Santa's Land

We went to Santa's Land with the playgroups on September 10. Mason and Adam had a great time, but we missed Katy, she was at kindergarten. We got to see lots of animals, including 2 baby bears being fed by bottles of FRUIT PUNCH! Mason loved that. They also fed reindeer, goats, sheep, a kangaroo... There were some rides too. Mason and I rode the Rudy Coaster and we all 3 rode the Merry-go-round, the helicopters, the Ferris Wheel, and the boys rode the boats and the cars by themselves. Adam thought he was so big getting to ride the cars by himself. We also went out on the paddle boats in the pond. It was FILLED with huge goldfish that just about jumped in the boat with you trying to get the food we gave them. Adam thought that was so funny, so did Mason. There was also a monkey island and a lemur island in the pond where you could watch them playing.

It was a really fun day for everyone and the boys had a great time. I am always glad to get to take the kids. Santa's Land holds lots of fond memories for me because Nanaw used to take me there every summer when I was little. We always had fun together. My favorite thing then was the Magic Show, but we did not get to see it this time. We will be looking forward to going again next year, I hope!

M is for Magnificent Mischeivious Mason

Did I ever mention that our Mason is a pretty Magnificent kid? Well, he is. He is magnificent, marvelous, mischeivious, mesmorizing, motivating... he is the sweetest kid and the most loving kid ever. Don't get me wrong, he doesn't walk around passing out hugs and kisses all the time, he also delivers his fair share of bumps and bruises, but, you can't help but love him! He steals everyones heart he meets!

He is funny too. Today I got home and he was emptying out his pants (underwear) from where he had filled them full of rocks at Pre-school. So, yes, he filled his pants with rocks, and rode home before he decided to take them out. He also mentioned that he might have had to sit in time out for throwing rocks on the playgrouond today. Of course, he told me all about it with a sweet smile and big ole blue eyes. He knows how to play the game!

Mason, we hope you never lose your loving nature or your appealing humor. You are one in a million and we are super proud of you and we love you very much. You are our most marvelous Mason! Always believe in yourself and your ideas, speak and be heard, listen and learn, live life to the fullest just as you do everyday!

We love you!!!!

A is for Adorable Adam

I hate to be biased, but have you seen my son Adam? ADORABLE, ABSOLUTELY ADORABLE! He is cutest thing, totally brightens up my life every day! He is funny, sweet, affectionate, full of himself, curious, inventive, stubborn... He is a 25 lb bundle of ADORABLE! He is so funny, he loves to make us laugh! He recently went to the Doctor for his checkup and was up on the charts, 45th percentile for weight, and 25th percentile for height. So he is a bit more round than he is tall right now, but boy is he cute!

Adam loves to play with Mason and Katy, he thinks he is as big as they are and can do what they do. So, he tries, and he falls (or gets pushed down) or sometimes he makes it, and when he does, you can just see the pride popping out all over him. He loves to "feel big." Mason and Katy are usually pretty good with him and include him in what ever it is they ar playing, and they are both super protective over him, they might push him, but no one else should even dare! He is lucky to have them as a big brother and sister!

I am hating how big he is getting. I want him to stop growing and stay this size forever. Before I know it, I will be carting him off to kindergarten. Oh, it makes me sad to think about it! The good thing is that it makes me more aware of the time I have with him now, and Mason too, I am trying to be more mindful of the time I spend with them, and trying to make the most of it.

We love you Adorable Adam!

K is for Katy and Kindergarten

Gran would have been so proud of you this morning, just like we are. She would have loved to have seen you in your pig tails with your Cheetah Girl backpack on your back. She would have loved to have seen you headed out to embrace your very first day of kindergarten. She would have believed that you would have a wonderful year and that you would loved every part of kindergarten. She would have believed in you, just like we do. As a matter of fact, I am sure she is looking down from heaven today with a smile on her face, telling her friends up there to look at how big you are, how beautiful you are, and how smart you are! She would say, that little girl is going to do great things, and you are!

You brighten our day each morning you get up and come down the steps to greet the morning. You put a smile on our face as you climb up into "your chair" and ask for some breakfast (even though you will be eating breakfast again at school within the next hour). You may be the only kindergartener who eats 2 breakfasts and lunch all before 11:30a.m. You are getting so big, so fast. You can brush your teeth, get dressed (shoes and all), and brush your hair all be yourself. You are such a great big sister to Mason and Adam. You are a good friend. You are smart, and sassy, and sensitive, and sweet, and funny, and loving, and so very special.

