GO Gamecocks

Chris decided that it was time for all four of us to go to a Gamecocks game together. He picked a great weekend. It was a night game and the weather was perfect. Chris had an overnight trip to Boston on Friday so friend graciously volunteered to give the girls and I a ride to the game, complete with a pit stop at a hotel to drop off our stuff. Thanks to our friend, he not only took us by the hotel,but also he and his daughter helped to give my kids a shoulder ride into the stadium--a life saver for me by far. The girls and I got to the game and were seated just as kick off was about to take place. We successfully climbed up to row 39(or maybe I should say I did) and had great seats in the lower level on a row with extra foot room. A major plus since we were cramming 4 people into two seas. The extra space gave the girls room to move around. Aside from being next to the visiting band the seats were pretty good. We only have 2 season tickets and so these were the extra tickets we bought. Chris decided to use these seats instead of our regular seats since ours are in the upper deck. I must say that this was a great decision on his part! Chris arrived shortly after the game started. The girls were excellent. As I said earlier, the weather was great and it was nice and cool. The girls made it thru the whole game and were dancing and everything else to the music. Stephanie even got into the gamecock cheer. After the game we walked back to Chris's car which was not a close walk(at least as far as the girls and I were concerned). Chris alternated piggy back rides for the girls while myself and the other girl held hands and walked the distance mostly down a rocky railroad track. No complaints whatsoever were uttered from their mouths. We were so proud of them and will definitely plan another game for next year.

Uncle Justin

We went to Aiken on Sunday(Father's Day) to have dinner with Uncle Justin. We were supposed to meet Chris's dad too, but he wasn't able to come. We had a good time nonetheless. The girls were thrilled to see Uncle Justin as he was them. We ended the evening with the 'traditional' ice cream run. It is hard to tell in these pictures, but the girls were covered in their ice cream by the time we left. They enjoyed every last bite-the ones that didn't land on their clothes at least.

Happy Father's Day

We celebrated Father's Day pretty simple this year. We had plans to go to Aiken for dinner with Chris's dad and brother so we just had sandwiches for lunch. Chris said all he wanted was to watch tv and take a nap. So, I tried to oblige, but as it turned out our children have a bit of a hard time understanding how to play 'quietly'. Chris did get some time to rest, but I don't suppose it was exactly what he had in mind. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful husband and he is an awesome daddy. I couldn't ask for a better man for my children. We love you.

Opa Visits and the zoo

My dad came to visit a few weeks ago. He stayed with us from Thursday night to Sunday. The girls were so excited for him to come and really enjoyed having him here. He picked them up from school on Friday which they thought was great. He took them for ice cream and then to play at McDonalds. Afterwards, he brought them home and turned the couch around and set up a movie on the wall with all the works, popcorn and all. They had a blast. On Saturday, we all headed for the zoo and were planning to have our family pictures made. The zoo was great, but the pictures didn't happen. They were running over an hour behind and so we opted to have that done next time we are in Charleston. Not sure what happened to Chris in all these pictures. He was there though.

Precious

Chris and I went on a double date last night to the Chop House. We had a long wait for 90 minutes, but that was okay because it gave us an opportunity to chat with our friends. The food was phenomenal from appetizer to dessert. Good place for a nice date. They do take reservations/call ahead seating for anyone interested. I just didn't think to do that. Shame on me. This is what we found when we got home. As you can see, the girls still sleep together. As a matter of fact, they sleep together every night. I am still in awe and filled with joy every time I see them like this. I love it. They are such beautiful, precious gifts from God. I am so thankful. I hope that they will always be this close.

8 years

I know I am terrible at this blogging thing, but I have been addicted to facebook. There I admitted it. I have an addiction. Do you think there a Facebook Anonymous group I can join? Trouble is I am sure I might see many of you there too! Anyway, life here has been hectic as usual, but very good. Chris and I celebrated our 8th anniversary this past Tuesday. We went out for dinner at Bonefish and then coffee and dessert at a local coffee/cafe shop. The dessert was out of this world wonderful. It seems like we have been together forever and then like we just met. This past year has been so sweet for Chris and I. We are both digging deeper into God's word and in turn we are finding that we are being drawn closer to him and one another(duh!) Chris and I went to Hilton Head two weeks ago for a marriage retreat. It was awesome to be together and to reinforce things we already knew, but we taking for granted. God also used the time to allow us to talk and reflect on things we hadn't talked about. I highly reccommend the retreat to any married couple(young or old). I guess that is all for us now. I'll try not to make it so long next time, but no promises.

