I am 30!

I know everyone says they never thought they'd be a certain age or they can't believe this is what a certain age feels like.  Well, I never thought I'd be 30 and I certainly didn't think this is what I would feel like, look like, or think like at 30.  I guess I never thought I would be out of my 20's...I figured I'd stay 27 or 28 forever.  I don't feel like I look any different than I did at 23...I am wrong.  I don't know what I expected, but I don't feel as old as I know some (younger) folks think that I am.

I do know that God has incredibly blessed me at this ripe, young age of 30.  Jesus has saved my soul. Period. My husband rocks.  He is my soulmate and my best friend.  Noah and Gavin light up my life.  They are both so different, but they are each such a part of me.  I have a sweet angel watching over me in heaven and another on the way.  I want to hold this baby SO bad!  My parents are my biggest fans and best friends.  They know me so well and love me better than I can imagine.  My big brother is one of my dearest friends.  He challenges me to think about things in different ways and from different perspectives, can play a mean game of Rummikub, and can make me laugh like no other.  I truly enjoy and appreciate both of my sister-in-laws and would consider them two of my best friends.  My nieces and nephews are such treasures to me, and I wish I could see them more than I do.  And yes folks, I really do LOVE my in-laws and enjoy being around them.  I know there aren't many people that can say that!  The list could go on and on about the blessings of my extended family, my close friends (near and far), and my church.  God has SO outdone Himself with blessings that I do not deserve.  I pray that as a look ahead, I will relish and dwell on these blessings and leave the pessimistic part of me behind.  God is good and I am grateful!

I had a week of celebrations for the big occasion.  It started with the traditional trip to Skips and the Braves game.  Then, I had a great birthday supper with friends and family!  I asked for money and manual labor for my birthday and everyone delivered.  A couple of weekends ago, dad and David worked tirelessly in the front yard!  It looks amazing!

Thanks again to everyone for making my 30th extra special!  You've made the trip out of my 20's a little easier.  

Baseball Fever

Baseball is here and I am feeling it!  I LOVE the Braves and have even enjoyed a going to a couple of Clemson baseball games since we have lived here.  It has been a recent tradition for us to go to the Braves game for my birthday.  This year the game just happened to be on opening day.  Wow!  We had perfect seats, perfect weather, perfect food, and we won!  It was a great evening...even though I was celebrating turning 30!

The festivities for opening day are awesome!  Chipper lead the team out onto the field during a fireworks display, the giant American flag...it was a great environment!

 The boys were ready to catch some foul balls!

 The men!  

 Mimi and the boys

Family photo op!

 Our silly pose...Gavin chose to act asleep!

I had to include this picture of a random stranger.  This man was at the game all by himself with a 3 month old baby.  He stayed until the very last inning (which was over around 11:15 pm).  She was an angel the entire time.  I can just imagine the conversation with his wife went something like, "You aren't going to the game unless you take her with you."  To which he replies, "We'll see you later!"  What a devoted fan!

Preschool Fun!

It's hard to believe that our first year of preschool is coming to a close.  Overall, the experience has been extremely positive, and I feel like Noah has grown a lot as an individual over the past year.  We are excited that he will be attending half day Kindergarten there next year and his best bud will be in his class again!

They have A LOT of field trips, extra activities, etc. at the preschool.  Here are some photos from the Easter egg hunt. 

Noah's teacher, Mrs. Kiser, is a phenomenal artist and jewelry maker.  Close to the end of the year, the students do an art unit that teaches them about different mediums, artists, materials, etc.  I was highly impressed at the work these 4 and 5 year olds created!

 Noah's favorite piece was his self portrait.  He is attempting to imitate the face he drew!
                                                           

Preschool has been a lot of fun.  I am definitely looking forward to less of a routine this summer, but know that by August, it will time for us to get back on a schedule!  

Jesus Has Risen!

