Cookout With Friends

On Saturday, June 13th Craig invited the guys that work with him to come to our house for a cookout. Mikayla had spent the night at the dance studio the night before since it was the last day of dance camp, and Drew had spent the night with Mimi and Poppi so Craig and I had gotten a date night (Side Street Pizza - yum!!). Craig and I went to pick Mikayla up from the studio Saturday morning, and then went to Costco to get all of the food, drinks, etc. When we got home, Poppi brought Drew home, and we had the kids rest awhile, and then we all played outside while waiting for everyone to arrive.

"Yella Boy's" oldest daughter, Deja, had fun watching everyone play the wii. She even enjoyed a couple games of bowling herself!Zach tries out his bowling skills.Sherri's granddaughter wants to bowl too ya'll!Yella's wife, Sherika, takes a turn at bowling while their youngest daughter Keasia smiles for the camera.

Then we pulled out the wii fit and "Yella Boy" tried his luck at ski jump. Darryl wants to see how well he can jump!

Then Sherri took a turn...

while Austin and "Yella Boy" look on. I don't think either of them were playing with the pink bear laying beside them. I think one of the little ones were playing with it! :)

Zach decided that he wanted to try his luck too...
while Sherri, her grandson, Darryl, "Yella Boy", Austin, and Keasia look on. Austin did not want his picture taken - can you tell? Jennie and her boyfriend BJ smile for the camera. They had fun just watching everyone on the fit!

Everyone seemed to have a fun time, and I'm pretty sure they got their bellies full! Craig and I had fun playing host and hostess and we will have to get everyone together again soon!!

More Pool Fun!!

Drew, Mikayla, and I spent the first week of June like we spent most weeks this summer - by the pool!!

They are at the age now where I don't feel I have to be right beside them in the pool the whole time. Don't get me wrong - they are never in the pool unless an adult is outside with them. This year is the first year, though, that I felt confident enough in their swimming that I would get out and lay in the sun some while they swam. I still got in the pool a lot myself to play with them of course, but it is nice to be able to sit on the side and watch them enjoy the water as much as I do!!

Drew loves to snorkel - if (when) we go on a cruise that is something we will have to do as a family for sure!! He has always been our little fish - never afraid of anything. Sometimes I wish he were a little more cautious in certain situations, but he is learning to be as he matures!! We sure are proud of our little guy!!

Mikayla is like a little fish - hard to believe the first two years of her life she screamed when we got in the pool. She would latch on to me like I was gonna drop her if she didn't and scream if any part of her body touched the water. She is so much like her daddy - scared of everything. There are times I am grateful for this cautiousness and other times I wish she weren't so. I think she is learning as she gets older that there are some things she should be afraid of, and there are some things she has no reason to fear. It is my goal to keep exposing her to many different things so that she can overcome some of this. That's the reason I kept getting in the water with her when she was little. If I had avoided it just because she was scared of it, she would still be scared to this day and not "swimming like a fish"!! Our girl has been jumping off the diving board without floats on for 2 years now - we couldn't be more proud!!

Baseball Banquet Spring 2009

Okay, so I know I said no more baseball posts from Spring 2009, but I just came across pictures from Drew's banquet that I wanted to post so here goes...

Drew's baseball banquet was held on a Tuesday night in May at Lake Bowen Park. Coach Danny and his family brought pizza for everyone and the rest of us brought "extras" such as chips, drinks, plates, napkins, desserts, etc. for everyone. The kids were able to play and enjoy each others' company away from the baseball fields while the parents were able to chat and reminisce about the season. After we all ate and the kids played awhile it was time to give trophies!! Coach Danny and Coach Chris talk to the boys about their season and how much they enjoyed it before passing out any of the trophies. We had such a wonderful year and we feel very blessed that Drew had the opportunity to be coached by Danny, Chris, and Kevin. They taught Drew so much about the game and about life, and for that we will be forever grateful!!

