Thursday, October 25, 2007

Children's Museum

We spent Friday morning at the Children's Museum followed by a pizza lunch with dad...doesn't get much better than that!!

Happy Jack's Pumpkin Patch





Morgan was out of school Friday for Fall Break--whatever that is. I don't really understand why they need a break when they just started school less than 2 months ago. I think that means I'm getting old!! We didn't have a Fall Break--and we liked it!

Anyhow, we used the extra time at home to do a few things around town that we haven't had a chance to do yet. Thursday we stopped by Happy Jack's Pumpkin Patch--thank goodness, because we drive by it on the way to school, and Morgan always asks when we get to go. The kids each picked out a pumpkin to put on the front porch, and then we got to check out the rabbits and head on over to the hayride. The best part of the whole deal was that it had just showered and scared most of the crowds away, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves!

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

This Ain't My First Rodeo






Oh, but it is!! We took the kids to the rodeo last weekend up in Moncks Corner. They had a great time at the pre-show festivities: jump castles, pony rides, and their first taste of cotton candy. Unfortunately, the rodeo didn't start until 8, and Charley only lasted until 8:30, so they didn't see too much of the rodeo itself; but the little that they did see was a big hit!!

Still Catching up--Pictures from Alice's B-day

Keith brought home my favorite kind of cake for my birthday--chocolate with chocolate icing!! I told him not to bother with a gift since I went shopping with the girls two weekends later while he watched the kids. Woo hoo!!

I'm not sure why the kids look so funny in this picture. I think it's the "Dad, hurry up and take the picture so we can get some of this sugar in our system QUICK!!".

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Here's a little something that was e-mailed to me shortly after my dad passed away that I thought would be great to share on his birthday. I add this to the blog as my daughter watches "Pocahontas" for the 3rd time in the past two days; while all the other girls her age are glued to "Cinderella" and "Snow White"! And this is how I know in my heart of hearts, that his spirit truly lives on.

Years ago, on one of the many opening mornings of hunting season that your Dad and I shared, he revealed something to me that I've never forgotten.

I had dropped him off before dawn so that he could wander back into a particular hammock. He had chosen the spot for his morning hunt on opening day. A mist shrouded, grove of stately live oaks draped with spanish moss on long drooping branches. A beautiful place, where the air was heavy and moist and still. Where the only sound was that of the owl, the whip-poor-will and the drip, drip, drip of heavy dew falling from the trees to the forest floor.

It was a wonderous place, a place that any outdoorsman would love. But a place where, for one reason or another, we seldom saw deer. For that reason, I was puzzled by the his choice. After all, opening morning was the best chance you would have all year to take a buck. Why would he pick a spot where his chances were so poor? And so when I picked him up later in our old jeep, I asked him why he had chosen his spot.

Your dad explained that he chose it because there was a tree in that hammock that he liked. A perfect tree, he said, to sit under and wait for dawn. And, as dawn broke, a perfect tree to lean back against while he began the season by reading aloud his prayer. Until then I wasn't aware of this ritual. I asked him about the prayer. He told me that it wasn't really a prayer to most, it was a letter written by an Indian chief to the President of the United States. But to your Dad the words were significant and embodied much of what he believed. So, he used it as his own special kind of prayer.

As you read this please understand that your father very much enjoyed studying the ancients. He was also captivated by the spirituality of those people we might refer to as primitive. He strongly believed that in many ways they were far more spiritually connected than modern man. I do believe that he felt a connection to them.

Keep in mind also that while this "letter/prayer" holds the sense of loss of a people on the fringe, I think it held special meaning for your father for that reason. I think he sometimes felt a kinship and a similar remorse at seeing a world going in a direction he could not favor.

CHIEF SEATTLE’S LETTER

The president in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land. But how can you buy or sell the sky? The land? The ideas is strange to us. If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them?

Every part of the earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every meadow, every humming insect. All are holy in the memory and experience of my people.

We know the sap which courses through the trees as we know the blood that courses through our veins. We are part of the earth and it is part of us. The perfumed flowers are our sisters. The bear, the deer the great eagle, these are our brothers. The rocky crests, the dew in the meadow, the body heat of the pony, and man all belong to the same family.

The shining water that moves in the streams and rivers is not just water, but the blood of our ancestors. If we sell you our land, you must remember that it is sacred. Each glossy reflection in the clear waters of the lakes tells of events and memories in the life of my people. The water’s murmur is the voice of my father’s father.

