Little Laughlins

Little fish

2012-01-17T20:26:00.000-05:00

From Bangkok, we took a bus to Cha Am for our conference. We were in meetings a lot and the kids went to childcare (which they LOVED!)

But sometimes in the afternoons we had some freetime and the kids turned into little fish in the pools.

The best part about the pool time was that all their friends were there. They played in the pool all afternoon with their friends, came up to the table to eat dinner, and went back to the pool until dark. They had SO much fun!! I think we ate dinner in our swimsuits every night :)

I think the kids went down this waterslide 250 times each. They LOVED it!

Sonya provided a game for the kids. This is Reid juming through...pretty good form :)

Matt and Rylie

Cameron, Reid, and Canyon

Overnight train

2012-01-12T21:42:00.000-05:00

Our last day in Chiang Mai we checked out of our hotel at 12 and our train didn't leave until 9 that night, so we spent the day exploring the city....at least the part around our hotel we could walk to :)

The boys found a place to play games and Rylie and I found a place to get a mani/pedi!

She got her nails and toenails painted for the first time and LOVED it! She sat so still and let them dry.

Such a happy girl!

Rylie and Mama enjoying a watermelon shake at the boys favorite steak resteraunt before we got on the train.

The kids at train station. We were taking an overnight train to Bangkok. And we were not in sleepers. Just regular seats. I had prepared myself for the worst, but the kids did AWESOME!!

Our seats.

They loved looking out the window and the boys loved "peeing right onto the ground" in the bathroom......

Kids with the train

Ox Cart

2012-01-11T23:30:00.000-05:00

After our hike to the village and waterfall--ok, this day sounds like it lasted FOREVER doesn't it?? We started at about 8:30 and got home at about 4. We were busy :)

ok--after all forementioned activities, we went on an ox cart ride. It was fun, but we were all SO glad that we don't travel like that.....kind of bumpy and a bit slow.....

Our ox-cart

Reid got to sit up front with the driver and help steer the oxen.

Our whole crew

Our family---you can tell Ry has missed naptime in this picture. She really did outstanding the whole day, but I was glad this was our last activity. She slept the whole hour drive home!

One last family picture

I just love this picture of Sandy and Rylie walking, holding hands.

My kids all LOVE them some mrs. sandy and mr. john

Waterfall

2012-01-11T22:00:00.000-05:00

After the elephant show, we went on a short hike to a village and waterfall.

This is a typical house in the village...

and Jenny--there is a sewing machine, so you can come on over to live :)

The whole family at the waterfall!
Love the family God has blessed us with!

Daddy and his little girl

All three kiddos. and no one fell in. victory.

my honey and me

Feeding the Elephants

2012-01-11T21:00:00.000-05:00

After we rode the elephants, we went to the camp and got to feed them. They put on a little show that the kids LOVED!

Here is Reid feeding the baby elephant.

He was fasinated that they ate the bananas without peeling them!

Everett feeding the baby a piece of sugar cane.

Ry showing us what she is going to feed "her" baby elephant.

Ry feeding "her" elephant

Her elephant saying "Thank you"

ok--the elephant painted this picture. all by herself. with her trunk. WHAT? We were all very impressed!

Riding Elephants!

2012-01-11T20:30:00.000-05:00

This is the bridge we had to cross to get to where you ride the elephants. I don't know if you can see exactly what it was made with, but it was exactly not enough wood and nails that were popping off. WHAT? I almost didn't make it across. The boys loved it. Figures.

Here are Matt and the boys right after they got on the elephant

Here is me and Rylie on the elephant, after I stopped hyperventilating about bridge. Just kidding...kind of.

The whole family on the elephants!

We got to feed the elephants some bananas while we were waiting here. They ate them by the bunches!

The girls

After we rode across some ~~super scary cliffs~~ beautiful hills, we rode in the water for a bit before returning to
camp.

Sandy and John

After we rode the elphants we went on a fun bamboo raft. This isn't a picture of us (i took this while we were riding elephants), but this is exactly what we rode. The kids loved it! They were catching things in the water --we were leisurely floating--and they only caught 2 bugs!

Such a fun experience! We are so thankful that we got to take our family!

Orchids and butterfly

2012-01-11T07:42:00.000-05:00

On our second day in Chiang Mai we went on an elephant trek. It was a day trip where we would head up into the mountains and ride an elephant, a bamboo raft, have lunch, and ride an oxen cart.

On the way into the mountains to ride elephants, we stopped at an Orchid and Butterfly farm. The flowers were beautiful and the ONE butterfly we saw was ~~ok I guess~~ pretty.

We saw more butterflies OUT of the farm than in it......

Here is our family pic in the orchids. 2 out of three isn't bad.....

sweet Sandy and me

Chiang mai-- Day 1

2012-01-11T02:00:00.000-05:00

Sunshine, oh the sunshine!!

Our first morning in Chiang Mai we took a long walk in the WARM SUN!

It was delightful!!

We went to a yummy mexican restaurant for lunch with our friends John and Sandy, who had bravely signed up to vacation with our family. They have no kids yet--we have three......

John and Sandy.

So fun to have them with us! Matt and I have known Sandy since our days at Georgia. A LOT of years ago!

Rylie enjoying her watermelon shake.

Next to the warmth and sunshine, my next favorite thing about Thailand is the shakes. You can get them anywhere on the street, any fruity flavor you can think of, and they are only about 1 dollar. Does it get any better than that??

After lunch we went back to the hotel to do some swimming. The kids were SO excited to get in the water....i thought it was a bit cold....Chiang Mai is in the mountains. But it didn't seem to bother the kids :)

The pool was on the 5th floor and had a fantastic view!

Tuk Tuk

2012-01-09T00:38:00.000-05:00

We started our adventure to Thailand with two plane trips--the first to Bangkok and then to Chiang Mai. The flights went fine--we had to RUN through the airport to catch the second, but we made it!

Then in Chiang Mai the kids were SO excited about getting to take a tuk tuk from the airport to our hotel. A tuk tuk is basically a pickup truck with seats and a cover in the back. It is the main mode of transportation in Thailand. It was an open air ride with all of our luggage and us piled in the back!

wow. clearly i had not seen the sun in a while.

Museum

2012-01-04T00:23:00.000-05:00

After school got out, we had about two weeks before we left for Thailand. Two weeks of COLD, yucky grey skies. So one day we headed down to the Science Museum downtown. We went with some friends and I took Madison and Hailey with us. We took the subway and had lunch at McDonalds--quite a treat for the littles. The kids had a great time--despite what the picture may tell you.....maybe they just didn't like the photographer??

But we didn't get to do everything, so we will have to head down there again sometime!

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-25T21:41:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas!!

Cookies for Santa

2011-12-24T21:36:00.000-05:00

We don't make a big deal about Santa at our hosue, but we usually leave cookies. Because he definitely needs a snack after putting all the toys together.

The boys wrote the sweetest notes this year.

Reid made sure to include that he knows that Christmas is really about Jesus--love it!!

