Cherished Moments with my 2 Angels

Birth of a Baby Girl

2011-01-26T14:03:00.017-10:00

Mikayla's hospital picture - I would love to have known what she was thinking! I love the face she is making!

A couple of years ago, on his birthday, I posted Drew's birth story. At that time, I said I would be posting about Mikayla's birth story soon. Unfortunately, soon turned into a couple of years later. Her birth has been on my mind a lot lately as I think of her as a seven year old, who thinks she is going on 16. A lot of times I find myself wondering where the time has gone. Since we found out that we were expecting her, she has been our little peanut. It is hard for me to believe that our sweet baby girl has grown into a sweet, sassy, smart, independent seven year old.

Craig and I always knew that we wanted to have at least 2 children, maybe 3. We also had talked about our first two children being 2 - 3 years apart. So, when Drew turned a year old, we started discussing the possibility of adding to our family. On New Years Day in 2003, a home pregnancy test showed that we would be, in fact, adding to our family. Craig and I were ecstatic, and Drew was happy about it, but at 17 months old I'm sure he didn't understand how his world was about the change. He was first grandchild on both sides of the family and had been king for the last year and a half. Craig and I went to my first doctor's appointment at the end of January, where they did an ultrasound to help determine my due date. The first time we saw our second baby on the screen, she was no bigger than a peanut, so that's what I called "her" until we knew for sure that we were having a baby girl. From the ultrasound and other information, it was determined that my due date would be September 4, 2003 - we were looking forward to having two precious gifts in our lives 26 months apart.

The pregnancy progressed very similar to my pregnancy with Drew. We were overjoyed when we found out that we would be adding a little girl to our family at our second ultrasound. Then, we were facing our biggest fears when my triple screen test came back showing a 1% positive for Spinabifida (sp). When I got the call from Dr. Toler at school, I knew something was not right. I got so upset that Craig didn't even know who I was when I called him to tell him. Dr. Toler scheduled us for another ultrasound the following week to check for sure, but he felt pretty sure that this result was a "false positive" due to the fact that we had just had our ultrasound the Friday before and the tech did not notice anything abnormal. When we went for our next ultrasound, we were again assured by the tech that all looked normal and that our baby girl was okay. The doctor then offered reasons why these tests sometimes come back with a "false positive" result and told us that we would be having an ultrasound each month for the remainder of the pregnancy to ensure that Mikayla was on track for growth, and that her kidneys and other organs were developing normally. It wouldn't have changed a thing had things been different - we would have loved (already did love) our girl anyway. Thankfully, though, everything was fine and our baby girl is perfect!

In my third trimester, as in my third trimester while pregnant with Drew, my blood pressure began to rise. For some reason, I have a history of pregnancy induced moderately high blood pressure in my third trimester of pregnancy. For that reason, I was scheduled for an induction with Mikayla one week before her due date. Craig and I were scheduled to arrive at the hospital the night before, on August 27. Cervidyll (sp) was used to soften my cervix to prepare my body for what was to come. The next morning, August 28, 2003, at 7:00, I was started on a Pitocin drip. The morning of my labor progressed very similar to Drew's. Craig and I had already spoken extensively with my nurses, as had Dr. Toler, to let them know that I didn't labor very long with my son and that the delivery was even quicker. Dr. Toler had given them strict instructions to call him as soon as I had dilated to 5. (With Drew, only 30 minutes passed between the time that I had dilated to a 5 and he was born.) Dr. White did not make it for Drew's delivery, and Dr. Toler was hoping to make it for our sweet girl's.

There were many people at the hospital that morning with us. Drew was at daycare because we didn't want him to see mommy in pain, but we knew he would be at the hospital as soon after delivery as possible - Aunt Jennie was going to pick him up after her eye appointment that afternoon. Daddy, of course, was there, along with Poppi (my daddy), Mimi (my mommy), Grandpa (Craig's daddy), Grandma Cheryle (Craig's step-mom), Uncle Chris (Craig's brother), Aunt Jennie (my sister), Uncle Jonathan (my brother), Aunt Laura (my mom's sister), and Grandma were all there to help us welcome our new little bundle of joy. Throughout the morning, they were all allowed in the room and we were laughing and talking. After my water was broken, however, the pain got more intense and I asked for my epidural. We had also already talked with the nurses about how my epidural did not work for the entire time during Drew's labor and delivery. Because of all of this information we provided my nurses, they stayed in our room a good part of the day. They would leave for minutes only to go check other patients, and then they would return to check on me. I was very grateful for this!!

As with Drew, the epidural provided me with about 30 minutes of relief from the pain. After 30 minutes, the pain returned and it was more intense than before I received the epidural. After talking with the nurse about this, she proceeded with the "wipe test". She wiped a moist towelette on my forehead and asked if I could feel that, to which I replied "yes". She then wiped a towelette on my stomach and asked if I could feel it, to which I replied "yes". She then wiped a towelette on my right thigh and asked if I could feel it. When I replied "yes" to that, as well, she said "you aren't supposed to feel that". So much for the epidural, huh? But I had already told them that - remember that I delivered Drew basically having nothing for pain.

Once my nurses discovered that the epidural was not working, they did give me Demoral in my iv, which helped tremendously. I labored longer with Mikayla because she was "sunny side up" - in other words she was laying on her back, instead of on her belly. I was having extensive labor pains/contractions, but showing no progress due to this.

However, during one of my intense contractions, the situation got very scary for all of us. I begin to hear a heartbeat on the monitor (they had been monitoring Mikayla's heart rate the whole morning) that was way to slow to be a baby's heartbeat. When I asked the nurse whose heartbeat it was - I was sure it was mine, she said "no it's the baby's". I then went into panic mode - asking over and over again what was wrong because I knew her heartbeat wasn't supposed to be that slow. The nurse told me that it wasn't, but that everything was going to be okay, she just needed me to calm down. She kicked everyone out of the room except Craig and my Aunt (who is also a nurse) - we had already been told that only 2 people would be able to be in the room and our plan was for Craig and my sister to be in there. I didn't want my sister to see anything go wrong, so instead I asked my aunt to stay in there with us. My sister had to leave for her eye appointment shortly after that and would be bringing our boy up to the hospital for us soon. She asked me to take deep breaths and calm down - that would help my baby the most. They were rolling me from side to side, shaking my belly, and I even had an oxygen mask put over my mouth and nose and was instructed to breath deeply. They massaged the baby's head, and were getting ready to prep me for an emergency c-section (had called for the doctors and all) when Mikayla's heart rate picked back up. All of this happened in a matter of seconds or a couple of minutes at the most, but it sure felt like hours. During the next contraction, Mikayla's head crowned, and one nurse said "I don't know what it is, but it has a head full of hair". I just remember saying "my baby?" because Drew was bald until he was almost 2. Less than a minute later, at 3:33 pm, Mikayla Alysee was born with one push. She weighed 7 lbs 5 ounces, was 20.5 inches long, and was absolutely, beautifully perfect. When she was first born, I didn't hear her cry immediately, and again felt terror. But my aunt reassured me that she was fine - that they were suctioning her nose and mouth. A second later, I heard the most beautiful cry I've ever heard in my life and my eyes filled with tears. I just kept saying, over and over, "that's my baby, that's my beautiful baby girl". And she was! Dr. Toler did not make it to deliver our sweet girl, and instead our two nurses delivered her, with the help from the operating room doctors who had come just a few seconds before thinking that I would need a c-section. The nurses told us afterward that what probably happened (to cause her heart rate to drop) was that when I had the last big contraction, Mikayla flipped over onto her belly. She was squeezed so much that her heart rate dropped a few seconds. Because of this, the NICU team was also in my room during delivery, ready to take her there if needed. We were so fortunate that our baby girl was perfect in every way when she was born, and she didn't have to go to NICU at all!! Craig and I were very emotional after all of this, and he stepped out in the hall and began to cry. We didn't know that our family had gone down to the cafeteria to get some lunch. When they walked back up the hall, the first thing they saw was Craig leaning again our door, crying. They didn't know that we had a healthy baby girl, so of course their first words were "what happened?". He reassured them that she was here, and that all was fine now. They all got to come into our room, then, and they got to meet our sweet little baby girl! We were all talking at once - about how our lives were changed forever. A few minutes later, Aunt Jennie came into the room with Drew so he could meet his new baby sister. He loved her from the first moment he saw her! He kissed her and talked to her (and all of us) for a couple of minutes, and then daddy took him out in the hall to press the button to play "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" to announce that another star had been born. Drew doesn't remember it, but we always tell him how he got to be the one to announce that his baby sister had been born.

Mommy gets to hold her baby girl right after she is born!Grandpa gets to hold his first granddaughter right after she was born. I couldn't get this picture to turn right side up for anything. We sure miss Grandpa!!Mimi and Poppi hold their granddaughter right after she was born. I love the adoring look my daddy is giving her!!Uncle Jonathan holds his niece right after she was born. She had him wrapped the first moment he saw her!
Daddy holds Mikayla while big brother, Drew, loves on them both. This was the day she was born, and Drew didn't want to leave the hopsital. The only reason he did was because he was spending the night with Mimi and Poppi.

This is one of my favorite pictures of all time - I even have it as a black and white. Mikayla sleeps on daddy's belly the night she was born.

It was a stressful day for all of us, but a joyous day as well, because we got the best gift of all on August 28, 2003 - a new baby girl to hold, love, and raise. Thank you, God for giving us Mikayla. Our lives would surely not be the same without her.

Aunt Jennie holds Mikayla the day we came home from the hospital. She has adored her since the first time she laid eyes on our girl!

Drew has always been such a sweet big brother - well, most of the time. He loved trying to give her her paci when she had lost it.

Another one of my favorites - our two angels napping side by side. Drew had just turned 2 in July and Mikayla was almost a month old in this picture.

Mikayla's first Christmas - 2003. Poppi was holding her and Drew, but they sure were focused on something else!

Grandma and Grandpa hold Drew and Mikayla that first Christmas in 2003.

Mikayla looked so cute in this "Santa Girl" outifit. Nana was holding her at our get together at Uncle Chris and Aunt Julie's house.Mikayla's first snow! January 2004 - we didn't keep her out there long at all, but we at least were able to get this picture of her on the sled with big brother, Drew. Mikayla turned 1 on August 28, 2004! She has been lighting up our lives ever since!! We love you baby girl!

Happy New Year 2011!

2011-01-02T11:55:00.005-10:00

2010 was a good year for our family! We stayed busy with baseball and softball for much of the year, which was fun. We enjoyed good health, good relationships, and most of all lots of fun as a family. We thank God for all of these blessings and we can't wait to see what 2011 has in store for us!!

Friday, our family spent a lazy day. I went to pick Mikayla up from her friend's house (she had spent the night Thursday night) around lunch time and then we came home. We watched a lot of football, including the Clemson game, took naps, and then went out to eat at Hibachi for dinner (Drew and Mikayla had been asking to go there for a week). After dinner, we came home to watch the Carolina football game, and then waited for the ball to drop. Drew, Mikayla, Craig, and I all stayed awake long enough to ring in 2011.

Happy New Year from our family to yours!!

10 Years - Wow!

2010-12-31T17:40:00.003-10:00

On Wednesday, December 29th, 2010, Craig and I celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary! I have been married to my best friend for a whole decade - and even more surprising - I have spent over 1/3 of my life with him. I remember the day we were married as if it were yesterday - my mom fixed my hair so that half of it was pulled back away from my face, but then it spiraled down in pretty ringlets. She even added a touch of Baby's Breath, which I loved! Then we headed to the Spartanburg County Magistrates Office, where we were joined by my mom and dad, Craig's dad, my sister, Craig's brother and his wife. At 12:00 pm on Friday, December 29th, 2000, I became the wife of Craig and our lives became one.

We have had so many wonderful experiences in the past 10 years - the birth of our son, Drew, and then the birth of our daughter, Mikayla, top the list!! We found a church to call home, and Craig and my children were even there when I was baptized. We survived on one salary while I completed my student teaching, and Craig was the first one I called to tell I had my first teaching job!! He was the one that I called when I was selected as our school's Teacher of the Year, and then again when it was announced that I was our district's Teacher of the Year. He attended the Teacher of the Year banquet for our district where I had to give a speech. I will never forget the words of my principal after his observations that night - "I was watching your husband as you gave your speech and his face was so full of love." "I could tell that he is so proud of you!" I will also never forget my husband's words when the State Teacher of the Year was announced - "You will always be our teacher of the year. God knew what He was doing - He knew that the kids and I couldn't survive without you for a year." You see, the SC Teacher of the Year takes a 1 year hiatus from the classroom and travels the state. Those very words have brought such joyous tears to my eyes, even as I recall them now. We experienced all of the "firsts" of our two precious angels - first bath, first smile, first time rolling over, first tooth, first haircut, first steps, and all of the other firsts along the way - together as husband and wife.

We have watched as Craig's brother, Jason, graduated from the Highway Patrol Academy and began his job serving our great state. We have loved getting to know our sweet nephew, Haston, and our sweet nieces, Belle and Ella! We have watched as my daddy bought his very first brand new truck. We have watched my brother purchase his first home, and we watched my baby sister grow up right in front of our eyes - from the shy 13 year old hiding behind me when Craig and I first met, to the beautiful, confident 24 year old that she is today. We have enjoyed 10 years full of birthdays, family gatherings, Christmases, Vacations, and memories that we will hold dear forever.

I won't say that the past 10 years have always been easy, and I won't say that we have been without our share of trials, but He never promised it would be! What I will say - and what I believe with my whole heart - is that everything happens for a reason according to the Will of God. Craig and I believe we are right where we are meant to be, and we are looking forward to spending the rest of our lives making many more memories together as husband and wife. Happy Anniversary to my best friend, my soul mate, and the love of my life! I thank God every day for you!!

Craig surprised me with these beautiful roses on Wednesday - I was all smiles when I saw them!!My daddy agreed to keep Drew and Mikayla (Craig called and arranged this for the first time, and it made me such a happy girl - it's the little things that mean the most!!) so that Craig and I could go out to dinner! They always like when we go out on dates because they LOVE staying with their Poppi!
Daddy and Poppi talk to each other after we got back from dinner.

Another picture of my beautiful roses - this was such a thoughtful gift!! There is one rose for each year we have been married, for a total of 10!

10 years of marriage is such a big milestone, and I can't wait to celebrate many, many more with my sweet husband!

School Programs 2010

2010-12-30T19:21:00.006-10:00

On Thursday, November 4th, the Annual Veteran's Day Program was held at our school. All of our second graders perform in this program, under the direction of Mrs. Jana Curry. Drew loved participating in this program when he was in second grade, and Mikayla couldn't wait to participate as well, as school programs at our school begin with our second graders.Mikayla was so excited that she got the part of one of the flag bearers in this program. She was following in big brother's footsteps - when Drew was in third grade, he got the part of SC flag bearer during the third grade SC Program (pictures of that are hopefully coming soon). Mikayla was peeking at her Mommy, Daddy, Mimi, and Poppi by looking over to the side as she held the flag.After holding the flag for the Pledge of Allegiance, she joined some of the other second graders on the stage to sing. All Mikayla had been talking about all week, was how Mrs. Curry expected them to open their mouths wide while singing on stage. My girl is a good listener!

