Christmas Spirit

There are lots of Santa's this time of year who relay the messages back to the North Pole.  But every now and then you come across the real Santa, and we were blessed to see him when he stopped in South Carolina.

Only my girls were willing to talk with him, so they received a special ornament.

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Birthday #8

Our little one had her special day that is always 12 months in the making!  This year was a little backwards in how we did things, but all the components of our family tradition were there.

We began her celebration with a party of girls coming over from 1-5pm.  The movie was at 3pm, so we did cake and presents first before heading to the theater.  It was a LOUD drive to the movies and back, but they all seemed to have fun.

Next on the birthday agenda was a family outing.  She chose Outback despite her siblings trying to convince her to go elsewhere.

That night (before her birthday), we decided to open family presents since her brother had a wrestling match the next day.  She loved her birthday shirt, earrings, cards, Justice trinkets, and a big stuffed animal from Frozen.  Thank you for all the wonderful, sweet gifts!

On her real birthday morning, we made her breakfast in bed with waffles, fruit, and milk.  Look at who photo bombed the pic!  Happy Birthday little one!

Flower Girl

Our youngest was asked to be the flower girl at her cousin's wedding!  At first, she was excited, but then became shy as it got closer.  After the rehearsal, though, her confidence grew and she was great.

First, we had to be at the church by 10am for the hair stylist.

Then prior to the ceremony when the coast was clear of the groom, the bridal party took pictures outside.

The little one looks so cute.

 She said she saw the bride and groom kiss.  They kissed a bunch during pictures. 

Back at the reception, our son had a great time with his cousins.  He was recruited to be an usher during the ceremony.

The next day, we enjoyed a walk along the River Walk.  It was a wonderful quick trip to see family.

Thanksgiving 2014

My youngest "indian" helped set the table before our Thanksgiving meal.  

Since we weren't quite ready to eat, the kids occupied themselves by decorating a gingerbread house.  It looked so good that we ate it for dessert an hour later!

The next day, we put up the tree and got the house ready for Christmas.  Although our youngest is almost 8 yrs old, she still loves to play with the nativity set.

Wonderful Advent blessings!

Wrestling Tournament

Our son decided to try wrestling this fall.  Although a freshman and new to the sport, he made varsity.  As his mom, I feel a little better that there are weight classes, but he'll be still be up against more experienced wrestlers.

The conditioning and meets are a great outlet for teenagers since they come home exhausted!  The coaches are also fabulous about building strong character values.

State Meet

Last weekend was the SC State Cross Country meet.  Our school had both our boys and girls varisty qualify for this race in Columbia for Division 2A.

The gun went off.....

The sandy hills were unexpected for our oldest as she struggled to keep up with those more experienced with this course.  We later found out that spiked shoes was the key to performing well.

Our daughter finished 27th overall, and the team came in 6th place! 

Young Adult

Our oldest is now 18!  She wasn't excited to be woken up for breakfast in bed, although she did appreciate the fresh watermelon.

The entire day was planned.  First, she went to work while I cleaned the house and got ready for the party.  When she got home, she enjoyed all the sweet cards, gifts, pumpkins, and watermelons.

Next, the family went for a jog on the Swamp Rabbit.

And to eat, her preferred restaurant was Don Pablos.  But, we accidentally got her an On the Border gift card, so we went there instead.  

It's hard to believe our oldest can now vote, buy lottery tickets, get married, apply for a credit card, enlist in the military, go to her own medical appointments, sign for a loan, or buy cigarettes, all without the consent of her parents.  It's time like this when we have to trust in our daughter to make good decisions, know we raised her with our best efforts, and pray that our Lord will always guide her.  Happy 18th Birthday, my sweet baby girl!

Birthday Celebration

Our son turned 15 over the weekend and, to my surprise, spent the day with his family.

Although he's not much of a morning person, he did appreciate his breakfast in bed:  homemade waffles with blueberries and chocolate chips inside. 

  

For his restaurant choice, he requested India Palace, and for his home-cooked meal the next day he wanted meatloaf with mashed potatoes and green beans.  

His cake was a bit unique, though.  Half joking a few weeks ago, he mentioned he wanted a cake with the Declaration of Independence on it.  I'm not sure if he was in the middle of studying US History, or just watched a documentary on PBS, but it surprised him that I took note of it.  Thanks for all the cards & wishes!

Ears Pierced

Our youngest wanted her ears pierced for her birthday, which is 2 months away.  But since she's planning to be the flower girl for her cousin's wedding, we decided to do this early.

She chose pink crystal hearts, clutched the teddy bear tight, and closed her eyes.

She was all smiles afterwards.  In 8 weeks, she plans to trade the original earrings for some soft pearls, and show them off with her hair up at the ceremony.

Riding the Swamp Rabbit

A friend and I decided to ride our bikes to the end of the Swamp Rabbit trail.  It was a beautiful weekend, nice & cool.

She's a retired Army Colonel, and despite the 10 yr age difference, she's in better shape than me!