Here are the cookies with the notes (notice the forementioned pink and purple sprinkles--Santa didn't seem to mind)

Here is E's note. Kind of hard to read but he wanted to make sure that Santa got home safely and his sleigh didn't crash.

The key we left on the outside of our door so that Santa could get in. We live in an apartment with no chimmney. It is a special key that only Santa can use.

It was a wonderful Christmas Eve!!

Christmas Eve Nativity play

2011-12-24T20:47:00.000-05:00

On Christmas Eve the Todds had a really fun party with lots of YUMMY food and the kids put on a sweet little play.

Everett was Joseph alongside Kate as Mary.

And here is our super happy innkeeper.

Joseph hanging out while baby Jesus sleeps. This was right before Rylie (who didn't make the audition cuts this year--mostly because of age) ran up yelling "my baby Jesus" and tried to take him from the basket.

These are the three wise(wo)men. There is a shortage of boys around here and you have to work with what you got people. But aren't they so cute??

Making Cookies

2011-12-24T19:59:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of Rylie helping me make cookies. Our Christmas cookies were decorated with pink and purple Barbie sprinkles that someone left here. Christmas sprinkes are on the list to bring back next year!
But they still tasted yummy!

Christmas Lights

2011-12-23T03:54:00.000-05:00

On Friday night before Christmas we piled in our friends minivan (there were 4 adults and 7 children) and drove around looking for Christmas lights. Notice I said "for" not "at". Living in a country that does not celebrate Christmas, makes for very few Christmas lights.

Our first stop was a hotel that had some lights outside and a big Christmas tree inside. We got out, let the kids ~~run around like crazy~~ look at the lights and took some pictures. We then all piled back in the van and set off. After a bit of traffic the littles got hungry so we decided to head to Tony Romas (YUMMO) for a special dinner.

After dinner we walked out the back door into a Christmas Parade! It was so fun!

There was fake snow, people dressed up as presents, trees, cows, and santa handing out candy canes (which we can't buy here, so our kids were stocking up!). What? Your Christmas parade didn't have cows? That's weird.

They had a winter wonderland set-up and the kids loved it! They had a stage where the kids watched a magic show, and then a lady wearing a mrs.clause outfit that could have had more material walked up on stage. with a chair. then the music started. and then they dancing started. mrs. clause and the chair. we were scrambling to pull the kids away from the front row seat they had for the magic show. After several--"what is she doing?" and "why is she dancing like that?" comments, we quickly distracted the kids with more candy canes. And thankfully, it hasn't been brought up again! Things here are always full of surprises!!

It was such a fun night and the kids asked if we could do it every year!!!

School Christmas Parties

2011-12-17T00:56:00.000-05:00

The boys both had Christmas parties in their classrooms this year and I was able to go and help with both!

It was fun to get to be at school with them and meet their friends. I don't get to go out there very much, as it is about a 35 minute cab ride.

Here is Everett with his classmates Aiyaka and Gracelynn

In each class we did a craft (made an ornament) and made a sweet treat to eat. Here is E with his Christmas tree cupcake.

Everett and Shawn, the boy he sits next to at school.

This is Reid's best friend at school Canyon.

Reid with his snowman cupcake

Reid and Mommy rocking her sequin red reindeer antlers.......the teacher made me wear them :)

Littles Christmas Party

2011-12-15T00:07:00.000-05:00

Rylie, Abby, and Laura Cate

Shannon had such a fun Christmas Party for the littles in our neighborhood! They made a sweet craft--

Here is Rylie working on her craft. We traced their hands and feet and then put them together to make a sweet angel ornament for the tree. And then they decorated them with glitter glue.

They then had some yummy hot chocolate with marshmellows!

Can you tell Rylie enjoyed it??

Rylie and Laura Cate

Happy 35th!!

2011-12-06T20:03:00.001-05:00

Last week Matt turned 35!! Closer to 40 than 30 now :)

We had a fun day celebrating! He went to class in the morning--where he didn't tell them it was his birthday--BOO!! and then we went to a fun family dinner!
One of Matt's favorite foods is pizza, so we headed down to Pizza Hut! We hadn't eaten there yet, and all were excited.

Here we are waiting for the bus to go to dinner.

Not sure what Rylie is doing.....

Daddy and his girl

at Pizza Hut waiting for pizza....again, not sure about Ry.....

After dinner we headed home to do cake and presents. The kids had worked all afternoon on their cards and they were so excited to give them to him! While we were gone, a friend brought Matt's big, heavy gift to the house, so it would be waiting when we got here! Here are the kids leading him down to his present!

(rylie is looking and smiling, but there is a toilet in the background...can't win them all)

Here are the kids with Matt and his cake. His homemade chocolate cake with homemade caramel icing. and i know i made it, but I still mourned the washing of the empty cake plate. we had some good, yummy times. sweets are a rarity over here.

There is no picture of the present, but he got an ice maker! He was very excited and the whole family has been enjoying icy drinks!!

I loved celebrating the wonderful man that God has given me! He is an amazing husband, dad, leader, and friend, and I am so thankful that I get to do life with him!

Happy Birthday Matt!!!

Turkey Bowl

2011-12-02T08:00:00.000-05:00

There is a super-fun tradition here called the Turkey Bowl. They have been doing it since we were here years ago, and it is so much fun.

The Saturday after Thanksgiving people from all over our region come to our city to play a little game of football. They usually play SEC vs ACC (with some borrowed people filling in). Everyone goes out and either plays or cheers the players on....or chases children around. I only have a couple pictures, because I was in the latter group. But it was fun anyway :)

here they are in action.....matt is in the royal blue shirt

and here is the whole group after the game.

and yes, this is what our city looks like most of the time.

Rylie insisted on wearing her brothers thug hat with the bow sticking out......and it wasn't even really cold.

The kids had a GREAT time running around and playing with each other.

And the football game was a tie if you were wondering. kind of lame I think :)

Thankful Tree

2011-11-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

This is a picture of our Thankful Tree this year. I FINALLY finished it about a week before Thanksgiving---better late than never I suppose!

But it was a fun project! I went to the fabric market with my new, fun crafting buddy Lori! I am so thankful she is here! We got the fabric and cut it to size, and then did a little sewing (on her machine---oh how I miss mine!) and a little painting, and volia!

Ok--well, we cut ~~a lot~~ some leaves too!

But we really enjoyed having the tree this year. Everyday the kids got to write on one (or 3 if you are trying to fill the tree fast) leaves what they are thankful for. They got to pick their leaf from the ones at the bottom and then put it on the tree when they were finished writing. It was neat to see what each of the kids said...here are a couple....

ry--"that God made me" "my new friends"

everett--"the world", "God"

reid--"clean water", "Jesus"

and in honor of full disclosure they were also thankful for their DS, food, clothes,candy, and toys, least you think I have totally grounded kids :)

So glad we made this and can't wait to use it for years to come!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-29T01:49:00.001-05:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving last week, even though we missed our family and friends at home a lot! We started the morning out skyping with some of our family/cooking the dishes we were bringing to our meal at noon. We went to our sweet friends house for lunch. The Todd's were so gracious to open their home to 9 adults and 13 kids---wowsers! But we all had a wonderful time and enjoyed good food and wonderful fellowship! I didn't get a lot of pics from the day but here are a couple.