Mikayla, as well as all of the BSES second graders and Mrs. Curry, did a fantastic job of honoring our Veterans that night! There were several Veterans in attendance. I know this is something that Mikayla will always remember!

Then, on Tuesday, December 14th, Drew and the fourth graders at our school participated in the 10th annual Singing Tree Program, under the direction of Mrs. Jana Curry. This was also the last Singing Tree Program as next year the fourth graders will leave our school and go to the Intermediate school, instead.

I know it is hard to tell who is who, but Drew is the one almost directly in the center of this picture - on the row in front of the back row (next to last row).

These fourth graders are doing a great job of opening their mouths as they sing on stage, too!

Drew looks out at his Mimi and Poppi while he sings.

Again, looking over at his Mimi and Poppi! Mrs. Curry, our wonderful music teacher sings O Holy Night for the audience. She is one talented lady!! Drew, and all of the fourth graders and Mrs. Curry, did a fantastic job in this program. They got all in attendance in the Christmas Spirit!

Craig and I are the proud parents who love watching our angels perform!

Meeting Marcus!!

2010-12-30T19:00:00.002-10:00

Lattimore, that is!! On Saturday, December 11th, between the Christmas Parade and looking at lights at Roper Mountain, our family had the honor of meeting Marcus Lattimore!! He is an SEC running back and he just so happens to play for my favorite team - University of South Carolina Gamecocks!! He attended high school about 20 minutes from where we live and I was thrilled to find out he would be attending USC - my Alma mater this year!! He has since been named Freshman of the year for his accomplishments this year as a Gamecock!!

Lattimore is a super nice guy - even Craig said so, and that's a lot coming from a Clemson fan. He happened to be at a church here in our community as he was attending a youth basketball camp. One of my friends called (while Drew was napping) to tell me that he was there - she knew he was my favorite and she said her son and husband had just come from there and got his autograph. As soon as we got there, we asked some friends if he would mind if we walked over, and their response was "no - he's been doing it all day"! As soon as we walked up to him, he stood up, shook our hands and hugged us. Craig said he acted as if he had known us our whole lives. He was very mannerly, and went out of his way to talk with us. I also found out during the time that we spent with him that he had been shooting hoops with the boys on the court a little, too! He took time to talk with our family, take some photographs, and he even signed a football for Drew! Craig told him that I had been wanting to put him in our Christmas card, and I told him I tell people I want him to be our "Michael Oher" - he said that would be okay to both of those. We all just laughed!!

The football that he signed for our boy!! A lady tried to buy it from Drew on the way out, saying "you wouldn't want to sale that would you?" Drew said "no ma'am"! Then we heard another guy talking as we were walking out the door that they were going for 800 dollars on the Internet. The Internet will never see this football - for sale that is! This is one that our son will treasure for his whole life!!

This was an incredible experience for our family, and it was so nice meeting a "local sporting celebrity" to find out that he is the awesome person we knew he was all along!!

Christmas Parade 2010

2010-12-30T18:46:00.003-10:00

On Saturday, December 11th, our family went to the annual Boiling Springs Christmas Parade! This is a yearly tradition for our family - one that we have never missed. We love to see all of the different floats, and Drew and Mikayla especially love catching candy and seeing Santa at the end! We always sit in the same spot - year after year, and Poppi always joins us for the fun. He likes the catching candy part as much as we do!!

Poppi, Mikayla, Daddy, and Drew watch as the parade begins to move down the street. Mikayla is excited about something as Drew waves and wishes them a Merry Christmas.

Poppi and Mikayla collect some candy from the middle of the street while waiting for the next group to move by.

Drew sits in his chair. He started sitting about half-way through the parade. This surprised me because Drew never sits down during the parade - he is usually always too busy collecting candy. When I asked him what was wrong, he replied with "my head and throat hurt". My first thought was oh no, please not strep. He had his fourth grade Christmas program three days from this date, and we had been waiting for this for years. He could not be sick.
Both Drew and Mikayla wave at Santa as he rides by!!

We always go to Mimi and Poppi's house each year after the parade, just because it is easier with all of the traffic. While there, Drew kicked back in my daddy's recliner and asked to be covered up. We really knew then, that all was not okay. We took Drew's temperature and it was 99.6. We decided it was time to head home so that Drew could rest. Once home, Drew ate very little for lunch and then curled up in mine and Craig's bed to take a quick nap. Luckily, he felt better after a little rest - as you will see on a later post!!

The Blackwell House and Pacolet Mills Christmas Lights 2010!

2010-12-30T18:10:00.005-10:00

The Blackwell House is always beautiful at Christmas! I love this house - even without the decorations I'm sure it is beautiful. See the arches out front? Like I said, just beautiful. Our family discovered this house last year, and we said we would be back every year. Drew and Mikayla couldn't wait to visit again this year, and mommy couldn't, either! We decided to go on Tuesday, December 21st.

The "snow gazebo" where Santa stays.

The beautiful Nativity - Mikayla's favorite part!

Drew's favorite part is the huge tree with the trains circling it. It is very pretty.

On Thursday, December 23rd, Craig and I decided to take the kids to Pacolet Mills for the first time to view the lights. I had been one year with a group of friends before Craig and I met, but it had been so long I couldn't remember how to get there. We looked up the directions, and we were even more excited to find out that they have a Pacolet Polar Express for families to ride. Once Drew and Mikayla heard that, they couldn't wait to go.

We parked as soon as we got there and got out to walk the grounds. Drew and Mikayla always love the Nativity, no matter where we go. Next stop - the Train Depot! We listened to the story of The Polar Express and Drew and Mikayla looked at the book while we waited on the train. We each even received a special ticket - you can see Mikayla's in her hand.
We rode through a forest, across an ice patch, and right to the North Pole. Who do you think was waiting on us there? That's right - the big man himself. He greeted the passengers on the train and gave each of the children a "special treat" - a bell, just like in the book. Drew and Mikayla had the best time, and it is a memory we will never forget! Drew and Mommy on the train ride. They had blankets for the passengers as well because it was so cold.
Mikayla and Daddy on the train ride. Mikayla was a little worried about the ice patch...
After the train ride, we walked around a little more and looked at all of the decorations.

Mikayla took this picture of Daddy and Mommy!!

Enjoying the beautiful Christmas lights all around us is one of our families' favorite ways to spend the holidays. Merry Christmas, friends!!

Roper Mountain Christmas Lights 2010!

2010-12-29T08:29:00.004-10:00

On Saturday, December 11, our family went to the Roper Mountain Holiday Lights Display for the first time. It was beautiful, and we are excited about making this another family Christmas tradition!! This kids loved it, but can't wait to go back next year because we didn't get to visit Winter Wonderland. Instead, we waited in line to ride the horse-drawn carriage through the lights (we had never ridden in a horse-drawn carriage), and by the time our ride was finished, Winter Wonderland was closed. Drew and Mikayla didn't get upset - it just gives them something to look forward to next year. They had also already visited with Santa at Hollywild, and they would visit with him again at the mall.Drew and Mikayla help to feed the horses that were pulling one of the carriages.

Drew and Daddy on the carriage. The horses that pulled our carriage were named Butterfinger and Traveler. Drew was a little nervous - he didn't want these horse to run with us down a hill.Mikayla and Mommy on the carriage. It was so much fun! The horses didn't run down a hill, but they did run up one. It made us all laugh, and Drew wasn't scared at all.The pretty candycane lane.

Daddy, Drew, and Mikayla at Santa's sleigh.

Mommy, Drew, and Mikayla at Santa's sleigh.

Drew as a toy soldier.

Mikayla as a toy soldier.

They had some of the neatest lights that I had never seen before. Like this one was Santa's Toy Factory - It had elves putting toys in one side and the toys were dropping out of the other side.

After we left the lights display, we went to eat at Steak and Shake! We don't have one here, and the last time we had eaten at this restaurant was when we were in Florida. It is one of our favorite places - the kids (and me) love it because of the shakes, and Craig loves the burgers.

After we got home, Craig and I took this funny picture of ourselves. We had a wonderful evening as a family and made many, many, memories!!

Hollywild Christmas Lights 2010

2010-12-27T18:02:00.006-10:00

Our family visited Hollywild Animal Park's annual holiday lights display the Saturday after Thanksgiving! It was pretty crowded, but we expected that on a Saturday night! We still had so much fun as a family, despite the crowd! We rode through the light display, visited the deer enchanted forest (where we got to feed deer, zebras, cows, emus, etc.), and stopped by Santa's Winter Wonderland for hot chocolate, roasting marshmallows, and more animals.The deer in the Deer Enchanted Forest weren't real hungry the night we were there. Craig gets ready to throws some food.

Mikayla tries to get the deer to come closer.This emu looks real interested - we just hoped it was in the food that we had to share.Drew tries to get the zebra to come closer.

This horse cracked us up - Drew gave him a cracker and he nodded his head and showed his teeth (like a smile) and flapped his lips. It was too funny! We assumed he liked the cracker.

I think this horse is interested in Mikayla's sucker.

Drew and Mikayla liked the albino bison.

Mikayla tries to feed these two cows - she wouldn't let them get close to her hands, and usually ended up dropping the cracker for them to get off the ground.

Drew loved feeding these animals - he was amazed by the size of their tongues (you would have thought this was the first time he had see them).

Mikayla pets the goats - they reminder her of Miley (the pet goat that she once had).

Drew wanted another Jackson (his pet goat).

Mikayla and daddy roasting marshmallows.

Drew roasts his marshamallow. The smoke was bothering his eyes.

Mikayla took a picture of mommy and daddy in front of the fire!

We have been going to the Holiday Lights Safari at Hollywild for years - sometimes even two and three times a year. Every year, we always have a wonderful time looking at the lights and interacting with the animals.

Merry Christmas 2010!!

2010-12-26T18:52:00.014-10:00

The Meeks' family had a wonderful Christmas!! I realize I have "skipped" a year full of posts so I am going to try to update soon - maybe like a year in photos or something "simple"!

This Christmas started out like no other as it was the earliest we have ever put our tree up - my family thought I was crazy to put the tree up before Thanksgiving, but I couldn't wait. This was also the first Christmas that Drew and Mikayla have had trees in their rooms - Drew a blue one and Mikayla a pink one. Our family also met Holiday for the first time this year. Who is Holiday you may be asking? Our Elf on a Shelf! Drew and Mikayla had a wonderful time searching for Holiday each morning as he returned from visiting Santa at the North Pole. Another first for this year? A White Christmas for our family in SC!! We were over at my mom and dad's (also known as Mimi and Poppi) for one of our many family get-together's of the season on Christmas Day when the snow started falling. It was absolutely beautiful - breathtaking, really. The kids loved the sight of snow and had a lot of fun playing in it as it was falling. We also enjoyed a yummy dinner, and presents while there.

Leaving milk and a brownie for Santa!Look what Santa brought!He came!Drew's surprised face.Mikayla loves her Barbie Doll House!Sweet! Drew tries to figure this one out!

Once it started sticking, we headed home so they could play more. They didn't get to play much as both Drew and Mikayla were asleep by 7:00. I guess that's what happens when you are up at 5 am to find what Santa brought!! The favorites this year were an iPod Touch and PSP for Drew and a Barbie Doll mansion (that is bigger than her) and a DSi for Mikayla. Mommy wonders if they have really been that good?!?!

Christmas Day at Mimi and Poppi's with the Browns!Drew opens a gift. Mikayla (sitting beside my Grandma Nell, her Great Grandma and Uncle Jonathan) opens a gift.

The Saturday before Christmas, we had our annual get-together at my Grandma's house (my dad's mom). We enjoyed fellowship with family, finger foods, and presents. We had so much fun with the family, and these are memories we will always treasure!

Craig plays Drew's DS. Me and my sister!
My Grandma (Drew and Miki's Great Grandma) always loves her calendar we get her each year. In fact, she always requests it.Mikayla shows off her pretty necklace.Drew likes his sleeping bag.Mik likes hers, too! Drew cracks up at his Poppi dancing during Karaoke.

On Christmas Eve, we went to Mimi and Poppi's house for our annual Brannon get-together where we also celebrate my sister, Jennie's, birthday. We had hot dogs for dinner that my Uncle Ted brought from the Hot Dog Cafe. We enjoyed laughing and playing with Mimi, Poppi, Uncle Jonathan, Mindy, Conor, Jackson, Rylee, Aunt Jennie, and BJ. We also were overwhelmed with gifts, and we enjoyed the BEST "birthday cake" dessert pizza ever that my mom made! Daddy opens his gift from Mommy!Doesn't he look sharp?Uncle Jonathan, Mindy, Conor, Jackson, and Rylee love their gifts.Drew and Mikayla open some of theirs.Drew, Conor, and Jackson - my whole family can tell these two boys apart, including my own two children. For some reason, I have the most trouble with that. All I know is they are both sweet, sweet boys!BJ, Aunt Jennie, and sweet Rylee.Craig and Daddy having a discussion!Mimi looks on as Drew and Mik open gifts.Rylee shows off her Barbie - while she carries all of "Rylee's suckers".Mikayla (and Drew) are excited about this gift!Craig finally smiles for the camera!Rylee shows off her fingernails that Mikayla painted.Me and Conor (I think) are building a tower.Rylee was not a happy girl because she wanted my camera. I LOVE to see her do this - my family laughs because they say I was the "queen" of these tantrums as a little girl. I know that is so hard to believe...Craig tickles Jackson (I think).

Christmas morning after seeing what Santa dropped off over here, we headed back to Mimi and Poppi's to see what Santa left over there! We then brought all of our goodies home so that we could put them away before heading back for dinner.

Wow! Look at all Santa left for us at Mimi and Poppi's!

Poppi and daddy look on...Craig gets tickled as he opens one of the gifts Santa left for him at my mom and dad's house.

Today, the day after Christmas, we went to Greenwood to see Nana, Uncle Ovid, Aunt Susan, Katie Beth, Rob, Claudia, Uncle Chris, Aunt Julie, Haston, Uncle Jason, Aunt Angel, Belle, and Ella. We weren't sure if we would be able to go or not because of the snow, but we were fortunate that the roads were not bad. We were so glad to be able to make the trip! We enjoyed laughing and talking, a delicious brunch, and again were overwhelmed with gifts.

Drew and cousin, Haston. I loved that they were both in camouflage.Papa Fred, Nana, and Kylie The girls - Katie Beth, Belle, Ella, Mikayla, Claudia Grace - loved playing in Claudia Grace's room!