Drew goes up to receive his trophy from Coach Danny! It was after all of the trophies had been distributed that Coach Danny gave some of the interesting stats "for fun". That is when we learned that Drew batted over 600 on the season and he also repeated what I already knew - that Drew only struck out 3 times all year. He actually tied for least strike-outs with another guy on his team and he had the second highest batting average on his team. Craig and I couldn't be more proud of baseball king!!

Dance Recital 2009

Mikayla's dance recital for 2009 was held on Saturday, May 30th and the theme for this year was "Every Thing's Coming Up Dance"! Mikayla danced in 6 dances at this year's recital after learning 4 dances in her weekly classes, the opening number at dance camp 2008, and the finale in which all of the dancers participate. Mikayla had so much fun dancing last season and she was able to show off everything she had worked so hard to learn at the recital. She took tap, ballet, jazz, and clogging last year so I included pictures from each of those dances here.

Mikayla dances in the opening number with other girls from last year's summer dance camp! Mikayla and the other girls (Alana, Jadyn, Anaka, Breanna, and Emily) show their tap dance.

Then, those same girls danced their jazz routine!Next, it was time to get Mikayla changed for her ballet dance. She danced this dance with Jadyn, Brooke, and Lana. **Our beautiful ballerina!!**

As soon as she finished her ballet dance, mommy was off to change her costume yet again. This time into one of my favorites - her clogging costume. Mikayla, Lana, Jadyn, and Brooke also danced in this dance. Because it was one of my favorites, I have included more pictures of this dance than of any of them!!

Mikayla and Lana were partners for this dance, while Brooke and Jadyn were also partners.

Mikayla clicks her heels together - so cute!!

Go Girls!!

As soon as she finished her clogging routine, I was off to change her for the last time that evening. We had to get Mikayla in her "school girl" outfit for the finale.
Abbi, Mikayla, and Breanna show off their moves!
The very end where all of the dance students jumped up when their names were called! Mikayla is in between two chickens - Mackenna and Madison.

Mikayla, Breanna, and Emily show off their perfect attendance certificates. They didn't miss any dance classes all season. Breanna and Emily are also holding their trophies - you can see Mikayla's sitting behind her on the stage. She received her 4th year trophy and her dad and I as well as the rest of our family could not be more proud of her! She loves dancing and we hope she always will!!

Last Baseball Post of the Season (spring)

Drew's team for Spring baseball this past year was the Bulldogs. He played for Danny Moss and had a terrific season. Drew was awarded the game ball after the first game of the season for getting a rally started (he was the lead off batter that inning and hit a double) that enabled our team to come back and win!! We could not have been more proud of the way that Drew played this past Spring - his first year batting against the pitching machine and also his first year ever playing catcher on defense! He only struck out 3 times the whole season and his coach announced that he batted over 600 for the season at the end-of-the-year banquet!! His team finished 2nd in the league for the year!! We are most thankful that Drew had fun this past year and that his love for baseball grew! He certainly enjoys it - so much so that he opted out of playing soccer this fall and has instead been playing more baseball. I will get some pictures posted from these games soon. I hope to also get some video posted on here soon! Drew takes a swing during our first game of the end-of-season tournament.

Our hind catcher looks like a real professional if you ask me - of course I am a little biased...The coaches talk to the boys after they won the game. I think sometimes at this point, they are more interested in snacks!

Fun at the Swim Center

On Friday, May 29th, Drew's class, along with some of the other second grade classes at our school, went on a field trip to the Swim Center. I was able to meet them at the Swim Center after I left Mikayla's Author's Tea that morning. Drew was so excited about going and he was insistent that I go with him.
Drew and his group listen to the pool safety rules.

Then they moved on to learn boating safety rules.
Next, they moved on to learn about rafting safety. I think this was one of Drew's favorites!! Drew and his friends had life jackets on and were hanging out in the raft.

The lifeguard jumps into the pool splashing the boys. They LOVED it.
Next the lifeguard talks to the boys about what to do if they are ever rafting and the raft flips.And finally, the lifeguard gives the boys a chance to demonstrate what they have learned. I love this picture even though it is a little hard to see the raft. The lifeguard is tipping them, but all three boys are hanging on.