The rivers are our brothers. They quench our thirst. They carry our canoes and feed our children. So you must give the rivers the kindness that you would give any brother.

If we sell our land, remember that the air is precious to us, that the air shares its spirit with all the life that it supports. The wind that gave our grandfather his first breath also received his last sigh. The wind also gives our children the spirit of life. So if we sell our land, you must keep it apart and sacred, as a place where man can go to taste the wind that is sweetened by the meadow flowers.

Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the sons of the earth.

This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself.
One thing we know: our God is your God. The earth is precious to him and to harm the earth is to heap contempt on its creator.

Your destiny is a mystery to us. What will happen when the buffalo are all slaughtered? The wild horses tamed? What will happen when the secret corners of the forest are heavy with the scent of many men and the view of the ripe hills is blotted with talking wires? Where will the thicket be? Gone! Where will the eagle be? Gone! And what is to say goodbye to the swift pony and then hunt? The end of living and the beginning of survival.

When the last red man has vanished with this wilderness, and his memory is only the shadow of a cloud moving across the prairie, will these shores and forests still be here? Will there be any of the spirit of my people left?

We love this earth as a newborn loves its mother’s heartbeat. So, if we sell you our land, love it as we loved it. Care for it, as we have cared for it. Hold in your mind the memory of the land as it is when you receive it. Preserve the land for all children, and love it, as God loves us.

As we are part of the land, you too are part of the land. This earth is precious to us. It is also precious to you.

One thing we know-there is only one God. No man, be he Red or White man, can be apart. We ARE all brothers after all.

Charley's New "Car"



This is a testament to the fact that boys will play with anything that has wheels. I pulled out the silverware sorter from the dishwasher the other day to unload everything back into the drawer. I turned around to see Charley pulling out the bottom rack saying "Car! Car!" Either he has a great imagination, or mom really needs to get him out a little more!

Monday, October 15, 2007

Morgan's First Day of School (about 6 weeks ago!!)















Here are a couple of pictures from Morgan's first day of school. Unfortunately, I did not inherit my grandfather's talent for taking great pictures, but at least it's finally documented!
Morgan's going to school 4 mornings a week from 9am - 12:30 and she is loving it! They get to bake every Monday--yesterday was French toast since they are studying the letter "F". Tuesdays is music and science, Wednesday is chapel day, and Fridays are for show and tell when she has to bring in an item that starts with the letter of the week. In addition to all of that, we also have a reading list: 10 books to read each week, and a word to look for in each book. Her teachers are great, but boy are they keeping us all busy!
Between Morgan's school, Charley's music class on Mondays, and their joint playgroup on Thursdays, we are lucky to make it to Target and the grocery store! Whew, it's been a busy fall, but lots of fun!

Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Morgan Meets her Teachers

One more week, and it is Back to School time!! Woo hoo! I think I am going to pull out my cheerleading outfit from high school for this auspicious occasion.

Last night, we had the parent orientation, where the parents got to meet the teachers and go through the annual "don't bring any snacks with peanut butter" spiel. Morgan is in Mrs. Weezy and Mrs. Traci's class. This will be Mrs. Weezy's fifth year teaching the four year olds, and her 15th year teaching. Needless to say, I think she is going to be in very good hands. She will have a composition book to write stories in; and they'll be reviewing US geography, charts & graphs, and sight words. They'll bake every Monday, have music once a week, chapel once a week, and of course show and tell. It sounds like fun!

Charley, on the other hand, has another year at home with mom before he can start pre-school. Hopefully with Morgan at school, we'll have more a chance to do some activities centered around him rather than his sister!

T minus 6 days and counting!

Friday, August 24, 2007

Edventure






Here are some pictures from our trip to the Children's Museum in Columbia, Edventure (http://www.edventure.org/). By far, the kids' favorite display was the fire truck, complete with lights, sirens, and dress up clothes. Morgan also enjoyed broadcasting the news; and walking through Ed, a 2 story size boy that showed the brain and digestive system. Charley, on the other hand, could not get far enough away from the scary giant. He was also not a big fan of the life size cow that moo-ed as we walked by; nor the boy whose teeth you could clean as you pretended to be a dentist. We did find a play area upstairs that he enjoyed that included a tent to camp out in, and a boat to sail on the seas. And of course, bubbles are always a hit with him!