We had a wonderful Easter celebration this year. We spent the beginning of the weekend at David's parent's house relaxing and spending time with some extended family. Then, after the Masters concluded on Saturday, we headed back to our house, so David could go to bed...he had to be up at 4:30 am on Sunday! FCC had 3 services that were Spirit-filled and powerful. A lot of David's family were able to join us which was extra special. We had a family lunch, then spent the day relaxing, watching golf and enjoying the beautiful weather!

We attempted to get a family picture before David headed for a much needed nap. I am glad we got it, but it won't be a framer. Does anyone else feel pretty decent about your "size" when you're pregnant, but then, you see a picture of yourself and that all goes out the window?

After nap, we had the traditional Easter egg hunt. Aren't they growing up? Noah is obsessed with belts and tucking his shirt in. He also loves a tie...that was a battle he didn't win today!

My THREE children...I can't believe we are only 10 weeks away from having our next one! Yikes! Some days I don't think I'm cut out for handling two. Lord, give me the strength and patience!

The traditional bunny cake. He was struggling this year, but at least the tradition is kept alive!

Dying Easter eggs with Grammy.

Jesus is so good to me and Easter is always a perfect reminder of why I worship Him. Thank you Jesus for your forgiveness, grace and continual mercy. We celebrate You!

Our Zoo Trip (Minus the Animals)

As I stated in Gavin's birthday post, we headed to the Atlanta Zoo for his 3rd birthday this year. The day was beautiful and the zoo was crowded. Thankfully, we have great friends that live close by, so they joined us for a celebration. David took a lot of pictures of animals, but I will not be sharing those...I always think that's a waste of a picture. I mean, I like the animals and all, and the boys loved the pandas, but I'm a people person at heart. So, here's our zoo trip in picture form.

Thanks so much to our friends and family for joining us. Gavin is a special little boy and y'all sure made him feel that way! It was so fun to have all of our kids together too. That doesn't happen as often as I wish it could! Happy Birthday Gavin, again!

Another Great Trip

The boys, mom and I headed to St. Louis for a visit with Scott and his fam! As always, the trip was highly anticipated by all. Because of the boys' excitement, the car ride up was particularly annoying...I think it hadn't been 10 minutes after leaving my parent's house that Noah asked where The Arch was. He asked how many hotels we would see on our way, so I said 100. Yes, he then began to count the hotels we passed. Time is such a hard thing to grasp for the little ones! Once we arrived, all was well with the world and the three amigos settled right in to their normal task of playing. I mean, those three can play together like no one's business. I'm so glad that they truly enjoy each other's company.

We always do a lot of fun things when we are at Scott and Ab's and this time was no different. We made our second zoo attempt on St. Patty's day and this is when I got most of my pictures. Lots of green people!

Lila is too much. I mean, I could eat her up!

Mimi and two of her 4 grandkids. Look at how tall Nate is!

I asked the boys to make a silly face. This is when Nate decided to give a perfect smile!

Lila's outfits are too perfect. I have informed Abatha that if I have a girl, I will be in need of a personal tutorial on where she shops!

I actually took pictures of all of the adults too! We do exist!

I love my family and I love spending time with them. If only it could be more often! It's hard to believe that the next time we visit together, there will be another little one in the mix!

My "Baby" is Three!

My littlest one is three! To be out of the toddler stage, for a short period, is crazy. I feel like my Gavey grew-up over night. I am so blessed to be his momma!

We started off the big day with our traditional birthday pancakes! He is so proud that he can hold up three fingers!

A few presents for the big man. (If you are around us long enough, you will see that my kids rarely ever wear all of their clothes...hope it's not offensive!)

We had a great lunch with David and friends, took a nap, and headed to my parents that evening. Thankfully, we also got to see Kortney and her kiddos at the park while we were there! The birthday boy blew out his candle and ate an awesome cupcake!

Gavin, You are one special little boy! I love that you love to cuddle with me and give me lots of hugs and kisses. Thank you for asking to hold my hand when we are together. Though are personalities are quite different, thank you for teaching me new things about myself and for challenging me (and for testing my patience often :-) You are such a gift, and you are going to make an awesome big brother and a PERFECT middle child!!! I love you Gav-Man!

*More pictures from his party at the zoo in a later post!