Scriptures

Soccer Champ

Soccer ended this past Saturday and I just realized that I forgot to post pictures. Ethan did such a great job and has really improved from last year. Every time he was called to kick the ball, both coaches instructed the players to move far back. It was hilarious! One time he even kicked it so hard on the games first kick that it went flying past the players and into the goal! I guess that is where he received his nickname from his coach: Bigfoot. Here are a few pictures of the season.

Ethan's Baptism Video

Baptism

As I am sitting here listening to Ethan and Chris read the Bible before bed, I decided to post about Ethan's baptism. If you follow my blog, you know that he asked Jesus into his heart a few months ago. After much prayer and counsel, he decided that he was ready to be baptized. Many of our family and friends were able to witness it and then have lunch afterward. He is such a special little boy to us and although he is young, we believe that he absolutely understands. I think I have said it before, his love for the Lord is contagious. We are so incredibly thankful that God trusted us to be his parents.

His soccer coach happens to also be our Youth Minister. He told us this evening that he couldn't stop laughing just before Ethan was to be "dunked" because he took off his shirt! Maybe that is why he ended up going last!

Ballet

We signed Emerson up for ballet this year and she has been so excited about "dancing with her friends." Those little girls are the cutest little things in their tutu's! She went right in there, but got a little nervous when she thought I left her there. I went in there and sat where she could see me and she did great! I secretly enjoyed having to be in there though! Here are a few pictures.

Mountains

Chris and I decided at the last minute to take the kids to his parents house in the mountains since he had a three day weekend. It was so nice to get away and relax. The weather was in the low 70's, so there wasn't much swimming to be done. The kids played in the water a little bit, went gem mining and to Mystery Hill. I think their favorite was definitely the rivers and the mining. There are more photos and videos in the album.

Emerson's First Day of Preschool

Today was Emerson's first day of school. She was not very happy to be woken up, but after she started moving around, she seemed excited. I walked her to her class and she walked right in and started playing. I had to speak with her teachers' assistant and she wasn't there yet, so I made the mistake of walking by her classroom to see if she had arrived. She started to run out of the class and got a little teary eyed. After taking her back to her room, I immediately left and one of my friends said that she was fine. When I picked her up, she said, "I was crying for you, Mommy." I think she was actually upset with me that I left her there! Her teacher said that she did well and cried for me a few times, but she participated in everything. I am hoping tomorrow will be a better day with zero tears. It was a hard day for me as well, but I know this is what's best for her.

My Sweet, Sweet Boy

Look Mom, No Shark!

Diving

Emerson Turns 3 - Part Two

We were finally able to celebrate Emerson's birthday yesterday with family and friends. We waited...and waited...and waited for the pool to be completed. Although the fence is still not finished, the pool is! She decided that she wanted a mermaid party, so we chose The Little Mermaid. She has never seen the movie, but she loves the mermaid part! I was conflicted on who to invite as her friends are Ethan's friends at this point. She is one of them and I love that they all treat her so well! I think fun was had by all and the pool was definitely used as it was HOT. Here are a few shots of her day.

Kindergarten

Can I just say that I am shocked that my little boy started Kindergarten already? I cannot wrap my brain around it! He is such a big boy and LOVES going to school. Let's pray that this continues! I was very concerned with how his first day was going to go. He and I prayed the whole way there and that seemed to calm his nerves. He walked right in to his class, sat down and started talking to a little boy at his table. I was a basket case when I left, but I am so happy that he was okay. Each day since has been great. Emerson seems to have to potty every time we come to pick Ethan up. Ethan saw us one day last week at the end of the hall and asked if he could stay longer! I am so happy that he is able to spend time with his cousin Spencer and his friend from preschool, Garrison. I am not sure that this transition would have gone so smoothly without them!