Next, they moved to a station to learn how to help someone who is in trouble in water. Drew practices helping a friend with a "noodle"...

and then with the ring.

Drew's friend, Allie, helps Drew with the ring.

Finally, Drew and his group get to the station where they take the swim test (if they want to) to see if they can jump off the diving board during the "free swim" time.

Drew LOVES the diving board!

It was so neat to see the students having so much fun on this field trip. Not only was it fun for them, but I was very impressed with everything our students learned! Drew still talks about this field trip - I think it will always be one of his favorites!!

An Author's Tea

On Friday, May 29th, I was able to take the day off from work to go with Drew and some of the other second graders to the Swim Center. Also that morning, Mikayla had her Author's Tea. Craig was even able to leave work for a little while to join us. I video taped Mikayla reading her book that she had written, while Craig took these photos. Mrs. Batson, Mikayla's kindergarten teacher, had all of her boys and girls choose an animal, research that animal, and then write a book about that animal using the writing styles of Eric Carle. Then, when all of the books were complete, she invited all of the parents in for our students to read their writings to us. Mikayla chose to write her book about rabbits! Craig and I were so proud of her - she didn't get embarrassed and she didn't act shy. She read her book loud enough for the room full of people to hear her! Way to go Mikayla! Maybe you'll be a children's book author someday!

Dancin' at the Fling!

On a warm Saturday in May, Mikayla and some of the other boys and girls from her dance studio danced on stage at the Spring Fling! Dark clouds were rolling in about the same time we arrived so we weren't sure if they would get to dance or not, but they did! Mikayla, Jadyn, and Brooke show their clogging routine!

How Cute!!

Alana, Jadyn, Anaka, Mikayla, Breanna, and Emily get ready to perform their jazz dance for the crowd!

Mikayla loves this picture because "all of our hair is flying"! I thought that was too funny not to post! We were all glad that the rain held off long enough for me to dance! After we left the stage we headed back to our truck - stopping just long enough to get a couple bloomin' onions (a favorite of our family). We made it back to our truck just in time, because as soon as we got in, the rain began.

We always have fun at the Spring Fling, and we are so proud of our "dancing queen"!!

Indoor Pool! (more pictures from the beach)

After eating seafood Saturday night with Nana and spending a little more time at Ocean Lakes, we went back to our hotel. Drew and Mikayla couldn't wait to try out the indoor pool!! They really wanted to try to lazy river, but it was too cold for that once the sun went down! Instead they had fun playing in the pool and even met a friend! We had a lot of fun at the beach and it was hard to come home on Sunday!! I'll say it again, though, the kids sure are looking forward to the end of October when we are to go back for the weekend!! They can't wait to "trick-or treat" at Nana's and all around Ocean Lakes with Trey, Haston, Belle, and Ella!! They are also really looking forward to seeing Nana and Papa Fred!! Mama is really looking forward to another fun family trip too!!

Ocean Lakes with Nana!

After playing in the ocean a little while Saturday morning, Nana came up to the restaurant located at our resort to have breakfast with us. After a nice breakfast, Drew and Mikayla wanted to go with their Nana! We always enjoy spending time in the pool at Nana's and we knew we would need towels, sunscreen, etc. so Craig and I headed back to the room to gather our beach bag while Nana took Drew and Mikayla on to her house. Once in Ocean Lakes we loaded up the golf carts and headed to the pool. Nana and the kids on one golf cart as you can see, while Craig and I were on the other.On the way to the pool, we made a quick stop by Uncle Chris' house. Mikayla waits patiently on the golf cart. Please notice the goggles already on her eyes - my girl was ready!! Once we were at the pool, Drew had so much fun squirting water on anybody and everybody...
While daddy and Mikayla look on!

Drew and Mikayla love standing and letting the water fall on them. The water was cold, but the day was very warm so it was perfect!!