Christmas 2010 brought many firsts for our family, but it was also filled with the traditions we have come to love over the years. I am so thankful for the blessings in my life, beginning with my Savior Jesus Christ! He has given me a wonderful, thoughtful husband, a handsome, healthy son, and a beautiful, healthy daughter! I am also blessed with the best mom and dad in the world, and a mother-in-law who is precious! The rest of our family and friends are such a blessing in our lives as well! Happy Birthday, Jesus, and thank You for the greatest gift ever!!

I love, love, LOVE Christmas!!

2010-10-01T18:11:00.003-10:00

I had taken the kids to McAdenville to see the lights the year before, but by the time we got there after waiting in line on the interstate, the lights had been turned off for the night. So, I promised the kids that we would go back the next year. So, one Friday evening in December 2009, after getting some supper, Craig and I took the kids to see the lights. I LOVE McAdenville and would go every year - we had taken the kids once before, but only when Mikayla was 1 and Drew was 3 so they really didn't remember it! It was so much fun to go back as a family and enjoy the beautiful lights and the beautiful night together. I think it is something our children will remember for a long time.
Sitting in traffic, waiting for our turn to enter, Drew and Mikayla were so patient!
My favorite house - I think this is beautiful!

The trees decorated on the lake are really pretty. This picture was taken by Mikayla out of the sunroof.

When we passed this truck, Drew had to get a picture of it. There were lights all over it and they were playing Christmas music from their stereo - very festive!!

One of the many Nativity Scenes along the way - this one is beautiful!!

We had so much fun, and I can't wait to go back this year!!

Christmas at Grandma's 2009

2010-10-01T17:44:00.005-10:00

We always celebrate Christmas with my Grandma (my dad's family) the Saturday before Christmas. Last year was no different as we all gathered for dinner, fellowship, and the best part for the kids - presents!! My dad's side of the family is large and we all live reasonably close - Spartanburg, Inman, Boiling Springs, Chesnee, etc. with my Grandma living directly across the street from my mom and dad, but it is hard to get everyone together at the same time. Christmas and Easter is always a time where we can all be together! My daughter and her silly pictures - you can thank her Aunt Jennie for that! BJ, Jennie, Destiny, and Mik just "hanging out".
Jacob, Christina, and Drew love playing together any chance they get!

Some of the kids opening their cards from Grandma - yahhh for money!! Uncle "Shark", not Mark, Destiny, and Jennie having fun. My daddy always loves to aggravate the kids, hence the name, Uncle Shark.

Sweet Keyleigh and Destiny check out their money. I am always amazed by how much our sweet Mikayla and our sweet Keyleigh look alike. Of course, Keyleigh's dad - my cousin and I act a lot alike too, so we might be in trouble!!

My sweet Grandma watches as all of her "Great-Grands" open their cards from her!!

My daddy, his sister, and his sister-in-law (behind) have a pretty surprised reaction when my mom, my brother, my sister, Craig, and I (along with Drew and Mik) present my daddy with one of his Christmas presents (the one from all of us) - a 50" flat screen TV. It worked out wonderfully because Craig mentioned to me about getting that for my daddy, even if we had to get it ourselves, but when we called my brother he said YES. He had been thinking about getting daddy one by himself as well. Then, after talking to my mom and sister, we decided we would do this as a family!

Reaction #2 - We got him this time!!

Reaction #3 - we were really afraid he would be angry with us for doing this for him. My daddy has always been the one who has worked so hard to provide for his family - always putting others ahead of himself. He certainly never suspected this, and we decided to present it to him at Grandma's so that he would not be too angry (since we were, after all, in front of his whole family). My aunt KK and my Grandma are right there giving him lots of support as he takes this all in.

We walked the TV (well, my brother and my sweet hubby did) back across the street and we had to get it set up that night. My sister had written our daddy a sweet, wonderful, tear-jerker of a card to go with it, and my mom had made a beautiful red bow to go around it. My dad has definitely enjoyed this gift this whole year, and hopefully he will be able to enjoy it for many, many years to come!

Snow Decemeber 2009

2010-10-01T17:39:00.002-10:00

We were enjoying a wonderful Friday evening as a family in mid-December last year, when we got a nice surprise. All four of us were enjoying "movie night", and as soon as the movie was over, we looked outside to find it snowing. Of course Drew and Mikayla (and mommy and daddy, too) had to get their coats on and head outside to play. It was a beautiful end to a wonderful evening!

Merry Christmas 2009!

2010-10-01T17:34:00.001-10:00

Drew and Mikayla pose in front of the Christmas tree last year. Seeing this picture makes me wish Christmas would hurry and get here, this year. However, we are so glad it is fall!! Fall is one of my favorite times of year!!

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!!

2010-09-04T15:01:00.004-10:00

On the "bumper cars" at Mr. Gatti's!

On Saturday, August 28th, our sweet baby girl turned 7 years old. Both she and Drew had practice (her softball, and him baseball) that morning, and then we came home to relax. In the early evening, Mikayla and I went for manicures and pedicures - a birthday present for us both!! Then, we all joined Mimi, Poppi, aunt Jennie, and BJ at Mr. Gatti's for her birthday dinner. I can't believe we were there for 3 hours - eating and playing games!

It is so hard to believe that our sweet princess is already 7 - it seems like just yesterday God blessed our lives with her! Mikayla, mommy and daddy hope you had a wonderful birthday, and we wish you many, many more!! You are such a blessing in our lives. Your positive, kind spirit lights up our days, and your smile is contagious! Happy Birthday, baby girl - we love you!!

Boiling Springs Christmas Parade 2009

2010-08-13T18:41:00.004-10:00

Mikayla can't wait for the parade to start!Daddy and Poppi couldn't wait for it to start, either. They are so silly!Mikayla talks to Kylie, while Drew watches as the parade begins to move past us.

Drew shakes hands with the chicken from Bojangles.

Mikayla looks on as Drew gives the fire dog a high five. Mikayla eventually was brave enough to walk over and give him a hug.

Jennie just moved her chair and all out in the middle of the road!!

Mikayla waves to Santa as Drew picks up some candy that was thrown to him.

Drew and daddy wave to Santa!!

We had so much fun at this parade as we do every year. We have only missed one Boiling Springs Christmas parade since Drew has been born, and that was the year that Mikayla was sick. Both of our children LOVE this parade and look forward to it every year!!

Inman Christmas Parade 2009

2010-08-13T18:33:00.002-10:00

On a rainy Saturday morning in early December, Mikayla and some of the other dancers from Rising Star Dance Company rode in the Inman Christmas Parade. This was the fourth year in a row that Mikayla had participated in this parade. Daddy, Drew, Poppi, and I stood out in the rain to watch for our princess to ride by and wave. As soon as she went by, I got in the car to go to where the parade ended to pick her up. Daddy, Drew, and Poppi stayed to watch the rest of the parade, while Mikayla and I tried to make it back in time to see Santa (as she and I had done the previous year). This year, we made it back, but not in time to see Santa ride by. Mikayla was not too upset, though, because Poppi told her we would go to the Hot Dog Cafe for lunch! That made her day!!Our pretty princess in purple waves to the onlookers!

Mikayla's Birthday Party 2009

2010-08-06T17:51:00.013-10:00

Okay, so here we are, our baby girl will be celebrating another birthday in just a few short weeks - and I am just now getting to posting her party from last year. That confirms that I am almost a year behind in posting. I will have to shorten some of the past year if I ever hope to "catch up". Mikayla turned 6 on August 28, 2009, but since she wanted to have her party at a horse farm, we decided we didn't need to have it in August. Instead we decided to "beat the heat" and have her party after her actual birthday. I didn't mean to wait quite so long, as we ended up having her party on a Saturday in November. She had attended her friend, Brooke's, party at this horse farm in 2008, and ever since then, Mikayla said she wanted her party here. Shenendoah Farms is a beautiful place, and perfect for parties. They give the party guests rides on the horses for the first hour, and then they take all of the guests on a long hayride. Then, you have all the time you need for cake, ice cream, presents, etc. It waas a wonderful party, and one that we hope Mikayla will never forget! Happy 6th Birthday, Angel! We love you!Mikayla takes a silly picture with big brother, Drew!Mikayla's "Little Mermaid" cake.Mikayla and Drew look at the horses in the stables before the riding begins.When Poppi gets there, he gives Drew and Mikayla a toboggan, and then shows them a picture of Mikayla in the newspaper. It was a dancing picture.Then, of course, Drew and Mikayla have to take Poppi on a tour of the stables.Drew likes all of the animals on the farm, including this donkey.It took Mikayla a little while to warm to the idea, but once she finally got on the horse, she loved it!!Cute little cowgirl!Drew wasn't real sure at first about this either. Poppi coaxes him into getting on the horse...and he LOVED it!Mikayla is lovin' this!Mary Cathryn takes a ride with her daddy.Now, Poppi coaxes Mikayla.It worked!!Brooke looks like a cowgirl too!Soooo cute!Tyler takes a turn.Pretty little cowgirl.Gracie takes a ride with her mommy.yeehawMary Cathryn takes a ride by herself.Sarah says "yeehaw"!Gracie takes a ride by herself!Happy Birthday, sweet girl!Trevyr takes a ride on the horse.Jadyn takes her turn!Tyler's brother takes a turn!Brooke smiles pretty for the camera.Daddy and Poppi warm up by the fire.This horse got out of his stable while the kids were finishing up their riding time. The handlers were terrific with getting the horse back into the pasture with any incidents. I was worried about our cake for a minute.Now time for the hayride! Most of the boys were on one side...while most of the girls were on the other.Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to You, Happy Birthday dear Mikayla, Happy Birthday to You!Blow out your candles, sweet girl!Sweet Friends!!Opening her gifts...She loved them all!!Thank you, sweet friends!!After all of her guests had left, Mikayla, Drew, Daddy, and Poppi enjoy the "bonfire".

Mikayla with her Poppi! What a wonderful party with such sweet family and friends!

Family Photos

2010-08-03T17:14:00.005-10:00

Craig and I on the golf cart after taking pictures! Nana had been wanting to get a picture of all of her grandchildren on the beach for her Christmas card for years, so we all got up and headed down to the beach Sunday morning before leaving to get the children together for their pictures.
Mikayla rides back to the house on the golf cart.

Drew riding back to the house.

This is the picture that we took of just Drew and Mikayla for our 2009 Christmas card!

I love taking pictures like this - of their backs as they look out at something.

After taking pictures of all of the grands/families on the beach, we went back to Nana and Papa Fred's house and took a picture of Papa Fred with all the grands. I begged Nana to get in this picture, but she will next time!

Craig asked Angel, our sister-in-law, to take a picture of us on the beach. I think it turned out to be a good picture of the two of us!

Our family picture - one of the many that were taken. By the time we got to the family pics, Drew and Mikayla were quite tired of taking pictures.

One of the pictures of the "grands". We just put them together and we all started flashing the cameras. I was snapping back to back, thinking with all of this, I'm bound to get one good one.

Again...

and again. These are not all of the ones that I took, but I tried to pick some of the best for this. We had the most fun that morning with all of the families down on the beach with the nice cool breeze blowing trying to get six children to all look in the same direction and smile at the same time.

Trick-or-Treating in Ocean Lakes! 2009

2010-08-03T14:22:00.005-10:00

Drew and Mikayla are all dressed up and ready to go Trick-or-Treating! This was a new experience for our family and for our children. Normally, we go to fall festivals, and Drew and Mikayla don't really "trick-or-treat" except at my mom and dad's house and my grandma's house. This year, they had the most fun trick-or-treating all through Ocean Lakes Campground in Myrtle Beach with Nana and all the cousins!!Belle, Mikayla, Drew, and Trey pose for pictures in their costumes.Haston is dressed and has joined the others for pictures.Now, we are off!! Our caravan included four golf carts, with Chris, Julie, and Julie's mom leading the way. They were followed by Nikki, Tracey, Trey, Haston, and Drew (seen above). Next in line was Craig, Mikayla, and I, and Jason, Angel, Nana, Belle, and Ella brought up the rear. Look out, Ocean Lakes - I'm not sure you will ever be the same after this... Our golf carts split up once we got into the camper section because there were so many people and it was hard to stay together. We had Drew get onto our cart, and we moved from campsite to campsite as a family. Here, Drew can't believe what he sees at one of the campsites.
Mikayla is not real sure about this campsite's decorations as you can tell by her face. Drew, however, is taking it all in! I had to walk into this with Mikayla or she would not have gone in. Right after I took this picture, I turned around and there was a man dressed as a mummy right over my right shoulder. I almost stepped on him as I turned around. Mikayla didn't like that at all.

Drew and Mikayla trick-or-treat at one of the campsites.

Mikayla said she didn't want candy from this campsite - I don't think she cared for these decorations, either. But, you can see as Drew gets his candy, the decorations are not going to stop him.

Trick-or-Treating at another site.

After 3o minutes of trick-or-treating, Drew and Mikayla's baskets were overflowing with goodies. They had the most fun watching other people and looking at all the different costumes and decorations. Sylvester, the cat, was walking all around and we kept passing him every time we turned up different streets, and I think that was Mikayla's favorite part. Nana has talked about making this a yearly tradition for all of her grandchildren. Drew and Mikayla would be thrilled to go to Ocean Lakes every Halloween.

Happy Birthday, Drew!!

2010-07-05T18:38:00.003-10:00

Our sweet baby boy, Andrew Craig "Drew", was born on this day - nine years ago!! Our family had gone to the Independence Day celebration in Columbus, NC on Wednesday, July 4th, 2001. I was admitted to hospital on Thursday, July 5th where Craig and I spent the night watching the first episode of Big Brother!! Our precious little one was born the next day - Friday, July 6th, 2001 at 2:10 pm. He weighed in at 7 lbs, 8 ozs and was 20.5 inches long. He is now a healthy nine year old who keeps us on our toes. Whether he is playing soccer, basketball, baseball, or golf, we are always his biggest fans!! Happy Birthday, big boy! You make us proud in every way - every day!! We are so blessed to call you son and we look forward to all this year has in store!! Love you, Mommy, Daddy, and Mikayla

Halloween 2009 at the Beach!!

2010-06-22T16:40:00.004-10:00

In October, Nana and Papa Fred invited all the kids and all the "grands" to the beach over Halloween weekend to celebrate Papa Fred's birthday and to trick-or-treat at the beach. Nana, Papa, Craig's Uncle Ovid, Fred's daughter, Nikki and her family, Fred's son, Dig, Craig's brother, Chris and his family, Craig's brother, Jason and his family, and our family had the most fun spending time together and watching the kids play!! I wasn't sure if Ocean Lakes would ever be the same after having all of us there at one time, but all the kids played exceptionally well together, and the adults had wonderful conversations!! I have a lot of pictures of this trip, so I will be making more than one post.One of the things that the kids, Craig, and I were looking forward to was carving our pumpkins. We took two pumpkins with us (one for Drew and one for Mikayla, of course), with the plan to carve them right on the beach! One of my friends from school shared that she and her family had done the same the year before, so the kids couldn't wait! Mikayla and Drew look on as daddy does the carving.