Sweet Ry with her turkey dress and big smile. Clearly we had already eaten---stains all over her dress. that girl is a mess!

Rylie and Mommy

Reid and his fun Indian feather hat from school

And this is what the kids did ALL day! Which is why I don't have any pictures of the boys---they couldn't be distracted from their games for pictures!

These are the big set of kids......

They played Monopoly, Bang, Jenga, and played outside.

The littles took out a lot of games............and enjoyed the pieces :)

We had a great day and are so thankful for friends who become family when you are so far away!

Chinese Wedding

2011-11-22T18:30:00.000-05:00

A couple of weekends ago,we got to attend the wedding of a dear friend from college and our time here before. She got married in our city to a guy that she met over here.

It was my first Chinese wedding and it was SO much fun!

This is Becca and Justin. As you can see she wore a traditional American dress, but the rest of the wedding was pretty traditional Chinese. The whole ceremony was in Chinese (Justin doesn't speak English), and I could actually understand more than I thought I would.

They did a sweet serving of the tea, where the bride served tea to the grooms parents and the groom served tea to the brides parents.

During the ceremony we all sat at tables in a ballroom and then when it was over, we stayed at the table for the reception.

And then came the food......

I was pretty excited about the dish on the left above--pesto pasta maybe? one of my favorites!

oh no. chicken feet in some sort of not pesto green sauce.

And the soup--meatball minestrone maybe? nikki--you know what I'm talking about!

oh no. that's a turtle. a whole turtle.

And because the chinese aren't big sweets eaters, they brought one piece of cake for the whole table to share. What? We asked for another one. Several times.

Here is a pic of us after the wedding. We had such a wonderful time celebrating Becca and Justin. And it was so great to be out with some other couples without kids!

Thanks for letting us be a part of your special day Becca!

Lost Tooth

2011-11-22T16:08:00.000-05:00

This happy boy has lost another tooth!!

And he is also happy to report that the Tooth Fairy got word of our move and found him here!

Fall Fair

2011-11-21T06:51:00.001-05:00

This past weekend we went to the Fall Fair at the boys school. It was their first year putting it on and they did a fantastic job!

Here are Madison, Hailey, Reid, and Everett riding on the hayride. It was basically a motorcycle with a truck bed. They rode it around the track at the school. We don't have very many hayfields here, so you have to take what you can get :)

But the kids really enjoyed it!

They had lots of fun games with fun prizes and the boys enjoyed them all!

They had a "jail" where you could pay 10 kuai to put a friend in jail. They could then either pay 15 kuai to not go,or stay in for 5 minutes. E got put in 3 times by his new friends at school, and although he acted like he didn't like it, I know he was secretly loving it :) He did decide to become a sheriff to help put people in jail, and it kept him safe from going back in!

(by the way--this was a great way for the school to make money! it cost them nothing and once it caught on, it was FULL!)

They also had a game where you raced to see who could eat a doughnut the fastest without your hands. Doughnuts are a rare treat over here, so E was super excited to play this game. And this picture was taken by his mean mom who was laughing, i mean encouraging him, as he played. E has no front teeth and is missing one on the bottom. He really didn't stand a chance :)

He did finish the doughnut, but did not win the race!

Overall the Fall Fair was really fun!! It was great to meet some of their classmates and see the kids interact with their friends.

Football in the Fall

2011-11-16T21:45:00.001-05:00

We LOVE football. Watching it on TV, listening to shows with people talking about the games, and especially going to games. A little glimpse of heaven is a football Saturday in Athens, end of October/beginning of November.....ah, I can feel the crisp air, see all the red and black, taste the yummy tailgate food........

Well, we didn't get to the "perfect" game, but we were SO thankful to go to a game before we flew around the world. We went to the Georgia/South Carolina game in September, and although I would have liked a better outcome, the day was wonderful!

Aunt Andi and Uncle Scotty joined us, and Reid decided he wanted to play at Nai Nai's house with Rylie, as long as we promised to bring him some cotton candy :)

So, being half-way around the world during one of our favorite seasons has been a bit tough, but thanks to our dear friends Alan and Shannon, we have gotten to watch several games!! We have to be careful not to see scores and then we watch them on our Sunday afternoons. It is such a fun time of fellowship with friends and fun football!!

Here are all the kids---our three and two of Alan and Shannon's--Cameron and Laura Cate

And here are the boys sporting their jerseys. As you can see this was from the game on Saturday against Auburn. Alan is an Auburn fan and his little boy Cameron has his AU jersey on and they were both good sports about the game, despite the outcome :)

Here are our little Bulldogs! We had such a fun time watching the game with good friends!

Halloween

2011-11-10T19:52:00.001-05:00

The boys were Green Lantern and Superman. I had capes and masks made and then I worked hard (or colored with markers as we were walking out the door) on their shirts. They were pretty happy with the results!

Rylie was a purple/pink superhero with a tutu. Don't judge people. Halloween costumes didn't make it into the 10 suitcases. Maybe next year........

Superheroes save the day!

We did get to go to trick or treating, even though they do not celebrate Halloween over here. There was a neighborhood that organized trick or treating for all the foreigners in the city, and it was really fun! We did get quite a few interesting looks from the locals :)

First Day of School!

2011-11-05T04:11:00.000-05:00

The boys in front of their new school!

They were super excited to go!

Everett and his 3rd grade teacher Ms. Dwight

Everett has a couple of good friends in his class--Madison, Nick and Ji Min. Madison lives in our apartment complex, so they get to play a lot.

Everett has 7 boys and 11 girls in his class---the boys were very excited to have another boy join the class!

Reid and his kindergarten teacher Ms. Maruschak. She used to live in Columbia, SC--yay!

Reid has a friend from our apartment complex in his class--Canyon--and they are 2 of the 9 boys and only 3 girls in the class.

We are really excited about the school and think it is going to be GREAT for our boys!

Chopsticks

2011-11-05T03:22:00.001-05:00

So, we had a couple of days of internet/computer issues, and then I was sick for a couple of days with strep--all the "you should have had your tonsils out" posts will be deleted :)

but we are up and running now and the posts should keep coming!

For all the worried grandparents........

they are figuring out how to eat just fine :)

Both boys have picked up eating with kuaizi so well!

They are eating fanqiejidan, which is basically scrambled eggs and tomatoes and all three kids LOVE it!

No pictures of Rylie but she is figuring out how to eat without silverware too. Not always as pretty as one might hope.

These were actually taken just a few days after we got here, which is why they both look like they are going to fall asleep in their food! We are totally over jet lag now--everyone really did great!--and are adjusted to our new schedule.

Carving Pumpkins

2011-10-30T10:00:00.000-05:00

We decided to carve pumpkins in the States before we left, just in case we couldn't find pumpkins over here. And because I saw this cool Star Wars carving kit and thought the boys would love it!