We finished off the day by having a home cooked dinner with friends (which I must admit was the highlight of my day)!

Hilarious E-Bay Auction

In case I somehow missed e-mailing this to anyone, you must read this hilarious description of an E-Bay auction. It's for a pack of Pokemon cards that mysteriously ended up in the shopping cart of a stay at home mom of six...yes, she took all six to the grocery store. I laughed so hard at this one I cried!



Following the link to the e-bay description is a link to her blog which is equally side splitting. This is why I am stopping at 2 children!!



http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayIAAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130144061675&ru=http%25



http://www.mom2my6pack.blogspot.com/

Friday, August 17, 2007

Our Sanity Vacation






Keith and I dropped the kids off at Aunt Cristal's house this past weekend, and made the hour and a half trip to The Grove Park Inn (www.groveparkinn.com) in Asheville, NC. A friend of mine asked if we were going for our anniversary or a birthday, and I replied "No, for our sanity". After a long summer filled with staph infections, and trips to the emergency room, we thought we could use a couple of days away...and boy was it ever worth it! If you have never been, I would highly recommend it. The restaurants on property are absolutely amazing, and the spa is world class!
We also took some time to go whitewater rafting on the Nantahala River (www.noc.com), something I've always wanted to do. It was really a lot of fun, and not nearly as scary as I thought it would be, although two people did fall out of our raft during the last five minutes of the ride--thankfully it wasn't me or Keith!

Morgan's Gymnastics Recital






Here are some pictures from Morgan's gymnastics recital two weeks ago (yes, two weeks ago, but I figured better late than never!). She looks like a natural and really enjoys it. We plan on doing it next summer, too.

I wasn't able to get many shots as I was chasing Charley trying to keep him off the mats! He had a great time after the show on the balance beam. It was a great springboard to body slam the mat at the end.
Enjoy the pictures!

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Family Photos




I got an e-mail from our photographer that her website is not working today. It should be up and running again tomorrow, so be sure to check again for our pictures at http://www.amtportraitphotos.com/. In the meantime, we did snap a few shots when we got home, and I can share those here. Unfortunately, Charley was done with posing for the day, so we didn't get anymore of him. We are also trying to re-schedule another sitting with her, since we were cut short by a thunderstorm.


Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Friday, July 27, 2007

Pictures from Art Camp










Morgan's First Trip to the Doc in the Box

It has been such a rough week!
Morgan started to make up her art camp (that she was supposed to be taking last week, but couldn't due to a staph infection) on Wednesday. At about 11:45, the teacher called to tell me Morgan had slammed her pinky finger in a door, and I should come pick her up. After taking one look at it, I called her doctor, who of course, was out of the office. I ran her up to the closest clinic I could find, and they got us right in--maybe because Morgan was screaming her head off, and scaring a few of the other kids in the waiting room! After a few minutes, the doctor told us that he basically needed to re-insert the nail back into her finger. I'll leave out the details, but suffice it to say it was NOT a pretty process! She was a very brave little girl, and we decided a shake from Sonic was in order for the trip home. Other than having a band-aid on her finger for the next ten days, and the fact that her fingernail will fall off in 3-4 weeks, it'll eventually grow back, and all will be well. Whew!
This may be the last art camp we ever sign up for!

Saturday, July 21, 2007

Making the Most of a "Staphy" Situation





We took Morgan to the doctor Wednesday morning with a suspicious rash, only to find out she had a staph infection. She had to get 2 shots of an antibiotic, and they told us we needed to stay home for the next two days. Trying to make the best of our situation, we spent the days painting, building with blocks, and having a tea party with mom's real china.


She is on the mend, slowly but surely. We went to the doctor twice last week, and have another follow up appointment on Tuesday to make sure everything is clearing up okay, so keep her in your prayers!

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Just Trying to Beat the Heat

With temperatures running at or near 95 and a heat index of 105, we've been trying to fill our days this week with indoor activities. Morgan's friend Angelena came over for a playdate this morning, and then we headed out to the gym this afternoon. Yes, I finally broke down and joined the gym (www.ecofitnessgym.com). They offer all kinds of classes from cardio to pilates to yoga, and the childcare facility is awesome! We've been going at least 3 times a week for the past month, however I am still waiting for my Jennifer Garner body to start showing!!! Good thing I signed up for a year!