They told daddy just what they wanted, and he produced the perfect faces for their jack-o-lanterns!

The finished product!!

They fed the pumpkin seeds to the seagulls!!

We had so much fun on the shores of SC!! More pictures coming soon...

Enchanted Tracks!

2010-06-20T13:57:00.003-10:00

On October 24, 2009, Craig and I took the kids to Enchanted Tracks!! The kids and I had gone with friends the year before, and they had a ball so I looked up the dates and made plans for our family to return. It is held at the Pavilion Recreation Center in Taylors, on the field in the middle of the "tracks" - train tracks that is! Hence the name - Enchanted Tracks. It is a family friendly fall festival that includes games, inflatables, food, drinks, a train ride, an Enchanted Trail with characters, and more!! There is nothing scary about it so it is just right for small children. Drew and Mikayla both love the Enchanted Trail!
Mik and Drew get candy from Shrek...

and an apple from Snow White!!

Mikayla and Drew also enjoyed getting their faces painted this year. Last year, the line was too long for this and the balloon art so we missed it.

Drew gets a spider and a snake.

Mikayla gets a rainbow and a crown. Is anyone surprised by either of their choices??

Waiting for the train ride - watching it enter the station!! I didn't get any pictures of us on the train because we were all riding. Mikayla sat with me in front and Craig and Drew were in the seat directly behind us. We laughed the whole way around the track.

Drew had lots of fun playing the games - especially this "spin the wheel" game, and the putting game!!

The very last thing we did was get in line for balloon art! Drew and Mikayla were thrilled about this - Craig and I not so much because it was a slow moving line. By the time it was our turn, there were only 5 children left. The balloon artist, however, made it very much worth our wait.

Mikayla holds her toothbrush that he made for her - he told her it was perfect for her because she was missing teeth. Mikayla thought that was sweet of him!

For Drew - a "monster" costume, complete with a head that sports one eyeball, a long red tongue, and arms and "claws" that Drew could move using the pieces he is holding in his hands. In all my life, I've never seen balloon art like that. It was definitely worth the wait!! We had so much fun as a family at Enchanted Tracks and we can't wait to go there again!!

Hunting Boys!!

2010-06-20T13:54:00.001-10:00

Last fall, Craig took Drew hunting with his brother Chris and our nephew, Haston. This was them all ready to go one afternoon. I couldn't resist a picture! Don't they look cute?

County Fair 2009

2010-06-20T05:51:00.005-10:00

Last October, our family went to the fair just as we have always done every year. It was very cold the night we went so there weren't many people there. That made it nice because there were not any lines for the rides. Drew and Mikayla (and mommy and daddy, too) could enjoy all the rides they wanted to. At the 2008 fair, Mikayla had asked that I ride the teacups with her, but I didn't think that I would fit. So, her daddy rode the ride with her, but I promised my girl that night that I would ride the teacups with her at the fair next year (2009). That was my motivation the whole time as I was losing weight!! I kept my eye on those teacups and the promise that I had made to my sweet five year old girl!! Well, at the 2009 fair, they didn't have the teacups. I couldn't believe it - but they did have this "Dragon Tales" version so I was able to ride them with my sweet girl and my sweet boy. Daddy takes a picture of us before the ride starts. Our family had a wonderful evening at the fair enjoying all the rides, animals, and fair food!! Poppi and Jennie even surprised us by showing up as we made our first round of the rides. They were excited to watch Drew and Mik on the rides and playing the games. It was the most fun!! Poppi and Mikayla with the hat that she won!!

My sweet baby girl rides the train with her brother!

Daddy, Drew, and Mikayla had fun riding this elephant. Mommy opted out of this ride!

Now Poppi poses with Mikayla wearing the hat she won!!

Drew pets the HUGE snake.

Craig and Drew ride the big slide!

We always visit the animal barn and Drew and Mikayla always love getting close to all the different animals!

Mommy looks on as Drew and Mikayla ride the carousel horses.

Drew LOVES the roller coaster.

Mikayla LOVES the motorcycles, but only the pink ones!!

Drew rides the bumper cars.

On the elephant again.

Fall Baseball 2009

2010-06-19T17:03:00.002-10:00

This past fall, Drew played fall baseball. In fact, as we were walking to our car after the last game of his spring tournament, he said "I want to play fall ball." We talked to Drew and explained that he couldn't play soccer (he had played the previous two falls) and baseball, so he would have to choose. He chose baseball, so we signed him up to play for Spartanburg since BSYAA did not offer fall ball last year. Because of Drew's birthday and because Spartanburg does not use pitching machines, Drew played in coach's pitch (overhand). His team was the Dodgers, and it was made up of other kids from the Boiling Springs area! Drew had fun and he played well. I think this has started a new tradition...in fact, Drew said this year that he would like to play baseball all year. I think he is well on his way to that wish since it is now June and we are still playing ball!! We love every minute of it, though!! Drew runs to first after getting a good hit!
It is hard to tell from this picture, but Drew is running up to catch this guy's pop fly. Drew was able to run it down and catch it for the out!!

The boys were playing defense.

Drew played first base during fall ball, and he did an awesome job!!

Our cute "baseball king"!!

We didn't win many games during fall ball, but Drew was glad to be out there playing nonetheless!!

Fun at Chimney Rock!!

2010-06-10T13:02:00.004-10:00

****Note: This is where my posts get a little out of order. Drew's birthday party and fishing through the summer (which really should have been posted here) can be found in earlier posts.

Last summer (just before it was time for me to go back to school) we took a quick, last minute "mini vacation" to Chimney Rock. We had been to Lake Lure earlier in the summer, and we were excited to take Drew and Mikayla again! We are very fortunate in that this is not a very far drive for our family and the view is really pretty. On this trip, we didn't spend any time at "the beach" at Lake Lure, but instead spent our time relaxing, walking the strip, and - you guessed it - fishing. We didn't hike up to the top of the rock, as I am a little too protective of my children for that. I cannot get the story of the little 2 year old that fell from the trail and died out of my head - and Drew is just not ready for that. Mikayla would stay right with us - no doubt, but Drew - ha, that's another story. Until I am positive that he understands how dangerous those trails can be, and I know that he will stay right with us - we will be keeping our feet firmly on the ground thank you! Drew and Mikayla were able to see "the rock" and this was our view from the front porch of our hotel - rocking chairs and all!We had dinner at a fun restaurant over looking the river - of course Drew and Mikayla wanted to sit on the back deck, and we wouldn't dare say no. Hey, sometimes you just gotta pick your battles! They look so sweet in this picture!! After mommy took pictures of Drew and Mikayla, they wanted the camera to take some pictures of mommy and daddy! I thought they did pretty well with the camera!!

Drew and Mikayla liked the river, and you can just tell that he is dying to get in the water!

Mikayla munches on boiled peanuts while putting her feet in the water - man this is the life!!

Craig tries to find out if there are any fish in the river - he and Drew were really hoping to catch some trout.No Luck - only a "pair of eyeballs"!
So Drew takes a dip to cool off instead of fishing!

Then Mikayla decides to join him!!
After lunch, we head back towards home stopping by this spot on Lake Lure - away from "the beach" - to try our luck at fishing again. Drew was so proud of himself!! Here, he baited his own hook, cast his line, and reeled in this catch. You might not be able to see the fish here - look real close almost between Drew's feet. He also removed this fish from his hook and threw it back!! That's a real fisherman right there!
Our girl was exhausted from this fun trip and catches a nap on the way home!! We all had so much fun, and we plan to go back another time - even if only for the day!! I personally think "mini vacations" are the best sometimes. This was just what I needed to get me ready to begin another school year!!

4th of July 2009

2010-06-07T16:00:00.007-10:00

Happy 4th of July!!!

On July 4th (last year - I'm still trying to catch up!!), we took Drew and Mikayla to Lake Bowen to watch the parade of floats.
The kids had more fun playing on the hill in the grass than they did watching the floats. They really wanted to get in the water.So we left there and headed over to Mimi and Poppi's house to swim. After swimming, it was time for fireworks!!Daddy helps Drew light his sparkler... Drew shines his sparkler all around!

Mikayla shines hers around as Mimi looks on!

My dad, Poppi, has had these "snakes" for years. They used to be my brother's favorites when we were little, and now both of our children LOVE them. They are a small black (soot) disc, that when lit, grows to resemble a snack. After they are finished "growing", Drew and Mikayla play in them - hence the black hands and faces. Daddy and Poppi watch and shake their heads...

We had a lot of fun on the 4th of July last year! Drew always loves this holiday because it is so close to his birthday!! We can't wait to see what is in store for us this year!!

Mountains 2009

2010-06-07T15:30:00.004-10:00

Our family's mini vacation to the Great Smoky Mountains in the summer of '09 was a fabulous trip!! We enjoyed a relaxing stay at Yoder's on the River!! Drew and Mikayla pose for pictures on our balcony. Notice the river below them? We could lay in our beds with our balcony door open and listen to the water roll by below - there are not many things more relaxing than that!!
Of course we had to swim while on vacation! We spent time at both the indoor and outdoor pools. The kids even enjoyed complimentary cookies and milk before bed!

Sweet Siblings!! Drew jumps into the indoor pool! It had this neat walkway/bridge over it (you can see it to the left of Drew). I would stand on this to take many of my pictures.Daddy and Mikayla play in the water near the waterfall. One whole side of the indoor pool was nothing but a waterfall - it was really pretty!!

Drew loves to swim - anytime - anywhere!

Mikayla, Daddy, and Drew all three playing near the waterfall!

After swimming awhile indoors, we spent some time swimming in the outdoor pool. I think Mikayla and Craig look so much alike in this picture!

Black Bear Jamboree!!

2010-06-07T09:40:00.006-10:00

On Saturday, June 20, 2009, our family went to the Black Bear Jamboree dinner show while in the Great Smoky Mountains!! When we purchased the tickets by phone they asked if we were willing to share our table in order to get better seats. I said yes, but never expected to be sitting at a table right against the stage. When we were seated on Saturday night, Drew and Mikayla were very excited!! At first they were both sitting on one side of the table so that Craig and I could sit beside each other. After taking this picture, I switched seats with Mikayla so that both she and Drew could sit right against the stage. As soon as you are seated, the fantastic wait staff begins to bring you your meal. This delicious meal consists of:

Southern Style Chicken
Hickory Pit Barbeque Ribs
Buttery Corn on the Cob
Farm Fresh Vegetables
Seasoned Potatoes
Oven Baked Bread
Rich Creamy Soup
Signature Dessert
Unlimited Coke, Tea or Coffee

You can tell by their faces that Daddy and Mikayla are enjoying their soup!!Drew and I take a break from eating to pose for a picture!As you continue to enjoy your dinner, the All-Star band comes out to play a few songs. Here the MC and the drummer pose for a picture. It's hard to tell from this picture, but the drummer is actually spinning his stick for this picture.During the preshow, they also invite all of the kids to come up onto the stage to sing and dance. The musicians play and sing (with the kids' help) If You're Happy and You Know it...

Drew decided that this was something he wanted to do, but we couldn't talk Mikayla into joining him. She was a little upset when she found out later that we would be purchasing a DVD of this very show. She said "I won't get to be on TV". LOL After that, it is time for the show to begin. The MC/"producer" of the show comes out on stage with "Dexter", his assistant. These two are wonderful in their roles and they kept us laughing during the whole show. The "producer" at one point even came over and help his leg up to me and Drew (as he was singing "Jailhouse Rock") and said "hey pretty lady, how 'bout help a king out and rub my leg?" Then he said "thank ya, thank ya very much!"

Dexter in one of his "moments". He was our family's favorite character. That doesn't really surprise me though, especially after he came over to our table. Periodically during the show, he ventures into the audience to "romance the ladies". One time when he stepped off the stage, Craig says to me "he's coming over here". I replied with "no way" and turn around to find him standing beside me with his arm around my shoulder. Drew, who was sitting beside me, could do nothing but crack up laughing. He said "hey good lookin', where are you from". My mind was racing as I tried to figure out just what he wanted me to say - South Carolina or Tennessee (since that is, in fact, where we were). I finally answered truthfully with "South Carolina" to which he replied "oh I just knew you were from Tennessee cause you're the only 10 I see". He goes on with "or Texas (as he fluffs my hair) cause you know everything's bigger in Texas. You know what they say, the bigger the hair, the closer you are to Jesus - precious". Our whole table, as well as the whole place is laughing and I'm sure my face is RED. I said to Drew after he walked away "Why didn't you help me?" He replied, "I couldn't do nothing, mom".One of the dancers/singers in the cast of the show.Another singer, who after the fact, I think has a striking resemblance to "Dexter". Jimmy Bryant, "the producer" and "Dexter" sing Sonny and Cher's I've Got You, Babe!Dexter would do anything to be "part of the show"!!
At the end, he gets his big break! He stuns the audience with his rendition of I Can Only Imagine!!

Our family had a wonderful night full of a delicious meal and a terrific show!! This is one show that our family will be seeing again and again, I'm sure! We recommend this show to anyone in Pigeon Forge, TN!!

Mountains 2009

2010-06-05T14:29:00.005-10:00

We spent a lot of time walking the strip in Gatlinburg during our trip. We had been here with the kids 2 years before when Drew was 6 and Mikayla was 4 and they remembered that trip pretty well, especially as they saw things that were familiar as we walked this time!

They had fun rolling this huge ball of what appeared to be rock in the water.Our babies even got to star in the movie, Forest Gump while we were there. Don't you remember the "Bubba Gump Shrimp Company" and the lunchbox and box of chocolates sitting on the bench beside Drew?Craig looks on with Drew and Mikayla at the Believe it Or Not Museum.After lunch, we decided that we would mine for gems. This place was one of the many on the strip, but it was really neat. It had a store in the front where they were taking "Old Timey Photos", and then you went to the back of the cave to do your rock mining. We were the only ones mining at this time, so we had the whole "cave" to ourselves!! The gentleman is explaining to Drew and Mik just what they need to do - the huge bucket is sitting on the bench beside Mikayla and they both couldn't wait to dig in. Mikayla is having so much fun shaking her sieve to find out what's under all that dirt. Craig looks in his own sieve to see what he has found.

Mikayla shows off one of her small gems that she found!

Craig helps Drew look for precious gems!

Wow, Drew! Those are big!!

Wow, Mikayla that is big, too!!

Drew really inspects some of the gems he has found.
After we finish mining, this nice gentleman comes back to tell us the names of the gems we have found. He tells us that we have found some beautiful emeralds, rubies, garnets, sapphires, etc. He even shows us some that we found that are big enough to be made into beautiful jewelry. I will have some of these precious gems that we found made into jewelry for me one day. I'd love a nice ring, necklace, and earrings. We had so much fun mining gems as a family, and we got some really nice pieces from this experience!!

