June 2013

This month things picked up for our family.

So the AC died in our caravan at the end of March. We stuck it out for a couple of months but were so so excited to upgrade to this beauty! Working AC, working stereo, and automatic doors. Total heaven!

We got it the night before a 2 day drive to the beach!!!

The boys and I joined my family and grandmother for a week on St. George Island.

Despite the longest drive in the world we had a blast!

Toddler headphones and travel DVD players saved our lives.

So did these books with tiny super hero figures.

The books were sort of the best idea ever, until...

we hit any bump in the road and those figures avalanched to the floor.

Then they were the most annoying things ever!

Poor Laura climbed through the car retrieving little toys like 500 billion times.

And this is a picture of the rest of the car...

Yes, you counted correctly.

4 toddler boys. 2 moms in the front seat.

We were probably a little crazy to attempt this, but they actually did really well! 

Sleeping toddlers are probably the best sight on a road trip!

We love the beach!

This boy played his heart out from breakfast till bath time.

Beach sleeping is just so refreshing...

It's been so long since all of us siblings spent so much time together. We had so much fun!

The sweetest brothers.

Andrew, Daniel, and Adam (L to R)

And the whole family! Matt wasn't able to get away from work on such short notice... 

He missed out and we missed him terribly!

Laura, Thomson and Caleb (C is holding the sucker)

I don't have a picture, but all 4 little boys were super heros all week long.

They were adorable.

My sweet G.

Silly J. 

So full of attitude.

30 weeks.

Can't wait to meet baby girl!

I love my parents! 

I love J, but sometimes he's a little intense. He loves to watch movies and will actually sit through them.

So once we discovered he would let us eat in peace by watching Hook on my mom's computer, we were set! He is a super picky eater and survived the week on cereal. 

He watched Hook like 12 times off in a corner of the living room. What a funny guy.

This boy loved the beach. And the waves. 

Then we made the long journey home. It was such a wonderful wonderful vacation. 

I really hope we're able to do it again next year so Matt can be a part of it!

G is still in a major love affair with policemen. The hat goes everywhere.

He found that watch at my mom's house.

Then he wanted me to take this picture of him. 

Looking like a fierce policeman.

Oh, and he never wears a shirt. Ever.
He wears one when we go somewhere but once we get to any friend's house or back home the first thing he does is lose his shirt...

J's hair.

It's sort of taking on it's own personality...

This is probably my favorite picture in a while.

I think it captures both of them so perfectly!

And I love that they're both wearing belts.

I love my boys. I love that they love to snuggle.

And I'm ready to have this baby!

Hair.

So big news on the house front.

We got a contract!

Just a week after we got back from the beach things finally started to move with the house. 

Such an answer to prayer!

It was bitter sweet to pack up the house. Our first home. 

The trees that we planted. The rooms we painted. 

The doors that welcomed our first 2 babies.

We had a lot of fun making memories and building our family in this house!

April 2013

Raise your hand if you like to mop.

I LOVE a freshly mopped house. 

The smell is delightful as are the shiny floors in the sunlight.

I know, I might have issues.

We also found out that we were adding a sweet little girl to our family!

We were so very thankful and thrilled... Of course for a healthy report but also for the pink!

Graham has been saying all along that our baby had to be a girl. Glad we didn't have to give him disappointing news. He is busy planning what a police girl can wear...

 Lots and lots of park time.

Boys love sticks.

Matt had a conference in Charleston so we were happy to tag along!

Spring allergies are particularly bad for G. 

We were hoping to miss them on the east coast... we were wrong. 

Thankfully it rained several times so we could play outside and enjoy the mild weather!

And when it rains for 2 days straight - little boys must explore puddles. 

With boots. With backpacks.

Doesn't everyone wear glasses while eating TCBY?

We had so much fun filling up nana and granddaddy's days!

G of course loved the water. Matt had the best time pushing him into some waves!

And thankfully J was more cheerful about the beach this year.

He still had to wear his flip flops at all times but it was a big improvement!

This little one. I love him and his sweet curls so much!

Vacation is so exhausting.

Sometimes even eating lunch is just too much work.

September 2012

Welp, here I am, in the second half of August 2013 and giving my blog the ol' once a year update. So much has happened this last year that I can't just give a summary. The boys have just been too dang cute to not share some pictures! 

We let the boys share a birthday party last year since they were both pirate obsessed. And they have the same friends. And their birthdays are a month apart. It works well!

Graham turned 4 and Jackson turned 2. Our two pirates. It was a great party and all the kids came in their best pirate costumes!

The Pinata was a HUGE hit!

Jackson was very upset that people were beating his pirate friend... 

He's giving him a hug here instead of taking his turn to swing.
(Please notice the piece of cookie cake...
He begged for a piece and refused to put it down or eat it. He's not a sweet eater...
what a funny kid!)

He seemed to get over it pretty quickly once the pirate head could be used as a hat!

Matt's parents moved to north Charleston to pastor a church. We are so sad they're so far away obviously, but we had a wonderful time visiting them and getting to explore their new city and meet their new church family! Our first day there we took a carriage ride tour of historic downtown.
It was so much fun!

Graham LOVED the beach. For all his texture issues, the sand was no big deal... who knew?!

Jackson wasn't as thrilled. He only liked the beach if he was wearing his flip flops.

And he didn't like if the water got above his ankles.

But in the spirit of their pirate love - we found a pirate playground. They had a blast!

Matt and I got to spend a morning exploring the city by ourselves - so refreshing.

And Matt got to surf almost every day. He was in heaven...

We had such a wonderful visit with Nana and Granddaddy! 

The drive there took us 18 hours (we took the long way by accident). 

So on the way home we stopped at a motel for the first time... 

No one got much sleep but this bedtime picture does capture the 

boys' excitement of us all sharing the same room!

And we came home to a loaded fridge thanks to my parents! 

Such a nice treat as we re-entered reality...