December..Our elf arrives!

Meet Ejay Marco, our elf that arrived in December.

Patrick chose his first name and Chase quickly added to it with his last name.

He has a sneaky look, doesn't he?

"At least it wasn't the freezer!" said Patrick

"There he is...wayyyyyy up there!"

Swinging away!

It was fun to watch the kids look for Ejay every morning and we always got a chuckle out of the strange places he would hide. It was just as much fun for the grown ups ( =

Chase turns 4 and Soccer! September 2010

I can't believe our baby boy is already 4! He is a funny lil character and keeps us on our toes!

1...2...3....4!!!

Celebrating at Chuck E. Cheese!

Chase loves all things Star Wars, especially Yoda!

Trying out for soccer!

Chase asked to play soccer this year so we signed him up and he was super excited to go to his first practice. After the first practice, he said "I'm done with soccer." We made him finish what he started and I am almost positive he will not want to play next year. Although he complained before every practice and before every game, he seemed to have fun once he got there. He was the youngest player on his team and it showed! The entire last game consisted of one hour of watching Chase run from his very own shadow. He could have cared less. We were so glad to see the season end!

Back To School for Patrick and Flag Football!

Summer went by quickly and school is off to a great start! Patrick enjoys school and he is learning so much! I am amazed at how quickly he is growing up. He is now in the second grade and had all A's on his first report card. He played flag football at Oxford and absolutely loved it. We had so much fun and even though it's called "flag" football...the boys seem to have a built in "tackle" instinct, it was really hard for them to remember NOT to tackle! Patrick learned alot this year and has decided that football is now the only sport he wants to play. I think it was just a year ago that he said he would never play football....never say never!

Patrick is beginning to shift from a silly little boy to a not so silly little boy. Of course when he is with friends or around girls he is still very silly but I am seeing a glimpse of something different. Just a couple of days ago both boys had acted out while at Lowes and they were told to go straight to their room when we got home. I put away my things, fixed dinner...you know, giving them time to think about how many licks they were going to get. As I walked down the hall I heard them discussing the events that led to this. As I walked in, I was surprised to see them calmly sitting next to one another reading. Patrick had found the following bible verse and was talking to Chase about it. "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." Eph. 6:11 Wow! I'm not sure if he thought this would get him a free pass or if he really, finally "got it", but it was very encouraging for me to see! By the way, they both still got spankings, 2 licks each. Chase cried before it was even his turn. Which brings me to a another funny thought. Randy was out of town and the boys had been in bed for awhile, Chase had gotten up several times already when I warned him with "if you get up again, I will spank your tail." He quickly informs me, "Mommy, I don't have a tail, I only have bones." It quickly became one of those moments where you scoop 'em up and tickle them all the way back to bed because they are so dang cute and you can't help but love 'em!

Hilton Head 2010

We love Hilton Head! This our first year to go somewhere other than the gulf and though we missed the crystal clear waters, we enjoyed the natural beauty of Hilton Head. The island is so pretty and because of tight restrictions it feels so private and not as commercialized as Florida and Gulf Shores. Buildings cannot be built taller than the tallest tree on the island and all businesses must be painted certain colors and kept within a natural setting. It was extremely difficult to find McDonald's and WalMart, they were hidden amongst palm trees and Spanish moss! The beach was quite different as the sand is darker and more compact. The water was extremely clean but hard to see through because of the darker sand. People rode bikes on the sand and played all sorts of games such as kickball and croquet. We saw a lot of sea creatures including a shark, alligator, sting ray, eel, a huge jellyfish, sand dollars, star fish...all of these things were alive! The first day, we collected a few sand dollars, dried them out and bleached them...they turned out beautiful! The next day, we found out we had broken the law! It is illegal to take any living sea life from the beach...oops!
We had a great time riding bikes, playing putt putt and eating a ton of yummy food!
We will return to Hilton Head in the future, but only after a trip to our beautiful Gulf!

View of the gorgeous Atlantic Ocean.

Lovely view of the lagoons and the ocean....ohhhhhhh......I am ready to go back!

Randy doesn't like my camera..or any camera for that matter ( =

Mama's beach feet! I love summer!

Chase enjoying a cherry-topped smoothie poolside.

Patrick lovin' the beach.

Taking a short walk with Daddy after dinner.

Chase's beach feet.

Having lots o' fun.

Linda and Roger ( Randy's Mom and Step-Dad)

Patch and Chase with their cousin, Kolton.

All three wanted a different TV channel / =

First grade...check!

Patrick has officially completed first grade, the year went by extremely fast! He received a medal at awards day for all A's and received the "stick to it" award in his class. I am not really sure what the award means other than they all get one of some kind and I guess maybe he got this one because his grades stayed consistent all year? Who knows? Anyway, we are pleased with his progress, he absolutely loves to read, loves math, and is really good at spelling. He talks most about playing football during recess and bible drills. It amazes me at how fast he can find a specific verse in the bible. We are very happy with FCS and the past two years have been a breeze mainly because of how hard the teachers worked to prepare us! They told us exactly what to expect and exactly what they expected. Patrick has learned so much not only academically but emotionally and spiritually. I love how the school turns every single thing it does back to Jesus Christ. I mean, everything! The children repeated after Mrs.Huie as she prayed this prayer one day before we all loaded up for a field trip and it reminded me of how blessed we are to have a school as this in our county!