Well, they LOVED the idea of Star Wars pumpkins, but neither one loved the cleaning of the pumpkins and the carving was WAY to hard for them to do, so Matt and I did most of it :)

But the boys were VERY pleased with the results!

Nai Nai and the boys with their pumpkins

Anakin and the Clone

Saying Good-bye (part 3)

2011-10-30T09:18:00.000-05:00

We had another fun weekend at Aunt Andi and Uncle Scotty's house celebrating Everett, Reid, and Scotty's birthdays!

KK with Everett and his new Action Bible. SO great for boys. Highly recommend it!

KK and Reid with his new Legos!

The Birhday Boys!

Saying Good-bye (part 2)

2011-10-28T21:57:00.001-05:00

E and Nai Nai on his birthday--thanking her for his Kindle!

side note--e got to pick where we ate for lunch and dinner on his birthday. he picked mcdonalds and pf changs. tried to tell him we were moving to china where they have a mcdonalds and chinese food. he couldn't be swayed.

We stayed with my mom for the last couple of weeks we were in the states--with visits to other family--and we did LOTS of fun things!

Reid picked Bennihanas (japanese) for his birthday. Yummo!

Snuggling with Aunt Caroline watching football while we did some last minute packing the night before we left.

Saying Good-bye (part 1)

2011-10-27T08:04:00.000-05:00

Before we left, we tried to spend some good, quality time with each of our families--in the middle of moving, packing, and finishing raising support!

We had a great trip to Augusta, where we spent time with Matt's family.

Everett and Papa---apparently Everett is getting ready for China. Chinese people always sneak a peace sign into the picture at the last minute.

The boys played some football.......

it was Matt and Everett against Papa and Reid, and paying for dinner was on the line......

Rylie wanted to go explore the playground with KK......

but soon the game was over.

the game ended in a tie....and somehow the girls were responsible for dinner....hmmmm.....

but luckily the girls had gift certificates that took care of it! (we ate at Outback....i would love some Outback right about now.......)

Reid's Birthday in China!

2011-10-26T08:02:00.000-05:00

We arrived in our city at 8 pm on Reid's 6th birthday. After traveling for 28 hours. Happy Birthday to him.

Our sweet friends had this fun sign in our apartment when we arrived and made him cupcakes that we waiting for us!

We sang happy birthday to Reid

and then the kids ate up!

Enjoying his birthday cupcakes made by our sweet friends the Todds!

Ry shared in the celebration too!

It was definitely the most adventuresome birthday he has ever had.....I mean flying to another country for your birthday.......quite a birthday present :)

And we are here!!!

2011-10-25T02:02:00.000-05:00

Well, we are here!!!! Sorry it has taken a bit to post. It took a couple days to get our computers and internet set-up and then yesterday we were "ting dian" (which means no power) ALL day.

But, after packing up a room that looked something like this

into LOTS (10 checked and 10 carry ons to be exact) of these....

we were set!

We said our good-byes all weekend long, and on Sunday morning we packed up 2 SUV's and headed to the airport.

Here we are waiting to check our bags. It took almost an hour. We almost missed our plane. We could feel your prayers as we made it on (we were flying stand-by) and had 6 seats all together!

(these are just our carry-ons--we were quite a sight to be seen going through security)

When we got on the plane we did a lot of this....

eating and watching movies.....

a little bit of this......

yes, Reid actually slept like that for a while.

and after being hurled through the sky in a tin can for 16 hours, we made it to our country!

We had to gather ALL our luggage and recheck it in Shanghai. We kind of felt like we were foreigners on parade as we walked through the airport. Matt, Kadie, Everett, and Reid were pushing a cart FULL of luggage, and Ry was being pulled in the stroller. We had more stuff with us that day than most Chinese people would ever travel with.


Here we are in the Shanghai airport

We then caught another 3 hour flight to our city. It was not documented because the main camerawoman proceeded to fall into a coma-like state before the plane took off and the back-up cameraman was very busy trying to console 3 WAY overtired, starving children. You can probably picture the plane ride pretty accurately in your head.

And then we landed in our new city! Home!

Some friends picked us up at the airport and helped us get all our stuff up to our apartment.

our super fun welcome HOME sign!

Here are the kids with all our luggage in our new apartment!

(a post with pics of apartment coming soon!)

We are so happy to be here and are so thankful to all of you who helped us get here! We are excited to start this new adventure!!

Easter Morning

2011-07-07T13:20:00.001-05:00

This year we spent Easter down at moms's beach house. We went to Saint Simons Community Church, and loved it! If you are ever on the island on Sunday morning you should definitely try it!

Here is Rylie trying to sneak away

My three precious blessings!

Dying Easter Eggs......

2011-07-06T23:25:00.003-05:00

.......on the porch at the beach......nothin' better!

working hard.....

Mommy and her boys

The boys with Nai Nai

Matching!

2011-07-06T20:21:00.000-05:00

Not the greatest picture, but Reid almost always asks me to make a shirt to match Rylie's when I make her something. I thought these chocolate bunny shirts turned out cute!

I am really going to miss my machine when we move!!

Egg Hunt!

2011-07-06T03:28:00.004-05:00

Mimi with the kids as they got ready to look for eggs!

Reid reaching for a high one!

Rylie found one.....and looks like she's a bit scared!

putting them in her basket!

showing off her full basket!

2011-05-22T20:00:00.000-05:00

At the beginning of May we celebrated Critter's wedding to Camille. We had such a great time seeing lots of fun friends and we are so excited for them!

My Terrific Kid

2011-05-21T08:32:00.003-05:00

In February Everett received the Terrific Kid award from his school. We are so proud of how well he has done this year in school, and are so excited to see what God has for him next year. He got into the gifted program for next year and is the reading king for the whole school! I know I am a bragging mama, but I am so proud of how he is using the gifts God has given him!

E with the other award winners and the principal.

Beach Weekend

2010-11-01T15:17:00.003-05:00

Here are a couple of pictures from a quick weekend away to Myrtle Beach in May. Rylie had a great time in the sand for the first time!

I'm back.....

2010-10-27T14:54:00.003-05:00

ok--I know I am so behind on posting! But I am determined that Ryie will NOT be the 3rd child who doesn't get recorded--pictures, baby book, blog, etc. So, I am BACK!

Here is a teaser until I get the posts rolling.......

baby girl is ONE

Christmas time already???

2010-10-25T06:50:00.003-05:00

I think this is my front runner right now....

Ok--I know it is still October but I LOVE Christmas time. One of my most favorite things about Christmas is Christmas cards. I just love seeing pictures and hearing updates about friends lives. Shutterfly ( http://www.shutterfly.com ) is a site that I have used for forever for photos, photobooks, and cards. They have so many fun designs that I always have trouble choosing! The cardstock is great quality and the printing is beautiful!

Here is the link to the Religious Christmas Cards.......after all Jesus is the Reason for the Season :)

www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationary/religious-christmas-cards

But they have lots of choices here too--

www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationary/christmas-cards

Right now they have a super 20% off sale going on, so if you are like me and are already in the Christmas Spirit (even though it is 89 degrees here today...ugh) you can go ahead and get started on your cards!!

www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationary

They also have really cute address labels, Thank You cards, and invitations for your holiday gatherings! Check it out!