As you step into kindergarten we have all the confidence that you will succeed! You will learn so many new things each day. You will make new friends and try new things. You will go to P.E., and art, and music, and to the library! You will look to your teacher's (Ms. Lauren Rogers and Mrs. Julia Sherrill) to teach you and to care for you and to lead you in the path you need to go. They will be a wonderful influence and will forever make thier footprint on the path of your life, they are so lucky to have you in thier class, as you are lucky to have them.

We pray you will listen and learn, be kind and make new friends, be still and listen, answer questions and be confident, try and try again, never stop until you succeed! Keep your eyes wide open, experience each day to the fullest, love yourself and love your life. Each day is a new beginning to the rest of your life, greet it with excitement and confidence. We believe in you!

We love you and are supporting you every day!

Mom and Dad

Mason Goes to Pre-School

My sweet little boy started Pre-school at on Monday, August 18. He will only be going part time, but he absolutely LOVES it. I took him on the first day and he was so excited, he walked in like he was grown with his backpack on his back and a smile on his face. He put his backpack on the hook by his self and immediately started playing with the bulldozers in the floor.
Mason's class consists of all boys! There are two other little boys in his class that he knew previously so he already had some friends when he got there. His teacher's name is Mrs. Liz (I feel sorry for her with all those boys, however she has three boys of her own, she will be okay)!
When I picked Mason up on that first day, he was super excited to see me (which I loved)! He ran to give me a big hug and reported that he had had a great day. He had played games, and sang songs, and played outside, and most importantly, he had something for me in his bag. When we got to the car, he opened his backpack to reaveal his pictures that he had made that day, (wow, the joy that filled my soul to see him so excited and proud of the the work he had done)! He is one in a million, I tell you!
After I picked him up, we went to thier favorite pizza place for a "first day of school" celebration lunch. Of course this excited all 3 kids. We had a great lunch together, however we missed Dad, he did not get to go with us that day.
I can't believe Mason is growing up so fast. He will be in kindergarten before I know it. He will do well, I can tell. Along with his great personality, sweet demeaner, love for learning, and his knack for comic relief, he is sure to be one of the best students!
We are blessed to have him in our lives!!!
We love you Mason, and we are super proud of you!

Mom and Dad

Days at the Beach (2) Putt Putt

5 kids, two five year olds, one three year old, one two year old, one one year old, 2 sets of parents all pile into 2 vans and head out for an exploration of dinosaurs, green patches, small holes, long iron poles, and little brightly colored balls. How'd that go.........? Actually it went much better than any of us expected. Except for one minor pee pee accident (Mason) and one almost "total breakdown" (saved by allowing him to hit the ball about 100 times on one hole) we actually faired very well.

After driving by this putt putt course about 10 times throughout the week and promising the boys that we would go, we finally made it. The kids were soooooooo excited. They picked thier clubs and picked their balls and we all headed out onto the course. (Adam was literally stuffed into a small carrying pouch on Darren's chest). The kids loved playing and all did really well. Katy and Mason both had some true 2's and 3's on some of the holes. They loved the water running through the course and all of the huge dinosaurs scattered around between holes.

Of course, Darren and I are extremely competitive at putt putt (it is one of the only things I can legitamently beat him at) so we were trying our best to play well. It was harder for him though with Adam in the pack on his chest. Regardless, I must add that I did beat him in the end by 2 strokes. Yippee!

After the game we went to a nearby ice cream parlor for some ice cream. We sat out on the deck overlooking another putt putt course. The kids loved the whole evening! They were all so good and it was great for us to get to watch them have such a good time and really feel successful in what they were doing.

After a long day of the beach, the pool, putt putt, ice cream... we all headed back to the beach house and went to bed. Sleep in a necessity when you are waking up each morning to heard 4 adults, 5 kids, two wagons, two coolers, and all other essential beach parafanalia 2 blocks to the beach (we must be CRAZY)! We would not trade one minute of our time there for the world. It was great!

