fun!

We were invited over to my sisters house for Thanksgiving this year. She did a wonderful job hosting a houseful of people!

Matt and I at Thanksgiving dinner...

We are so blessed to have such wonderful parents. We are thankful for them!

(Matt's parents traveled to Seattle to visit his brother Jimmy and his wife Kelly, so they were not here with us this year).
My dad and I...

Sissy and her Puppa...

And my all time favorite girls. They are the BEST!!! So very thankful for them...

So blessed!

And this little girl is my favorite too!
Love her dearly!

So thankful for my Grandma!

Jake is thankful for his cousins. In fact, he couldn't even be bothered with eating last night. All he wanted to do the entire time was just play, play, play!!

Sissy and cousin Sophie...

Uncle Matt and his Sophie girl!

After supper this gang came up with their Black Friday shopping plan...

and I got these kiddos in their jammies and ready for a Thanksgiving movie on t.v.
So cuddly!

It's now time to pack up the pumpkins and the Thanksgiving crafts that decorated my house for the last few weeks...

and bring out all the Christmas decor! Our plan is to set up our tree tonight!
Bring on the Christmas fun!

With A Thankful Heart

2011-11-23T16:59:00.012-05:00

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and I can't help but sit here and think about how blessed I am. I have so much to be thankful for. The list can go on and on. Here are just a few things that come to mind this year...

1. My Husband...

I really don't know what I would do without him. We sometimes just laugh because no matter how opposite we are, we somehow make a great team. He works hard for our family to provide for us, which can mean LONG hours sometimes. We are so thankful to the Lord for providing for us through Matt's job in real estate even in this housing market. He is the best daddy to our kids, and is a great husband to me. He loves me no matter what and often knows what I am thinking before I say a word. He grocery shops:), he cooks, and he takes care of all the little "stuff" around the house. He loves the Lord and seeks Him in any decisions that need to be made. For him I am grateful.

2. My Jake...

The Lord blessed me with the cutest blond little boy around! He is smart, strong, and healthy! He loves to play and just be a boy:). I love to watch him learn new things everyday. He made me a mommy 3 years ago and I just can't help but love him to pieces!

3. My Brooklyn...
Oh my word. I am so thankful that God chose me to be her mommy! This is Brooklyn's first Thanksgiving. This time last year we were just a few short weeks away from meeting her! Crazy to think:). She simply just melts my heart. I love having the opportunity of raising a little girl! She is just oh so sweet! She is growing strong and staying healthy! Thank you, Lord!

4. Baby #3...
I am beyond thrilled that God is blessing us with another baby! In just a few months we will get to meet him/her! Matt and I were laughing because last year at this time I was preggo with Brooklyn and here I am again:) Thank you God for the sweet baby growing in me and the strong heart beat we get to hear every couple of weeks!

5. Our extended family...
I realize how blessed we are to have both sides of our family close by. We are so close to everyone and they are a huge help to us. We get to see everyone all the time and can do things together whenever we want to.

6. The opportunity that I got this year to stay at home a lot more with my kids...
This past year I quit my full time job as a teacher to stay at home with Jake and Brooklyn. The Lord provided a GREAT part time teaching opportunity for me so I could still help out a little with our finances. I couldn't have asked for anything better.

7. For our home
I am so thankful for the home that the Lord provided for us almost 2 years ago. We have plenty of room to grow, we have a nice yard for the kids to play in, and an AWESOME cul-de-sac with tons of kids!

8. Our health
Thank you God that we are healthy!

9. Food to eat and cars to drive!

10. My relationship with Jesus Christ.
Thank you Lord for sending your one and only Son to die on the cross for me!
Thank you Lord for saving my soul,
Thank you Lord for making me whole,
Thank you Lord for giving to me,
Thy sweet salvation so rich and free!

I am thankful for the precious times I get to spend and make memories with my family, for my sisters (love them), my brothers (miss you Steve, wish you could be home for the holidays), my mom and dad, my friends, my church, my grandparents (Though I will miss my Grandpa this holiday season! I so wish he could be here to celebrate with us all. He always loved being with all the little great-grand kids!), and for my freedom.

Thank you God for the blessings in my life. We have more than we could ever want or need!

Give thanks for the Lord, for He is good!
We are overwhelmed by your goodness to us!

Happy Thanksgiving!
2011

Loving Brother's Hat:)

2011-11-19T20:32:00.006-05:00

Last weekend when we were out shopping we picked Jake up a new snow hat. It seems like every year we get at least a little bit of snow and we are not prepared at all. We have nothing, but a warm coat to wear. So we found some cute mittens and a hat and picked them up for him to have. Well, as much as he loves them, Sissy seems to love them even more:)

She wanted the hat on as soon as she got up the other morning and then brought it to me again later in the day. She wore it the whole time she ate lunch too.

I think she looks pretty cute in it! Such a silly girl:)

Maybe just a little snow would be fun!?!?!?

A Little Pre-Christmas Cheer

2011-11-18T09:25:00.006-05:00

The other day we were riding in the car and Jake said, "Mommy, it's fall AND Christmas time". He noticed that some houses had pumpkins on their porches and others were already decked out for Christmas. Around our house we like to take it one holiday at a time, but sometimes it's a bit hard to do when so many fun holidays things are happening!

Last Friday night our church held a ladies night called "Home for the Holidays". My best friend Marcy and I went last year and decided to make it a tradition to go together each year.

Each table was decorated in a festive way. We enjoyed a delicious dinner and heard from a wonderful speaker and singer, Gwen Smith.

Then Wednesday evening Matt suggested we go to the mall. We needed to pick up a few things so off we went!

Of course the mall is all decked out with decorations, sales are going on everywhere, Christmas music is playing, and the jolly man himself is ready for visitors. Matt was a little hesitant to let the kids see him because it is still before Thanksgiving, but there was no one in line, so we thought we might as well let them!

Jake got a bit shy when it was his turn. He has been making his wish for weeks now, but when it was his turn to sit on his lap, Daddy had to help him out a bit!

Next it was Brooklyn's turn. I just knew she would cry. I don't think she cried because she was afraid of Santa, it was more because I stepped away! Bless her heart:)

I love this time of year so much. The anticipation of the upcoming holidays is just magical!

Let the holidays begin!

15 Weeks Along!!

2011-11-17T14:26:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I went for my regularly scheduled doctor's appointment. I took both kids with me so I was really hoping that I wouldn't have to wait too long:) Thank goodness they got me right back and seen pretty quickly!

Everything is checking out great! They asked me a few questions, asked me if I was feeling ok, and then let us hear the heartbeat. I absolutely love that part! It reassures me that everything is ok when I hear that little heart just a beating away! I really haven't been that sick, but I still have moments from time to time when I just don't feel the best. Usually my sickness lasts until about 16 weeks (ah, lucky me), so I am hoping that within the next week I will be feeling back to my normal self!

We scheduled our next appointment for December 14th. This is the BIG appointment when they do all the measurements and of course let us know if we will be having a boy or a girl!!!

Today was also a really cool day because I felt the baby move for the first time. I was at school this morning sitting in chapel and all of a sudden I felt a slight flutter in my belly! It did it a few times! I love that feeling and can't wait until it gets stronger and more frequent!

Such a sweet moment!

He's Making His List and Checking It Twice

2011-11-11T14:41:00.006-05:00

Every afternoon when I come in from the mailbox the first question Jake asks me is "did you get me a magazine?". These days he has come to expect yet another toy magazine in the mail for him to look through. We have gotten several over the last few weeks and each afternoon before nap or each night before bed he scours each page looking for things to put on his Christmas wish list.

He used to skip the girl pages, but he now looks just to see what Sissy might like:)

I remember as a child going to my grandparents house and my Grandpa would give us a pen and we would look through the catalogs and circle all the things we would want on our Christmas list. It is fun to now see my own kids doing the same thing! The holidays are just so magical with kids! We are so excited the holidays are just around the corner!!

Our Trip To Moosevilla:)

2011-11-09T14:43:00.008-05:00

Since basketball season is getting ready to be in FULL swing for Matt (which means me too), we took advantage of our last free weekend, packed up, and headed to Moosevilla!

Matt's buddy has a condo up in Boone, NC so we called him up and he said we could stay! We invited some friends of ours to come with us and they were able to join us for part of our little getaway!

We were only going for a night, so we planned a few fun things to do while we were there. Our first stop was Grandfather Mountain!

I think Jake remembers going to Grandfather Mountain last year. He talks about the "shaky bridge" quite often.

So off we went, making a few stops along the way to climb rocks and take pictures.

Sweet Brooklyn LOVED being in the mountains:)

Last year when we went I was 7 months pregnant with her!

We finally made it to the top and now had to cross the mile high (shaky) bridge!

Yikes!

I will say I wasn't quite as nervous this time as I was the last time we came.

We made it across safe and sound! Whew!

Daddy held on tight to his baby girl!

Brooklyn and I didn't go quite as far on the mountain as daddy and Jake.

Of course Jake was the bravest of all of us:)

I love this pic:)

Sissy had fun too!

After some time on Grandfather Mountain it was time to head back down. On our way back to the mountain house we stopped at the Mast General Store.

It was fun to look around at all the neat stuff. We bought some treats for us to enjoy and Jake picked out a treasure too.

Matt and I

The next morning we enjoyed a nice breakfast together as a family and then headed to Blowing Rock...

We were able to hike a little more and just enjoy being together!

Jake found more rocks to climb on...

And with Daddy's help...went pretty high!

Here we are on The Rock!

And Jake made it all by himself!

I was thankful to be back on the ground with my little man!

These boys had fun just being boys!