Summer Trip to the Mountains

2010-06-05T12:28:00.009-10:00

Last June 19th, we took a mini vacation to Gatlinburg! After Craig surprised us with a weekend trip to the beach last May, he was ready to go someplace a little cooler once summer arrived. This was fine by me - I'm always ready to go!! Craig's boss, "Uncle Ronnie" had been telling Craig about this great hotel that they always stay in, so Craig made reservations for our family to stay there as well! It was a nice place - right on the river!!Craig helps his daddy unpack. Mikayla and I were more interested in the river right outside our balcony door. It was so nice to be able to open your door and here the river running below - very relaxing!!Mikayla is so funny - I often think she is 6 going on 16!Awwww...Craig and I stop for a picture. If you look closely, you can see the river running below us.Next, it was Drew and Mikayla's turn for a picture!

While we were in Gatlinburg, we made several trips to Pigeon Forge. One of the reasons we ventured there was for food and another reason was for some shows. We saw two shows while in the mountains - the first was Magic Beyond Belief with magician Terry Evanswood.We had to take pictures before the show started!Most of my pictures that I took during the show are hard to see because of the lighting and smoke, but I like this picture of Terry with one of his large cats. At the end of the show, there was a large white tiger in this cage. Those cats were beautiful!!

After the show, Terry came to the front of the stage to sign autographs and he was also kind enough to pose for a picture with Drew and Mikayla!! Craig is infatuated with magic and thought this show coupled with the store where you could buy your own magic tricks were the best!! Our whole family absolutely loved this show and we highly recommend it for anyone who might be visiting the Great Smoky Mountains!!

Pool Time with the Family 2009

2010-06-05T06:21:00.002-10:00

Every summer, we spend many of our days at Mimi and Poppi's pool!! Daddy joins us when he can, especially on weekends! These pictures were taken last year while playing at the pool. Drew and Mikayla love swimming with daddy! We are headed over to my mom and dad's house in just a bit to get some more pool time pictures of our family!!

Fun at Lake Lure!!

2010-06-03T11:05:00.004-10:00

One Saturday last summer, our family decided to take a trip up to Lake Lure to enjoy the beach! I had never been before, but my sister and her boyfriend had gone the weekend before and talked about how fun it was. Uncle Ronnie had also called Craig and told him he was going with Hannah the same day so we decided to ride up there and try it out!! It was a beautiful day, and I was surprised that it was not more crowded. Don't get me wrong, there were lots of people there, but I really expected it to be more so!! We spent most of our time at the "beach", but I don't have any pictures of us in the water because we were all out there together - the four of us!!Drew and Mikayla had fun playing in the fountains and "water buckets"! Getting soaked didn't bother them any!Drew and Craig couldn't wait to try the water slides!!Mikayla opted out of these, and instead, spent more time in the fountains!!One of the many times that Drew came down the slide. He looks like he is just sitting on the slide in this picture, but he was actually moving and kept zooming into the water.One of the times Craig went down the slide. Don't let him fool ya - he is having as much fun as Drew!

After having fun at the "beach", we walked across the street to have dinner. I couldn't resist taking pictures while we waited on our food!

Craig LOVED this - can't you tell?!?!?!

Mikayla and Drew love to drink the little cups of half and half - oh, the things kids do...regardless of that, I love this picture of her. The face she is making cracks me up!!

Our family had lots of fun during our "day at the beach" (for those that don't know and couldn't tell from the pictures, it is really a lake), and we plan to go back some this summer!!

More Fishing!!

2010-06-02T16:01:00.003-10:00

We have had so much fun fishing and we have fished all around town! Drew and Mikayla will ask to go fishing some afternoons and we just load up the truck and head to the bait shop!! Here are more pictures from our recent fishing trips!!

Craig shows off my "BIG BASS"!! I told him that was a wall-hanger!! I know this isn't the best picture, but this is the biggest fish we have caught since we have been on these excursions!!

Drew shows off one of his catches at Lake Blalock!

Mikayla shows off one of her catches at Lake Bowen!!

Poppi watches as Drew reels one in.

Drew shows off one of his catches at Lake Bowen!!

Daddy explains to Mikayla exactly what she needs to do!

Fishing!!

2010-06-02T05:05:00.004-10:00

For the past year or so, our family has been "hooked" on fishing! We have gone everywhere from the two area lakes to private ponds of friends. We have even gone to our Brother-in-law's house in Bishopville so that Craig and Drew could go bow-fishing at night in the river. Mikayla and I got to spend time with the girls while the boys went fishing! That trip was a lot of fun, and we can't wait to do that again!! These pictures were taken while we fished off of a public dock at Lake Bowen. Our girl is not afraid to touch the worms!
Drew and Mikayla show off Drew's catch. Mikayla wasn't so sure about touching the fish at first. Please notice the man in the background and notice the size of the fish that Drew is holding...
Craig calls fish that are this size "a pair of eyeballs" and those are the only things that were biting our hooks while we were at this dock on this particular day. When they would "nibble" on the worm, it would sink the entire cork and it looked like you had a "whopper fish" on the line. Every time you would try to reel it in, the worm would be gone, but still no fish. One time, while I was holding the rod, I jerked on it because I didn't want the fish to get away. When I did, the whole line (hook, cork, sinkers, etc.) came flying up out of the water and landed on this poor man who was just trying to catch fish himself. I was so embarrassed and tried to hide behind Craig. I couldn't apologize enough. Needless to say, we didn't stay too long after that...

Drew shows off the fish he finally hooked! We have had a lot of fun as a family on these fishing trips. Craig is a good sport about it all - even though neither me nor Mikayla will bait a hook or take the fish off. We just like to cast and reel, but he is always sweet about it and keeps taking us back!! Drew has really surprised us, though! When we went to the mountains last summer, we got NC fishing licenses so we could fish while we were there and Drew baited his own hook, caught some trout, and took them off his line all by himself. He has really enjoyed fishing, and will often ask to go!!

We have had some good laughs and great conversation, and most importantly a lot of family fun on these trips!! And, I have caught the biggest fish so far of all the times we have gone!! I can't really claim the whole catch, though, because like I said, all I do is cast and reel...

Drew's Birthday Party 2009

2010-05-31T16:25:00.008-10:00

So, I know I have gotten out of order with my dates on here since I have now just begun trying to catch up with my blogging. I'm really not sure there is a way to "catch up" over a year's worth of activities, but I am sure trying. On Saturday, July 16th, we had Drew's 8th birthday party at the bowling alley. Drew, Mikayla, and I (and sometimes daddy, too) had been enjoying a summer full of "Kid's Bowl Free" so I wasn't surprised when Drew decided that he wanted to have his birthday party there. Some of the party decorations...Phillip relaxes before the bowling begins!Sweet Davis and AllisonBreanna, Mikayla, and Emily - the 3 amigos!Tyler, Drew, Trevyr, and Jadyn enjoy their nuggets and fries.Hunter, Zane, Blake, Bryson, and Tyler enjoy their nuggets and french fries.Breanna, Mikayla, Emily, and KiasiaDrew gets ready to blow out his candle - after we sing "Happy Birthday"!Opening Presents...Sweet Friends!!Time to bowl...Every time it was Drew's turn to bowl, it showed this picture of him on the screen!Some of the adults even take a turn - here Craig takes a turn bowling!Some of the boys - Tyler, Blake, Drew, and Phillip...More bowling fun!!Some of the girls - Allison, Emily, Jadyn, Breanna, and Mikayla...Go Mik, Go!

Mikayla and Drew pose with the sign that was in the party room!!

I didn't get a picture of all of Drew's friends signing the bowling pin for him - I wish I had photos of that. He has the pin in his room and it is sure to be something that he treasures for a long time!! Happy 8th Birthday, big boy! We all love you so much!!

First Day of School 2009

2010-05-31T15:42:00.003-10:00

On August 18, 2009, we were on our way to Drew's first day of third grade and Mikayla's first day of first grade! They were so excited - they couldn't wait to get to school to see who would be in their classes this year. Mommy was also excited as it was the first day of my ninth year of teaching kindergarten! I couldn't wait to see my students and begin the journey of the school year!
Drew poses with his teacher, Ms. Evans!

Mikayla models one of Drew's books that he will be using for the year - notice he has his arm around his little sister! So sweet...

Mikayla poses with her teacher, Ms. Gossett!

We all had a wonderful first day of school! We were all exhausted when we got home that night, but it was a productive day for all! Now that the school year is over and we are off to enjoy our summer, I can say that it was a productive year for all! :)

Softball Banquet 2010

2010-05-31T10:54:00.002-10:00

On Friday, May 21st, we had our softball banquet for our Lady Bubbles at Pizza Inn!! Our girls played in the final game of the season directly before our team headed to eat. As team mom, I had already reserved the "party room" with the help of Kirsten's mom. I also ordered and picked up the trophies and coaches' gifts.

Once we arrived at Pizza Inn, all of our families enjoyed dinner first from the buffet. After everyone was finished eating, Ms. Heather had a surprise for all of us. She had made a slide show of the season and had arranged to show it on the big screen TV in the party room. Thanks to my friend, Heather, for the beautiful video and for keeping score for our girls this year!! After watching the video, which was very touching, it was time to give out the trophies!! Drew looks on as all of the girls receive their trophies!! I think all the girls loved the trophies and were pleased!!
The girls and coaches cheered "Lady Bubbles" one last time before leaving!

Mikayla with coaches Beau, Amy, Kevin, and Chris! Thanks to all of them for all of their hard work this season! Mikayla loved playing this year, and she learned so much!!

Baseball Stars 2010

2010-05-31T09:17:00.002-10:00

My sister and I made this video of our Huskers team this year, by editing pictures that I had taken and setting them to music! We were hoping to show this on the big screen at the Greenville Drive game, but because that didn't work, we will share it here! :) We are so proud of our Huskers this year! They finished fourth place in regular season and second place in the end-of-season tournament. They were awarded trophies and medals this year! Drew batted .907 on the year with 0 strike-outs and played an awesome game at first base. The coaches would also put Drew at shortstop and third if needed and he played well in those positions as well! We couldn't be more proud of our HUSKER!! :)

Drew's Baseball Banquet 2010

2010-05-31T07:39:00.009-10:00

Nathan, Drew, Trey, Zack, and Jimmy pose before entering the stadium!

It was a beautiful Sunday in May - hot, but beautiful! We were able to enjoy some great baseball on May 23rd when Drew's regular season baseball banquet was held at the Greenville Drive game! Our team, the Boiling Springs Bantam Huskers, was the featured Little League team of the game in their program "Field of Dreams". The parents had arranged this for our little guys so that they could run out onto the field with the Drive players during the singing of the National Anthem!! Drew had been looking forward to this since the middle of the season, and I am sure it is something that we will never forget!!Before the game started, we had our banquet celebration. Coach Jim, Coach Craig, and Coach Jonathan started by handing out game balls. As the game balls were awarded, Coach Jim told why each player was receiving that particular Game Ball! Drew was awarded the game ball for the game against the Tigers because he batted 3 for 3 with a home run, a triple, and a double and he didn't let one Tiger player reach 1st base!! Go Drew!!After Game Balls were awarded, it was time to award the trophies!! Drew goes to accept his trophy from Coach Jon Jon (who also happens to be his Uncle Jon Jon). One of the funniest things I've heard all season was when another player called to my brother "hey, coach Jon Jon" and Drew replied with "that's my Jon Jon, that's coach Jonathan to you". Jonathan and the player just laughed. Mikayla poses with "Reedy Rip-it", the Greenville Drive Mascot, before the game! Reedy also threw a t-shirt to us during the game!

Craig, Drew, and Ethan get autographs before the game.

Drew was able to run out onto Fluor Field with the Greenville Drive first baseman!!

Drew, who played first base for the Huskers this year, talks with the first baseman of the Greenville Drive after running onto the field with him.

Givin' Five!! Thanks for the memories #10! Our boy will never forget you!
After the game, all of the kids have the opportunity to run bases! Drew and Mikayla take advantage of this every time we go see the Drive play! Mikayla, however, will not run without her daddy!!

Whew What a Year...

2010-05-31T07:30:00.003-10:00

School year that is!! It was an amazing year with an amazing group of students!! Friday, May 28th marked our first day of summer vacation 2010!! We have a busy summer ahead, and I can't wait to see what is in store for our family!!

We were busy, busy, busy at home as well. I can't believe it has been so long since I last updated this blog. I have lots to post about and not a lot of time, so I may try the condensed version...

Updates coming fast and furious...stay tuned!! :)

Cookout With Friends

2009-10-01T12:46:00.005-10:00

On Saturday, June 13th Craig invited the guys that work with him to come to our house for a cookout. Mikayla had spent the night at the dance studio the night before since it was the last day of dance camp, and Drew had spent the night with Mimi and Poppi so Craig and I had gotten a date night (Side Street Pizza - yum!!). Craig and I went to pick Mikayla up from the studio Saturday morning, and then went to Costco to get all of the food, drinks, etc. When we got home, Poppi brought Drew home, and we had the kids rest awhile, and then we all played outside while waiting for everyone to arrive.

"Yella Boy's" oldest daughter, Deja, had fun watching everyone play the wii. She even enjoyed a couple games of bowling herself!Zach tries out his bowling skills.Sherri's granddaughter wants to bowl too ya'll!Yella's wife, Sherika, takes a turn at bowling while their youngest daughter Keasia smiles for the camera.

Then we pulled out the wii fit and "Yella Boy" tried his luck at ski jump. Darryl wants to see how well he can jump!

Then Sherri took a turn...

while Austin and "Yella Boy" look on. I don't think either of them were playing with the pink bear laying beside them. I think one of the little ones were playing with it! :)

Zach decided that he wanted to try his luck too...
while Sherri, her grandson, Darryl, "Yella Boy", Austin, and Keasia look on. Austin did not want his picture taken - can you tell? Jennie and her boyfriend BJ smile for the camera. They had fun just watching everyone on the fit!

Everyone seemed to have a fun time, and I'm pretty sure they got their bellies full! Craig and I had fun playing host and hostess and we will have to get everyone together again soon!!

More Pool Fun!!

2009-10-01T12:17:00.004-10:00

Drew, Mikayla, and I spent the first week of June like we spent most weeks this summer - by the pool!!

They are at the age now where I don't feel I have to be right beside them in the pool the whole time. Don't get me wrong - they are never in the pool unless an adult is outside with them. This year is the first year, though, that I felt confident enough in their swimming that I would get out and lay in the sun some while they swam. I still got in the pool a lot myself to play with them of course, but it is nice to be able to sit on the side and watch them enjoy the water as much as I do!!

Drew loves to snorkel - if (when) we go on a cruise that is something we will have to do as a family for sure!! He has always been our little fish - never afraid of anything. Sometimes I wish he were a little more cautious in certain situations, but he is learning to be as he matures!! We sure are proud of our little guy!!

