Family Vacation 2010 (Part 2)

The next leg of our trip was not quite as long. We had 3 hours to go to make it to Greenville, SC where we would be staying with my cousin, Kim, for a couple days. She so graciously opened up her home to not only us, but to Nana and Papa as well. We had the best time just being all together at her house, relaxing and talking, seeing downtown Greenville, visiting John and Janice Tyler's house (John is Kim's boss and they are like her family), and eating some great food prepared by our very own master chefs Daddy and Papa!

Kim has the cutest house!! She accomodated all of us perfectly. Anna absolutely loved Kim's cat, Oreo! The kids had space to ride their scooters and her outside porch was the perfect place to hang out (or do legos if you are Brandon).

Family Vacation 2010 (Part 1)

We took off for the first leg of our trip on June 3, and planned to make it to Knoxville, TN which is about 9 hours away. This is the first long road trip that we have taken as a family and we weren't real sure how the kids would do. We were prepared with movies, music, leapsters, books, snacks, pillows and just the excitement of being on vacation! Let's just say that the kids did Awesome! and we only had to stop two times! We made it to our hotel and finished the night with pizza by the pool. Not a bad way to start the trip, but the best is yet to come....

One Year Down

Yesterday was Brandon's last day of kindergarten. Where did the time go? Wasn't I just watching him go to school on the bus for his first day? He had a great kindergarten year with Mrs. Kern and learned lots of new things and made some new friends. Looking back, I can see how much he has grown (physically, socially, and developmentally) and I can't wait to see what the future holds for him. I treated him to his favorite slush at QT and he got a tootsie roll from the car wash. Can't beat that! Look out summer, cause we are ready to do some fun stuff!

Children's Choir

Brandon is part of our church's children's choir, the Lord's Lambs, and they had their end of the year choir performance the other night. Brandon loves music, listening and singing, and has the natural ability to hear pitch and tones, etc. He also has this inner competitive nature that comes out sometimes. Well, part of children's choir is hymn memorization and reciting a verse or chorus to the teacher. If you recite at least 15 (we thought it was 20) hymns during the year, you receive your own hymnal. You get a certificate if you do up to 14. Now, Brandon wanted to do more than anyone else, and by golly he DID it!!! He received a hymnal with his name on it for reciting 21 hymns!!! He was so proud and we are so proud of him!! Way to go Brandon-man!!

Awana

It is that time of year when activities come to an end for the summer. The kids are involved in Awana at our church and it finished up a couple weeks ago. Anna finished her first year in Cubbies and Brandon is now done with his first year as a Sparks. They both did a great job with scripture memorization and Brandon got awarded clubber of the month and finished his first book. Anna finished her first book as well (they don't do clubber of the month in Cubbies). We know the kids are "hiding God's word in their hearts" !!!

Happy Mother's Day

"God chose you to be the mother of your children." I heard this from a sermon at church and it touched me so that I remind myself of this often. Wow, what an awesome responsibility God has given me! I am so blessed with two wonderful kids and have the best job of being able to raise them. I had a great Mother's Day with Matt and the kids. Thank you to my friend, Ryan, who took our picture that morning at church.

4 Already?

Saturday was Anna's 4th birthday. So, after the run/walk in the morning, we had some family over in the afternoon to help her celebrate. It is hard to believe how fast she has grown. She brings so much joy and happiness to our lives and we pray that God blesses her with many more wonderful years! We had a fun time with presents, cupcakes, and a pinata. Thanks to all who helped her celebrate!