The weather was perfect and it was such a refreshing and relaxing time to just be together! Wonderful memories were made for sure!

Brooklyn Is 11 Months!

2011-11-07T14:24:00.005-05:00

This girl just melts my heart! I love her more than anything and am super thankful for her! Here she is, a big 11 month old! Strong and healthy and just as cute as can be!

I took these pics this morning so I could remember what you looked like today, on your special 11 Month Day:)

You are still such a sweet girl. You go with the flow pretty well and pretty much do what Jake and I need/want to do that day! You still eat well. You don't get much, if any, baby food because you always want what we have. You just about eat whatever which makes things nice and easy for me:). You still take 3 bottles a day, but I don't think it will be a big deal when we start taking them away over the next few weeks. I haven't given you straight milk yet, except when you take bites of my cereal. They say to wait till a year, so I guess that's what we'll do.

I am not sure how much you weigh or how tall you are. Thank goodness we haven't had to go to the doctor at all lately. I think your next appointment will be when you turn one!

You are wearing 18 month clothes and a size 3 or 4 shoe. You still just have your 4 teeth. Two on top and two on the bottom. I keep feeling for more, but none have popped through yet.

You still sleep great too. Your routine is still the same going to bed around 8:30 and waking up around 7:30. I LOVE going in to get you in the mornings. I always ask you "Where's your baby?" and you pick it right up and give it to me! (You're going to make a GREAT big sissy.) Then I pick you up and we cuddle! LOVE!

You have started to really repeat what we do, especially Jake. When we clap our hands, you do yours. If we giggle, you do too! Mimi taught you to say "ruff, ruff" when we ask you what the doggie says. Sometimes you get confused though because the other day you thought a cat was a dog and started "ruffing". Ha!

Your biggest trick these days has been all the walking!!!!

You don't crawl much at all anymore. You are off and walking! It is kinda nice because when we go outside, you aren't scuffing up your knees or shoes!

You still take spills from time to time, but are actually very good!

I can't believe you are walking! I guess you are just trying to keep up with your brother!

One other cute thing I want to remember...

Jake got a bike for his birthday and so you got his old one.

You LOVE it! You just sit on it and are as content as can be when we are out playing in the cul-de-sac! Such a big girl!

Well, let the birthday countdown begin! I have been thinking plenty about your special day and can't wait to celebrate you!

Love you to the moon and back!

Love,

Mommy

Bakery and Books!

2011-11-02T18:51:00.005-04:00

The kids and I have the same routine just about every Wednesday morning.

Wednesdays is story time at the library, but before we go we like to make a stop at the local bakery. It is always fun to get a small treat before we head to the library.

Brooklyn usually samples everyone's treat!

Jake wouldn't let me get a picture of him, but a chocolate doughnut is usually his choice. This would make my Grandpa proud:)! Ha!

Jake likes to get to the library a few minutes early so he can play a few games on the computer. He is sooooo good on the computer now! He loves to play at home too!

Brooklyn bear and I usually walk around and check out a few books and movies for us to enjoy throughout the week.

Each class usually has a theme. Today it was bears!

We read some really cute stories and even got to hear one of our favorites..."Going On A Bear Hunt"!

Jake was listening to every word!

We sing songs in between stories. Here is Jake doing "I'm A Little Tea Pot". So cute!

And each class ends with a craft.

Today we made caves with bears in them...

I love days like this with my kids!

No Tricks Just Treats:)

2011-11-01T15:42:00.009-04:00

Our weekend was FULL and I mean FULL of Halloween fun! It started off Saturday with a HUGE fall festival at our church. It was a bit windy and chilly, but that didn't stop us from having fun. I had never been before, but we had a great time walking around with Jake and Brooklyn, playing games, seeing friends, and eating candy!

Jake loved going from booth to booth playing games and collecting candy!

Sissy and I tried to stay bundled up together to stay warm!

More fun...

And look at her showing off her tutu!

Next up was a Halloweenie roast/trunk or treat!

A church down the road from us was hosting this community event. Matt was staying in to watch the football game, so I called my neighbor and invited her and her sweet girls to come with us! We had so much fun. It was a bit warmer and it was a great opportunity to hang out with her! We enjoyed our hot dog dinner and then waited for the trunks to open!

Jake and his friend Grace quickly got the hang of a trunk or treat!

We went from trunk to trunk once again loading up on the candy!

Jake filling his bag...

Jake didn't even play the cake walk, but somehow got a pumpkin cupcake! Oops!

At the end of the evening, they had some left over pumpkins from their pumpkin patch, so everyone got to pick one to take!

I think this pumpkin is definitely the cutest in the patch!

Love this pic!

And then of course...Halloween Day!

My little Buzz Lightyear got to dress up one more time and fill his bag...again!

I think Brooklyn Bear was catching on to all this candy fun too!

She was ready to go!

Jake was not intimidated to go door to door. He knew just what to do! He was a little shy when they came to the door and didn't say "trick or treat" like we practiced, but Daddy convinced him to at least press the button on his wings!

We walked a good ways before heading home to warm our hands, but it didn't take any of us long to get into a few treats!

Sissy enjoyed her first lolly!

Jake and Brooklyn with all the loot!

What a very "SWEET" weekend with my family!

More Blessings:)

2011-10-31T09:57:00.003-04:00

Our family is excited to announce that we are...
Baby Trent due May 10, 2012!!!

FUNtabulous Friday!

2011-10-29T07:55:00.003-04:00

Even though I work just two mornings a week, I still always look forward to the weekend. I think it's because even though I am home more during the week, it is BUSY! Ha! And I also just LOVE spending time with my family.

Yesterday, we had planned to go to a Halloween party/playdate with my Mom's Group, but thing got cancelled when sickness struck their house. I actually had not been to anything since my last episode with the group:), but was going to be brave and try again. When the party got cancelled, I must admit I was pretty ok with it, thinking I was maybe saved from another day of humiliation?!?! Ha!

Anyway, I had the whole day with my kids and wanted to do something fun, so it was off to M0nkey J0es...

We went several months ago and had a blast!

Jake was once again on the go!

This little girl had fun too, but we spent much of our time just trying to keep up with Jake!

This was his favorite...No Fear!

We played for a few hours and then stopped at the grocery store to pick up the ingredients we needed for these...

We made some special pumpkin cookies for a very special birthday party tonight! We are celebrating my Dad's birthday, Timmy's, Allison's, and my brother Steven's (even though he is in England)!

After a good nap and a quick dinner, we had planned to go to the school's football game, but the weather here is pretty chilly and rainy so we skipped out and had a movie and popcorn night with Daddy!

We pulled out the pillows and blankets and cuddled up together for some fun!

What a great day we had being together! We have sooooo many fun Halloween activities coming up this weekend that I can't wait to share about!

Happy Weekend!

Jake's 3rd Birthday...Curious George Style!

2011-10-24T14:19:00.004-04:00

Saturday evening was the BIG party!

Jake had been waiting for this day for a while!

We celebrated Jake's 3rd birthday...again...this time Curious George style!

Because we have such a large family we tend to keep birthday parties to mainly just us. By the time we all get together it is a houseful!

October can be such a great month for a birthday. Each year so far it has just been cool enough for people to be outside or in.

We decided that this year we would grill hot dogs, have strawberry pretzel jello (always a family favorite), baked beans, and chips!

We loved having our cousins come over to help us celebrate Jake!

What would a party be without Sophie girl? Ha!

And Jake LOVES his BIG boy cousins, Corban and Riley.

After supper everyone headed to the garage for a little pinata fun!

Everyone got lots of tries to break the George pinata. Finally, the candy spilled everywhere!

Next up was cookie cake! This was Jake's special request.

Jake DOES NOT like to be the center of attention!

And of course any three year old can't wait to dive into his presents.

He got such nice things this year! A soccer goal for the backyard, a Curious George matching game, clothes, and a special helmet for this...

Jake has been asking for a bike for a while. He REALLY needed one. I knew he would LOVE it! It took him a few tries to get used to it, but now he is off and riding like a pro!

Happy 3rd Birthday, Jake!

Jake's 3rd Birthday Bash~Round 1

2011-10-17T14:43:00.004-04:00

In honor of Jake's 3rd birthday, Matt's parents took us all out for a HUGE night of fun at Chuck E. Cheese! We all had such a great time! It was non stop action the entire night and we were all worn out by the time we left! Whew! Keeping up with both Jake and Brooklyn in that place is quite a task! Wow!

A special night with Poppa and Memaw for sure!

This little girl didn't miss a beat. She loved it! She rode rides, ate pizza, and LOVED seeing the puppets come out on stage...well, as long as she kept her distance! Ha!

What a sweet pic of my girl enjoying herself...

I could hardly get a picture of Jake. He would just run from one game to the next. He didn't even care what it was that he was playing. He just kept a smile on his face the entire time!

This was Sissy's favorite ride...

Watch me go!

Ok, sometimes he had to cheat a little to earn some tickets!

Stinker...

Matt and I took Jake to Chuck E. Cheese last year for his birthday.

It looks like we have started a tradition!

It was fun being able to celebrate Jake!

The night was definitely one to remember!

Happy 3rd birthday, Jake!

We love you and can't wait to celebrate YOU again this coming weekend with more of our family!

Happy Birthday, Jake!!!

2011-10-15T14:34:00.002-04:00

Today is a very special day at our house!

My little Jake turns 3 years old!

Jake,

Three years ago today you made me a mommy for the first time. I still remember the nervous excitement that I had when I woke up that morning knowing that my life would never be the same. I love watching you change and grow everyday. You are becoming such a big boy. You are so smart and love to be "curious":)!

You are all boy, for sure and you keep me oh so busy every day!