Sassy's Wedding

2010-06-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

Memorial Day weekend one of our good friends from China, Kelly Sasser, got married! We are so excited for her and Mark! In fact tehy were so popular, we couldn't even get a picture with them--ha ha!! It was SO fun to be able to celebrate with them and to see SO many people from China days that we have not seen in forever!

We also got to hang out with the Nolans and the Lovekamps, which is always a good time :)

Me and Susie

Billy, Matt, and Joe

And I had to include this one of Billy being Billy :)

Hope we get to see you guys again soon!

Rylie's Dedication

2010-06-22T20:04:00.000-05:00

On Mothers Day, we had Rylie dedicated at our church. It was a special day and my mom was able to be there with us! We love dedicating our children to the Lord and, with the church family, commiting to raise them up in a Godly home. After all He gave them to us!

I also made my first smocked dress for her dedication. I had less than a week to make it, but it came together! I also learned A LOT :)--mostly what NOT to do next time!

My mom and Rylie

Mom and all the kids

Grandma Nellie's 90th Birthday!

2010-06-21T07:29:00.000-05:00

Can you believe this BEAUTIFUL woman is 90??!

At the end of April Matt's family got together in Augusta to celebrate Grandma and her 90th birthday. Aunt Mari came in from florida with her daughter Moriah, and Matt's brother and his family came from Birmingham. We all gathered with LOTS of Augusta friends to celebrate!

I am so thankful that my kids have the opportunity to know this amazing woman! She is so caring, giving, and loving! She is fabulous example of a woman in love with the Lord! Matt and I were both blessed with wonderful grandmas, and we are so blessed to still have them in our lives!

Granma with Aunt Mari and Matt's mom--Kit

Grandma had 6 children, 12 grandchildren, and 5 GREATgrandchildren!

Here she is with two of her grandsons, and her 4 great-grandsons!

We love you so much Grandma and are so thankful you are in our lives!

sweet pics

2010-06-20T21:41:00.000-05:00

So I thought I should post these sweet 9 months pics of Rylie before she turns 1! Where does the time go??

Daddy, can we please play Nerf?.....

2010-06-20T09:11:00.000-05:00

........Is Rylie sleeping? Where is Mommy?

Those are the two things that must be taken care of to PLAY NERF (as the boys say)

The boys LOVE running around the house looking to get the stolen treasure from the other team, shooting each other a LOT along the way, and laughing it up :)

Am I the mom of boys or what??

Wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!

My awesome boys

getting ready to attack

go get 'em boys!

And he's off...........

2010-06-19T12:44:00.000-05:00

After he finished school in May, reid quickly got working on his goal for the summer--to ride his bike without training wheels!

I don't know if I said this on Everett's learning to ride a bike post, but my husband ROCKS at teaching kids to ride a bike!! Seriously, E was riding about 2 hours later, and Reid learned in just a couple days of short riding sessions! The three of them have a ball riding around the neighborhood now!

There you go...

a little help....

and he's off!

We are so proud of all the wonderful things you are learning and the amazing boy you are becoming!

K-4 Graduation

2010-06-19T08:09:00.003-05:00

In May, Reid graduated from K-4! I can't believe how big he is getting!

He had a GREAT year with Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Dampier and learned so much.

We are so proud of you !

Ready to graduate!

receiving his certificate

So proud!

His WONDERFUL teachers Mrs. Williams (l) and Mrs. Dampier (r)

Easter

2010-05-12T15:03:00.001-05:00

This was the first Easter we have been in Summerville since we moved here 4 years ago--kind of crazy! But we loved being at our church on Easter Sunday! Matt's parents came in for the weekend and the kids loved playing games and reading books with KK, while we worked in the yard and got a lot done!

We made Resurection Cookies and read the story from the Bible---I love celebrating Christ rising from the dead with my children!

Rylie's First Easter! She loved her Easter Basket!

sweet smile!

KK and Papa with the boys

Air and Space Museum

2010-04-06T14:05:00.000-05:00

We went to visit my grandmother in Tulsa, Oklahoma for Spring Break last week. We had a great time!

It was kind of cold and rainy while we were there, so one day we went to the Air and Space Museum. The boys LOVED it! We have several friends who are pilots in the Air Force and the boys kept pretending like they were Mr. Jeremy and Mr. Aaron. It was so cute. I kept asking them to fly me to Hawaii to see Mr. Aaron's wife but it didn't happen....sigh

Anyway, here are some cute pictures from the day!

Flying the plane

In the cockpit

Astronaut Reid

Astronaut Everett

Everett's First Baseball game

2010-04-06T10:59:00.000-05:00

Everett started machine pitch baseball this spring and LOVES it! He is having a good time playing with his friends and learning all about "real baseball" as he calls it. (he is comparing it to tee ball that he played last year)

Go Diamondbacks!

Snow!

2010-04-06T08:37:00.000-05:00

Earlier this year we got a huge amount of snow for this area--6 inches! They haven't had that much snow here in 10 years--and Everett is quick to point out that he will be driving when we get that much again--if the pattern continues--scary!!

We all had such a great time playing in the snow and I think they stayed out there for 3 or 4 hours! And since we had lost power in the middle of the night before, and it stayed out all day--it was a cold house to come in to! But we all came in changed into dry clothes and went out to get lunch--and warm up--since i couldn't cook without power :)

So thankful that the kids got to experience snow, even though we live in Charleston!

Mommy and the boy's snowman

Reid and Daddy's snowman

Snowball fight!

Loving the snow!

Rylie all bundled up and ready to go!

Our house covered in snow!

Valentines Day

2010-04-05T20:29:00.002-05:00

Rylie and her sock monkey. I LOVE the tutu!!

Happy kiddos!

We are so blessed!

New Years Eve

2010-02-10T21:54:00.000-05:00

The boys and their sparklers on New Years Eve. We had a fake midnight at around 9ish..........

They loved it!

Christmas with Poppy

2010-02-04T20:54:00.000-05:00

Rylie with Poppy--my dad--at Christmas. And Minnie Mouse her fun Christmas present!

The boys and Poppy

Christmas Eve

2010-02-03T09:20:00.000-05:00

The whole family--minus Caroline and Rob

Four Generations of Women

Great Grandma, Grandma, and the kids
(not sure about Reid's face........)

My mom and grandma

Everett and his Nai Nai

Favorite

2010-02-02T21:14:00.003-05:00

My mom spent almost the whole month of December with us--inbetween trips to the Mayo Clinic and Disney! The kids LOVEd having Nai Nai here that whole time and this is a picture of what they did a lot--"Nai Nai--can you read this to me?"

One of my favorite pictures!

Disney Fun

2010-02-01T22:11:00.006-05:00

Ok--I am SO far behind, but I want to do a quick overview of the last couple of months for our blog--so I can remember what happened during this crazy but AWESOME time in our family!

All of us with Mickey

The boys playing at the T-Rex Cafe--digging for bones....