Mikayla is like a little fish - hard to believe the first two years of her life she screamed when we got in the pool. She would latch on to me like I was gonna drop her if she didn't and scream if any part of her body touched the water. She is so much like her daddy - scared of everything. There are times I am grateful for this cautiousness and other times I wish she weren't so. I think she is learning as she gets older that there are some things she should be afraid of, and there are some things she has no reason to fear. It is my goal to keep exposing her to many different things so that she can overcome some of this. That's the reason I kept getting in the water with her when she was little. If I had avoided it just because she was scared of it, she would still be scared to this day and not "swimming like a fish"!! Our girl has been jumping off the diving board without floats on for 2 years now - we couldn't be more proud!!

Baseball Banquet Spring 2009

2009-10-01T11:50:00.004-10:00

Okay, so I know I said no more baseball posts from Spring 2009, but I just came across pictures from Drew's banquet that I wanted to post so here goes...

Drew's baseball banquet was held on a Tuesday night in May at Lake Bowen Park. Coach Danny and his family brought pizza for everyone and the rest of us brought "extras" such as chips, drinks, plates, napkins, desserts, etc. for everyone. The kids were able to play and enjoy each others' company away from the baseball fields while the parents were able to chat and reminisce about the season. After we all ate and the kids played awhile it was time to give trophies!! Coach Danny and Coach Chris talk to the boys about their season and how much they enjoyed it before passing out any of the trophies. We had such a wonderful year and we feel very blessed that Drew had the opportunity to be coached by Danny, Chris, and Kevin. They taught Drew so much about the game and about life, and for that we will be forever grateful!!

Drew goes up to receive his trophy from Coach Danny! It was after all of the trophies had been distributed that Coach Danny gave some of the interesting stats "for fun". That is when we learned that Drew batted over 600 on the season and he also repeated what I already knew - that Drew only struck out 3 times all year. He actually tied for least strike-outs with another guy on his team and he had the second highest batting average on his team. Craig and I couldn't be more proud of baseball king!!

Dance Recital 2009

2009-10-01T09:09:00.009-10:00

Mikayla's dance recital for 2009 was held on Saturday, May 30th and the theme for this year was "Every Thing's Coming Up Dance"! Mikayla danced in 6 dances at this year's recital after learning 4 dances in her weekly classes, the opening number at dance camp 2008, and the finale in which all of the dancers participate. Mikayla had so much fun dancing last season and she was able to show off everything she had worked so hard to learn at the recital. She took tap, ballet, jazz, and clogging last year so I included pictures from each of those dances here.

Mikayla dances in the opening number with other girls from last year's summer dance camp! Mikayla and the other girls (Alana, Jadyn, Anaka, Breanna, and Emily) show their tap dance.

Then, those same girls danced their jazz routine!Next, it was time to get Mikayla changed for her ballet dance. She danced this dance with Jadyn, Brooke, and Lana. **Our beautiful ballerina!!**

As soon as she finished her ballet dance, mommy was off to change her costume yet again. This time into one of my favorites - her clogging costume. Mikayla, Lana, Jadyn, and Brooke also danced in this dance. Because it was one of my favorites, I have included more pictures of this dance than of any of them!!

Mikayla and Lana were partners for this dance, while Brooke and Jadyn were also partners.

Mikayla clicks her heels together - so cute!!

Go Girls!!

As soon as she finished her clogging routine, I was off to change her for the last time that evening. We had to get Mikayla in her "school girl" outfit for the finale.
Abbi, Mikayla, and Breanna show off their moves!
The very end where all of the dance students jumped up when their names were called! Mikayla is in between two chickens - Mackenna and Madison.

Mikayla, Breanna, and Emily show off their perfect attendance certificates. They didn't miss any dance classes all season. Breanna and Emily are also holding their trophies - you can see Mikayla's sitting behind her on the stage. She received her 4th year trophy and her dad and I as well as the rest of our family could not be more proud of her! She loves dancing and we hope she always will!!

Last Baseball Post of the Season (spring)

2009-10-01T08:49:00.004-10:00

Drew's team for Spring baseball this past year was the Bulldogs. He played for Danny Moss and had a terrific season. Drew was awarded the game ball after the first game of the season for getting a rally started (he was the lead off batter that inning and hit a double) that enabled our team to come back and win!! We could not have been more proud of the way that Drew played this past Spring - his first year batting against the pitching machine and also his first year ever playing catcher on defense! He only struck out 3 times the whole season and his coach announced that he batted over 600 for the season at the end-of-the-year banquet!! His team finished 2nd in the league for the year!! We are most thankful that Drew had fun this past year and that his love for baseball grew! He certainly enjoys it - so much so that he opted out of playing soccer this fall and has instead been playing more baseball. I will get some pictures posted from these games soon. I hope to also get some video posted on here soon! Drew takes a swing during our first game of the end-of-season tournament.

Our hind catcher looks like a real professional if you ask me - of course I am a little biased...The coaches talk to the boys after they won the game. I think sometimes at this point, they are more interested in snacks!

Fun at the Swim Center

2009-10-01T02:19:00.005-10:00

On Friday, May 29th, Drew's class, along with some of the other second grade classes at our school, went on a field trip to the Swim Center. I was able to meet them at the Swim Center after I left Mikayla's Author's Tea that morning. Drew was so excited about going and he was insistent that I go with him.
Drew and his group listen to the pool safety rules.

Then they moved on to learn boating safety rules.
Next, they moved on to learn about rafting safety. I think this was one of Drew's favorites!! Drew and his friends had life jackets on and were hanging out in the raft.

The lifeguard jumps into the pool splashing the boys. They LOVED it.
Next the lifeguard talks to the boys about what to do if they are ever rafting and the raft flips.And finally, the lifeguard gives the boys a chance to demonstrate what they have learned. I love this picture even though it is a little hard to see the raft. The lifeguard is tipping them, but all three boys are hanging on.

Next, they moved to a station to learn how to help someone who is in trouble in water. Drew practices helping a friend with a "noodle"...

and then with the ring.

Drew's friend, Allie, helps Drew with the ring.

Finally, Drew and his group get to the station where they take the swim test (if they want to) to see if they can jump off the diving board during the "free swim" time.

Drew LOVES the diving board!

It was so neat to see the students having so much fun on this field trip. Not only was it fun for them, but I was very impressed with everything our students learned! Drew still talks about this field trip - I think it will always be one of his favorites!!

An Author's Tea

2009-09-30T06:31:00.002-10:00

On Friday, May 29th, I was able to take the day off from work to go with Drew and some of the other second graders to the Swim Center. Also that morning, Mikayla had her Author's Tea. Craig was even able to leave work for a little while to join us. I video taped Mikayla reading her book that she had written, while Craig took these photos. Mrs. Batson, Mikayla's kindergarten teacher, had all of her boys and girls choose an animal, research that animal, and then write a book about that animal using the writing styles of Eric Carle. Then, when all of the books were complete, she invited all of the parents in for our students to read their writings to us. Mikayla chose to write her book about rabbits! Craig and I were so proud of her - she didn't get embarrassed and she didn't act shy. She read her book loud enough for the room full of people to hear her! Way to go Mikayla! Maybe you'll be a children's book author someday!

Dancin' at the Fling!

2009-09-30T05:53:00.004-10:00

On a warm Saturday in May, Mikayla and some of the other boys and girls from her dance studio danced on stage at the Spring Fling! Dark clouds were rolling in about the same time we arrived so we weren't sure if they would get to dance or not, but they did! Mikayla, Jadyn, and Brooke show their clogging routine!

How Cute!!

Alana, Jadyn, Anaka, Mikayla, Breanna, and Emily get ready to perform their jazz dance for the crowd!

Mikayla loves this picture because "all of our hair is flying"! I thought that was too funny not to post! We were all glad that the rain held off long enough for me to dance! After we left the stage we headed back to our truck - stopping just long enough to get a couple bloomin' onions (a favorite of our family). We made it back to our truck just in time, because as soon as we got in, the rain began.

We always have fun at the Spring Fling, and we are so proud of our "dancing queen"!!

Indoor Pool! (more pictures from the beach)

2009-09-30T05:19:00.002-10:00

After eating seafood Saturday night with Nana and spending a little more time at Ocean Lakes, we went back to our hotel. Drew and Mikayla couldn't wait to try out the indoor pool!! They really wanted to try to lazy river, but it was too cold for that once the sun went down! Instead they had fun playing in the pool and even met a friend! We had a lot of fun at the beach and it was hard to come home on Sunday!! I'll say it again, though, the kids sure are looking forward to the end of October when we are to go back for the weekend!! They can't wait to "trick-or treat" at Nana's and all around Ocean Lakes with Trey, Haston, Belle, and Ella!! They are also really looking forward to seeing Nana and Papa Fred!! Mama is really looking forward to another fun family trip too!!

Ocean Lakes with Nana!

2009-09-30T04:38:00.004-10:00

After playing in the ocean a little while Saturday morning, Nana came up to the restaurant located at our resort to have breakfast with us. After a nice breakfast, Drew and Mikayla wanted to go with their Nana! We always enjoy spending time in the pool at Nana's and we knew we would need towels, sunscreen, etc. so Craig and I headed back to the room to gather our beach bag while Nana took Drew and Mikayla on to her house. Once in Ocean Lakes we loaded up the golf carts and headed to the pool. Nana and the kids on one golf cart as you can see, while Craig and I were on the other.On the way to the pool, we made a quick stop by Uncle Chris' house. Mikayla waits patiently on the golf cart. Please notice the goggles already on her eyes - my girl was ready!! Once we were at the pool, Drew had so much fun squirting water on anybody and everybody...
While daddy and Mikayla look on!

Drew and Mikayla love standing and letting the water fall on them. The water was cold, but the day was very warm so it was perfect!!

The Atlantic Ocean!

2009-09-30T03:46:00.006-10:00

Back at the end of April (the 24th to be exact), Craig called me at school on a Friday to ask what I thought about going to the beach for the weekend. I was so surprised and excited!! It meant so much that he had taken the time to find us a hotel room and plan a trip for our family!! I replied with "I'd love to go to the beach this weekend!!" I knew that I would need to leave school early to come home and pack - we were planning to leave as soon as Mikayla got out of dance class that afternoon. When I picked Drew and Mikayla up for school, they were just as surprised as I had been to find out we were going to the beach. They couldn't wait!! We came home to pack bags, then Craig and Drew loaded up the truck while Mikayla and I went to dance. We arrived at the beach Friday night and went straight to our hotel room to unpack and then went to get some things from Walmart (imagine that) and then back to walk around the resort some.
Saturday morning, we got up bright and early and walked down to the Springmaid Pier. While we were there, a man was getting ready to release a small shark that he had caught. Before he released it, he let Drew "pet" it, but Mikayla kept her distance.After walking on the pier, Drew and Mikayla wanted to go down and get in the water. We were afraid it might be too cold to swim. The water was very cold, but that didn't stop them. They both couldn't wait to get in the waves!

We could see these two sailboats enjoying the day on Saturday afternoon. These pictures were taken from our balcony.
Drew and Mikayla get back in the water Saturday evening while we were visiting Nana at Ocean Lakes. They love the beach, and can't wait until we go back for Halloween! I have to admit mama is excited too!

Happy Birthday Sweet Baby Girl!!

2009-08-30T04:28:00.002-10:00

On Friday, August 28th, our baby girl turned 6 years old!! Could someone please tell me why time flies by when you are having fun? It feels like just yesterday we were in the hospital awaiting her arrival! Craig and I were thrilled when we found out that our second child would be a little girl and that Drew would have a baby sister! We couldn't wait to finally meet her!! We had faced some "complications", but I won't go into those in this post - I still need to post her "birth story" on here. When she was born, she was absolutely perfectly BEAUTIFUL in every way. In the last six years she has brought so much joy to our lives. She can make us laugh, smile, think "awwww", and all of those other sweet (and sometimes sassy), girly things that little girls do. She is our little princess and we love her with our whole hearts!!

We have had a busy weekend, celebrating her birthday!! Her party will be in a couple of weeks, so look for pictures of that coming soon (or as soon as I get to them - you realize I still have a lot of catching up to do)!! She wanted to go eat at Mr. Gatti's on Friday night, so since it's tradition for the birthday person to choose where we eat, that's where we went. Mimi, Poppi, Aunt Jennie, and Uncle Jon Jon met us there. We were going to go watch our hometown high school team play Friday night too, but the game was postponed due to rain. We went to Drew's baseball practice Saturday morning, had lunch, and then went to the mall. We came home to rest for a little while and then we got ready to go watch those Bulldogs (the game was scheduled for Saturday at 6 due to the rain on Friday). When we arrived there was standing room only on the Bulldog side of the field! We decided that we would go have dinner and then we went to see Craig's brother, Chris, his wife Julie, and our sweet nephew Haston. Uncle Ovid was also there, and we had a lot of fun spending time with all of them!! This morning, the boys went out in the woods (something about a tree stand, but I don't get into all of that so...) and Mikayla slept in. I've been getting a little cleaning done, and Mikayla and I are about to hit the pool!! Mikayla says this is her "birthday weekend" - every morning as she wakes up, she asks "am I still the birthday girl?". Well, it sure has been a busy one!! Busy, busy weekend, but very fun!!

Happy Birthday, Mikayla!! We love you Bigger Than the World!!! You will always be our "little princess", no matter how old you get!! We love you!!

Another Dance Competition!

2009-08-07T11:32:00.004-10:00

Mikayla's second dance competition of the year was held at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium on April 18th. She danced her clogging routine with Brooke and then she danced her tap routine with Alana. I loved their clogging costumes this year - she and Brooke posed in them before they went on stage. She and Brooke are good friends (they also went to the same daycare) and I hope they always will be!

Mikayla and Brooke onstage as they open their clogging routine!

Mikayla and Brooke end their routine! We didn't get to stay for awards because Craig and I had to get to Greenville for "Larry the Cable Guy", but Brooke and Mikayla's routine won 1st place!! We are so proud of our girls!!
Mikayla and Alana begin their tap routine. I also liked these costumes this year!!

A better picture of Mikayla and Alana on stage! I had to take a picture of them on the screens because I couldn't use my flash. Alana and Mikayla also won 1st place with their tap routine. Mikayla was thrilled to receive her "prizes" when she went back to dance class on Monday, the 20th! Way to go Mikayla and Alana - we are so proud of you!!

Our "hind-catcher"

2009-08-02T09:30:00.003-10:00

Drew's position this past year in baseball was catcher! I've found some of my favorite pictures of our little catcher from the season and wanted to post them here. This was the first year that Drew played in a league that needed a catcher on the team (instead of coaches in that position), so it was of course the first year that Drew played this position. He loved it, so much so in fact, that he said he would like to play catcher in fall ball. That's right, Drew has decided that he will be playing fall baseball this year instead of soccer. We will be playing for a different association in fall ball though, since BSYAA does not offer fall baseball. He will not be hitting off the pitching machine, but instead the coaches will be pitching to them overhand. I can't wait to see how Drew does!! I think for his first year playing catcher he did an amazing job - even catching a foul tip for an out!! He's our baseball king for sure!!

Drew throws the ball back to the pitcher.