I love spending all my time with you. I love all the things that you do that make you extra special. I am so glad that God chose me to be your mommy.

We hope your day is filled with so much love and happiness!

I can't wait for all of the upcoming celebrations that we have planned to celebrate YOU, big 3 year old!

Love you forever!

To the moon and back!

Happy 3rd birthday, Jake!

Love,

Mommy

To The Pumpkin Patch We Go...

2011-10-10T15:40:00.002-04:00

Saturday evening Matt and I took Jake and Brooklyn to the pumpkin patch. We went to a place called Hodges Farm. We went there last year and had such a great time, so we thought we would go again! It is a really neat place. They have some animals, hay rides, pony rides, popcorn, a corn maze and rows and rows of pumpkins to choose from!

We were on a hunt for the perfect front porch pumpkin...

Jake was careful to look for a bright orange, round one with a good stem:)

While the boys looked for a BIG one, Sissy and I looked for a small one...
She found a really good one that was just her size:)

It was the perfect night for pumpkin pickin'...

and they look GREAT on our front porch!

Happy Fall!

Brooklyn Is 10 Months!!!

2011-10-07T15:07:00.003-04:00

Today my girl is 10 months old!

These have to be some of my all time favorite pics I have gotten of her! I just love them!

Brooklyn, you are growing bigger and stronger everyday! You are still such an easy baby and usually go along with whatever we are doing! You are starting to be intrigued by Jake and tend to want to do what he is doing.

You have become really good at going up the stairs (not my favorite trick you do, ha).Whenever you are headed towards them and I come and run after you, you just go faster. It is so funny! I think you are also pretty close to walking. You stand every once in a while for a few seconds by yourself and have sorta taken a step or two. Maybe by your birthday you will be walking. I am sorta ready for it because as much as you love to be outside, your pants are getting ruined from crawling on the cement:)

You have become a REALLY good eater lately. Most meals you are the last to finish and it's not because you're slow, you are just still eating. Ha! You eat just about anything we do. There is not much you don't like. Lately you have been reaching for the spoon because you want to do it by yourself. I have to fight with you about this, because you make SUCH a mess!

You are wearing some 12 month clothes, but fit better in 18 month stuff. You wear a size 3 shoe. You have 4 teeth, two on top and two on the bottom. Your top teeth have really come down and you look just oh so precious!

You go to bed around 8:30 every night and usually wake up around 7:30 or so. You still mostly take one afternoon nap a day, but every once in a while you give me a morning one too.

You LOVE your daddy and he LOVES you! Every night when he comes home from work you absolutely LIGHT UP! You wave and giggle until he comes and sees you! It is my favorite thing ever!

I know you love me a lot too. You love for me to always be close by. You have started to cry when I leave you to go do something or when you have to stay in the church nursery. I know it doesn't last long, but it still makes me sad:(.

You are such a blessing to me and I just love, love, love having a little girl!

You are my baby girl and I will love you forever!

To the moon and back, I love you!

Love,

Mommy

For The Love Of Books

2011-10-06T16:08:00.005-04:00

Every Wednesday morning I take Jake and Brooklyn to our local library for story and craft time. We always try to go a few minutes early so we can pick out some books and movies and play on the computers! Jake LOVES books. We read all the time! Each night we cuddle for 15 or 20 minutes and just read and tell stories! It is the best!

Jake is getting very good on the computer!

When story time begins we always look forward to the neat things that are planned for us!

We always read lots of stories and sing lots of fun songs!

Even Brooklyn bear has fun:)

We finish up with a fun craft that we can do together.

We love our time at the library and our special time together:)

Sleeping Beauty

2011-10-04T14:09:00.003-04:00

Sweet Brooklyn must have been really tired yesterday.

She fell asleep in her highchair right in the middle of lunch!

Her little head would slowly fall and then she would open her mouth with her eyes still closed to get another bite!

She just couldn't keep her eyes open any longer!

I got it on video too. I will try to figure out how to post it.

Busy Doing Life

2011-10-03T13:49:00.005-04:00

We have had a lot going on around our house lately. Really nothing significant, just busy with all life throws at you sometimes.

1. Matt has been super busy with work. This is a really good thing, but I will say it has been a bit hard on me. Not only has he been busy with real estate, but he has been driving the bus for many of the school's sports teams. This has been such a great way for us to make some extra money, but obviously means lots of time away from home. He has also been working on starting a company with a friend of ours. They have moved into a small office space not too far from us and are working on getting things all set to go. We are continually praying about this opportunity and are looking forward to seeing how God is going to use them!

2. Friday night we were able to have a family night together, so we bundled up and headed out to the schools first home football game! It was fun to see some of the teachers that I used to work with and many former students!

Jake stayed busy running ALL OVER and Brooklyn and I stayed close together to keep each other warm! She had so much fun!

Go LIONS!

3. This past Saturday our neighborhood had a community yard sale. We cleaned out our garage a few weeks ago, so we thought we would participate and just see what would happen.

We actually did VERY well! I was a bit surprised at what people bought! Ha! I was a little bummed though because I usually LOVE to go out early and do a little treasure hunting myself, but instead we were busy selling our own treasures:)

4. The other day I was on the couch doing something with Brooklyn and I heard Jake in the bathroom with the water running. I always listen for a second to see if he is just washing his hands, but if the water stays on for too long, I know he is up to something. So I got up and he was filling up his ball cap with water!!! I asked him what he was doing and he told me that he was washing it like Curi0us Ge0rge did on t.v! I tried to hold back the giggles! He loves Ge0rge...A Lot. His birthday is in a few weeks and all he wants is a Ge0rge birthday!

5. After several days of rain last week, the weather has turned beautiful! We have had some sunny, cool days which are the best for playing outside! We put up a fence this past weekend which means we can enjoy our backyard just a little bit more knowing my little kiddos can't run out into the busy road that runs behind us!

6. I have been wanting to get some fall family pics done, so I asked a good friend of mine, Angela, to take some. She agreed and met us at the park last night for our photo shoot. She took TONS, so I am hoping she got a few good ones. I am really excited to see some of Brooklyn. The last photos we got of her was when she was a newborn, so I can't wait! Obviously she has changed so much since then! She is at such a good age too. She smiles at just about anything! Jake is a bit harder to take pictures of these days. He is quite the stinker when it come to smiling on command! Ha! I will share them with you when I get them back!

7. We have been up to several other things too like baking dinner after dinner for families in our neighborhood and SS class that have had babies, keeping up with my new job at school, TRYING to keep the house in decent order, being a mommy and wife for my own family, and a few other "surprises" too!

I can't believe it is already October!

We have some fun things coming up that I can't wait to share about!

Happy Monday!

Keepin' It Real...

2011-09-21T15:47:00.004-04:00

Today was one of the hardest days of being a mom for me. I love my kids more than anything, but today I just couldn't help but cry.

My little Jake can be quite a handful sometimes. He can be the sweetest thing ever, but he can be quite the stinker too.

Today was my first day meeting up with my new mom's group. It was a new members social at someones house and I was really looking forward to going. I was a little nervous about going because I wasn't going to know anyone, but that was part of the reason I joined, to meet new friends! I had been talking with Jake ALL WEEK about how we were going to the party and he was going to play with new friends and have snacks and do fun things. We discussed ALL WEEK how we were going to play nice with our new friends and share with them. Ya know...giving him the pep talk.

Well, it all came undone pretty much the moment we walked in her house. She had a HUGE playroom with tons of fun toys to play with and the kids were welcome to it all. I think when Jake gets overwhelmed with lots of people, or with lots of things going on he just can't handle it. He would play nice for a minute with a toy and then run over and take someone elses. When I would tell him "no", he would pitch a fit (ya know the loud kind) and tell me "no"! I was trying to handle it the best I could, but also trying not to make a scene. Not a pretty moment. AT ALL. I would get him under control and then something else would happen. I tried to give him a snack, which he wanted, until I gave it to him.

I tried to walk out of the room for a minute (because Brooklyn was down the hallway headed for the stairs) and I thought I could just say hello to at least one other mom, but while I was gone he was at it again. I seriously was breaking a sweat and trying to hold the tears in, but all of a sudden they just started coming. Ugh! Talk about making a first impression! The other mom's were so sweet and understanding, which maybe helped a little, but I was pretty much humiliated by this point. It is actually a bit hard to write this post because I am reliving those 2 hours again, but I know this is real life and every mom has moments like I experienced today. Ugh!

God gave me my Jake and I love him soooo much. We are praying for him and working hard everyday to make him into the man God wants him to be. One day down the road (way down the road, ha!) I am sure I will look back and just smile at this post.

My kids won't be little forever and these days are just part of the journey!

Off To The County Fair...

2011-09-16T14:05:00.007-04:00

Today was preschool day at the county fair which is in our area this week.

We have gone to the fair for the past several years, but today preschoolers and their families got in for free. Some of the attractions were not open, but the ones my kiddos would be interested were, so I thought I would take my kids and enjoy our day together!

It was a fun way to spend a chilly morning! So we bundled up and off we went!

Jake and Brooklyn LOVED seeing the animals!

The kids were able to see them up close and even pet them! Yuck!

They had just about every barn animal you can think of...

Brooklyn Bear LOVED her time!

She didn't want to miss a thing. She just looked around and sounded so funny "talking" to the animals.

The best part of our morning was that Matt got to join us. He will be working late tonight and won't be home, so we enjoyed our time with Daddy:)

My favorite thing is just being together and making memories with my family and that we did!

After we toured around the inside, it was off to see Robinson's Racing Pigs!

This is ALWAYS a favorite attraction of ours!

By this time we were all a bit hungry and pizza was on our minds...

We made a quick stop at Pizz@ Hut for some lunch!