We decided to stop at a local brewery on the way home for one of the best, fresh brews you can get in SC.

Camping Togetherness

With the cooler weather, we decided to enjoy a weekend camping trip.

Although the teenagers were reluctant to have that much family togetherness, we actually had a great time.

Early the next morning, we enjoyed a long hike through Table Rock State Park.
 

Good Ride

After 200,000 miles, it was time to say good bye to an old family friend.  The van had taken us to Texas and back twice a year for over 10 years.  We saw the kids grow into, and then out of, the built-in car seat.  And, the VCR player was priceless.

But it was worn, it served its time, and we had captured memories of it's former days.  The trade-in quote of $800 just didn't seem right.  After all, what is wrong driving something that won't start unless you connect two wires below the steering wheel, or having to use the visor to hold up the felt ceiling, or making sure the gas tank is always full since the indicator no longer worked?

It was time to donate, as that gave us the highest value.  Our little one was sad to see it go.

In it's place, the oldest now sports a slightly used SUV with plenty of bells & whistles.  She just looks a bit too happy with the trade.

Recycle

Our youngest has a social studies project for her class this week.  Each student was to take a picture of somewhere they go to often in our community.  It could be the bank, the library, the post office, the grocery store, the park, etc.  Once they capture the picture, they are to explain why they go there and why that place is important to a community.

The little one had soccer practice tonight, so I asked if we should take it at the recreational soccer fields.  "Nope," she replied.  I then asked about the fire department since we drive by it every day.  "Nope, don't want to do it there, either."  Well, where do you want to take your picture?  "At the recycle, Mommy!"

So off we go.  She talked all the way there about how she was going to pose for the picture.  And that's my little one in a nut shell.

Confirmation

Our son received his Confirmation last weekend, and he looked so handsome!  Our family gift to him was the suit, but he wanted to stand out so he chose to wear a bow tie.  At 5' 11", all arms & legs, we had to look in the tall men's section, slender cut.  It was a pricey suit, so hopefully he'll get lots of use out of it.

There were about 15 youth Confirmed, which was great for our small church.  On the far right was his sponsor, a good friend of ours.

He loves the watch given by his grandmothers, and values the keepsake immensely. Thank you!  He said it makes him feel like a million bucks when he wears it. 

First Day of School

The kids started school this week - the last year they will all be home for this traditional picture.  Below are the conversations I had with each about their first day:


































Our oldest is now a senior, and grew a little over the summer.  She's 5'6".  Our conversation went like this:
A:  Mother, I need you to stop by Mr. K's bookstore on the way home to buy a used book called "Into Thin Air".
Me:  Ok, no problem.
(I then go to Mr. K's, they only have one left, but it's hardback, went to 3 other used book stores and they are out, went back to Mr. K's and purchased only remaining book for $12.)
Me:  Here's your book, sorry it's the hard back.
A:  What, you spent $12?  Why did you do that when I could have purchased it for $4?
Me:  If you had an opportunity to purchase it for $4, that would have saved me from driving all over town!!
A:  Oh, nevermind.  I'll do it myself and return your book.
Me:  Fine, here's the receipt.
A:  Fine.



Our middle child is now a freshman and has grown to 5' 11".  Here's our conversation:
Me:  How was your first day?
L:  Fine.
Me:  Did you enjoy seeing all your new friends?
L:  No
Me:  Why not?
L: Just didn't
Me:  Can you share a few more details?
L:  No
Me:  Let me try this another way.  Describe your first day.
L:  It was fine.



Our youngest is a 2nd grader.  My conversation with her sounded like this:
Me:  How was your first day?
J:  Oh, I like my teacher, Mommy.  Did you know that our music teacher from last year isn't there this year?  I'm not sure where she went, but we have a new teacher.  Oh, I didn't bring home a lunch menu so we need to find it on the school website to see which days I want to pack and which days to eat in the lunchroom because today I wouldn't have packed if I knew they had pizza.  Their pizza looks different this year than last year.  Oh and Mommy, I got moved down to yellow today, which is only a warning, but I earned it back by the end of the day for being good, see?  I still got on green.  And you know what?  I get to be the first line leader in my class.  She must know that I'm a good leader and did good last year.  That's funny because I was first line leader in Kindergarten, too.
Me:  Ok, let Mommy go to the restroom and change out of my work clothes so I can get comfortable to hear the rest.  

They are each so different.  Happy school days!

Kayaking the Broad River

Last weekend, the weather was perfect for being outdoors.  The family headed to Georgia and kayaked the Broad River.

Everyone had their own kayak except the little one.

The water levels were lower than usual, which was unexpected since we had a lot of rain the previous few days.  

We enjoyed a good 3-4 hours on the river with lots of paddling, rapids, resting on the islands, and swimming.

During the largest rapid, or waterfall, we lost the camera.  After numerous attempts and lots of luck, we actually recovered it beneath the water & rocks!  Really appreciating the pictures after that.