Elle Elizabeth

So much has been going on that I haven't known where to start. For those of you who don't know, Jeremy and Tonya had their baby girl, Elle Elizabeth. She is super beautiful but her little heart needs surgery. I can't tell all the exact details well but Jeremy is updating daily on the Bedrock website. Make sure to check it out and pray for Elle.

Update: She had surgery yesterday and it extremely well. When Jeremy called and said that I just kept giving praises to God. I love when God decides to show off. Make sure to check out what Jeremy had to say on the Bedrock website.

Boo Boos

I think Jonathan's nickname is very appropriate for him, Boo Boos. Andrew gave him the nickname the first time he saw him. Andrew was holding him and said, 'I love you Boo Boos,' and it has stuck.
I'm thinking we might switch it to something that won't continue to bring harm to him. Besides the constant scabs on his knees, and the occasional fall down an embankment, and the numerous busted lips (all while being constantly supervised) he seems to find trouble. His most recent injury was a face plant on concrete. I seriously thought his teeth went through his chin. There was blood and crying but in the end it was just another busted lip. Check out that pout...
A major no no in our home but he likes to push the boundaries.
Taking pride in disobedience.
He likes to play the piano.
Just checking out all his playing options.
In the end he plays the piano for a long time.
Heads up Mommys, Jonathan cut his index finger on a Sprite can. He pulled it down from the table using the drinking hole. I didn't even know he cut himself until I kept seeing blood everywhere (on the floor, toys, refrig). Those holes are very sharp.
Lastly, Jonathan rarely cries when he gets hurt. He only cries if it is a serious injury (i.e. face plant). A simple fall on the knees, he gets up and keeps playing. The tears come later when I realize there is blood on his legs and he needs a band-aid. The idea of not being outside and playing is his greatest disappointment.

Our Town...

We went for a family drive Saturday night. As we were driving around I decided to take some pictures.
This is the D-Day Memorial. I get to see it every time I drive into town. Apparently, our town had the most deaths per-capita on that day. We have yet to visit the memorial because everyone tells us to go there without the boys because they won't enjoy it (yet).
This is one of the peaks of the Peaks of Otter. As a child we would go and hike the peaks. I remember being highly disappointed the first trip to the peaks because I thought my mom said 'Pizza Otter.' Sure, otter didn't make a lot of sense for a pizza joint but I was willing to let it slide if they had great pizza. Long story short, they didn't and I got stuck hiking up a mountain as opposed to enjoying a great pizza otter.

The Beach...

Chris and I just got back from Nagshead, NC. That's right, a couple of nights at the beach without the kids. It was so nice to relax and sleep in. Thanks John and Jane for watching the boys.
We were there for a wedding (congrats Tim and Carrie), our first beach wedding and our first key lime wedding cake. Then we thought back on all the wedding we have been apart of and decided that we've been in a lot of cool weddings. We've been in a lake wedding 3 times, 1 mountain wedding, 1 golf course wedding, 1 beach wedding and too many church weddings to count (I just can't remember the exact number of church weddings).
Please help me remember all those weddings (and premarital counseling couples)...

Birthday Party

Here's Andrew's 4th birthday party. He is already planning his next birthday party (and mine, which will be Barbie themed, because I'm a girl and all girls want a Barbie birthday party).
This was craft time. Note to all Mommies: Don't buy glue from Dollar Tree. It never dries (ever).
Finished product.
Cars cake
Chocolate...my favorite.
He was so excited because he got Star Wars (which is what he is saying).
He also loved his Transformers.
Oh, that's right, Spiderman came to the party (aka Andrew). He loves his new Spiderman suit.
Daddy and Jonathan should be thankful that they have Spiderman protecting them.

Final note about the Spiderman suit...it has been worn daily and has traveled to Wal-mart numerous times. He is not allowed to wear the mask to the store because he might scare people (a rule he imposed on himself after he scared quite a few people at the birthday party, mainly girls).

Old Old School...

Chris found this picture in storage under his parents house. The quality isn't great, but my mom was a big lover of the Polaroid camera and the quality on lasts so long. The idea of an instant picture was ideal to her since she isn't real consistent with developing film.
That's me on the left, my older brother (rockin' glasses I might add), 2 people I don't remember (if it's you please let me know), and my sister.
One common thread in most of my baby pictures is that I'm mostly naked. Apparently, my strict modest nature didn't kick in till much later.

Uncle Jeremy (or Captain)

After leaving my sister, we headed to my baby brother's house (he's 29, not technically a baby but it helps to keep him in his place). He and his wife, Wibke, took us to see the horses that she trains and the Ranger camp where he is an instructor. After looking through the pictures I realized I didn't get a single picture of Wibke and felt terrible.
The boys are sitting on their Aunt Wibke's saddle and that's a riding crop in Jonathan's hand. I just thought this was a super cute picture of Jonathan. He was proud of himself after climbing into that chair.
While at the Ranger camp we went and looked at their collection of snakes and alligators. Sgt. Brown was our personal snake handler. Here's one of the conversations:
Sgt.: This is a slightly venomous snake. Here Andrew, do you want to hold it?
Me: Should he be holding a venomous snake?
Sgt.: This snake doesn't strike...
Bam...the snake that doesn't strike just struck Andrew in the chest. Andrew immediately drops the snake and runs for his dear life (me too, with Jonathan in tow).
Sgt.:What I meant to say is, his initial strike is closed mouth as a defense mechanism.
Good information just a bit too late. The snake pictured below is a harmless corn snake.
Andrew is not taking his chances with the baby alligator. He did pet it a little bit.
This is my brother showing us that if you tap on the nose, he will automatically pop open its mouth. Good tip. Note to self: don't tap the nose of an alligator in the wild unless you want to get eaten.
Yup, that's a sidewinder. Don't be fooled by the closeness of the picture, I'm at the other side of the room praying that snake doesn't decide to strike too.
Cpt. Jeremy is feeding Vincent, a 650 lb alligator (Stumpy is the other alligator pictured). He tapped Vincent's nose to get the mouth opened and chucked a dried piece of food in it.
This is a mold of the Ranger camps former mascot, Big John. At this point, Jonathan is all reptiled out, whether real or not. He did not want to stand next to it.
Andrew loved it. He liked that he could put his head in it.
They also got to ride in a Hum-V.
The gang...the boys, Uncle Jeremy and Phoebe (their dog).
After this we went to the stables again and my camera batteries died. I wasn't able to get any pictures of Andrew riding Wibke's horse. We had such a good time there. The boys can't wait to go back and do more 'manly things' (that's what Andrew called it).