......Reid in the car 10 minutes later after the stomach bug made his first apperance (note the new, bought-at-T-Rex Cafe shirt......yep, he puked all over his other one!)

Meeting the Incredibles!

and Prince Caspian--a new favorite in our family.

We LOVE the Narnia series! E got the price Caspian movie for Christmas and KK and Papa gave us a read aloud copy of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe for Christmas. We read that two chapters a night, out loud as family. Now we are reading Prince Caspian--the boys love it and I am loving the great family time!

5 Months!

2009-12-09T23:18:00.003-05:00

This sweet girl got to meet Minnie Mouse on her 5 month birthday!

We are in Disney and having a great time......just wish the stomach bug hadn't come along to see Mickey :(

(she was obsessed with Minnie's HUGE hands!)

What she is loving these days:

- grabbing and then eating her toes

-watching EVERY bite you take while you are eating

-rolling over

-laughing at her personal comedy duo that is ALWAYS willing to perform

-snuggling with her bunny

-"talking" to everyone

-smiling with a huge open mouth smile that we all love!!

We love you baby girl and are so thankful for you!!

Trimming the tree

2009-12-07T10:48:00.000-05:00

We put up and decorated our tree right after Thanksgiving, because we are going to be out of town so much we wanted to be able to enjoy it at least a little bit!

My computer is down so I can't edit any of these pics, which is killing me, but here are a couple of shots from the boys decorating the tree. They had a wonderful time! Everett is wearing his jacket, not because it was cold, but because he was keeping some special things in his pocket and he didn't want to lose them. i think it was a rock and three pennies.

The boys showing off their wonderful decorating skills!

Mommy and her boys

Mommy and her baby girl

Rylie and Nai Nai.

Rylie loved the watching the lights and her crazy brothers!

Family Pictures

2009-12-06T22:41:00.000-05:00

While we were in Augusta, Matt's parents had someone come and take family pictures. The kids were all cooperative and we managed to get some good ones!

Our family of 5

KK and Rylie

All the boys!

The Whole Family

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-06T22:13:00.000-05:00

For Thanksgiving this year we headed to Augusta to Matt's parents house. His brother and sister and their families were there also. We had such a great time. The boys loved playing with their cousins-Jackson-5 and Jonathan-3, and we all loved having Scotty (andi's husband) with us for the first time as an "official" family member--he is SO fun!

We ate a lot, played a lot, and had a lot of fun conversations.

Matt with Rylie on her first Thanksgiving. She is wearing her turkey dress that I made her!

Grandma Nellie (matt's grandma) and Rylie.

It is so precious that our kids have 2 great grandmothers that they get to know and spend time with! What a blessing!

Rylie with KK and Papa

Jackson and Everett playing dominos

All the boys with their swords. They played outside SO much while we were there. KK and Papa have a wonderful yard for the boys to have adventures in!

Fun Football Game

2009-12-05T21:50:00.007-05:00

We try to take the boys to a football every year for their birthdays. They LOVE going to Athens to watch the Dawgs play, and we love going back to one of our favorite places on earth! We usually go to the Homecoming game--there are lots of fun festivities and it is guaranteed to be an afternoon game. But this year Matt's brother turns the big 4 0 in decmeber and his wife threw a surprise party (so fun and he was SO surprised.....it was 2 months early after all!) the weekend of homecoming, so we went to the Kentucky game. The week before the game i checked the schedule for game time and it said 7:45 p.m.---seriously? That is 30 minutes oast our boys bedtime.......

BUT they did GREAT!

We drove from Atlanta up to Athens--walked around campus a bit, and then ate dinner in downtown Athens. Oh my--I do love downtown Athens. We headed to the game and watched the Dawgs warm up, and the boys made it to the middle of the third quarter! Reid turned me at one point and said "I am ready to go home now. I need to sleep." We knew then that it was time to go!

The boys had such a great time at the game and Rylie had a wonderful time hanging out with Nai Nai!

Go Dawgs!

Field level--the boys loved being so close to the players

At dinner

walking on the railroad tracks to Sanford Stadium

Pirates

2009-11-18T19:27:00.001-05:00

The boys had so much fun painting and playing with these pirate masks this weekend. Not so much fun taking the picture........but I promise they love the masks!!

They are "kinda like twins with some stuff different--like the color of the nose and our scars" according to Reid.

4 months

2009-11-17T07:12:00.003-05:00

I can not believe our baby girl if four months old already! They grow up so fast--especially the third one!!

Rylie is such a sweet blessing to our family! We are all loving having her around. She is now belly laughing a lot--especially at the boys, and they LOVE to entertain her!

She is still sleeping GREAT and eating wonderfully! She is pretty much always happy and smiling. She has starting rolling over and the boys love to lay down on the floor and "teach" her how to do it. She has found her feet and loves to play with them--and try to get them in her mouth.

We love you baby girl!

Her stats at her four month appointment--

weight-- 12 lbs. 4 oz. 20 %

height--27 in. 90%

we have a skinny string bean on our hands!

Reid's First Day of K-4

2009-11-06T12:54:00.000-05:00

And this one started K-4 this September. He absolutely LOVES school, his teacher Mrs. Dampier, and is learning SO much!

Sweet smile! I love this boy and we are SO proud of who he is becoming!

First Day of First Grade

2009-11-05T18:46:00.000-05:00

My oldest, sweet boy started First grade this year---what???? I can hardly believe it!

Here is the handsome boy

and his proud Mama

and his brother wishing him well.

About 5 minutes after this picture was taken Reid started asking when his brother was going to be home......it w.as a long day!!

Everett is doing SO well in First grade. We definitely made the right (hard) choice to move him up (he is a year ahead for his age)

Mary and Joseph

2009-11-04T22:35:00.004-05:00

Everett has Hero Day at school at halloween time and they can be a hero from the Bible, or a community hero. This year he and Emerson decided to be Mary and Joseph. They were SO cute--although she had a bit of a hard time convincing him to hold the baby! Here are a couple of pictures of the happy couple.

I just love this one!

Funny story--another girl in his class was also Mary and the day before hero day Emerson told Everett that he was going to be "a very busy Joseph the next day"!

Go Braves!!

2009-11-02T08:43:00.002-05:00

In August Everett went to his first Braves game. He had such a great time. He started it off right with tickets in a box--and a famous person in the box with us! Mark Lemke came into the box after he finsihed his pregame show. For those of you who don't know, Mark played second base for the Braves in the 90's and went to several World Series with them. He was such a nice guy and talked to Everett about his T-ball games and told him that he once played in Charleston in the minor leagues. Everett got his autograph on his ticket and has it in a special place in his room with the picture of him with Mark. What a special night for him!

Everett and Mark Lemke

Happy Halloween!!

2009-11-01T22:54:00.000-05:00

Happy Halloween! We had a great Halloween this year! We went over to some friend's house for dinner-Garrett's house to be specific (Reid's best, inseperable, don't know what we are going to do when they have to move next fall, friend). We then dressed all the kids up and went trick-or-treating. Bonnie and her little girl Ashley joined us, and the 5 (plus Rylie) kids had a GREAT time! Everett was a stormtrooper, Reid was a pirate, and Rylie was a ladybug. It was really fun but it was a bit warm for my liking--isn't it supposed to be a least a little cool and crisp for halloween?? It was 80!