This little girl loves her some pizza!

Fun times together on a Friday!

Apple Picking Adventures!

2011-09-13T16:18:00.007-04:00

Yesterday I took my kids apple picking at Carrigan Farms in Mooresville, NC!
We went with some of our neighbors and had such a great day!

When we arrived we took a hayride back to a small animal farm where we saw a turkey, a pony, a cow, sheep, bunnies, chicks. and pigs!

The kids had the best time looking at the animals!

Grace, Jake, and sweet baby Eva...

After we spent some time looking at the animals, it was off to the apple orchards where we found some of the best apples around!

Jake had a great time finding the best looking apples in the trees!

We didn't have any trouble finding some good ones to fill up our bags!

Even Brooklyn Bear found a few!

What a fun day I had with my kids picking apples and making memories with our friends!

It wasn't long before we enjoyed a few bites of our apples with our picnic lunch!

They were so sweet and juicy and will be great for all the apple baking we are getting ready to do!

Football Fever

2011-09-11T21:07:00.005-04:00

So today kicked off yet another football season.

I definitely have mixed feelings about it. I enjoy Steeler football because Matt enjoys Steeler football, but I think Sunday afternoons are much better spent taking a long nap:)

Today I got in the spirit a little bit and got everyone dressed in their Steeler gear for the game.

A few weeks ago Matt took Jake to his first game. They had a great time being there, but I think Jake enjoyed the popcorn more than the game. Ha!

One of the cutest Steeler fans around...

And look at this Steeler cheerleader...

Oh. My. Goodness.

I LOVE this! She was ready to cheer on her team this afternoon.

I don't think it can get much sweeter!

Even though the score at the end of the game wasn't how we like it, the Steelers had their biggest fans cheering them on!

Go Steelers!

9 Month Stats (just for my records)

2011-09-09T15:28:00.003-04:00

Today we went for Brooklyn's 9 month check up.

I was thankful to go because it was also a checkup to listen to her breathing. She sounded great and looked good too!

The doctor asked me all sorts of questions about Brooklyn's development and she was right on track.

She weighed 21lbs. and 12oz. (91%) and was 28 1/2 inches long (82%).

So thankful my girl is strong and healthy!

Our next visit is for her 1 year! Wow!

Brooklyn Is 9 Months!

2011-09-07T13:59:00.004-04:00

Today Brooklyn is 9 months old!

And she wants everyone to know that she is "So Big"!

Nine months does seem big to me! I keep thinking that we have had her here for as long as I carried her:)

I am so glad to be posting about my sweet girl today!

I feel like over this past month she has learned so many new things and is becoming quite a big girl!

She is doing all sorts of new tricks these days. She does her "so big" trick and waves "hi" or "bye bye" when you ask her to. She is crawling everywhere, but prefers to walk by holding onto your fingers. She is even starting to get pretty good just holding onto one hand. Maybe she will be an early walker!?!?! Sweet girl has four teeth...two on the bottom and two on the top:)

She is beginning to pull out her hair bows:( and her hair is not long enough to put a clip or a big girl bow in, so we might be without bows for a bit.

She loves to eat, but does not care much for her food anymore. She still eats the fruits and veggies really good, but as far as anything else (like baby lasagna or chicken and veggies) she wants nothing to do with. She much prefers what's on our plate. She has had grilled cheese, pumpkin bread, applesauce, mandarin oranges, peaches, lots of types of beans, lasagna, mac and cheese, pasta, bean soup and many other things. Whatever we are eating is what she wants! It actually makes it pretty easy:)

She still enjoys her bottles. She usually takes 4 a day (4-6 oz). She is sleeping good too (8:30ish-7:30 or 8:00). On most days she takes one good afternoon nap for me.

She has also discovered the stairs...

Luckily, our stairs are at the front of the house and we are usually in the back, so they are not really a problem...yet.

She is wearing some 12 month clothes, but I have bought a few 18 month clothes for the fall.

She is still a HUGE mamma's girl. She wants me if I am anywhere nearby. She does LOVE to find her daddy in a room though. If you ask her "Where's Daddy?" she will always find him and flash a big 'ol grin. She says "Dadda" all the time, not so much mamma, even though we work on it. I have heard it a few times, but not like dadda:)
She is still SUCH a HAPPY baby and I am so thankful for her.
We are so blessed to have such a happy and healthy daughter!

LOVE my girl soooo much!

Happy Month Day to you!

Love,

Mommy

On The Mend...I Hope:)

2011-09-06T13:29:00.005-04:00

For the past several days my kids have been fighting off some really tough germs.

Jake woke up Saturday morning not feeling well at all. He was burning hot! He managed to perk up a little after some time with his daddy, but ended up getting sick to his tummy twice. Not fun...for any of us:).

Sunday he was no better. He just laid around on the couch not wanting to eat much of anything. He still had a fever and looked pretty puny. After a really long nap Sunday afternoon he started to feel a bit better. Even on Monday though he wasn't 100%. Still just not himself. Finally today he is starting to get his appetite back and wanting to play a little more than he has been. Thank goodness his fever is gone and he is sleeping good. I know that will help!

This little girl had a ROUGH weekend too...

I noticed that she wasn't acting herself Friday night and that she felt a little warm. I thought that it was maybe her teeth. She was OK on Saturday and then started with an AWFUL seal like cough on Sunday. Every time she would cough, she would just look at me and cry. It was pitiful! It continued to get a lot worse so we called the doctor to find out what we should do. At this point I felt like she was having trouble getting a good breath too. The nurse said that it was probably croup and to try a breathing treatment and to sit in a steamy bathroom.

It seemed to help a lot and we made it through the night OK.

Sunday morning, however was horrible. She woke up barely able to take a breath. We tried the same things we did the night before, but nothing worked. I had an appointment scheduled for 9:50, but by 9:00, she was having such distress that I just went ahead and took her.

As soon as I walked in those doors the nurses called the doctor and they set up a breathing treatment for her and told us that we were going to have to go to the hospital. Brooklyn bear needed a steroid shot to help open up her airways. Matt came quickly and met me and off we went. I could not believe we were headed to the children's hospital again!

It didn't take long for us to get to a room and for them to administer the shot. The shot takes a little while to kick in so I waited with her as they monitored her to make sure she was OK.

It was a bit hard keeping an (almost) 9 month old busy in a hospital room for 6 plus hours while hooked up to monitors, but we somehow managed. After some snacks and naps, it was almost time to go home!

She is doing much better today. Still not completely better (the croup still has to run it's course), but WAY better than she was. We had a follow up doctors appintment today, but the doctor called this morning to check up on us and she said that since we had a good night we didn't have to come in. We have her 9 month check up on Friday and she would just see us then.

Let me tell you, it is a pretty scary thing watching your sweet baby struggling to breathe. After she had RSV back in March, the doctor told me she might be more susceptible to these kinds of things.

That scares me a lot especially with the winter months coming!

I am just thankful that we are slowly but surely getting better!

We appreciate all the phone calls and love that we have received!

We are BLESSED BEYOND!

What I Am Thinking About This Thursday...

2011-09-01T20:13:00.008-04:00

This post is going to be made up of some of the random thoughts that I have had lately...

1. My first week of school...

This was my first week teaching at my new school. Overall it went great. There is definitely A LOT to get used to. It is really different from my last school, but I think I will really like it once I get used to it. The hardest part is that I don't have all the resources that I had before and since it is only a part time job, I have to figure out how to teach everything I am supposed to in two days! I am also teaching kindergarten and first grade. This is the youngest I have ever taught before, which is OK because I like to broaden my teaching experience, but they are quite little!

2. It's time for me to get back in shape...

Ever since Brooklyn was born I have wanted to get back in shape and lose the last few (OK 10) pounds that I just can't get rid of. At the beginning of the summer I tried to run in our neighborhood, but I just couldn't make it work. I don't mind getting up early, but it seemed like every morning I would set my alarm to get up and go, Brooklyn Bear would get up too. Our neighborhood is also FULL of hills, which doesn't make it easy to stick with. Ha. A gym membership isn't in our budget right now so I thought I would post a message on facebo0k to see if anyone was getting rid of a treadmill. Sure enough I got a reply from one of my friends that she had one she wanted to get rid of and I could HAVE it! Woot! Woot! We picked it up on Sunday. I haven't used it yet. Hopefully this weekend we will clear out some space so I can get running! I am ready!

3. Mom's Group

Since I only work part time I have been looking for some fun things to do with my kids that don't cost a lot of money. I REALLY wanted to find a group of moms that I could connect with and have play dates with. I looked into M0PS, but there is not a group in my area. I began to pray about where God would have me to be. I ended up being invited to a dinner a few weeks ago with some of the ladies in my neighborhood. I sat across from a girl I didn't know and began to chat with her. She told me about a group that she is involved in right down the road from me! I got all signed up and am soooo looking forward to the first social coming up in a few weeks! I am praying for opportunities to be blessing and share the Lord with some new friends!

4. My GROWING kids...

My kids have grown like weeds this summer...

I think just about every shirt, every pair of shorts, and certainly every pair of shoes we own are too small! Of course I don't want to buy anything at this point in the year, but we are running out of options:)

Poor Brooklyn is really in bad shape. I put on her little white sandals (that were slightly big at the beginning of the summer) and her little (pink painted) toes were hanging over the edge!

I guess we just have to get through a few more weeks! Ha!

Neither one of my kids have fall clothes yet. I guess we will be doing some shopping really soon! There is a GREAT consignmet shop that I love to go to not far from me! Maybe I can run up there over the LONG weekend!

