Summer Lovin'

I'm cold.

It is 42 degrees here, with a windchill of 36. We have had a week of this weather so far, and I'm not liking it. All of this cold has me longing for the 80 degree days of summer and of all of the fun days at the beach. When, oh when, is it going to warm up???

I was looking through my pictures from the summer and the beach and thinking about how much I missed those days. So, here are a few of my favorite summer memories, ones that I hope will warm me (and you) from the inside out. It can't be too long until summer again, right?

I love this video... listening to the wind, the waves, and the little boy squeals... what could be better??? I am so ready for beach weather again!

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As I am complaining, I am thinking about my poor Dad in Ohio. He sent me an email today that said:

Wish you were here.

You always seem to warm things up.

1/29 at 2:00 PM
Temp 18
Wind Chill 6

Forecast for the next 5 days

Highs in the low 20's,

Lows around 10, and
light snow fall (1 in or less)

Dad

No more complaining from me... this could be the view from my back porch!!

Overheard...

...during bedtime prayers:

"Lead us not into tation
and deliver us from nebil."

Karate King

Jackson has been taking karate after school once a week, and he is loving it!! I am attempting to post a video to show you his new skills... check out my little Karate Master!


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Nine.

Miles. Nine miles. That's how far I ran yesterday (well, actually 9.27, but who's counting??). I can't believe it! I was a little sore this morning, but it pretty much went away by the end of the day.

Why on earth did I run that far? No, I wan't being chased. I am training for the Myrtle Beach Half Marathon (13.1 miles) on February 17th. I have set this goal twice before, and for whatever reason it hasn't happened. It is this time... I am over halfway there now, and I am determined to do it, no matter what!

This race is to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I was thinking on my long run last week about that and wondering if I knew anyone affected by a blood cancer. On that day, my answer was no. Today, my answer is yes. I found out yesterday that one of our favorite babysitter's brother was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma over the holidays. I have never met him, but our family loves his sister, and I know that she must be devastated by this news.

I am not a solicitor, nor am I going to to wear a badge with a picture of our babysitter or her brother, proclaiming them my motivation. But, I did receive a letter in the mail from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society asking me to help raise money for research to find cures for blood cancers. If you are interested in sponsoring me on this run, I would be happy to give your money to the Society. They recommend a $10 donation or maybe $1/mile ($13)... it is up to you. (If you are not interested, that's fine, too!!)

Only four more weeks, each one with a longer and longer run. I'll keep you posted... I am so looking forward to seeing what I can do!

MLK Day Picnic

We had a great picnic of MLK Day with lots of friends and fun. Since it was a holiday, many of the daddies were off work, so they joined us for the picnic. It was a crazy playdate at the James Island County Park, as we had 14 children, ranging from 4 years to 4 months! The kids had a blast, though, and Jackson and Harris were totally worn out by the end of lunch.

Spencer, Fordham, Reeves, and Harris, all lined up for their favorite slide. I think they all about wore out the seats of their pants sliding down this slide!

Harris and Fordham following Wilson up the ladder.
Fordham
Jackson
Reeves
Spencer
Harris showing us his "noooo".
Eliza

Wilson, Fordham, Harris, Jackson, Ashley, DuBose, Reeves, Spencer, and Mary Kathryn sitting on the ledge. Alexandria, Mills, Eliza, and Anne in the strollers (missing May, who had to leave early).

It was not easy getting this picture, and I have a hysterical series of them, trying to get everyone to look and smile. I am so looking forward to many more of these pictures and watching them all grow... hopefully it will get easier to take this picture some day! We had a great time and are so glad everyone could join us!!

Boys Play

Our group of children is made of of mostly boys, and it is always fun to watch them play. I think the picnic was the most that I have seen them actually play together, and it was so funny to watch. They all ran up and down this ramp for awhile before they started playing steamroller...
Jackson and Spencer, the oldest of the group.
DuBose and Harris join the fun.
Even Mary Kathryn tried to join in, but I think the boys were too much for her in the end!
DuBose and Spencer.

I can't wait to watch these boys grow up together!!

Ronald McDonald House

Jason and I have been part of a "cell group" with our church for almost four years. We have been meeting twice a month for fellowship and Bible study... this group of 14 people have become some of our closest friends. For a year or so, we have been talking about doing some sort of service project together to "practice what we preach". We finally all got together and did it... we cooked dinner for the families staying at the Ronald McDonald House. The familes, for the most part, fend for themselves during the day, but the house tries to have a prepared dinner ready for them every night, typically prepared by volunteers.

Steve, Jason, and Gregg washing dishes.
Tyler planned the evening for us... she did a great job!
We prepared a great dinner for them... chicken, artichoke, and wild rice casserole, salad, bread, and cookies for dessert. I wish I could say that we met many families, but most of the families got to dinner later than we were able to stay. We did meet one woman who had been there for three months... her baby girl was born 7 weeks early with her intestines on the outside of her body. Fortunately, she was doing great and was going to be able to go home two weeks later. The proud mama was so excited to talk to us about her baby girl, even pulling out her photo albums documenting her growth, development, and healing over the past three months.