Visiting with Oma and Opa

The girls and I went to my dad's house Saturday night for a visit. The girls had a great time. They ventured upstairs with Uncle Jonathan and had a great time hollering down from the upstairs(it overlooks into the living room). They each picked stuffed bear out of the toy pile and Oma drew a picture of it for the to color. She had a rainbow crayon and so she taught them how to use it. That thought that was very cool! Oma helping Katie with the rainbow crayon. Katie listening intently to Opa.

The 'Pumpkin Patch'

After we left the scarecrows, we headed over to the pumpkin patch. Now for anyone who has a true pumpkin patch, this is not really a patch. It is more like a church parking lot, but this is our rendition here. The wind wasn't quite as brisk so I was able to actually get the girls with their cute pumkin shirts(hairbows and all--thanks J.H.). We plan to go to another one here at home and I'll post those pictures soon too.

Main Street Scarecrow contest

We went to mom's this weekend and did our traditional fall stuff. Every year in the center of town they have a scarecrow contest. Different companies set up scarecrows and they leave them on display. It has been a tradition of ours to go ever since Stephanie was a baby. The scarecrows were fun, but we were not prepared for the brisk wind that would hit us. It was 87 degrees on Friday and when we road by the bank on Saturday it said 57 degrees! Something is wrong with this weather! Anyway, here are a few of the pictures. It's a little chilly! Okay, here is the story behind this one. This a picture of a scarecrow next to a toilet. Mom had to replace the toilet in her bathroom. She put the old toilet in the back of her truck and headed off to work with the intention of going to the dump after work. Well, she arrived at the dump 5 minutes too late. So she left with the toilet in the back of the truck again. This time she had to carry it around for the next 2 days because the dump was closed the next day. So, trip number one for the girls after arriving at grandma's was to go to the dump to get rid of the toilet!

The gymnastics pose!

This is the scarecrow rendition of Obama and McCain.

Opa's Visist

My dad(Opa) came to visit this weekend. We had a nice relaxing weekend just enjoying each other's company. On Friday we took the girls to Jumpin Party Zone. I had planned for us to go to the pool, but according to the weather it was supposed to rain most of the day. As it turned out it was a beautiful day! We did go to the pool that night and the girls were able to show Opa all of their new swimming tricks. On Saturday, dad went with us to the ministry project. He helped me at the ball toss and also helped bag popcorn. For those of you who don't know, I'll give the story of how my dad came to be called 'Opa'. My dad was stationed in Germany for five years when I was younger. He and my stepmom loved it there and so when my step brother and his wife had their first child, dad and Yarbi picked Opa and Oma for their names. These are the German names for grandpa and grandma. That is how we came to have an Opa.

Home from Grandmas

Stephanie and Katie returned home from grandmas house as little brown bears with lots of new tricks. They had such a good time, but Chris and I missed them so much. Chris and I worked the whole time they were gone(not unusual for Chris, but I picked up extra days while they were gone to make up for vacation). We worked and went to the gym, there wasn't much else to do. We were both very anxious to have them back. They were ready to get us to the pool immediately so they could show us everything they had learned. Chris and I were amazed to watch as Stephanie swam about 3/4 of the way across our neighborhood pool, jumped in without fear and wasn't the least bit upset about water in her face. For those of you who know us well, this was quite a milestone for us as hair washing time has always been quite a challenge for her because she hated water in her face and eyes! I'm not one to admire swimmers, but I have to admit that she has a beautiful swim form, especially for a 4 year old who is just learning how to swim. Look at her swimming After Stephanie showed us she could swim, then came the real excitement as she dove into the water! I can't begin to tell you how she giggled as she showed us her new tricks. For Chris and I, this was a moment of realization that she is definitely growing up! Wow!

Katie was next to show off and she was not sure of tricks either. She couldn't contain herself from jumping off the steps just to show us how proud she was that she could go under the water. She would jump and go under, come and do it again and again and again. She too was very full of giggles and laughter as she showed off. She has learned to do the doggie paddle and her favorite is to float on her back(with her floaties of course). She is too relaxed just floating in the pool. Her newest thing is that she can now swim with just one floatie, which we only allow her to do with us in the pool.

Watch me!