Everett and Reid--thanks Aunt Mari for the costumes!

E, Rylie, and Reid

Our little ladybug

Garrett, E, and Reid

The whole gang!

Ashley, Claire, Garrett, E, and Reid

Corn Maze

2009-11-01T19:46:00.008-05:00

Last week we went to the West Corn Maze and had such a great time. There is a pumpkin patch, a LONG corn maze (it was 85 degrees!), and Everett got to paint a pumpkin. Sadly Reid was home with the swine flu, so he missed out, but he is feeling better now, so that is great!

Everett holding his baby sister at the Pumpkin patch. he is such a great big brother!
e on the giant pumpkin

rylie and the giant pumpkin

E, Rylie, and me on the hay ride

We had such a good time, but missed Reid and Daddy!

Rylie and her Greats....

2009-09-03T10:53:00.001-05:00

Rylie with her Great grandmas. What a sweet blessing that she gets to know these precious women!

Grandma Nellie (Matt's grandma)

Mimi ( Kadie's garndma)

Two week pictures

2009-09-01T10:24:00.000-05:00

Our wonderful friend Michelle took these awesome pictures of Rylie when she was two weeks old. I had trouble choosing which ones to put on here--they are all so good!!

Check out her website--http://www.michelleedwardsphotography.com/

Rylie's First Bath

2009-08-31T10:07:00.004-05:00

No, Rylie did not just have her first bath at 8 week old! I am just trying to catch up on posts--I am so far behind!! But her are a couple pictures of her first bath many week ago! She liked it much more than her brothers did!!

Wide eyed....

Everett helping give Rylie her first bath. He loves being a big brother again! And this time he can really help!

Ok, maybe I am done now......

3 weeks old!

2009-07-29T21:52:00.002-05:00

Rylie is three weeks old today and it is so hard to believe! She is growing and getting big SO fast! She now weighs 8 lbs 12 oz and is 22 inches long!! She has gained 1 and a half lbs and has grown 1 and a half inches in just three weeks. Needless to say, she is a great eater! I am so thankful that she is nursing great and sleeping great! She is sleeping 6 hour stretches at night and I am only having to get up once a night to feed her--woo hoo!

We are so thankful that she is here with us and she is such a blessing to our family!

We love you Rylie girl!

Patriots Point

2009-07-15T17:53:00.009-05:00

The Saturday after Rylie was born Matt and Papa took the boys to Patriots Point:

Daddy and the boys with the helicopter

Papa and the boys in front of the ship

E and R in the submarine

two thumbs up for flying the plane

and shooting the missiles.

They ALL had a wonderful time and are hoping to go back and take it all in again!

Coming home.....

2009-07-15T17:34:00.008-05:00

On Thursday night we headed home from the hospital. We were all doing well and we were ready to have Rylie join the whole family at home. The boys were so excited to have her (and mom and dad!) home. Here are a couple of pictures of leaving the hospital.

Sweet girl ready to go home

getting ready to go.....

talking to Mama....

on our way out....

Home Sweet Home!

Big Brothers

2009-07-14T20:56:00.000-05:00

Their first look at their new baby sister

Reid hamming it up for the camera and E in the background getting some kisses in

This one just melts my heart--the proud Big Brothers

They really do love her SO much!! They have been SO wonderful with her--always wanting to help and give her kisses. We couldn't have asked for a better transition from 2 to 3!!

Daddy and the big brothers

Mama and all her babies!

Our first picture as a family of 5!!

2009-07-13T20:47:00.000-05:00

Here are a couple more pictures of miss rylie. She is doing well--nursing GREAT, which is a huge answer to prayer, and sleeping well too. She is such a blessing and we are so thankful that God has chosen to add her to our family!

Mama and her baby girl

sweet kisses!

Sleeping soundly in Uncle Critter's arms.....and look at all that hair! Perfect for bows :)

Daddy and his little girl! I just love it!! There is nothing better........she will have him wrapped around her finger in no time, I am sure!!

Rylie Karris Laughlin

2009-07-08T21:16:00.003-05:00

Rylie Karris joined us at 5:50 pm today

She weighed in at 7 lbs, 6 oz

and is 20 inches long

We are doing great and will try to post more pictures tomorrow!

Love me some summer......

2009-07-05T15:37:00.001-05:00

corn on the cob, watermelon.....

and dirty feet.....
Summer must be in full swing and we LOVE it!!!

Our baby is growing up....

2009-07-04T15:22:00.001-05:00

At the beginning of June Everett graduated from Kindergarten. He went to the Oaks Christian School this year and loved it! He learned so much and had a GREAT time!

E in his cap and gown....looking so grown up!

Everett receiving his diploma from Mr. Wren

He received his diploma for demonstrating truthfulness and overall academic excellence. We are so pround of you Everett! We love that he goes to a school where his teachers love Jesus and the kids memorize Bible verses!

Mrs. Scarberry--his Kindergarten teacher. She was AMAZING and we were so blessed that E was able to have her as a teacher. She is so compassionate, but firm--just what he needed! She truely instilled a love for learning in him!

Mrs. Nolan--his other teacher. She was wonderful and Everett thought she was one of the funniest people he had ever met!

Uncle Critter even made it up for the big day!

(as did Nai Nai and KK and Papa--but they somehow managed to stay out of pictures the whole time!)

I can hardly believe that we have a 1st grader..........

Fishing with Friends

2009-07-02T09:38:00.011-05:00

While I went to the doctor this past Tuesday Miss Erin watched the boys for me and they got to go fishing at the Wrenns house! They had a WONDERFUL time--as you can see!!

Reid showing off his first fish

Everett and his fish

Reid is kissing his fish goodbye before he goes back in the pond.....such an animal lover! And he didn't even throw up :)

(that is Mr. Phil--Everett's headmaster at school!)

The boys and their fish

Thank Momma T and Mr. Phil--the boys had a GREAT time and are talking about when they get to come back!

Rylie's Room

2009-06-30T21:14:00.009-05:00

Here are some pictures of Rylie's finished nursery--now all we need is for her to come!

view from the doorway...

changing table, dresser, and book shelf........

I have always wanted to have a shelf like that on the wall of my little girl's nursery. I had trouble finding one that I liked, so Matt made this one for me :) Isn't he the best!!

Her crib with the verse on the wall. We hope that she will grow up to know the Lord and love God's word!

This is definitely going to be my favorite place to be once baby girl arrives! I love the chair and pillow!

Cushion covers made by my friend Becky and the pillow and curtain were made by my friend Ebova.....aren't they so talented!!

Dentist!

2009-06-25T12:56:00.005-05:00

The boys got to go see Dr. Margs when we were in Atlanta recently and they did SO great! Margaret is my roommate from college and dear friend who is a pediatric dentist in McDonough, GA. It was so fun to see her and where she works. Both the boys were very brave and had NO cavities! Great brushing guys!!