5. GO Steelers!

Matt got free tickets to the Panther/Steeler game tonight. He was so excited to be able to take Jake! They were all decked out in their Steeler gear and ready for the game! I told him to take some pics so hopefully I can post more later! While they were having a little boy fun, sweet Brooklyn and I had some girl time. We did a little shopping, had dinner at Chick-fil-@ and watched a Praise Baby dvd! Love being able to spend time with my girlie:)

I've Got A New Way To Crawl

2011-08-31T09:59:00.003-04:00

Both of my kids LOVE to be outside. We live in such a great neighborhood to play in. There are always plenty of kids around to play with. Jake is content running around, playing baseball, riding his bike or scooter, or playing on the swing set. Brooklyn however is a bit harder these days to take outside. She LOVES to go, but she is constantly putting everything in her mouth. I am always pulling out wood chips. Ha!

And getting around isn't so easy either. She will sit in her stroller for a little while, but eventually she wants to be out! So this is how she crawls around. Her little knees get so scratched up so this is what she has learned to do...

She crawls like this everywhere!

I remember Jake did this too when he was little.
Maybe she will figure out the whole walking thing soon! It's much easier:)

First Day Jitters:)

2011-08-29T21:11:00.004-04:00

Well, tomorrow is my first day at my new school. I believe that I have everything in order and that everything is ready to go! Things will be a bit different than what I am used to with the biggest change being that I am only teaching two days a week and only three hours each day! Way less than what I am used to!

I think I am most nervous about our new routine. Jake and Brooklyn will be spending the morning with Grammy, which I am thrilled about, but I am just nervous about leaving them and getting them back on a new schedule too!

Jake got a new Spiderman lunch box tonight which is all packed with his yummy lunch and Brooklyn Bear is all set with her gear too!

I have butterflies in my stomach, but once we get it all figured out, we will be just fine!

I will let you know how great our first day goes...

Like A Doughnut...

2011-08-26T14:02:00.001-04:00

Life without Jesus is like a doughnut

Like a doughnut, like a doughnut

Life without Jesus is like a doughnut

There’s a hole in the middle of your heart

It may be OK for a while, but then the truth will wipe away your smile

There’s something sad inside me I cannot control

When I think about the donut hole!

Our Day Out At Discovery Place Kids

2011-08-25T16:15:00.008-04:00

For the past couple of days I was telling Jake about a big surprise that I was planning for him.

I had heard from some of my neighbors about a GREAT place not to far from us called Discovery Place Kids! Since we stay close to home most days, I thought it would be a fun treat for us to go. So we picked up my sister Allison and off we went...

This is a museum designed specifically for kids ages birth-second grade. Thinking that most of the bigger kids would be back to school today, I didn't think it would be that crowded. We got there right when it opened, but it didn't take long for it to get pretty busy!

Our first stop was the water tables...

My kids LOVED it!
Brooklyn Bear could have sat there all day:)

The museum is set up for kids to pretend play in all sorts of areas which are set up as different places in the community.

Next up was the auto shop where Jake checked out the cars.

He checked under the hood, changed its tire...

and even checked it out underneath:)

We made stops in the ambulance...

and the fire station...

Then it was off to the farm where a few cows needed to be miked!

We had a blast pretending at the bank, the grocery store, construction sites, the gym, the bakery and the doctor's office!

Then we went to the second floor of the museum where we had to walk through pretend security to the airport! Kids could pack their suitcases and take off on a pretend airplane!

I think one of Jake's favorite parts was building and racing his own race car or building his very own roller coaster...

We had so much fun spending our morning together just pretending!
We can't wait to go back again soon!

Polished Toes And A Pink Convertible

2011-08-22T15:48:00.002-04:00

Yesterday while Matt and I were out on our lunch date, my sister Kelly thought that it was the perfect time to give Brooklyn Bear her first pedicure:)

While she was in her chair getting fed, Kelly polished each sweet little piggy very carefully:)

Oh. My. Goodness. They are oh so sweet:)

And since she is SUCH a big girl now, this is what she wants her Daddy to buy her:)...

I don't know...her Daddy loves her a whole lot, so she just might get what she wants! Ha!

Our Weekend Round-Up!

2011-08-21T21:50:00.004-04:00

For most of this weekend I was on my own. Matt went to the beach for a night with some buddies that he works with, so Jake, Brooklyn and I stuck together and had some fun of our own!

Friday we pretty much stayed around the house. We had a play date with some neighborhood friends and then came home for some lunch and naps. We decided that dinner at Mimi's house sounded like a good idea so we brought over some baked ziti for everyone to enjoy:)

Saturday morning we loaded up and decided to hit the park. It was a bit overcast, so I thought it would be a nice, cool time to go.

Jake LOVES the monkey bars!

And this little girl had a blast!

Our neighborhood was hosting an end of summer pool party later on that evening and we signed up to bring a dessert. So the kids and I got busy baking these fun cupcakes...

Jake's job was to eat, I mean sprinkle, the seeds on top!

I thought they turned out really cute:)

Tons of people came to celebrate a fun filled summer and the beginning of a new school year!

We enjoyed a pizza dinner, music, pool games, and LOTS of swimming!

Jake ate so much! I guess all that swimming made him extra hungry!

Jake has turned into a fish this summer and I LOVE it!

And this little water bug enjoyed her time at the party too!

Both of my kids were GREAT (thanks to the extra set of hands that I had, thanks Al)!

Matt got home later on Saturday evening and we were sooo glad to have him back home!

Our plans for Sunday didn't happen exactly how we thought though...

I had made plans a few weeks ago for my sister Kelly to come and babysit for us so Matt and I could go out together after church and celebrate his birthday. For his birthday I wanted to take him to the White Water Rafting Center to go rafting. Just the two of us. Well, Matt got pretty sick starting late Saturday night. We were both up for most of the night and after a trip to the emergency room, he is feeling a bit better. We decided to skip out on our rafting adventure and take things a bit slower:) We ended up going to the Epicenter downtown to have lunch and walk around.

We don't go out very often at all, so it was a really nice time just to be together.

We had lunch outside and then stopped at Yoforia for a frozen treat. We have heard such good things about this place, but we don't have one close by, so we decided to try it out!

Even though out date didn't go as planned, it was still a sweet time together and a great way to celebrate his birthday...just the two of us!

A New Class Assignment

2011-08-18T21:48:00.006-04:00

This week was a bit different for me.

I did not have to report to school this week for all the back to school craziness!

The Lord has been up to some big changes for our family.

You see, I just got back from Open House at my NEW school!

For the past 4 years I have been teaching at a Christian school in our area. While I didn't plan on being a teacher in the first place (I have a degree in health fitness, ha!), the Lord opened up doors for me to teach! I have been teaching there full time, but every year Matt and I would pray and evaluate whether or not I could become a stay at home mommy. Being a full time mommy has always been my dream and something that we have been working towards, but with Matt being in the real estate business, it wasn't quite so easy for me to just quit! But now having two little ones to care for meant double the daycare and lots of time away from them both:(.

So I began to think about some other options that I might have. There is a Christian school in our area that offers part time teaching. It is a college style school which means kids can take as little as one class or all their classes there. It is K-12 and sounded like a perfect fit for me. So I thought that I would just see if they had anything open for me to teach. Sure enough they e-mailed me back right away and had a few classes that they thought might be a good fit! After a few conversations and meetings, they offered me the position!

I will be working two mornings a week for only three hours each day! It is going to be a GREAT part time job for me. It will still allow me to bring in some income, but be at home A LOT more with Jake and Brooklyn! What a blessing this has been. While I am a little nervous about being at a new school, I am so thankful for what the Lord provided for us during this season of our lives!

I love these two and am so excited to be with them a whole lot more:)

XOXOXOXOXOXOX!

Boys Morning Out...

2011-08-16T07:58:00.005-04:00

Every other Saturday morning the boys in my house make a special trip to Lowes.

They offer a free program there called "Lowes Grows Kids". Matt and Jake have so much fun building all sorts of things. Jake has come home with some really neat things!

When you get there, they give you an apron, a pair of safety goggles, a hammer, your kit, and a certificate and badge of completion.

They have built tow trucks, mini golf games, basketball games, picture frames, and special things for the holidays!

If they are in a hurry, they just pick it up to go and bring it home to work on...

They have a great time together...just being boys:)

August Birthday Bashes!

2011-08-14T20:13:00.007-04:00

August is another FULL birthday month for us!

This weekend we celebrated several special birthdays...

Our first stop was Jake's best buddy Jay's 3rd birthday!

There were a TON of people there to wish this special boy a HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

Everyone enjoyed hanging out, swimming, eating pizza and cake, and breaking open the pinata!

Once it broke open, the kids filled their treat bags with all sorts of sweets:)

Brooklyn watched all the big kids race for the candy!

After we were finished we headed over to the Cheesecake Factory to celebrate some more!

Matt's family has three August birthdays, so it is a busy month for them.

Matt's mom had a birthday yesterday so in honor of her, we got together for a fancy dinner.

Happy Birthday Memaw...

And since we were at the beach for Matt's birthday, he was celebrated too!

This time with his mom and dad!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

It was a treat to go to such a nice place!

We enjoyed our time together and of course LOVED our cheesecake!

Since our day was so jammed packed yesterday my sweet kiddos didn't get to nap, so I was just praying our meal would be pleasant. Jake and Brooklyn actually did very well. These days we don't go out to eat much and if we do the fanciest place we go is Chick-fil-a! Ha!

Daddy tired to keep this little boy happy...

And I had this sweet love...

Happy Birthday to some extra special people! So glad we got to celebrate YOU!

I AM A PROMISE!

2011-08-12T08:47:00.005-04:00

"I AM A PROMISE"

I am a promise

I am a possibility

I am a promise with a capital "P"

I am a great big bundle of potentiality.

