Fun times with ELMO!

David and I we able to take Noah to see Elmo LIVE in Clemson last night. Just the three of us went, so we were so excited to give him our undivided attention. I was highly impressed with the show that Sesame Street produced. The characters are excellent dancers and kept Noah's attention the entire show. The show was well worth the money...the "extras" were a different story. They were selling $10 Elmo balloons like they were going out of style. It was nuts!

Noah and David before the show. Noah looks excited, doesn't he???

The lights and colors were awesome!


Noah was pumped that Dorothy AND Mr. Noodle were there.

He pretty much sat with his mouth open the entire show!.

*Though the show was great, I will think again before taking him to something like this at night. I don't think he settled down to sleep much before 11:30. It was a fun way to spend the rest of the night to say the least!

Gavin turned 7 months old yesterday and is now using a combo of the army crawl and the real deal. I also found him standing up in his crib last night. I guess we will need to lower his mattress again, but we literally just lowered it 2 weeks ago because he started sitting up. What can I say, my boy is advanced! Here the two boys are playing together. I am so thankful for my 2 little guys ans it warms my heart to know they are already best buds!

LIfe Part 4: Trip to St. Louis

*There are two new posts!

Mom, Noah, Gavin and I headed to St. Louis last week to visit Scott, Abatha and Nate. As usual, they are wonderful hosts and we had a great visit. Our time was filled with great food, trips to the zoo and Grant's Farm, picnics and football. Fun times were had by all!

It was a bit chilly on our train ride at Grant's Farm.

Such a sweet pic!

The two buds...they played so well together!

Aunt Ab and Nate on the train ride. What a great smile Nate!

The St. Louis Zoo is awesome. We loved seeing the two baby elephants.

Noah has a new dance. This is the face that he makes when he is breaking it down!

My attempt to get a pic of Mimi and her 3 grandbabies.

Life Part 3: Gavin is 6 months old!

I can't believe my baby boy is 6 months old! Gavin is such a gift to our family. He amazes me day after day. He has his two bottom teeth, is sitting up on his own and has the army crawl down pat.

We are now working on solid foods. He loves sweet potatoes, peas and apple sauce. He didn't really love his first try at cereal!

Noah has a new found love with his old baby toys now that Gavin is using them!

My little stud started going to Bible School one day a week. He loves wearing his "packback" as he calls it.

The Last Couple Weeks Part 2: NY Trip (Part 2)

I admit that I am a big fan of "posed" pictures. Though I have learned that children between the ages of 2 and 4 don't enjoy them, at least I know I will definitely have pics during this stage of our life. Here are some of the ones I captured at the lake.

There were 7 of the 9 kids at the lake. Unfortunately my Uncle David was in the hospital, but is home and doing better. My grandmother (in the red sweater) just celebrated her 90th birthday and her sister Ruth (next to her) just celebrated 95. What wonderful women!!!

My grandmother has 26 grandchildren and 18 of us made it to the lake this year. These are the ones that were around for the pic.

I actually think these group shots turned out pretty good.



I am so thankful for David. I am so thankful he loves family. Unfortunately, while we were in NY, David found out his Papa Ira had passed away. David did a tremendous job mourning his loss, but still enjoyed his time at the lake. We headed to Charleston, SC from NY where David did a beautiful job singing at his grandfather's funeral. To top it all off, Noah, Gavin and I were all sick last week, so David (along with my mom...she is great) had to mister mom! He is the best hubby ever!

The Last Couple Weeks Part 1: NY Trip (Part 1)

We had a great time at the lake with my fam! As I have said in previous posts, I really do believe that Canandaigua Lake is one of the most beautiful places in the world. For many reasons, we were thankful for awesome weather. We were able to take many boats rides, naps in the sun, sleeping in tents (for the men) and endless hours of playing for Noah and Nate. I am so thankful for a family that though I live many miles away, I still feel close and included when I am there. God has truly blessed us with great extended family on both sides!

There is no possible way I can post all of the shots we got out at the lake. I guess this would be the time for me to learn how to make a slideshow...I don't think today is the day!

The infamous view toward the lake. It will never get old looking out the cottage windows and seeing this.

Canoes were a big entertainment in and out of the water.

Gavin loved being outside. He took a few naps on the lawn...so sweet.

The water was cold, but that didn't stop the guys from taking the plunge.

This is the 21st year that my grandma has rented the lake. In years past, the television was off limits. Being that it is always opening day for Georgia football, it puts us in a bit of a tough spot. Grandma has gradually loosened the rules, and we were allowed to watch the game. Here is Gavin watching his first game. Noah had just gotten up from a nap. He looks how we all felt after we realized we weren't going to win!!!

*Don't you just love my dad's new glasses. He is so hip!!!

The next post will compose some more "posed" pictures of our trip. Coming soon....

My Favorite Place on Earth

We are headed to New York for our annual trip to the cottage with my family. This is my absolute favorite time of year! The scenery makes for great pictures, so stay tuned!

A Few New Things

Thankfully, our lives have been pretty "normal" these days. We have managed to stay on some sort of schedule and have really enjoyed days spent at home, going to the library, swimming with friends, taking our weekly trips to Wal-Mart and having lunch at the Seneca Chick-Fil-A. I can honestly say that I feel more at home here than I thought would ever be possible. I am getting used to the slower pace and lack of shopping...our budget appreciates that.

My mom came up for a visit while my dad was in England on business. We always enjoy her visits! She's always up for a trip, so we ventured to the Greenville Zoo with our annual passes. For some reason, Noah was a bit scared of the bigger animals this visit.
We did manage to get him to pose near an animal that wasn't alive...

He didn't mind the giant turtle exhibit either.

Watching the boys interact together has definitely been a highlight for me lately. Gavin is enamored by his big brother. I tried to capture a great scene the other day. Noah was "throwing" Gavin the ball and then would ask Gavin to throw it back to him. I can't wait until this game can be a reality!

Here are a few more pics representing our summer. Noah loves lounging in the pool and Gavin thankfully enjoys the water as well!



I am headed to the Women of Faith Conference this weekend with some of the great ladies in David's family. I am really looking forward to some girl time, but am a little apprehensive about leaving Gavin for the first time overnight. I know he will do great...it's me that I am worried about!