Timber Trace

So we are all packed up and move over the mountain and through the woods to Overbrooke Forest. We have always loved the privacy of this subdivision and couldn't resist this beautiful foreclosed home that sits on over an acre lot surrounded by trees and wildlife. It was quite the challenge to seal the deal; it took aver 4 months to finalize the details and over 6 months to get moved in. A year later we still love the subdivision and have been blessed to get another set of terrific neighbors whom have also become dear friends. As far as the house and myself are concerned...I'm so over it. Its a great house and I feel we made a good investment, its nice having all my clothes stored in one closet instead of 3, it's fabulous having more than one shower, and I truly love watching the boys run and play in the wide open space. However, there are things I really miss... old neighbors, cleaning the floors by hand, the Koi pond, a front porch, and the weeping willow I planted in memory of my Dad. I do have plans to plant a Willow tree here. I hope to one day return to a much smaller house; keeping a large house clean is for the birds! I've lost the outside pics and the before and after pictures. I will post those eventually! Oh yeah, I almost forgot...buying a foreclosed house shouldn't be taken lightly!

They could not wait to use the "big jacuzzi tub." (me either)

Our first dinner guests, Nanny and Paw Paw.

Playing Catch Up!

Okay, so here's the deal...I'm not a very good blogger, surprise! I can't believe I've missed an entire year, but it is true. Ive debated on how to start over. Do I try to make up the lost year? Do I skip a year? It overwhelms me just thinking about trying to play catch up. I think I'll start with January 2011 skipping Christmas 2010 mainly because I've lost those pictures. If I find them, I'll just post out of order, I suppose. The reason I haven't been keeping up is because we moved in January 2011 and I was quite busy for the first few months, then came Summer, then came the new school year, then it just went down hill from there. Not to mention my laptop went to computer heaven and getting on the old Dell desktop just wasn't convenient...which leads to why I am just now attempting to catch up....I have a new laptop!!! I was given it as a gift and was able to pick out exactly what I wanted, a Mac Book Pro; I absolutely love it!

So here goes the attempt to catch up. I will begin with the big move which took place at the very end of January 2011. Below are some of the last pics I took of our old house right before we moved. Enjoy!

Foyer

Dining Area

Packing the Uhaul! Not sure what we would have done without the help of the Harcrows, my Mom, and my brother, Adam.

Packing up on Seminole Drive...we sure do miss that place.

The neighbors whom became dear friends are missed more than anything!!

We have yet to sell this darling house, had we known it would take this long...We probably would have stayed put.

My Mom was a lifesaver during the move!

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!