Fall 2013 (Part 1)

So here's my attempt throughout the month of October...I'm going to get my blog up-to-date.  I already doubt myself, but that doesn't mean I'm not going to give it a shot!  From what I can remember (;-) we had a great Fall last year!  Here are a few of the highlights!

Scott and I surprised dad with tickets to the Braves postseason play-off game.  We always have fun...even though the Braves continue to disappoint.  

 My BFF's and I planned a fun weekend in Athens together! Such a fun time!

 Noah and I headed to Denver Downs on his first field trip in Kindergarten.  I'll be heading on the same field trip with Gavin next week.  Time doesn't stop, does it?

 David and dad went to the Clemson/BC game one Saturday.  UGA was losing to Vanderbilt, so mom and I decided we wanted to get out of the house.  I found a festival online that was within driving distance, so I thought we'd give it a shot.  On the web, it showed small church, so I was thinking it was a small bizarre.  Needless to say, we were one of thousands of people at this festival!  Mom and I just laughed and laughed when we arrived to see the amount of people!

 Our yearly stop at Walhalla Oktoberfest and it is one of my favorites!  Great food and if you go during a Clemson game, we have the place to ourselves!

More Fall fun to come...

Gavin Starts School Too!

The older the boys get, the better friends they are, but the more different they are too.  Gavin started Pre-K the morning after we drove 16 hours from NY.  He woke up and was ready to start his new adventure.

The pancakes

 The pose

 Walking in to his classroom

Finding his seat

Playing with his new friends and not even noticing that I'm leaving the room...

Gavin is such a special boy.  He is full of confidence and strength.  I have seen him "mature" immensely over the last year.  He hops out of the car each day while I'm begging for a kiss.  I'm so thankful for him because I don't think I could have handled two criers!  

It happened...

Noah went to kindergarten.  He is gone from me for 7 hours Monday through Friday.  He doesn't eat lunch with me...
I'm obviously playing catch-up with my posts, but I really never wanted to post about Noah's first days of kindergarten.  It was a ridiculously hard time for our entire family, so when I reflect back on that time, my stomach is in a bit of a knot...and then I praise the Lord that we have all grown so much from that first day.  Day 1 actually wasn't the problem...

We started our day with the traditional "important day" pancakes.

We took the famous posed picture on the front steps.

 

We all walked into the school together...

...notice the look on his face!

We got a picture with his sweet and pretty teacher.

 We found his desk.

 And then David and I left our son with a complete stranger for 7 hours.  No tears on Noah's part...I was a COMPLETE mess.  They have a Boohoo Breakfast for the parents.  I did not participate.  I wanted to boohoo in private.  

 Then, I picked this sweet boy up from school!  We made it...

...and then Day 2 happened.  I don't like thinking about Day 2 or 3 or 23 for that matter.  Noah had a hard time separating from me and there were A LOT of tears shed.  I'm pleased to say Noah has made great progress and is a professional kindergarten at this point.  I'm so proud of him and I'm proud of myself too.  Don't ask me how I'm going to handle dropping two of them off next year!

Oh, The Beach!

My wonderful Aunt Jane lives at the beach.  To say I love the beach is a bit of an understatement.  I'm almost positive my house in heaven will be on the beach.  So, when Aunt Jane moved to a little town near Cocoa Beach, I was ecstatic.  My mom and I have made 5 trips to see her (we invited the big boys once!).  Every trip is just perfect...the food, the beach and of course, the company.  I love that my boys love Aunt Jane too!

We started our visit with a stop in Metter to visit with Seleta!

Our days were spent at the beach.  The boys loved "riding the waves" and Levi wasn't bothered by the sand.  He's a beach lover too!

He also kept this pool ring on his head for an extremely long amount of time.  He'd walk around with it on his head.  

We visited the pool in the afternoon and evenings.  It's a great pool and it's right across the road from Aunt Jane's house.  Just perfect!

 Someone was a bit sunburned after our first day at the beach!

We found a really great putt-putt place for the kiddos.  The boys had a blast!

Don't you just love summer colors?

 These two are so special to me!

 The whole bunch!

We are so blessed to have such wonderful people in our "family".  Aunt Jane has made such an everlasting impact in my life.  I look forward to our next visit!!!  

Random Summer Fun (2013)

We had a wonderful summer full of vacations and visits from family. When we weren't out-of-town, we spent our time at the pool with friends, enjoyed our newly finished basement and colored lots of pictures.

We also...

...had a blast at the mud course at our local park.

 ...enjoyed celebrating David's birthday at the old faithful Olive Garden.

 ...celebrated at home.  Happy 32nd Birthday Babe!

 ...drew wonderful drawings.  This drawing in particular makes me a bit teary.  Noah is starting to truly get "it" when it comes to the truth of Jesus.  He drew this picture while he was supposed to be napping.  The other reason I get a bit teary is that I was really upset at him for not napping, and then he showed me the picture he drew.  Mommy fail...I think the picture was much more important than the nap!

 ...had fun with friends.  Noah will hate me for this picture one day!

...ate McDonald's after a great 6 year old check-up.  Noah is so glad he doesn't have to get any more shots until he's 11.  

We'll Do Anything For Free Food

Chick-Fil-A is a staple in our home.  Not only do we love the food, we can actually all eat for less than $25, which for our family of 5 is cheap.  Gavin no longer eats a kid's meal!!!  The employees at our Seneca Chick-Fil-A are especially wonderful and make our family feel so special.  And, if you offer us free food, we'll do whatever we need to do so we can partake.  So, here are the Odoms as cows...

Boyle Cousin Camp 2013

Over the summer, Nate and Lila joined Mimi, myself and the boys for a week of fun in Dacula.  I took loads of pictures (yeah!) and promised a book to commemorate our fun, which I haven't done (boo!).  The kids really do love spending time together and the boys are constantly asking to go to Nate's house.  We truly cherish our time together.

Everyday, we started out with a morning bike ride.  It was about the only time of day that it wasn't ridiculously hot or raining.

 

After riding bikes and while Levi took his morning nap, I took the big kids down to the pool for morning swim.  They could have stayed there all day.  Pools are the best part of summer!

The boys played a little tennis while Miss Lila would swing at the playground.

Little Bit learned how to walk while we were at Mimi's!

My dad and I took the big boys to the Gwinnett Braves game.  The boys had fun, enjoyed their Dippin' Dots and let dad and I watch a little bit of the game.  

At the movies to see Despicable Me 2.

Our eventful trip to the Yellow Game Ranch.  It was incredibly muddy because it had rained a lot that week.  I am not a huge fan of this "zoo" but at least they have the deer confined to their own area, so they are no longer able to nibble on your clothes. 

Relaxing after our lunch at chinese!  

Now that we are heading into spring, we are planning our 2014 Boyle Cousins Camp, and I know the boys can't wait.  We are so blessed with such a wonderful family!