Craig helps get Drew's catcher's gear on. I was glad not to have that job!!

He looks grown here to me...

I loved watching him put that hand behind his back. Who knows what position he will play as he continues with baseball. I loved watching him play first base last year, but watching him play catcher was a lot of fun this year too!!

3rd Nine Weeks' Award's Day!

2009-08-02T09:10:00.004-10:00

After we got back to school from Spring Break, our school hosted our Awards Day for the third nine weeks of school. Another special day for our students, and especially for Drew and Mikayla!! I was thrilled to be able to enjoy Awards Day with both of our angels again. First, I went to Drew's Awards Day while my students were in related arts that morning.Drew walks back to his seat after receiving his first award!

Drew shared his poem, Sharks, with everyone that was in attendance. Craig and I are very proud of Drew's writing this year. This same poem has been published in two anthologies this year!! Drew goes up to get another award!

Then I got to go to Mikayla's Awards Day right before mine started that afternoon. Again, I worked with Mrs. Batson to plan for my Awards Day to begin 30 minutes after hers so that I could see Mikayla. This also worked well because we shared a set of twins this past year.

Mikayla was thrilled when she saw me walk in the room!! That smile says it all!

Mrs. Batson was getting ready to announce the class' best musician. What she was telling everyone leading up to the award let me know it would be Mikayla before she even announced it. You can tell by this face that Mikayla knew it too!

Mikayla looks at her awards once she returned to her seat!

Her class showed us a finger play that they had been practicing so they could show the parents. Mikayla loves to dance/act so this is right up her alley!

Craig and I are extremely proud of our children and they accomplished in school last year!! We hope they will continue to do this well in school!!

Happy Easter!

2009-08-02T08:43:00.005-10:00

I know saying Happy Easter sounds funny since we are already into August, but that's how far I'm behind with my posting. I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever get caught up since I still have not posted pictures from our trip to the beach, our trip to Gatlinburg, and now (after this weekend) I have pictures from Chimney Rock and Lake Lure. I also have tons of fishing pictures to add since that is something we have been doing a lot of lately. Since school is about to start, it will be hard for me to post regularly, but I'm still determined to get everything in.

So, Happy Easter it is! Easter Sunday was a lot of fun this year! Craig and I helped Drew and Mikayla dye their Easter eggs the night before and they left their basket for the Easter bunny. We woke up Sunday morning to them "ooohhhhing and ahhhing" at what the bunny had brought and then we all got dressed for church. After church, we went over to my mom and dads house and then headed across the street to my Grandma's house. The picture above was taken at my mom and dads house with the baskets that Drew and Mikayla got over there. I have a couple of family Easter photos as well that my sister took for me, but our faces were shadowed so this one is better. Also, please excuse Mikayla's hair - she decided that she no longer wanted to wear her bow after church. Sometimes you just gotta pick your battles!! We had a great Easter dinner with family and then the kids got to have an Easter egg hunt - always a favorite with them!!

Mikayla rushes off to find some eggs! Go girl, go!!

Drew thinks he spots one...

Mikayla and Drew count their eggs and open them to find their goodies. Some of the eggs are filled with all sorts of candy, and others are empty.

Later that day, Mimi and Poppi came over to our house to hide more eggs for Drew and Mikayla. These eggs had been filled with money!! Most eggs had change in them, but a few lucky ones had dollar bills!!Mikayla's bag is filling up quickly!!Drew uncovers one that had been hidden in the dirt!!

Poppi helps Drew and Mikayla count their eggs and their money!! They were shocked to realize that both Drew and Mikayla had found the exact same amount of money!! I breathed a sigh of relief...you know with kids, everything has to be "equal"!

We had a wonderful Easter spent together as a family and enjoyed getting to spend time with our extended family too!

Happy Birthday Craig!

2009-07-21T10:32:00.005-10:00

Craig turned 37 (I know, he is an old man but don't judge me by that - lol, just kidding honey!!) on Friday, April 17th! He had been looking at this watch at the mall but wouldn't buy it for himself, so the kids and I surprised him with it for his birthday. I also had heard that "Larry the Cable Guy" was going to be at the Bilo Center on the 18th, and even though we had never seen him, I thought it would be something Craig would enjoy. Craig has such a wild sense of humor (he makes me laugh all the time), and he enjoys comedy so I thought, "why not?" I got the tickets and arranged for my mom and dad to keep Drew and Mikayla so we could enjoy a date night.

Drew had a baseball game on the 18th at 12:30 and Mikayla was dancing in a dance competition at 3:30 so I knew it would be a busy day. I didn't know, however, that the dance competition would last until 6 - the show started in Greenville at 7. At one point, we were even afraid we would miss the show. Mikayla was tired, though, and ready to leave at 5:30 (she had already danced, we were just waiting for awards), so she told Miss Andrea to get her awards and we left. Mom and dad took Drew and Miki with them and Craig and I headed to the Bilo Center. I am so glad that I got these tickets for us. I hope (think) that Craig enjoyed it too! It was a great show - the guy that opened for him was WONDERFUL but I can't remember his name (sad, I know). A lot of the stories/jokes that they both told were about family so we could easily relate!! Afterward, we went to eat dinner at Joe's Crab Shack - yummy!! We had such a nice night together, just the two of us.

Sorry I'm so late, Craig, but I hope you had a wonderful birthday! We love you so much, and I thank my Lord every day for you!!

Happy Birthday Drew!!

2009-07-06T06:02:00.003-10:00

I am not caught up with posting (I am still posting things from April, in fact), but I could not let this day pass without wishing our little guy (also known as "little Craig") a Happy Birthday.

It is so hard for me to believe that he is eight years old already!! It seems like just yesterday we were in the hospital and they were placing our infant in my arms. There is not a feeling like that in the world!! Craig and I were hooked the moment we looked into his bright blue eyes!! Our hearts swelled with love for our child.

This morning we woke up to signs that his daddy hung up for him before he left for work. One says "Happy Birthday Drew!", another says "Happy Birthday Little Craig!", and still another says "Happy Birthday Bubba!". Drew got the biggest smile on his face when he saw those signs, and I couldn't help but think of how wonderful my husband is! He is one of the most thoughtful people I know!!

Tradition in our family is that the birthday person gets to choose what/where they eat for supper. Last year, Drew chose Kanpai. This year he says Chuck E. Cheese. This could change several times today, so there is really no telling where we will end up!! I will have pictures from the dinner, I'm sure! Look for those soon...

Happy Birthday Drew! We love you - no matter how old you get, you will always be our "little man"!

A Trip to the Zoo!

2009-06-30T04:08:00.005-10:00

On Saturday, April 11th, our family visited the Riverbank Zoo in Columbia. I had been wanting to take the kids to this zoo for several years, and I am so glad that we did! The weather was perfect, and we had a nice relaxing day as a family! After leaving the zoo, we were able to go visit and have dinner with Craig's brother, Jason, and his family. It was so nice to spend time with them as well!! Mikayla, Drew, and Craig are looking for the lions. We had to take a ride on the carousel of course!

Mikayla and Craig pet a cow.
Look at the cute koala!! These and the giraffes were my favorite!

Drew and Craig feed the lorikeets! Mikayla was afraid of them, and I wasn't too sure of them myself. I knew they wouldn't attack me, but it is a wild feeling to have these birds swooping all around you and flying directly at you (sometimes your face). Aunt Jennie had taken Mikayla out of the exhibit at this point.

Drew loved it - even when they landed on his head, it didn't phase him.

They didn't bother Craig either - he had two on him a couple of times.These monkeys were so fun to watch! They were so loud, though, you couldn't watch very long.

Mikayla, Drew, and Craig liked the tigers.

Drew and Mikayla had a front row seat to watch the penguin feeding.

Awww - they loved feeding the giraffes. We didn't get to see the baby giraffe - maybe next time.

Craig and I took a picture while we waited on the 3D movie to start. He is so silly...

My sweet family!! They are a silly bunch, but I sure love them!!

Mikayla Lost a Tooth!!

2009-06-26T10:10:00.001-10:00

I picked Mikayla and Drew up from Extra Edition on Tuesday, April 7th, and knew right away Mikayla had something to tell me. She came walking over to where I was standing with a huge smile on her face. A smile big enough showing a hole in her mouth where a tooth once had been. Then, she proudly held up a bag holding her tooth. She was very excited, and I don't know who was more excited for her, Craig, Drew, or myself! It had been wiggling for awhile, but she wouldn't let anyone pull it. She said it just fell out at Extra Edition. She couldn't wait to put her tooth under her pillow that night for the Tooth Fairy to visit - well, after she asked us what seemed like a thousand questions about her. Would she hurt her, what did she look like, etc. She is our cautious child for sure. She was thrilled when she woke up the next morning and found five dollars under her pillow!! Since April, she has lost another tooth on the bottom and received another five dollars from the Tooth Fairy and now has her third "wiggly tooth". We think she looks so cute. What do you think?

Baseball 2009

2009-06-25T11:12:00.006-10:00

Okay, so if you have been following my blog, you know that I like to post one entry for every baseball game our boy plays in. I'm pretty sure that won't be possible for this season if I ever hope to get caught up with my posts, but I will try to include a few separate posts from this season.

The Jamboree for this year was held on Saturday, March 27th. Our nephew Haston played baseball for the first time this year, and since both Drew and Haston played a game in the jamboree, Nana came to watch her boys play. We got up early that morning to go watch Haston play. It was freezing out, and Haston and his little teammates were so cold they really weren't focused on the game. They were so much fun to watch though, and we even went to watch Haston again. He's a good little ball player too!! Look how little he looks! It was hard for Craig and I to remember what it was like being on the baseball field with Drew when he was that little.

Drew's game was later in the afternoon so we went and enjoyed "brunch" with Nana and then headed back to the baseball fields. Drew's team was scheduled to play his friend, Bryson's, team. It was a great game with them beating us by one point. We all had so much fun, though, cheering them on!!

Drew gets his first hit of the season - his first time at bat. He was so proud of himself and you know we were a proud mommy, daddy, Nana, and Poppi!!

Drew played catcher this year - something I was definitely not sure about at first. His coach asked Craig if he thought Drew would be interested at the first practice. I thought right then, "he needs to be over here asking the mama". Craig and my daddy assured me that Drew would be fine - he did have a lot of equipment to wear. Drew tried it and loved it! He had no choice but to be attentive because he was involved in every pitch thrown. He did a fantastic job playing catcher this year, and we can't wait to see if this is something he will continue with. Drew has also recently announced that he would like to play fall ball this year. The last two falls, he has played soccer. Baseball is his favorite sport by far, so Craig and I have left this decision up to him. We just told him there was no way we could do both at the same time. Time will tell. Emily, Breanna, Robert, and Mikayla had fun playing together while the game was going on. Robert's brother, Hunter, was on Drew's team this year (he also happened to be in my kindergarten class the year before). We were playing Breanna's brother's team. Notice the softball uniforms Breanna and Emily are wearing. We asked Mikayla if she wanted to play softball this year, but she said she didn't. After watching Bre and Emily play, and seeing their moms coach, Mikayla said she wants to play next year for sure. I can't wait to see her on the ball field!!

First Dance Competition of the Year!

2009-06-25T10:31:00.004-10:00

On Saturday, March 6th, Mikayla had her first dance competition of the year at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium! She, Jadyn, and Lana had fun showing off their ballet dance for this year. Daddy, Poppi, Drew, and Mommy were all there to cheer our girl on!!

Mikayla smiles as Miss Nicole fixes her hair! She loves Miss Nicole!

Next, she watches Miss Andrea put glitter on Jadyn and patiently awaits her turn. She loves Miss Andrea too!!

Our sweet ballerina all ready to go on stage!

Look how pretty!

Jadyn, Mikayla, and Lana show off their awards. First place in their category and 2nd place overall for their age group! Way to go girls!!

Snow Days 2 & 3, 2009

2009-06-18T11:43:00.012-10:00

Mikayla poses with her daddy (she was also wearing one of his pullovers)!

Drew gets ready to throw a snowball at his daddy!

Craig watches Drew and Mikayla play in the backyard. I like this picture because you can really see how much snow we got!!

I know it sounds weird to be discussing snow days when it has been so hot here lately - tomorrow it is supposed to reach 98 degrees. But, I'm that far behind in my posting. I thought about just starting here and moving forward - it's not like there wouldn't be enough to post about that way, but then thought differently. This blog is for our family and friends but also ultimately for Drew and Mikayla. This blog, along with baby and family scrapbooks will allow our children to look back at their childhood one day. That being said, I didn't want to leave anything out!!(Well with the exception of times I forgot my camera - like hanging out and eating dinner at Traci's and Mike's at the end of January, and hanging out and eating dinner at Nanda's and Jim's on Valentine's Day - I sure wish I had pictures!!)

OK, so back to the "snow days". On Sunday night, March 1st, Craig, Drew, Mikayla, and I went to the church for Drew's Upward Basketball banquet. It was different this year from in years past. Instead of being held in the sanctuary, it was held in the gym and Gina and Paul had arranged for some college cheerleaders and basketball players to be there. The weather forecasters had been calling for snow to start that evening, so Craig had been keeping a close eye on the weather from the door. Right in the middle of the college basketball players' shootout, my friend Nanda got a text from WSPA saying that Spartanburg District 2 schools (that's us) would be closed on Monday. After hearing that, Craig decided that he better check outside again - he knew from the previous times that he had checked that it had already started sleeting and snowing. He comes back to where I'm sitting and says "we probably need to go, the parking lot is covered". In the meantime, Nanda had gotten a text from her husband, who was home with a sick Breanna, telling her she probably needed to head out too. Since it was just Nanda and Bryson, Craig and I decided to follow her home first to make sure she didn't have any trouble. By the time we made it home, the grass was completely covered!! The kids and I were super excited about not having to go to school the next day, and Craig was wondering if he would work. It worked out that he didn't have to go to work on Monday, either, because the warehouse had lost power. We spent the day playing in the snow and relaxing as a family. Craig even brought Molly in after playing in the snow the first time and gave her a bath!! He is such a sweetie!

After warming up and resting awhile, Poppi, Aunt Jennie, Uncle Jonathan, and BJ came over. Drew and Mikayla always call their Poppi to come over when we have snow so they can build a snowman. Since they had all been sledding, daddy had gathered some "clean" snow and made three snowballs already. He transported them to our house and helped Drew and Mikayla stack the snowballs to make a snowman. We had so much fun playing in the snow with our family, and Drew, Mikayla, and I enjoyed two "snow days". I LOVE snow days!!

Uncle Jonathan helps Drew add a snowball to one of the snow people!

Mikayla and Drew work together to make sure that the first snowball is snugly packed. BJ helps build snow people too! Drew and Mikayla also had a ball sledding. One snowman just would not do. We had to have the snow family!! Poppi adds the snowballs to the snow people. Drew is heading off to begin making another snowball.

Uncle Jonathan and Daddy take a break as Poppi helps Drew and Mikayla with their sleds.