E getting ready to have x-rays taken

they got to wear cool sunglasses while their teeth were being cleaned

All done!!

Mothers Day.....

2009-05-10T20:02:00.003-05:00

I had such a great Mothers Day today! It is such a blessing to be Everett and Reid's mom--there is nothing else in the world I would rather do with my life! I am so thankful that God chose me to be their mom and I can't wait to add Rylie to the family! Here is a picture of the sweet, sweet necklace that they gave me today--

I absolutely LOVE it!! It has everett, reid, and rylie's names on it, and on the other side it has Psalm 127:3 --children are a blessing from the Lord.

It is from this website--www.lisaleonardonline.com--and I highly recommend it!!

Hope you all had a great Mothers Day! I am so thankful for all the moma and grandmas in my life!!

Future Rock Stars.....????

2009-04-29T10:46:00.001-05:00

Reid's First Soccer Season

2009-04-28T10:40:00.005-05:00

This spring Reid played soccer for the first time and LOVED it! He is only three so I was interested in how he would do, but really just wanted him to have a good time--and boy did he!!He watched his shadow a bit, directed the teams as to which way they should be going, and finally--played a little soccer himself!!

About to score......

Congratulating the other team for a great goal--what sportsmanship!!

Carrying his supercute soccer bag after the game!

After watching his brother play, he was ready to be the one in on the action!!

Valentines Dates

2009-03-18T16:05:00.005-05:00

The boys with their Valentines dates, Ms. Lauren and Ms. Melissa. They took them to Chick-fil-A and Everett got to pay. He was SO excited and thought he was SO grown up! They also, gave the girls flowers.......training them up to be gentleman!

(they were really babysitting so Matt and I could go out, but ssshhhhh, don't tell the boys!!)

And its a.....

2009-02-26T11:23:00.005-05:00

healthy baby GIRL!! We are still in shock! I am dreaming of fun little pink things and can't wait to decorate the nursery! Matt is thrilled, but a little worried about the cost of all the cute little pink things I am dreaming of! The boys are very excited to have a little sister and are already talking about what they are going to teach her.

We are so thrilled that God ahs chosen to bless us with a little girl, and we can't wait to see how she adds to our family!

Please continue to pray for a healthy pregnancy. My placenta previa is gone--praise the Lord!-so I am cleared to go to China in April! We can not wait to go back to our ol' stomping ground!!

We are working on a name for Baby Girl, and no elastigirl and richietoirona are not on the top of the list! :) We will let you know as soon as we decide!

Reason for lack of posts....

2009-01-20T16:22:00.004-05:00

We will be welcoming a new little pumpkin to our family in July! We are so excited but Mommy is SO sick, so we can't wait until July comes.....

I have so many pictures to upload and stories to tell, but I promise that I am going to be better. At least once a week......i mean i can type posts between throwing up right??

Everett and Reid are thrilled to be having a baby brother or sister! Reid has been praying for God to put a baby in my belly for about a year now, so he says he knew it was coming! Everett has graciously volunteered to carry the baby in the house for me when I have my hands full with groceries....not quite sure that will happen (he is more likely to get to carry the groceries), but still so sweet. They always talk about what songs they are going to sing to the baby and what stories they will read to him/her. The names in the running right now FROM THE BOYS are Cookie, Princess, Dash, and Elastigirl. Can you guess what movie our boys love?? I am not so sure they will have a weighted vote in naming this baby........for the babies sake........

We are asking for you to please pray this pregnancy! First for a healthy, full-term baby and then for me to feel better. It is so hard to love on/play with/take care of a 3 and 5 year old while you are throwing up all the time. The boys are great and understanding, but I know they get tired of it too.

Also, a quick shout out to my AMAZING husband. I mean I really couldn't do this whole pregnancy thing without him--and for reasons beyond the obvious one. He helps SO much with the boys when I am feeling sick, cooks dinner, does homework, folds laundry, ......The list could go on forever, but basically he ROCKS and I am so thankful for him!!

Corn Maze

2008-11-21T09:13:00.002-05:00

Reid and I went to the West Farm Corn Maze with my MOPS group in October and it was so much fun! I love corn mazes, and there was a hayride and animals--Reid was loving it!

Georgia Homecoming

2008-11-20T08:02:00.000-05:00

Every year we try to take the boys to the UGA Homecoming football game. It always falls around the boys birthdays and they LOVE going! It is so fun to take them around Athens--one of my most favorite places--and watch them take in the stadium full of people, being close to the players, Hairy Dawg, and this year Everett was definitely watching the cheerleaders.....what??? Anyway, we had a GREAT time this year again!

I love watching football with all my boys!!

Double Birthday Celebration

2008-11-19T20:48:00.000-05:00

Happt 3rd Birthday Reid! You are growing up into such a fun little man! Mommy and Daddy are so thankful to be your parents!!

Aunt Andi with the boys

Cupcakes!!

Everett's 5th birthday

2008-11-18T14:15:00.000-05:00

Here is a picture of Everett's 5th birthday celebration at school. He wanted me to bring in blue and green cupcakes to his class, with spiderman napkins....and i forgot they don't do superheroes at his school. Oops. Anyway, it was so fun to get to be with his class as they sung him happy birthday and made him a birthday crown! E--you deserve a crown! Mommy and Daddy are SO thankful that God chose us to be your parents and we count every minute with you a blessing! We love you so!!!

(I bet you thought you were going to get away without hearing--"I can't believe he is 5--how did that happen??" tear tear........sorry you are not so lucky!!)

Oh where do i start.....?

2008-11-17T20:31:00.004-05:00

It has been FOREVER since I have posted. Things have been crazy around here. But four football games, two birthdays, one wedding, and one chemo treatment later here we are.

My sister Caroline got married in October to Rob, and we had a great time at their wedding in Atlanta.

The boys each had a birthday. I will try to do a seperate post about those.

About the chemo treatment--amongst all the craziness of the month of October, my mom was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. She started chemo a little over a week ago and found out great news from the doctor today! Her lymphocyte levels are back within the normal range (they were 38,000 and are now 4,800) and her platelets are up. This all means that the chemo is doing its job and that she could go into remission! Praise the Lord!!

Thanks so much for all your prayers!!

I am hoping to have some posts with updated pictures....but i wouldn't hold my breath if I were you......

Beach Pics

2008-09-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

Surfer boy
one of my most favorite pictures......click on the picture to enlarge it and you can see the dolphin on the right side...

my boys....no idea what e was doing.....

my sweet reid

kisses!!

loving the beach.......

My baby's first day of school!!

2008-09-23T08:53:00.000-05:00

i mean does he look two??

I am already having trouble with my BABY being old enough to go to school (k-3) but does he have to look so old??

Reid just dove in head first! He just LOVES it! I guess watching Everett go for the last couple of years got him ready, but there was no looking back once he was in his classroom. He even told me "Mommy, I will be okay...you can go now".

He also loves his backpack and lunch box....it goes almost everywhere we go. Thanks nai nai!!