We found our tree!

SC State Farmer’s Market

Thanksgiving

We’re so very thankful for all our many blessings!

Sideline experience

We won a Father/Son sideline experience and the chance to lead the team out of the tunnel at the Hammond Auction back in February.  Jack loved pretty much every minute of it-and so did we!  It was such a treat to watch him take it all in!Jack and Mark even got to go into the wrestling barn to listen to the pregame talk and then walk out with the team!He was so nervous at first!  I saw him sizing up the big football players and could tell he was unsure. I gave him a thumbs up, he put on his helmet, and he was ready to go.  I think.  He took a few pretty deep breaths…and then it was time to run!!  Oh, I had the biggest butterflies in my tummy and then the biggest tears in my eyes!  I just know this will be him for real in no time!  Thankful for the NOW!We found big Sam!  How fun is this to have this picture!  Can’t believe big Sam is old enough for this!Mr. Angel, Headmaster, was so amazing to Jack!  He was looking out for him the whole time and getting him as involved as he could.  He picked him up to bring him into a huddle and see the plays being called.  What a treat!  We wrote him a thank you note the next day!He was having the best time hanging with the big football players!  What a dream come true for this football-loving first grader!  The football players were all so polite and well mannered-even on the football field!  We’re so thankful for the Hammond community and all our kids will learn here, in and out of the classroom!  Loved this night

He did it!

Jack learned how to ride a bike!  He and Mark worked on it for a couple of days, and finally, today he figured it out!  Lots of hard work from him, and daddy!, payed off!  He is loving it, and so are we!  Way to go, buddy! 
Sam was so proud of his big brother!
Sweet father/son moments!

First bottle

He didn’t love it, but he didn’t hate it either!

Already?

We had Kindergarten Open House tonight.  Huh?!?!  Already?  I am not ready to have a Kindergartener!  Where did my baby go?!He did a great job walking around and seeing the campus, and his favorite part was playing soccer on the playground!  Take your sweet time getting here, August!!

Our Tree!

Day after Thanksgiving-time to get our Tree!  Yay!!!  It was a pretty cold morning, so we bundled everyone up and headed to the State Farmer’s Market to pick out this year’s tree!  Margaret stayed in the warm car, but the boys were happy with our find-and the candy canes the nice lady gave them!Mark unloaded the big tree when we got home, and Jack took care of the little one!We lit the tree and hung a few ornaments tonight.  Jack got the honor of hanging the first ones-our family circles-and Sam got to pick one to hang, too.  We’ll finish it up tomorrow!I just love having a Christmas tree in our family room!

Their first Father/Son trip

Mark and Jack went to an Atlanta Braves game for their first Father/Son trip-a treat for his four-and-a-half-year-old birthday (August 20th).  I heard from both that it was super fun and full of memory-making!  Warms my heart so!  And I’m SO proud of Mark for asking a stranger to take a picture of them together!  One to treasure, for sure!And this is from the morning after the game.  What a boys trip!  In the same pants as the night before, souvenir by his side, plate full of yummy food filling his belly!I’m so glad these two were able to get away together.  I know it meant a lot to them both.

Greek Festival

What a blessed boy to have a daddy like that.  Mark wasn’t feeling too great after being spun around in a circle over and over! :)

Beach Week

We packed up and headed to Wild Dunes for a week, and it was so wonderful!  Mark was with us as much as he could be, even surprising us on Wednesday night!  That was the best surprise and we were SO, SO excited!  It was a perfect way to start the summer, and we’re so grateful for such a fun week with beautiful weather!

Here’s the week from my phone.

Christmas morning

So the boys woke up just like any other morning.  Jack came into our room at about 7:45 and hopped into our bed.  He snuggled for a few minutes, then Mark asked if he’d heard the reindeer hooves on the roof last night.  That’s when he got excited!  He said we should get up, and hurry!, and he ran to Sam’s room.  We heard him asking Sam if he heard the reindeer hooves and telling him that it’s Christmas morning!  It was the cutest thing!  So we got up and went to see if Santa did, indeed, stop at our house!  Oh, these faces!This is one of my favorite pictures from the morning.  Jack wrapped a gift for Mark in layers of foil and pipe cleaners.  This was his first wrapping job, and it was wrapped with love, for sure!That Santa never eats all his goodies, and these boys don’t complain about that!Happy birthday to the newborn King!The boys played with their new toys and then we got ready for another celebration with the Thomases.  It was the BEST kind of morning!  We’re so blessed and we’re so thankful for the precious gift we were given that first Christmas morning!