Beach 2010

We had our annual beach trip with my mom a few weeks ago. We did lots of lounging by the pool and of course the beach. We bought a skim board for Ethan and he picked up on it pretty quick. He had a bit of a hard time with his broken foot, but I thought he did pretty good for a five year old. I wanted to get some good beach pictures of the children, but I was only able to get some of Emerson. It seemed that every evening it rained except for the day I shot some of Emerson. Check out the album for pictures and videos.

Tyler Love

My amazing nephew, Tyler asked Jesus to come in to his heart this week. We are so happy for him!!! Ethan wanted to make a video like the one the boys made for Emerson to congratulate him.

Broken and Praying

As I've said before, this blog is just as much about keeping a "diary" as it is keeping our family informed of our lives. I want to always be able to look back at the "little" things. We went to dinner at Outback Sunday night with some friends and while we were finishing up our conversation, the children were jumping off of the bench. They each jumped probably twenty times until my Ethan jumped and landed wrong. He has hardly complained about it and I saw no swelling, so we decided to give it a day or two. This morning at swim school I noticed that it looked swollen. I took him to Dr. Pojol, was sent for x-rays and low and behold, it's broken in three places. I never would have guessed that because he has barely breathed a word about his foot. The orthopaedic doctor decided that he did not need a cast because it was a "good" break. After he told us that, Ethan said, "It's because I prayed, Mommy." I just melted when he said that because he really gets it. I wish we could all see God through a child's eyes. Ethan really trusts Him and I pray that he always does.

Emerson Turns 3 - Part One

My sweet baby girl turned three on Monday. It was also the start of swim school for both children. She chose to have lunch at San Jose and then swim in our pool with her friends, Alex and Caroline. We had a little cake for her that evening and it was by far her favorite present. We plan to have an official birthday party for her some time next month when our pool is complete.

Happy 3rd Birthday Emerson!

Fireworks

(Thanks for the pictures, Wade!)

Independence Day

Lumberton had their fireworks on Saturday, so we grilled out with some friend's at their house beforehand. My mom came in for the weekend, so the kids were super thrilled. Our friends have a pool and the kids were able to swim for a long time before heading down to the lake in our neighborhood. Once down there, we met up with some other friends and neighbors. The kids had a blast, as usual, and the adults had equally as much fun!

Not So Silly Bandz

Planet Fun

We went to Planet Fun on Thursday for the first time and had a blast! The kids (even Emerson) specifically enjoyed Laser Tag. We met my friends, Kim, Janice and Nathalie and had five kids total. This is definitely something Chris will have to take Ethan back to. The entire time I was there, I was wishing that Chris was too. He loves arcade type places and so does Ethan.

Happy Father's Day!

Carowinds

We took the kids to Carowinds on Saturday along with my mom, RT, and The Langley's. Chris had a graduation to attend in the morning, so he got there around 4:00. It worked out because he does not like water activities and it was too hot to ride anything until that point anyway. We originally planned to attend Sonfest, but accidentally bought the wrong tickets. I would love to see that show, but I am actually thankful that we did not have to sit through a concert in that heat. It was incredibly hot! I was unable to ride most of the rides because they would not allow pregnant women to ride, so Wade and Amanda took Ethan and Emerson on most of them, along with Chris. We are very thankful not only having them at Carowinds, but having them such a big part of our daily lives.

On Sunday, we slept in and then went to a local park in Rock Hill that is gorgeous. Again, it was so hot that we only stayed for about 30 minutes. I was able to get some great pictures of the kids with Grammy though. They love her so much and hated to leave! As usual, lots of photos are in the album.

AWANA Awards Ceremony

We had our awards ceremony for AWANA on Wednesday night. Unfortunately, I was unable to get any pictures of Ethan receiving his awards because being leaders, we were on stage with the children. This was our first ceremony, so I did not know what to expect. Had I known we would be on stage, I would have given my camera to Glenn or Ella. Ethan was the only child in our class to receive two awards for completing two books. He thought he was something! Here are a few pictures that I took when we got home from the ceremony.