What do you do when it rains at the beach for 5 days?

You watch 'Fox & the Hound 2' 84 times...


you play Hide & Seek (Emma won)...

you do many a craft (please notice the bat dangling from the chandelier - Parker's latest obsession)...

you make handprint stones for Dede's garden...

you visit the fantastic Charleston Children's museum and you play with water...

and you paint...

and you make your crazy Uncle Joseph fish sandwiches...

you have Battle of the Baby Booster Seats...

you build cool forts (leaving Papa and Dede without a bedsheet)...

you play 'pool' with your cousins...

you listen to Joseph tell lots of stories...

you download 12 books to your Kindle and read them all...

you do some puzzles...

you catch up on some sleep...

you play in the driveway because when there's finally a break in the rain and you try to go to the beach, the wind blows the sand on these sweet little legs and brings on the tears...

you praise the Lord you have two super sweet babysitters there with you to help out...

and you're really thankful you have a wonderful, fun, laid-back, go-with-the-flow, creative, hysterical family that you actually enjoy being cooped up in a beautiful beach house with!


More Charleston pictures to come...we actually did get to go the beach 2 days and we celebrated some major birthdays, so check back soon! Thank you Papa and Dede for another wonderful trip!

He'll be signing autographs for a small fee...

I know - he's pretty stinkin' cute, isn't he? Our friend Dale, who is crazy creative and talented, is doing the website and marketing for our builder. He asked us to 'pose' for him, not really knowing how much Ford DESPISES having his picture made. It took some mad Photoshop skills to get Joseph's hands off the frame...Ford refused to hold it by himself. Dale - you are awesome and have some MAJOR patience!

If anyone has any tips to get kids to pose for pictures...send 'em this way! Ford is a ring bearer next weekend and I'm having mild panic attacks about the picture taking portion of the evening! And you'll have to step it up a bit from M&M's, people. Crashed and burned several times with that one!

fordisms

Tonight when we were leaving swimming lessons:

"I don't want to wear my crocs, Mommy, I want to wear my feet!"

My Growing Boys and Gardening

Ford turned 2 1/2 on Saturday! I absolutely adore this guy! The things he says and does make me laugh all day long. He loves trucks, trains, dirt and all other things boy. We were driving by a construction site the other day and I said, "Look, there's an excavator!" He replied, "No, Mommy, that's a front-end loader." Whoops! I've finally given up on the food battle and mealtimes are much more pleasant. He'll eat when he's hungry, right? He loves throwing the ball to the dogs and playing on his new playset that Daddy and Dr. Brad built him. We're outside pretty much every second he's awake. He has a temper that we're working on and praying about, but he's got such a sweet heart and is a very kind little boy. He is such a blessing and I LOVE getting to be his mommy.

This little angel turned 10 months on Sunday! His personality is so different from Ford's; while Ford is very high-maintenance (like his mother) and full of energy, Luke is the most laid-back sweetie I've ever met (just like his daddy). To know him is to love him - his smile will melt your heart and does mine multiple times a day! He's not crawling but can roll and scoot anywhere he needs to go. He's just content as he can be to sit and watch his blur of a brother! He's probably not crawling because he spends most of his time in the swing outside! His new nickname, bestowed by his Crawdaddy, is Mohawk, because he's got a strip of black hair on the top of his head and not much anywhere else! Jennie called him a skunk this weekend, but I think we'll stick with Mohawk;) He has 2 bottom teeth and eats anything you put in front of him. He's starting to have a little bit of separation anxiety, but what can I say, he loves his mommy! He says mama and dada and bye bye, and he just starting waving yesterday. I can't believe we'll be celebrating his 1st birthday in 2 short months!

Last summer, my sweet husband built a flower garden for cutting underneath our kitchen window. I actually planted the seeds the day I went into labor with Luke (6 weeks early), so the garden didn't get much love last year! Despite my lack of tending, we have lots of blooms and it makes me smile to think how far we've come since those seeds were planted!

The other day, my parents came over to see the new playset. Both are avid gardeners and have a beautiful yard to prove it. Looking at my garden, my mom gently reminded me that the more you cut them, the more they grow. I couldn't help but think how true this is of people, too. The more God 'cuts' us through challenges with family, friends, jobs, etc., the stronger we can grow towards Him. He's the ultimate gardener, and if we let Him tend to us, the more we will bloom. So today while the boys were napping, I decided to tend to my garden and spent that time praying that my heart will be open to God's 'gardening', and I got some beautiful blooms out of it as well!

"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of Holy Spirit." Romans 15:13

Happy Birthday, Parker!!!

To my most favorite nephew - happy 4th birthday! We had so much fun at your party and loved getting to play with you and your sisters. We love you to pieces and can't wait to see you at the beach! Bad Bart has been getting into lots of trouble so bring your handcuffs!

Love, Aunt Say