And I am learnin' to hear God's voice and I am tryin' to make the right choice

I am a promise to be anything God wants me to be.

I can go anywhere that he wants me to go

I can be anything that he wants me to be

I can climb the high mountains

I can cross the wide sea

I am a great big promise you see!

I am a promise
I am a possibility
I am a promise with a capital "P"
I am a great big bundle of potentiality!
And I am learnin' to hear God's voice and I am tryin' to make the right choice
I am a promise to be anything God wants me to be!

It's A Beach Thing...Surfside Beach 2011

2011-08-08T14:49:00.015-04:00

Each year my entire family looks forward to our annual beach vacation in Surfside Beach, South Carolina! We have been coming for years and love spending time together relaxing, laughing, swimming, and making memories!

Over the years as our family has grown, we have gone from one condo to two condos to three condos! This is the condo that we stayed in this year...

How lucky we are to stay right on the beach! It is the best ever to be able to go from the ocean to the pool all day long as many times as you want!

We head out to the beach early in the morning to set up our tent, umbrella, and chairs and there we stay...all day:)!

You are my sunshine...

I will say it was a bit hard this year having two little ones to chase. It wasn't quite a "vacation", but it is so fun to bring my kids now to the beach and have them make some special memories at Surfside!

Brooklyn was soooo good at the beach. Some mornings she fell asleep and just napped in a little tent. Other mornings she would just want to play and swim right along with everyone else!

She wasn't going to miss any of the fun!

She is going to be a beach bum...just like me!

Jake's favorite thing was probably the pool. He loved the diving sticks Mimi bought him and became an even better swimmer by the time the week was over!

He also loved finding shark teeth and seashells!

There were a lot of pretty shells washed up this year!

We were lucky to be able to spend this week with my brother too! He flew in from England to spend the week with us! It was really special for me because he got to meet Brooklyn for the first time!

And of course it's always fun to be with so many Uncles and Aunts...

Tim with Brooklyn Bear...

KK and Jake getting ready for a swim...

And there is always a cousin close by to play with...

And these two...wow! That's all I can say:)

Beach bums...

Corban and Riley...

Getting sandy...

I LOVE this picture of Papa and my Brooklyn Bear! How special!

And this one of Jake and Mimi...

And what would a beach vacation be without some cornhole?!?!?

Most evenings we just stay around the condo. No one likes to get dressed up to go anywhere. Ha! But we do make an exception when it comes to getting ice cream...

A trip to Yum Yums or a new stop, Sophies...

The cousins...

And this year was a pretty special year...

Matt turned the big 30 while we were there!

We grilled out hamburgers and hot dogs (his request)

and then dug into some chocolate cake!

I am so blessed to be able to spend a week with my loves!

Surfside Beach 2011

Brooklyn Is 8 Months!

2011-08-07T10:31:00.008-04:00

Today is my sweet girl's 8 month birthday!

I feel that these past few weeks have brought about some of the biggest changes...

Let me tell you, I LOVE having a baby girl! She is just the most PRECIOUS, SWEETEST, CUTEST baby girl EVER:)!
She is definitely starting to scoot around a bit. While we were at the beach she finally figured out the whole crawling thing. She isn't great at it yet. Most of the time she tries, moves a little, and then gets frustrated and decides rolling to get her toys is much easier! Ha! She can be crawling/rolling around the room one minute and then get into a sitting position if she wants. She is also pulling up on things to a standing position!

This morning I walked in only to find her STANDING up in her crib just waiting for me to come and get her! WOW!

She is still a HUGE mamma's girl. Anytime someone else comes close, she looks to make sure that I am right there!

She is doing great with eating too. She usually drinks about 4 bottles a day that are usually 6-8 oz each. I try to do bottles at breakfast, lunch, snack, and then dinner. If she needs a drink other than those times, I try a sippy cup of water. She eats baby food 2-3 times a day. She has tried just about everything. Her favorites are bananas, pears with oatmeal, squash, and sweet potatoes. She does not like peas, but who does:)? She LOVES puffs and is getting better about picking them up herself and getting them in her mouth. I have given her a few soft foods too. Things like pumpkin bread, baked beans, bread, and applesauce. She loves them and does great!

She is still sleeping OK. She still goes down around 8:30 and most mornings she will wake up around 7:30 or so. She is still hit or miss on her morning naps, but will always give me a great afternoon nap.

She says "Dadadadada" a lot, but a few times I have heard her say "Mmmmm" which I say is mama:)!

She loves the water and will just splash away and doesn't mind at all going under the water.

She is mostly wearing 12 month clothes, and the few times she has worn shoes this summer she is in a size 2. I don't know how much she weighs or how tall she is. We don't go to the doctor again until her 9 month check up.

I am blessed to be your mommy Brooklyn bear!

You are my sweet Lovey and I will always love you to the moon and back!

Love,

Mommy

XOXOXOXOXOX

My Grandpa

2011-08-06T15:19:00.005-04:00

This past week, while we were on vacation, we received a call that my Grandpa had passed away. He had been sick for a while and while we knew he was quickly going down hill, the news was still a shock. He had been in a nursing home for about a year and I would take Jake and Brooklyn from time to time to visit. I would always ask him silly questions just to make him smile and I would always talk to him about the things he loved...Dunkin Donuts and the Olive Garden. We would always make plans to go too! Ha!

Matt and I made plans Friday night before we left for the beach to take the kids and stop by to see him. I am SO glad that we did. We chatted for a little while and I told him that we were going to the beach in the morning. My Grandma and Grandpa joined us on our beach vacation for MANY years! It is a very special trip for our family.

My Grandpa told me that he wanted to go with us! Ha!

It crossed my mind that it would be the last time that I saw him, but he looked pretty good and thought he would at least make it until we got back, but the Lord called him home early Monday morning while he was sleeping.

I was such a lucky girl to have a Grandpa like him. Every memory that I have treasured in my heart is so sweet. He loved the Lord with everything he had and he would tell anyone, anywhere all about his Savior. While we are going through this time of loss, there is such a peace in all of our hearts knowing that he is completely healed of all his sickness and is with his Lord.

My Grandpa will be missed dearly! I will always love him and be reminded of his amazing walk with the Lord. I am thankful for the time that I did get to spend with him and the many memories that we made. I am so glad that he was able to know Jake and Brooklyn too and be a part of their lives for at least a short while.

I love you Grandpa! I will miss you!

XOXOXOX!

Our Trip To The Library

2011-07-29T06:24:00.003-04:00

Yesterday Jake, Brooklyn, and I made a special visit to our public library.

I had not taken the kids there at all this summer. I took Jake last year for some story times, but he didn't sit very still, so I have avoided it so far this year. However, we have our family beach trip coming up and I thought a few new books would keep him occupied for a little while in the car. We are also borrowing a DVD player for the car and wanted to pick him up a few new DVDs to watch.

So off we went...

We had a GREAT time! We browsed the shelves for some fun books to take with us. He LOVES any book, but he is really into the Where's Waldo books or the I SPY books. We checked out some of those and a few others and I think we are set!

After we checked out our books, our library has a great kids section to do puzzles, computers, and other quiet games.

Jake picked out a few to work on!

And sweet Brooklyn Bear was so good too!
She loved just looking around and playing with some toys too!

As soon as we get back from the beach, we will definitely visit again!
It was a great place to go to beat the heat other than the pool!

Happy Reading To Us:)

Playdate "Pool"ooza!

2011-07-28T11:04:00.007-04:00

Yesterday my kids and I hosted a pool party play date!

We invited some of our friends over to my mom's house for a picnic lunch and lots of swimming!

I thought their house would be nice because we would have the pool all to ourselves, a deck to eat our lunch on, and plenty of yard space for everyone to play!

We went out and bought some snacks and drinks and then had everyone bring their own picnic lunch to enjoy:).

Jake loved all the snacks he picked out (especially the white cheddar popcorn)!

Jake's best buddy Jay came with his mommy which made things extra fun!

Rachelle and Rilee taking a snack break...

Jake thought Sage was pretty cool with her diving sticks and rings.

Now Jake loves to do them too! Ha!

Some more of the gang playing at the water table...

And a few more of our sweet friends having fun in the sun!

I think everyone had a great time! We will definitely plan another play date again soon, maybe before all the crazy school schedules start up!

Spending Our Summer Days...

2011-07-26T16:02:00.005-04:00

1. SWINGING...

I love to take the kids out back to play on our swing set. We like to go out in the evening time when it is shaded over a bit!

Or we like to use our new hammock:)

2. SWIMMING

It doesn't take us long though to change into our suits and head down to the pool. We usually go for a few hours in the morning and then head back for an evening dip with daddy:)

3. SWEET TREATS...

Today while we were out running a few errands, I picked up some slow melt Popsicles for Jake and Brooklyn to enjoy! I didn't think they melted that much slower, but it didn't really matter. They were gone pretty fast:)

Brooklyn Bear loved every last lick! Ha!

The kids and I are hosting a giant play date tomorrow for several of our good friends. We are excited to see everyone, enjoy a picnic lunch, and then of course hit the pool again!

Photo Finish Friday!

2011-07-22T15:21:00.005-04:00

Here are just a few of my most favorite recent pictures of my kids!

They are special to me and looking back on them one day will be oh so sweet!

(Jake almost 3 and Brooklyn 7 months)

Going Bananas!

2011-07-19T16:09:00.004-04:00

This morning the kids and I met some of our neighbors at Monkey Joes! I had never been to Monkey Joes before, but boy did we have fun! It was a bit stressful at first because there were a few day camps there, but once they left there was plenty of bouncing fun for all!