Other than that, there's not much else going on. We're gearing up to head to Easley on Friday around noon. Our niece will be turning 12 on Saturday, and we're planning to stop in for a visit with Keith's Papa Harold. Hope everyone has a great weekend, and we'll try and post some Easley photos next week!

Wednesday, July 4, 2007

Happy Fourth of July




In the interest of time, I'll let the pictures speak for themselves. Happy Fourth of July!

Sunday, June 24, 2007

NASCAR and Carowinds

The kids and I picked up Keith from work early on Friday so we could head to Charlotte for a little family weekend together. Everything was going fine until Morgan woke up with a fever at 5 am Saturday morning. We sent Keith to the Lowe's Motor Speedway on his own that morning while I tried to nurse her back to health. She seemed okay, so we headed to Carowinds about 1pm. To make a long story short, we were back in the car by 4:30 headed back to our friends' home with one sick child, and another one hot and cranky.

It was sooooo hot, and WAY to crowded with, well, let's just say some very interesting mountain folk. And by the way, I hope the people who work at this place don't honestly believe that they are any kind of competition for Disney. The bathrooms were disgusting, the employees not so great, and the park incredibly dirty. Maybe I have been tainted by my time at Disney, but these folks have a long way to go to make it in the theme park business!

Thank goodness we had some very gracious hosts who were willing to hang out with us while Morgan was on the mend! They were great, but I must say, it's wonderful to be back home.

Readers are Leaders

I signed Morgan and Charley up for the summer reading program at the library. They get some swell little prizes after reading 10, 20, and 30 hours worth of books. So we decided to drop by our local branch on Friday to pick up their first round of goodies. They each got a medal (which the librarian put around their necks while playing some sort of Olympic anthem), a certificate, and two tickets to a Charleston Battery soccer game.

After the awards ceremony, we played with a few puzzles, and then promptly picked out 5 dvd's to watch on our road trip to Charlotte. I felt so guilty to be checking out only videos when they still have 20 more hours to read before they get their grand prize of a beautiful red t-shirt. Oh well, summer is for other things besides just reading, I suppose.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Vacation Bible School


Morgan has been attending vacation bible school since Tuesday and despite the fact that she has to get up early (7:45!), she seems to be enjoying herself. I took this picture of Charley while we were waiting to pick her up yesterday. Their theme is "Game Day Central", so they've decorated the church with various sports themed items. We found this Clemson tailgate, and I couldn't resist taking a picture. Of course as soon as I took it, I saw the sign telling us not to climb on the props (oops!).


Morgan is going to do a performance in front of the congregation on Sunday, singing some of the songs she's learned this week, so we'll try to get some good pictures to post!

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Easley Comes for a Visit

Sorry we've been out of touch for awhile. Our summer activities have really taken off!



On Wednesday, my sister-in-law Cristal came for a visit, along with her three kids: Kelsey (11), Hunter (9), and Marley (6). They came bearing gifts from Nana that she got for the kids on a recent trip to Hawaii. Morgan got a shorts outfit and necklace (just like Marley's!!), and Charley got a ukulele that he has been carrying around non-stop. He hasn't quite mastered the word "ukulele" just yet, so it goes by "song".



We all went out to the beach on Thursday. Morgan and her cousins loved it, but Charley on the other hand, has seen better days. He didn't like getting dirty in the sand, and was terrified of the water. Good thing--Keith and I don't really like the beach anyway!



Friday we headed downtown to one of our favorite hang outs--the Children's Museum of the Lowcountry. You can check it out at www.explorecml.org. I was surprised to find that the older kids enjoyed the museum just as much as the younger tikes.



Saturday the boys went out on their own, and the girls went to go see "Surf's Up" at the movies, and then went to Target for some shopping. With 105 degree temps, we figured anything outdoors was pretty much out of the question! All in all, it was a great time and we're all looking forward to getting together again soon!

Monday, June 4, 2007

The Little Gym, and then Ballet




The kids enjoyed a free demo class at "The Little Gym" this morning. They had such a great time playing on all of the equipment, that Morgan asked when we could come back again as soon as we walked out the door!


We stopped for a quick lunch at Moe's, and then took Morgan to ballet class. Whew! It was a busy day, but it is so great to have healthy kids again so we can get out and about!