The Atlantic Ocean!

Back at the end of April (the 24th to be exact), Craig called me at school on a Friday to ask what I thought about going to the beach for the weekend. I was so surprised and excited!! It meant so much that he had taken the time to find us a hotel room and plan a trip for our family!! I replied with "I'd love to go to the beach this weekend!!" I knew that I would need to leave school early to come home and pack - we were planning to leave as soon as Mikayla got out of dance class that afternoon. When I picked Drew and Mikayla up for school, they were just as surprised as I had been to find out we were going to the beach. They couldn't wait!! We came home to pack bags, then Craig and Drew loaded up the truck while Mikayla and I went to dance. We arrived at the beach Friday night and went straight to our hotel room to unpack and then went to get some things from Walmart (imagine that) and then back to walk around the resort some.
Saturday morning, we got up bright and early and walked down to the Springmaid Pier. While we were there, a man was getting ready to release a small shark that he had caught. Before he released it, he let Drew "pet" it, but Mikayla kept her distance.After walking on the pier, Drew and Mikayla wanted to go down and get in the water. We were afraid it might be too cold to swim. The water was very cold, but that didn't stop them. They both couldn't wait to get in the waves!

We could see these two sailboats enjoying the day on Saturday afternoon. These pictures were taken from our balcony.
Drew and Mikayla get back in the water Saturday evening while we were visiting Nana at Ocean Lakes. They love the beach, and can't wait until we go back for Halloween! I have to admit mama is excited too!

Happy Birthday Sweet Baby Girl!!

On Friday, August 28th, our baby girl turned 6 years old!! Could someone please tell me why time flies by when you are having fun? It feels like just yesterday we were in the hospital awaiting her arrival! Craig and I were thrilled when we found out that our second child would be a little girl and that Drew would have a baby sister! We couldn't wait to finally meet her!! We had faced some "complications", but I won't go into those in this post - I still need to post her "birth story" on here. When she was born, she was absolutely perfectly BEAUTIFUL in every way. In the last six years she has brought so much joy to our lives. She can make us laugh, smile, think "awwww", and all of those other sweet (and sometimes sassy), girly things that little girls do. She is our little princess and we love her with our whole hearts!!

We have had a busy weekend, celebrating her birthday!! Her party will be in a couple of weeks, so look for pictures of that coming soon (or as soon as I get to them - you realize I still have a lot of catching up to do)!! She wanted to go eat at Mr. Gatti's on Friday night, so since it's tradition for the birthday person to choose where we eat, that's where we went. Mimi, Poppi, Aunt Jennie, and Uncle Jon Jon met us there. We were going to go watch our hometown high school team play Friday night too, but the game was postponed due to rain. We went to Drew's baseball practice Saturday morning, had lunch, and then went to the mall. We came home to rest for a little while and then we got ready to go watch those Bulldogs (the game was scheduled for Saturday at 6 due to the rain on Friday). When we arrived there was standing room only on the Bulldog side of the field! We decided that we would go have dinner and then we went to see Craig's brother, Chris, his wife Julie, and our sweet nephew Haston. Uncle Ovid was also there, and we had a lot of fun spending time with all of them!! This morning, the boys went out in the woods (something about a tree stand, but I don't get into all of that so...) and Mikayla slept in. I've been getting a little cleaning done, and Mikayla and I are about to hit the pool!! Mikayla says this is her "birthday weekend" - every morning as she wakes up, she asks "am I still the birthday girl?". Well, it sure has been a busy one!! Busy, busy weekend, but very fun!!

Happy Birthday, Mikayla!! We love you Bigger Than the World!!! You will always be our "little princess", no matter how old you get!! We love you!!

Another Dance Competition!

Mikayla's second dance competition of the year was held at the Spartanburg Memorial Auditorium on April 18th. She danced her clogging routine with Brooke and then she danced her tap routine with Alana. I loved their clogging costumes this year - she and Brooke posed in them before they went on stage. She and Brooke are good friends (they also went to the same daycare) and I hope they always will be!