It was hard to snap any pictures because we were on the move,

but I got a few to remember our fun time!

Jake was a bit hesitant on the giant slides at first, but with a little help from his friends, he did GREAT!

Little Brooklyn Bear had a fun time too. She was overwhelmed with all the fun that was going on around her.

She played a little bit, but was pretty content in her stroller or in my arms just watching everyone!

We played hard all morning!
When we got home we ate a quick lunch and then it was a good nap day for all!

Another July Day At The Pool

2011-07-18T22:12:00.004-04:00

As soon as we got moving this morning, we put on our suits and spent the entire morning at the pool. We made it home just in time for a yummy lunch and a good afternoon nap!

Jake is such a fish!

Ready! Set! Jump!

He'll stick his face in the water and swim for a long time!

My sisters came over tonight and gave him an "official" swim lesson (no flaoties allowed)!

He did awesome:)! Woot! Woot!

Check out his new goggles:)

Brooklyn Bear likes the water too!

She doesn't care for her float. She prefers to be held or to just sit and splash on the steps.

She looks so BIG to me in this pic!

It's kind of nice because she'll usually take a 30-40 minute nap in her stoller under the umbrella while we are at the pool. It gives me a chance to have some water time with just my Jake! He likes to show me all his tricks! Ha!

All smiles:)

We LOVE SuMmErTiMe!!

Make A Joyful Noise Unto The Lord

2011-07-17T13:04:00.002-04:00

Sunday mornings are usually a bit rushed around our house. We go to the early service at our church which means everyone has to be up and out the door pretty early. We are usually running around like crazy trying to get everyone ready, bags packed, kids fed and loaded up.

This morning Jake wanted to listen to his worship cd on the way to church. He wanted to hear his favorite song over and over and over again. His favorite song these days is "My God Is So Big". He loves to sing it with me. This morning he was just a singing away and it was so sweet to hear him!

Even though we were a bit tired of hearing the same song so many times in a row :), my heart was full because even though he is only 2, he is learning how to worship. He is learning about how big our God is and how much he cares about us!

I have a real burden to pray for my kids and even though they are so little right now, I pray that their hearts will love Jesus and they will live for Him everyday!

TRYING To Stay Cool In The Pool!

2011-07-13T16:28:00.003-04:00

It's been HOT here and I LOVE it! With the heat index, we have reached temperatures as high as 104! Whew!

Of course, we have been spending a lot of time at our pool, but even the pool these days has only been a big bathtub! Not really refreshing at all. Sunday night we invited Matt's parents over for a little visit and an evening dip!

We snapped this pic of Jake and Brooklyn with Memaw and Poppa and I think it is a really good one!

Good Friends and Good Times

2011-07-12T15:46:00.004-04:00

Friday night was a girls night out for me! I was invited to go out with some of my best college friends. We were all going out to celebrate my friend, Amy and her recent engagement. We don't get to see each other all that often. We are all busy with our growing families, work, church stuff, and just plain life, but it was really great to see everyone and catch up!

Some of the best girls ever...

Saturday afternoon we met up with our Sunday school class for a farewll party. We said good bye to some sweet friends of ours who are missionaries.

It was a HOT day for a picnic, but we had such a fun time!

Sweet B...

and Jake...

Brooklyn Is 7 Months!!!

2011-07-07T22:02:00.003-04:00

Happy 7 month day to my sweet Brooklyn Bear!

This past month has been so much fun with you!

You are changing so much everyday. You are doing so many new things! The biggest change would have to be that your two bottom teeth are popping through! You look so sweet with them when you smile! Getting teeth means eating food:) Most days I give you a fruit for breakfast and a veggie for dinner. Sometimes I feed you at lunch time too. You sit in your highchair to eat and get upset if it doesn't come fast enough or when I have to clean your messy face off:) Ha! You have tried many different foods...green beans, squash, sweet potatoes, peaches, bananas, apples, and pears. You love them all! You have had water a few times and have also tried a sippy cup. This is something we are just starting to work on.

You still love your milk bottles too!

You drink about 5 bottles a day (6-8oz each time).

You are sleeping so good lately too. Some mornings I don't hear you until 7:30 or 8:00 which is so nice, especially during the summer time! Some mornings you will go back down for a nap, but most days I would have to say you just get one good afternoon nap. We are either out and about or at the pool and just aren't home to nap in the mornings.

You have a few new tricks these days. You LOVE to stand up. You can't pull up completely on your own, but you have some strong legs and love to use them. You think you are big stuff when you stand on my legs or stand by the couch or a chair:). You just look around and flash a big grin at whoever is looking! Ha! You also LOVE to giggle. You have always been a happy baby and you are usually pretty easy to make smile, but to hear you laugh just makes me all giddy inside! You laugh when we make silly faces, or when Bubbie wrestles or plays with you!
You are starting to NOT like you car seat. Whenever I put you in it to go somewhere you arch your back and cry. You usually calm down as soon as we get moving though. You are also a mamma's girl. You love for me to hold you...a lot:). You are starting to want me and only me! Whenever someone else holds you, I can see you look to see if I am close by and you usually start to pout a bit and reach for me!

I love you Brooklyn Bear! You are growing up so big!
I am so thankful that God gave me such a precious little girl! I love being your mommy!

Love you forever,
Mommy
XOXOXOXOXOX

Parades, Pools, Parties and Some Patriotic Fun!

2011-07-05T09:17:00.008-04:00

We haven't had a weekend quite like this past one in a while. It was jammed packed with all sorts of fun! The Fourth of July is one of my all time favorite holidays. It is just so fun to have a day off, be with family, do lots of swimming, and of course participate in some red, white, and blue fun!

Friday night we went to the festival our town puts on every year! It was loads of fun! We rode rides, ate ice cream, and stayed up late to watch the fireworks!

Jake LOVED riding the swings this year. I really didn't think he would do it by himself, but daddy loaded him on and off he went!

And Jake and I got to ride the ferris wheel together!

Our tradition is to have my brother, sisters, and nephews come with us to the festival and then wake up nice and early to watch the big parade! We met Matt's parents there and ended up sitting with several of our friends too!

It was definitely HOT out there this year:).

But we had a great time watching the floats go by, seeing lots of our friends, and grabbing lots of candy!

Brooklyn's first Fourth of July!

Kelly and Jake having some fun together and Allison and Tim too!

Corban and Riley...

Sunday, the fun didn't stop...

We went to church Sunday morning, came home for a quick nap, and then loaded back up for a cookout with some good friends.

Here are just some of the kiddos...

Jake and his best buddy, Jay...

Monday morning was more fun...
Our neighborhood had it's first annual 4th of July parade! All the kids decorated their bikes, scooters, strollers and pets and we all marched along the streets to the pool!

I really like this picture of the four of us...

Jake and Brooklyn rode in our little red wagon:)

I think Brooklyn loves to 4th just like her momma! Love her!

After a hot morning, the pool was all we could think about! We are so lucky that my mom has a pool, so instead of swimming in our neighborhood pool, we spent the day at my parents.

Everyone took a dip.

Brooklyn loves to swim too, but really enjoyed the float!
She is working on her tan for the beach:)

After a full afternoon of swimming we had a yummy dinner of shish kabobs, corn on the cob, strawberry jello salad, macaroni and cheese, rolls, and dessert!

The evening then turned a bit cloudy and soon raindrops started to fall.

It drizzled for a little while, but we managed to do a few sparklers together.

We headed home with everyone worn out from a really fantastic weekend!
Happy 4th of July, 2011!

Just A Bit About My Jake...

2011-06-29T14:34:00.014-04:00

The reason I blog is to be able to look back through the many posts that I write and see all the special things my family has done and how my family has grown and changed throughout the years.

Today I am putting my Jake in the spotlight. This post is all about him.

Jake is growing up way to fast and I want to remember all the special things he does and the many things he likes and says! I want to remember what a day with my Jake was like when he was an almost 3 year old:)

Today you are officially 2 years 8 months and 2 weeks old!

You are the love of my life! You are as cute as they come and you are always keeping me on my toes. You are so much fun to be around and play with everyday! You definitely have your moments when you want what you want, but we are working on that:).

I am not sure how much you weigh (I am guessing around 27lbs) or how tall you are, but your hair is white blond and your eyes are a hazel color.

You LOVE to play outside. You enjoy riding your four wheeler and scooter the most. Your bike is a bit frustrating right now. You just can't seem to get how to peddle the right way, but that is a challenge we are going to be tackling real soon:) You love to swim and are getting SO good at it! You wear your floaties and now love to wear goggles. You can swim under the water and can jump in and attempt cannon balls:) Ha! And you absolutely LOVE any water gun you see. Ugh.

You are a great eater (most of the time). Your favorite things to eat are probably tacos, pizza, football chips (Pringles), spaghetti, lasagna, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, peaches and fruit snacks! You LOVE apple juice, but will drink milk or water too. You are not a big sweets fan. You don't really care for ice cream. You might take a bite or two, but you tell me that it's too cold:)

You still take an afternoon nap on most days. I try to put you down around 2:00 and you sleep until about 4:30ish. There are days you miss a nap, and you are pretty good, but we can count on at least one meltdown around dinner time!
You usually go to bed around 8:30 or 9:00. You never go to sleep with out Mouse! Mouse (and Marley) are your best sleeping buddies! Our night time routine is a bit long because you LOVE to read book after book after book. Your favorite book would probably be "Tough Boris" or Curious George. You also like to play a few minutes of racecars on your new car mat. They have to be parked in just the right spot before we turn off the lights. You listen to the same music every night before bed and love to sing "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star". Some nights it takes you a little while to fall asleep, but Daddy ALWAYS checks on you to make sure you are OK before he comes to bed and you are always sound asleep.