What a great evening! We missed those who weren't able to be with us, but I think we all enjoyed ourselves and are planning to do it again soon... hopefully we will plan better and be able to stay longer.

Friends and Neighbors

We are so blessed to live down the street from some of our closest friends. It is nice to have someone to call when things are crazy and we need a playdate, or to have someone to watch the kids for a quick errand.

Last Saturday, the boys and I headed down to Nancy and DuBose's house to play with DuBose and Mills and to have a picnic. All four of the boys had a blast and played together so well. I think Nancy and I were actually able to relax while they played, as they were all so well-behaved and entertained themselves so well.

I know that these boys are going to be great friends as they grow, and I know they are going to be so thankful to have each other so close. I am already so thankful to have Nancy right down the street!

Tonight's Bathtime

Tonight in the bath, Harris decided to stand up for a minute. When he stands up, his little bottom comes up to about Jackson's shoulder. So, Harris backed up so his little bottom was actually on Jackson's shoulder, and he tooted on him!! Trying desperately not to laugh, Jason and I fussed at him to sit down. I think both boys were oblivious to what had happened, thank goodness, but I also think this is just the beginning of some of the grossness that goes along with little boys.

Later during the bath, Jackson took a bath crayon and started to color his teeth turquoise. Of course he got fussed at, and he almost immediately turned to Harris and tried to color his teeth as well. I guess he was getting Harris back for the toot.

Boys, boys, boys.

Harris...

... has really started to add to his vocabulary.

... loves Nana's dog, Mavis (May-May), and asks for her constantly.

... signs "thank-you" without being asked.

... loves to give big kisses.

... loves talking on the phone to Nana and Dada.

... grabs his nose (or yours) and says "Noooo".... calls Jackson "Ja-Ja" and loves to play with him.

... gets excited to see me and give me a huge hug and kiss every morning.

... loves to dance, even when there is no music.

... is such a happy boy, full of hugs and kisses!

Jackson...

... loves the movie Cars and anything that goes with it.

... loves to give big hugs.

... called me a sea monster.

... said he needed to get his jogging clothes on, go for a jog, and "get all sweaty" the other day.

... loves playing with Harris, as long as it doesn't involve his trains.

... loves playing "I Spy".

... loves playing any board games and can whip both Jason and me at any Memory game!

... can play on the computer without any help from us.

... asks me if he can check his email!

... wins the hearts of many with his super-sweet cheeks and smiles!

Worn Out

I would love to be able to fall asleep this easily!

A Man and His Bike

For Christmas, my family all pitched in and got my dad an electric bike. It is a great bike, as it collapses so he can take it on the boat, and it can be ridden as a normal bike or as an electric bike. I think Dad was super-suprised. Now he can take it with him on his trips to explore all of the towns he visits, get to and from the grocery store, and to tote his laundry to the cleaners.
I love the pictures of him on it... I haven't seen him on a bike since I was little. Unfortunately, what you can't see in the pics is the little bell on the handle bars. It really does make you feel like the Wicked Witch of the West as you ride it... too funny!
Happy exploring, Dad!

Practice

On New Year's Eve day, Dad took us and the Smiths out in the boat for a trial run before our evening trip. While Jason and Stephen learned the ins and outs of the boat, the little boys played and enjoyed the boat ride! I loved these pictures and wanted to share...

Fordham, Harris, & Jackson
Stephen and Fordham

The Smith Family

It was a great opportunity to get out in the boat. While it was an overcast morning, it was still nice to be outside and on the water.

New Year's Eve

I know that this post is over a week late, but I wanted to post it anyhow! For New Year's Eve, Dad graciously let us kick him off the boat so that we could take a group of friends out for an evening cruise. Nana and Papa T were sweet enough to offer to keep the boys so we could go out and enjoy the evening and our friends, and of course we took them up on it!

We had appetizers and drinks as Stephen and Jason took us into the harbor for an incredible cruise... the weather was perfect. The sky was clear, the moon was nearly full, the stars were out, and there was an amazing ring around the moon... it was a perfect night for a cruise!
Todd, Mark, and Gregg
Melinda, Dorothy, and Nancy
Caroline, Clary, and me
Jason and Stephen concentrate on the task at hand. They did such a great job, and I appreciate them doing all of the hard work! When we got back, the karaoke machine made a quick appearance (thank goodness it was a short enough appearance that I got skipped!!).
It was Mark's birthday, so Clary made a cake and we all sang.

The crew consisted of a group of our closest friends:
Clary & Mark
DuBose & Nancy
Dorothy & Gregg
Todd & Melinda
Caroline & Stephen
We had such a great time! Thanks, Nana, Papa T, and Papa for allowing all of this to happen!

Thanks to our friends for joining us on such a great night! We are looking forward to many more great times with you in this New Year!!

We missed you, Halfords and Bairs!