Our Silly Girl!

2009-06-17T11:50:00.002-10:00

At the end of February, Craig brought these "tents" home. His plan was to share them with his brothers if they wanted one. They are actually "blinds" (I guess that's how you spell them) used when hunting. Craig and both of his brothers enjoy hunting - everything from deer to ducks. When Craig popped this one up in our living room, Drew and Mikayla thought it was a tent and were even prepared to sleep in it that night, hence Drew's comforter you see lying at the bottom of the picture. They did not have a camp out in our living room in the "tent" that night and were disappointed the next morning to see that their daddy had taken it down. He took it down after we got them in the bed. We couldn't see the TV otherwise.

Drew's Powerpoint Presentation!!

2009-06-17T11:14:00.002-10:00

On Thursday, February 26th, Drew's class presented their PowerPoint presentations. Each student in his class selected an animal and researched that animal using the Internet and books from the library. His teacher, with the help of our school's Literacy Coach, librarian, and other teachers, then taught each student how to make his/her own PowerPoint to present to the class and parents. Drew selected the vampire bat as his animal. Is anyone surprised by this? His dad and I were not surprised in the least! Completing the PowerPoint and giving the presentation counted as two test grades, and his teacher said the students could earn extra credit by dressing up as his/her animal on presentation day. Drew loved having the opportunity to dress up as a bat, so he and his daddy went to Walmart to look for something he could use as wings (cape). We knew Drew would wear a black shirt on the day of the presentation and he made bat ears using a sentence strip from my classroom and construction paper, but he was determined to have a cape. He and Craig found some black fabric and they worked the night before to fix it to look like bat wings. Drew even decided to wear his vampire teeth on the day of the presentation.

I was surprised when I entered Drew's classroom to watch the presentations (well some of them because I had to get back to my own classroom), to see that Drew would be presenting first. They had been practicing and Drew had never mentioned the first thing about presenting first. Drew did a fantastic job of presenting and he even made everyone laugh. He began the presentation with those fake teeth in, but after the first sentence he said "mom, do you want me to take these out?" Everyone laughed and Drew smiled when I said "yes, I think that would be a good idea". I was so proud of Drew and all of his classmates (6 of which I had in my kindergarten class) for their hard work on this project. It amazes me that second graders can create their own PowerPoints. It just goes to show - you expect great things from your students and they will meet those expectations!! We are so glad that Drew will get to have Mrs. Turner again next year because she will be "looping" up to third grade with her whole class!!

Happy Summer!!

2009-06-10T08:25:00.004-10:00

I know the calendar doesn't show summer yet, but summer vacation officially started for me and the angels on Friday, June 5th!! This school year flew by, but Drew, Mikayla, and I couldn't be more happy about summer vacation!! They both had very successful and productive school years, with Drew heading to third grade and Mikayla heading to first grade in the fall. We got their report cards in the mail on Saturday and I'm happy to report that Mikayla had all S's, and Drew had 2 A's, one B, and the rest S's!

So far, we have spent our days by the pool, which is something we look forward to every year!! Mikayla is attending dance camp this week, and Drew will be attending science camp for a week a little later in the summer. Craig is working to plan our vacation week - we are thinking a trip to Florida to visit GG ma and GG pa!! We would also love to take the kids back to Disney!! Nana has asked if Drew and Mikayla would come to the beach to spend a weekend with her - to which they both agreed. We are going to work to figure out a weekend that works for everyone. Craig and I won't know what to do with a weekend without our babies, but it will be nice to have time - "just the two of us"!

Drew has finished up baseball - I need to get to work posting pictures from this season. We had his banquet last Tuesday night so I have some fun stats to share as well. Maybe I will get to that sometime this week!

Mikayla is finishing up another dance season where she took tap, ballet, jazz, and clogging again this year. Her recital was last Saturday, May 30th. I need to get to work posting pictures from that as well. Again, maybe sometime this week?

Now that things have slowed down a bit for our family, I hope to get back into my posting routine. We shall see...

I'll leave you with some of our first pictures from summer. Drew and Mikayla always enjoy the pool and this year is no different. They talked Craig and I into taking them swimming the first Sunday it was open. The water was freezing so Craig and I did no more than stick our feet in, however, freezing water has never stopped our "little fish" and that day was no different.

She was so cold, but she was determined to swim!

It's like they were talking each other into it...

Once they got their whole bodies wet, they were used to the frigid temperatures. Craig and I let them enjoy the pool for about 30 minutes, then told them they would have to get out and enjoy the pool another day. When the temperature of the water increased....

Memorial Day!

2009-05-22T09:08:00.004-10:00

Can you believe it is already Memorial Day weekend? Didn't I hear that marks the start of summer? Believe me when I say I haven't forgotten about posting updates! It has been another busy week for our household. I just might surprise ya, though, by getting to some updates this weekend. Just in case I don't, I wanted to wish everyone a good and safe weekend. I will be spending this long three day weekend with those that I love and I wish the same for each of you. Thank you to those who unselfishly sacrificed their lives for our freedom, and may we all remember those countless men and women and their families on this Memorial Day!

Wow!!

2009-05-14T10:41:00.003-10:00

Where to start? Where to start? I don't think I have ever gone this long without posting since I began this blog. Things have really been busy here. Drew is finished with basketball and has moved on to baseball. We have been to Riverbanks Zoo and to Myrtle Beach in the past 2 months. Mikayla has continued to be busy with dance and has danced at the Spring Fling. The school year is winding down and that is always a busy time. I promise to have updates coming soon, with lots of pictures. I had a fantastic Mother's Day, and we even went to Greenwood to spend the day with Nana and Nannie. It was great to see Susan, Kent, Katie Beth, Rob, and Claudia Grace too - we even got to watch Claudia Grace dance in her dance recital!! I apologize for the lack of posts, but when we are not out of the house, I have enjoyed spending every minute I can with Craig, Drew, and Mikayla! Look for updates soon...

A Camp Out - er In!

2009-03-31T03:33:00.005-10:00

My friend Amy had surgery on January 21st, and I had mentioned having her children, Jadyn and Trevyr, spend the night at our house one night during her recovery. On Friday, February 6th when we left dance, I had 3 children in my van, and I was headed to pick up the 4th (Drew) from my mom and dad's house. From there, we headed to Chick-fil-a (the drive through of course, as I was not brave enough to take the four of them in there by myself) and then home for fun. The four of them enjoyed their supper of nuggets and waffle fries and then spent the rest of the night playing in their rooms. I really could not believe how well the night went with four children ages 4, 5, 6, and 7! They were well behaved, especially Jadyn and Trevry (my two were their usual selves), and they all got along very well - there was no fussing and fighting which shocked me because my two do that all the time. Our plan was to have popcorn as we watched a movie before bed, but the time got away from me. Instead we baked heart cookies and then watched the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. All four children used their sleeping bags as they "camped-out" in our living room. Amy came to our house the next morning so that she, Jadyn, and Trevyr could go with us to watch Drew's basketball game, and then she took our girls to dance that afternoon. All four kids seemed to have a lot of fun that night, and it really wasn't all that bad for mama either (just a little tired the next day).

Mikayla was the last one to sleep, as usual.

By 11:00, they were all sleeping peacefully.

Then, on Saturday night, March 7th while her husband was at the race, Amy asked if both Drew and Mikayla wanted to spend the night at her house. I told her she was a brave soul for keeping both of them, but they both wanted to stay. So, Craig and I dropped Drew and Mikayla off (along with some pizza) about 5:30 that night and we enjoyed a date night!!

Drew's Third Year of Basketball!

2009-03-31T02:41:00.005-10:00

So far, I've only posted Drew's first two basketball games of the season. To help with catching up (and because we are already into baseball season), I am going to post different pictures from the rest of the basketball season in this one post (instead of game by game like usual). Drew didn't hesitate to play in any of the other games after his daddy talked him into playing in the second game. He was the first one on the court ready to go. In fact, he didn't take a break very often the rest of the season. He played very well this year, scoring several baskets in every game. He still needed reminders to pass the ball at times, and he would get frustrated if he didn't get the ball on the throw-ins. Overall, though, he did very well, and by the last game even these two things had improved greatly. He had a lot of fun, and we sure had a lot of fun watching him this season!!

Drew and Trevor look to see how much time is left on the clock. Mikayla waits patiently for her brother to get his star after the game.
Drew is looking to pass or shoot!

Can you tell he's having fun?

Coach Ritchie (who coached his son on a different team) asked Drew if he wanted to play for his team during this game. They were short one player and didn't want to forfeit, and Drew agreed to help them out. Ritchie came by telling all of our fans, "you better watch out, we got Drew!". Drew knows Ritchie and his son Blake, so he didn't mind this at all.

One of my favorite pictures from this whole season!! Drew and Bryson celebrate after Drew made one of his shots!!

This is the only picture I was able to get of Drew scoring a basket this whole season. At many of the games, Mikayla and her friends Breanna, Emily, and Haley, were helping me take pictures.

Drew and his team got snacks and were given stars (different colors for different achievements) after every game.

Drew looks for his teammate to pass the ball to him.

Mikayla gives her Poppi a hug (I think this is one of the times I had help).

Our guys played very well this season, in all nine games. We lost 3 of our games by 2 points each, and one of the games ended in a tie. In all of our other games, we won. It seemed like basketball season flew by this year, but hey, I can't believe it is already almost April!

What's that they say about March??

2009-03-24T07:50:00.002-10:00

Wow! I can't believe it is already the end of March and I have not updated my blog once this month. In fact, I believe this is the longest I have gone without updating since I began this blog. Things have been busy around here to say the least, and you know when we are busy there is A LOT to post about. Hopefully, I'll get to share soon.

Mikayla has been busy with dance, and already has competed in one competition this year. She will be dancing two of her dances in another competition in April. Craig used his phone to video her dancing in the competition in February and I hope to upload that and pictures to the blog soon!!

Basketball season is over, and Drew (and mom and dad) is now busy with baseball. The Jamboree was Saturday and pictures were Sunday. He moved up to the Bantam division this year and is hitting off of a pitching machine that pitches 40 mph. He is also playing catcher this year (something mommy was not real sure of at first, but daddy and poppi assured me that he will be fine). Pictures and video (hopefully) coming of this soon!!

The school year is flying by...it is hard to believe we only have 45 school days left this year. We are really looking forward to summer and spending our days by the pool!! We are anxiously awaiting spring break next week, even though it looks like we will be plenty busy with baseball. We don't mind!!

I hope to elaborate on these topics and more...when I have a minute (I would normally be at school still, but we came home early because Drew is not feeling well and has a low-grade fever). Right now, I'm off to fold and put away laundry, vacuum, and get ready for supper.

Life sure is busy, but I'm lovin' every minute of it!!!

Award's Day!!

2009-02-14T18:34:00.003-10:00

Thursday, January 22nd, was a special day for students at our school! Awards Day for the second nine weeks was just as special as the first! Each teacher planned an Awards Ceremony in their classroom. 2nd grade awards were at 9:30, so I attended Drew's first. I got to his classroom right at 9:30 and I could tell by his face that he had been worried I wouldn't make it. He said "I almost started crying cause I didn't think you were coming". I assured him that I wouldn't miss it for the world, but that it does take a minute for me to get from my classroom to his. After that, the smile never left his face!Drew goes up to accept his first award - perfect attendance.

Drew comes back to his seat with another award - Honor Roll. You may remember that he made straight A's the first nine weeks. The second nine weeks he had one B (in math) and the rest A's. I was very proud, but I also know that Drew is capable of straight A's all the time. He just has to set his mind to it...

Drew at his seat with yet another award - a music award from the music teacher.

After all of the awards were given out, my child leads some of his classmates in a Conga line - imagine that! I got the feeling that this was a routine occurrence in the class because before the line started I heard several students calling Drew's name.
Kindergarten awards were scheduled for 12:30, but I scheduled my class' celebration for 1:00 to give me the opportunity to see Mikayla. She had reminded me to "get there early". The first nine weeks my class was the same time but her teacher saved her awards for last so I could sneak in after I finished presenting my awards. Mikayla wanted to make sure I saw the whole thing this time...

Mikayla and her classmates wait patiently for their celebration to start.

Mikayla receives her first award - perfect attendance!Mikayla back at her seat with her second award - Most Caring! She also received a music award from her music teacher! I am so proud of her hard work this nine weeks!! All S's again on her report card - kindergarteners don't receive A's/B's/etc.

At the end of their celebration, Mikayla's class performed a song they had been learning about snowmen. I was at the door by this time getting ready to head to my class for my awards celebration. I did get to see the whole song.

I am so proud of both of my angels - my hope is that they always do this well in school!!

Where Does the Time Go?

2009-02-14T18:06:00.005-10:00

Time with family and friends, basketball, dance, Weight Watchers, school/work, etc. has kept us very busy the past month. It hasn't taken long for me to get wayyyyyy behind with my posts. I'm not even sure I'll remember it all - especially the times I didn't have my camera. But I'll sure try, as I don't want to leave anything out!! Hang on to your seats - it has been as wild ride!

Snow Day!!!

2009-02-06T18:08:00.004-10:00

On Tuesday, January 20th, Drew and Mikayla woke me up before my alarm clock went off to tell me that the ground was white. I immediately turned on the news to check for school closings. I was surprised to find that the two districts in our county that normally close before the others were on a 2 hour delay (we are in one of those districts), while the other 5 districts were closed. I told Drew and Mikayla that they might want to go back to bed just in case we had school. Mikayla took heed to the warning, however, Drew did not. I was not surprised about an hour later to see that our school district had closed as well. We didn't have much snow, but it was enough to cover the ground and our road. I thought I might get to go back to sleep for awhile since Mikayla had, but Drew had other plans. He was determined to get out in the snow to play. It wasn't all his fault I must admit - when it comes to snow I'm like a big kid. Drew, Mikayla, and I went out to play for about an hour after getting all bundled up. After coming in to warm up for awhile, Drew decided that he wanted his Poppi to come over and play in the snow with him. He called his Poppi, and not surprisingly he came directly over. (I'm not so sure why it is so hard for my daddy to tell my children "no" - he sure didn't have a hard time using that word when I was a kid!) Drew and Mikayla had so much fun playing with their Poppi and me in the snow - they didn't want to come in when it was time. Poppi reminded them that we needed to warm up, and I told them I needed to give Molly (our cocker spaniel) a bath. I think they were mostly sad because the snow was already beginning to melt. Drew and Mikayla (and mommy too!) is hoping for many more snow days this year!!

Drew and Mikayla were so excited to see the ground covered with this fluffy white stuff!!

Mikayla makes her first snow angel of the year - too bad there wasn't much snow.

Drew begins to make his first snow angel of the year. Because there wasn't much snow, they were both in the dirt by the time they finished.Poppi comes over to have a snowball fight with Drew and Mikayla!

Mikayla loves swinging on her swing set in the snow...

While Drew was determined to build a snowman - no matter how small!