Mikayla and Brooke onstage as they open their clogging routine!

Mikayla and Brooke end their routine! We didn't get to stay for awards because Craig and I had to get to Greenville for "Larry the Cable Guy", but Brooke and Mikayla's routine won 1st place!! We are so proud of our girls!!
Mikayla and Alana begin their tap routine. I also liked these costumes this year!!

A better picture of Mikayla and Alana on stage! I had to take a picture of them on the screens because I couldn't use my flash. Alana and Mikayla also won 1st place with their tap routine. Mikayla was thrilled to receive her "prizes" when she went back to dance class on Monday, the 20th! Way to go Mikayla and Alana - we are so proud of you!!

Our "hind-catcher"

Drew's position this past year in baseball was catcher! I've found some of my favorite pictures of our little catcher from the season and wanted to post them here. This was the first year that Drew played in a league that needed a catcher on the team (instead of coaches in that position), so it was of course the first year that Drew played this position. He loved it, so much so in fact, that he said he would like to play catcher in fall ball. That's right, Drew has decided that he will be playing fall baseball this year instead of soccer. We will be playing for a different association in fall ball though, since BSYAA does not offer fall baseball. He will not be hitting off the pitching machine, but instead the coaches will be pitching to them overhand. I can't wait to see how Drew does!! I think for his first year playing catcher he did an amazing job - even catching a foul tip for an out!! He's our baseball king for sure!!

Drew throws the ball back to the pitcher.

Craig helps get Drew's catcher's gear on. I was glad not to have that job!!

He looks grown here to me...

I loved watching him put that hand behind his back. Who knows what position he will play as he continues with baseball. I loved watching him play first base last year, but watching him play catcher was a lot of fun this year too!!

3rd Nine Weeks' Award's Day!

After we got back to school from Spring Break, our school hosted our Awards Day for the third nine weeks of school. Another special day for our students, and especially for Drew and Mikayla!! I was thrilled to be able to enjoy Awards Day with both of our angels again. First, I went to Drew's Awards Day while my students were in related arts that morning.Drew walks back to his seat after receiving his first award!

Drew shared his poem, Sharks, with everyone that was in attendance. Craig and I are very proud of Drew's writing this year. This same poem has been published in two anthologies this year!! Drew goes up to get another award!

Then I got to go to Mikayla's Awards Day right before mine started that afternoon. Again, I worked with Mrs. Batson to plan for my Awards Day to begin 30 minutes after hers so that I could see Mikayla. This also worked well because we shared a set of twins this past year.

Mikayla was thrilled when she saw me walk in the room!! That smile says it all!

Mrs. Batson was getting ready to announce the class' best musician. What she was telling everyone leading up to the award let me know it would be Mikayla before she even announced it. You can tell by this face that Mikayla knew it too!

Mikayla looks at her awards once she returned to her seat!

Her class showed us a finger play that they had been practicing so they could show the parents. Mikayla loves to dance/act so this is right up her alley!

Craig and I are extremely proud of our children and they accomplished in school last year!! We hope they will continue to do this well in school!!

Happy Easter!

I know saying Happy Easter sounds funny since we are already into August, but that's how far I'm behind with my posting. I'm beginning to wonder if I'll ever get caught up since I still have not posted pictures from our trip to the beach, our trip to Gatlinburg, and now (after this weekend) I have pictures from Chimney Rock and Lake Lure. I also have tons of fishing pictures to add since that is something we have been doing a lot of lately. Since school is about to start, it will be hard for me to post regularly, but I'm still determined to get everything in.