"Dear Lord ...thank you for this day, thank you for allowing us to go on this cool trip. Please keep us safe. Lord, help us to be like you, so that others may want to know you. We love you. In Jesus' name, Amen."

Below are a few pictures from the year. Enjoy!

Kindergarten picture....He was just a baby.

2008/2009

First grade picture...where did my baby go?
2009/2010

Mrs. Fitzgerald and Mrs. Huie...wonderful teachers and two groups of sweet children!

Class of 2021?? OH MY!

Farm Day at Del Ray Ranch

End of the year Concert

Final Day.

One more from Farm Day!

Second grade...Here we come!!!

May 2010

Family Pictures by Abigail

Just a few of my favorites....

Don't know about anyone else but I can totally picture a little girl poking her head in between mine and Randy's...sigh.


My sweet boys!

Chase calls this a wish flower.

I love, love, love this because it's such a fleeting image. Most kids look like this for just a few days. Patrick was no exception, he now has lost the other front tooth and two brand new ones are almost all the way in.

This is another fleeting image I am glad we have. I mean really, how long will he let me swing with him?

Another fleeting image? HaHa....probably! Although, this sweetness looks so genuine ( =

Ah! Abigail snapped this picture and had no idea what she had captured. Patrick has a habit of walking with his hands behind his back....as did my sweet Daddy. Patrick has many gestures that remind me of his Paw Paw, this one is my favorite.

APRIL 2010

Easter

We were so happy to have Tonja and Dwight visiting from Maine for the week, it went by way too fast, we always enjoy their company! We all went to church together and then back to our house for our annual egg hunt. The kids had a lot of fun with their cousins and always enjoy seeing who gets the most eggs. I always make a point to tell the kids the reason eggs are involved in our celebration of our risen Savior! I know there are different versions but I use the "new life" version and the fact that Christ died and rose again giving us a new life. We must earnestly seek Him everyday somewhat like we look for the eggs, hoping we get the prize. The difference is that when we receive new life in Christ, we have faith that we will receive His promise of eternal life!

At some point Captain America and a Bakugan battle brawler joined us!

(somebody has been in the dress up box) ( =

Birthday Boy!!

Patrick turned 7 just 2 weeks after Easter and celebrated with a party at the arcade in the mall. We all had a great time and his gift from us was a trampoline!! I have always wanted a trampoline and I am enjoying it with him! His birthday theme was Bakugan...I still dont understand what they are or how the game actually works and I am not convinced he does either but he loves collecting the bakugans and the cards, it keeps him busy for hours. Since he turned 7, I am going to list 7 interesting things you may not know about Patrick.

1. His favorite food is sushi...yes, raw fish. He chose Ono Grill for his birthday dinner and ate 12 pieces of sushi.

2. He hates it when he can feel his sock seams while wearing shoes. We have been through so many socks and he will not wear them if he feels the seams, but he refuses to go sockless.

3. He hates taking baths...he doesn't understand why he needs more than 1 a week. I have often wondered how long he would go without taking one if I did not insist.

4. He is very sentimental. So much that he saved the firework cartridges after July 4th, would rather keep his lost teeth than surrender them for money, and the older his clothes and shoes are..the better he likes them.

5. He loves to read and I am so thankful because I don't like to read and I blame it on a lack of reading when I was younger.

6. He is by far the slowest 7 year old in the world...I am willing to bet on that one! I can't figure it out and I can't seem to make him go any faster, I promise I have tried!

7. He wants to be an exchange student one day...oh me ) =

sushi lover!

Snow Day 2010

Neighborly snow ball fight.

Pretty snow angel.

Mommy and Chase...Chase kept saying " I loooovvvveeeee snow days!

Randy trying to hit Patrick.

Ha Ha..Patrick is running from his Daddy.

We had a fun day but would rather have been in Maine.

Daddy helping Patrick with his first real snowman!

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

I thought they did a pretty good job on their first snowman...they named him Henry.

Tonja and Dwight...we miss them!!!

Snow in the South rarely occurs and even more rare is more than a dusting but we actually got a decent snow! The kids had begged for us to visit my sister and brother in law in Maine so they could see all the snow. This is the first winter my sister has lived in Maine and she sends us a lot of snow pictures. Patrick has always wanted to go sledding so we decided to take a winter trip to get the best chance of snow. We were on our way to the airport when Delta called and reported our flight had been cancelled because of the threat of snow in the southern states. The shuttle dropped us off at the curbside check in and it was confirmed.. delta had cancelled over 400 flights beginning at 9 A.M. Our flight was scheduled for 10:15. Seriously!! It was 40 degrees, clear and sunny in Maine and we, Alabamians that is, were expecting snow. We headed home with two very disappointed boys. We took our time and stopped to eat breakfast and did some grocery shopping in Atlanta. When we reached Villa Rica, GA...the snow started and whatya know...it continued for hours! By the time we reached home we were covered in snow. It was the most I had seen since '93 and the boys have never seen this much. I didn't measure it but it was maybe 3". We had a blast with snowball fights, building snowmen, and eating snow cream! We were still pretty bummed about missing our trip to Maine but we got our snow fix for the year. We are hoping to plan another trip to Maine soon to see two of our favorite people, Tonja and Dwight.