You usually sleep until 7:30 or 8 the next day. When you are ready to get up, you call for us to come and get you. Most mornings you are all smiles, but some mornings, even though you call for us, you like to hide under your pillow and try to get a few more quiet minutes in! Ha!

I think you talk a lot for your age. A lot of people tell me that. I love the way you say your words! Here are some things you say a lot...

We had a tree that fell in a storm a few weeks ago in some woods near our house. Every time we drive by it you say..."See that tree fall down?", "What happened?". You also say..."Remember we went there?"..."Maybe"..."Heard that noise?"..."We want a doggie! We want a doggie!"..." Mommy, can you help me?"...and a phrase we are working on you NOT saying is "Leave me alone". I don't like that one at all:(

You love to watch Curious George on t.v. and you like to play the Curious George beach game on the computer. I made you a rice table a while back and you like to do that too. You LOVE anything Toy Story. That is by far your favorite movie! Well, Peter Pan too:). You ONLY want to wear your basketball shorts these days (like daddy) and you give me a fit if I make you wear something else:). You like for me to be your teacher in your Sunday School class otherwise you cry when we drop you off for church. You have lots of good buddies, but Jay is who you love to play with and run in the gym with:) You love to brush your teeth. You want to do it many, many times a day! Ha! You know all your colors and your ABC's. You like to listen to "your music" in the car and love to sing the "na na" song (Every Move I Make) and The Wise Man Built His House Upon The Rock.

You are a super big brother to Lovie. You help by getting me diapers or help me by throwing them away. You sometimes play a little rough though. You like to tackle Brooklyn Bear or sometime sit on her! Yikes!

We are working on potty training these days. You are doing pretty good at it. We are just kind of taking it slow.

I love to give you lots of hugs and kisses All. The. Time! You are my sweet boy and I just can't help but love you to pieces!

I love you, Bubbie! To the moon and back!

Love,
Mommy

Brooklyn Has A Tooth!!!

2011-06-28T19:15:00.004-04:00

Last Monday when I took Brooklyn to the doctor for her 6th month check up, the doctor took a look in her mouth and said there were no teeth yet! I would even check from time to time because I would see her chewing on her hands a lot or my poor girl would have a soaked shirt on! Well, Thursday night Matt was playing with her on the floor and decided to take a peek in her little mouth and sure enough a little white tooth was popping through! It is the bottom right one and I think the bottom left will be coming soon!

Yay for Brooklyn Bear!

Makes Me Smile Friday:)

2011-06-24T14:52:00.004-04:00

Love them!

Cooling Off With Our Cousins...

2011-06-23T11:59:00.004-04:00

Yesterday we were invited over to my sister's pool for a day of swimming!

We all had a blast swimming, splashing, and picnicking together!

Miss Priss in her float...

And playing in the water...

Jake loved playing...

And squirting the water guns...

The gang doing a few laps in the lazy river...

And cousin Riley just chilling in his float!

We had so much fun! We LOVE our cousins:)

From The Sunshine State to Seattle...

2011-06-22T14:56:00.004-04:00

We have been able to spend these last few days with Matt's brother Jimmy, his wife Kelly, and their 3 kiddos. Jimmy and Kelly have been working with an organization called Campus Crusade for Christ for the past several years, but have recently been called to a new ministry in Seattle, Washington. They will be training with a church there and will eventually be sent out to pastor a church in the Seattle area.

We always have so much fun when they come up for a visit. Even though Florida is a bit of a drive, it is doable. Seattle, however, not so much. So we knew this would be the last time we would see them for a while.

Matt is so close to his family and will miss his brother soooo much!

We made sure that all the cousins had lots of fun together...

We were all able to get together for Father's Day and enjoy some time hanging out and of course celebrating all the dads!
Jake loved celebrating his daddy:)!

We will miss Jimmy, Kelly, Lily, Abby, and Levi a whole bunch!

So glad we were able to spend some fun days with you!

Brooklyn's 6th Month Check Up

2011-06-21T07:24:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I took Brooklyn for her 6th month check up and she is looking great!

Our doctor checked her out from head to toe!

She is still such a big girl. She weighs 20lbs and 4 oz. That keeps her in the 99th percentile. She is 26 1/2 inches long which is in the 78th percentile.

The doctor asked me all sorts of questions about how she is doing and she seems to be right on track!

We have started to introduce baby food. So far we have done green beans, peaches, and bananas. Carrots are up next! She is getting better with learning how to keep it in her mouth too! Ha! She has no signs of teeth yet, but surely they are coming soon:). The doctor also said that we could start to introduce a sippy cup! She said that she would probably just chew on it at first, especially as she starts to get those teeth. She did have to get 3 shots. Poor girl. She did alright though. The nurse that gives them is so good and so quick! She had three little band aides on her little leg. So sad:(

Just this past week she has started scooting a bit more and tries to find ways to get where she wants to go. She kind of does this rolling thing to get to her toys:)

I am so thankful for a strong and healthy baby!

Keep on a growing baby girl!

I love you!

Love, Mommy

Minute To Win It...Fathers Day Edition

2011-06-20T07:22:00.004-04:00

This Fathers Day we decided to have a little competition...Minute To Win It style...

And this trophy was at stake...

The fathers were up first with the cookie game challenge. Each player must place a cookie on their forehead and try to move the cookie down their face into their mouth.

This was hilarious! We ended up all giving it a try. I don't think anyone accomplished this challenge, but it was sooo funny to watch everyone try! I was laughing so hard, I was crying!!!

Next up was the paper bag game...

In this game 3 paper bags each with a different height were placed on the ground. Each player must bend down to grab it with their teeth without putting their hands or knees on the ground!

Each person tried a different strategy...

It was tricky...

Dice on a stick was up next...

Each player had to balance 6 dice on the end of a popsicle stick...

I thought this was the easiest game of all.

It just took some concentration and NO laughing!

The toilet paper game was great too!

Each player had to unroll a roll of toilet paper by spinning in circles.

If it broke, they were eliminated...

Carefully making circles...trying not to get dizzy!

Shane giving it a try...

And last but not least...the pie eating contest...

Even Corban got in on the action...although he didn't know he was!

After the games everyone decided the pool was next on the list...

Jake was so proud of his daddy!

Me and my dad after the competition...

We had a blast celebrating the dads!

Minute To Win It beach edition is already being planned!

You Da Man!

2011-06-19T07:00:00.005-04:00

If any of you know Matt or have even met him even for a half a second you know how lucky my kids are to be able to call him daddy!

The Lord has blessed him with a special gift and a love for kids like no one I have ever seen!

He has loved on kids, coached hundreds, and will play with any kid that looks like he needs a buddy:)

Jake would say that his favorite thing about his daddy is all the time that they get to play together and watch ball games together! Jake said the other day that his daddy's favorite food is tacos and his favorite color is orange. He said (of course) his daddy's favorite football team is the Steelers! He LOVES to go to the basketball gym where daddy coaches too! He always says "Go Lions" around the house! Ha! He does so many things just like daddy does and thinks his daddy hung the moon!

Brooklyn is in love with her daddy too! If you ask her, "where's daddy" she will look around the room for him and then flash a huge grin when she finds him! She loves when her daddy talks to her and I think she looks a lot like him too:)

Happy Father's Day to the best daddy ever!
We are so lucky to have you in our lives!
Thank you for all you do for our family!

We love you!
Happy Father's Day 2011

Super Fun at the Splash Pad!!

2011-06-13T14:45:00.004-04:00

This morning I was looking for something fun to do with Jake and Brooklyn. Of course anything with water is the perfect thing for us! I found out about this super fun splash pad not very far from us that we could go to and better yet, it is only $1.00 to get in and play all day!

We packed up our stuff and headed out for some fun!

Jake LOVED it!
I will say that it was a little hard to go on my own. It was pretty crowded and we didn't have a good place to sit when we got there. Brooklyn enjoyed it too, but I really just had to hold her the whole time. She got a little fussy (she was tired) and needed to eat. I was trying to feed her AND keep an eye on my busy Jake!

The water action was non-stop!

Next time we go (we'll bring Matt, ha) and we will make more of a day of it. They have a great playground to play on and train rides too! There was lots of shade so it would be a fun place to take a picnic lunch!

My little swimmer!

We will definitely go back and enjoy it again soon!

A Day At Dan Nichols Park

2011-06-10T15:31:00.004-04:00

Today we were supposed to go to the zoo with Matt's parents, but Matt's mom wasn't feeling well so we were on our own to find something fun to do.

We decided to go to Dan Nichols Park in Salisbury, NC for a day of fun!

They have tons to do there for really cheap and was the perfect choice for us today!

Jake ran around the entire time and loved every minute he was there!

Brooklyn Bear did GREAT! She was a trooper even in the heat. She fell asleep for about 20 minutes or so, but that was it. She wasn't going to miss any of the fun!

I think everyones favorite attraction was the train ride!

It was a chance to just sit and relax and feel a slight breeze!

Jake liked seeing all the animals that they had too.

They had a mini zoo with bobcats, eagles, wolves, birds and so much more.

They also had a petting zoo with sheep, cows, pigs, and donkeys.

Look at the sign on the sheep pen...ha!

After some time in the sun and heat the splashpad was the place to go...

We got Jake (and Daddy) all dried off and then found a nice shady place in the woods for a picnic lunch.

Then Matt and Jake found the Putt Putt course to play on!

They were all practiced up from their game last week, ha!

Our last stop was the playground. It was a bit shady and with the little bit of energy we had left we enjoyed the swings, slides, and swinging bridges!

We had a great time together and made some fantastic family memories!