So, Happy Easter it is! Easter Sunday was a lot of fun this year! Craig and I helped Drew and Mikayla dye their Easter eggs the night before and they left their basket for the Easter bunny. We woke up Sunday morning to them "ooohhhhing and ahhhing" at what the bunny had brought and then we all got dressed for church. After church, we went over to my mom and dads house and then headed across the street to my Grandma's house. The picture above was taken at my mom and dads house with the baskets that Drew and Mikayla got over there. I have a couple of family Easter photos as well that my sister took for me, but our faces were shadowed so this one is better. Also, please excuse Mikayla's hair - she decided that she no longer wanted to wear her bow after church. Sometimes you just gotta pick your battles!! We had a great Easter dinner with family and then the kids got to have an Easter egg hunt - always a favorite with them!!

Mikayla rushes off to find some eggs! Go girl, go!!

Drew thinks he spots one...

Mikayla and Drew count their eggs and open them to find their goodies. Some of the eggs are filled with all sorts of candy, and others are empty.

Later that day, Mimi and Poppi came over to our house to hide more eggs for Drew and Mikayla. These eggs had been filled with money!! Most eggs had change in them, but a few lucky ones had dollar bills!!Mikayla's bag is filling up quickly!!Drew uncovers one that had been hidden in the dirt!!

Poppi helps Drew and Mikayla count their eggs and their money!! They were shocked to realize that both Drew and Mikayla had found the exact same amount of money!! I breathed a sigh of relief...you know with kids, everything has to be "equal"!

We had a wonderful Easter spent together as a family and enjoyed getting to spend time with our extended family too!

Happy Birthday Craig!

Craig turned 37 (I know, he is an old man but don't judge me by that - lol, just kidding honey!!) on Friday, April 17th! He had been looking at this watch at the mall but wouldn't buy it for himself, so the kids and I surprised him with it for his birthday. I also had heard that "Larry the Cable Guy" was going to be at the Bilo Center on the 18th, and even though we had never seen him, I thought it would be something Craig would enjoy. Craig has such a wild sense of humor (he makes me laugh all the time), and he enjoys comedy so I thought, "why not?" I got the tickets and arranged for my mom and dad to keep Drew and Mikayla so we could enjoy a date night.

Drew had a baseball game on the 18th at 12:30 and Mikayla was dancing in a dance competition at 3:30 so I knew it would be a busy day. I didn't know, however, that the dance competition would last until 6 - the show started in Greenville at 7. At one point, we were even afraid we would miss the show. Mikayla was tired, though, and ready to leave at 5:30 (she had already danced, we were just waiting for awards), so she told Miss Andrea to get her awards and we left. Mom and dad took Drew and Miki with them and Craig and I headed to the Bilo Center. I am so glad that I got these tickets for us. I hope (think) that Craig enjoyed it too! It was a great show - the guy that opened for him was WONDERFUL but I can't remember his name (sad, I know). A lot of the stories/jokes that they both told were about family so we could easily relate!! Afterward, we went to eat dinner at Joe's Crab Shack - yummy!! We had such a nice night together, just the two of us.

Sorry I'm so late, Craig, but I hope you had a wonderful birthday! We love you so much, and I thank my Lord every day for you!!

Happy Birthday Drew!!

I am not caught up with posting (I am still posting things from April, in fact), but I could not let this day pass without wishing our little guy (also known as "little Craig") a Happy Birthday.

It is so hard for me to believe that he is eight years old already!! It seems like just yesterday we were in the hospital and they were placing our infant in my arms. There is not a feeling like that in the world!! Craig and I were hooked the moment we looked into his bright blue eyes!! Our hearts swelled with love for our child.

This morning we woke up to signs that his daddy hung up for him before he left for work. One says "Happy Birthday Drew!", another says "Happy Birthday Little Craig!", and still another says "Happy Birthday Bubba!". Drew got the biggest smile on his face when he saw those signs, and I couldn't help but think of how wonderful my husband is! He is one of the most thoughtful people I know!!

Tradition in our family is that the birthday person gets to choose what/where they eat for supper. Last year, Drew chose Kanpai. This year he says Chuck E. Cheese. This could change several times today, so there is really no telling where we will end up!! I will have pictures from the dinner, I'm sure! Look for those soon...

Happy Birthday Drew! We love you - no matter how old you get, you will always be our "little man"!