Happy Birthday Mom

Today would have been mom's 72nd birthday. As more time passes I realize more how much I miss her. The longer she is gone, them more I realize she isn't coming back. I miss her calling me in the mornings just to see what I am doing. I miss her calling to hitch a ride to Wal-Mart and I miss her going places with me. I hate that my kids can't see her whenever they want. I hate that Adam will never remember her, and Mason will not remember her much, if any. I hate that they won't ever really know how great she was or how much she loved them.

I love that Katy and Mason still ask about her. Katy says she really misses Gran. Mason thanks God for her in his prayers, but sometimes mentions the fact that she is in heaven.

They all have some of the good parts of her inside of them and for that I am thankful.

Katy and I asked Jesus to give Gran a big birthday party in Heaven, with lots of balloons, a big cake, and lots of presents!

We believe he did!

We love and miss you, Mom!

These are pictures from 2 years ago, Mom's 70th Birthday Party. It seem like yesterday!

Days at the Beach (1)

Papaw Cook came to the beach and spent some time with us there. The kids loved having him there to play with them at the beach and at the pool. Of course, Papaw insisted on WALKING 2 miles just to get to us each morning, then was able to spend some time playing. He would not hear of riding abike or especially, not a car/truck. Papaw got the kids some boogie boards which they loved, Adam loved them too.

Papaw made special effort to spend time with each one of the kids, individually. He is good at that. They loved having him there!

Mason ran around on the beach like a maniac, laughing and smiling and talking about "who knows what!" Katy enjoyed going out to jump the waves with Papaw, and Adam also enjoyed going out into the ocean with him.

Having Papaw around was great!

Hello, Is anyone here?

I have not blogged in so long that anyone who ever did consider looking at this blog has long since lost interest. Oh well, I only do it for the family and for the kids to be able to look back one day and be able to read about moments in thier lives they may have forgotten. The thing is that we are making the memories, but I am failing to capture them in words. Today, I plan to do better, to write more, to capture moments, to preserve time, right here on this blog. I owe it to my kids, and those random folks out there who like to read about my kids.

We have been on Vacation to Cherry Grove (Myrtle) June 14-21. It was great! We had a good time and it went by too fast. I plan to add more beach stories in days to come.

Tradgedies are hitting us right and left, we began our vacation with news of the death of Darren's Papaw "Hugh McDaniel" and ended our vacation with news of the death of Darren's first cousin, "Mark Grubb." Two wonderful people who will be missed greatly by those whose lives they have touched. These deaths, along with three others, "Chet Zwierzchowski" (a close family friend), "Larry Brittain" (a close family friend), and "Lois Burch" (my mother) make 5 deaths in our lives since the end of March. Saddness, loss, pain, peace, thankfullness, fear, encouragment, empathy, sympathy, love... are all feelings that have touched our lives in so many ways during these few months. We are blessed to have a God to love us, and care for us, and comfort us in these times. We are blessed inside the loss!

Rambling, I know.

The kids! Of course, the kids are GREAT! They are the bestest, most cutest, most precious, funniest, snuggliest, lovable kids in the whole entire world, and again, we are blessed because they are ours!!!!! Yippeeeee!!!!!

They are so much fun. Adam (15 mos now) NOT WALKING! Bear crawling around on his hands and feet like crazy! "Hey buddy, stand up!" He smiles all the time and was a total sand crab at the beach! Mason is CRAZY and comes up with the funniest things to say and do, of course keeping us on our toes all the time. Katy, she is just Katy, she is growing up way too fast, loves to get dressed up and put on her lip gloss! She is changing so much every day I can't keep up, she makes me smile so big my cheeks hurt! Proud, that is what we are, Proud to the bone! Blessed way more than we deserve.

Thank you God for our family and for trusting us to raise your kids in our home. We are unworthy but grateful for the opportunity to be parents to these precious kids, please lead us each day to lead them in a way that is pleasing to you!

Who Wants to go CAMPING

Our family and some friends (Chad and Heather) set out on our first camping adventure last weekend (May 9-11). We traveled a whole 5 miles down the road to a Jackrabbit campground located on Lake Chatuge. We set up our Pop-Up campers and all the other things that must be done to ensure a good camping trip, canopies, cover picnic tables, make beds in the camper, set up fishing poles, unload fire wood (make sure we have marshmallows), unload bikes, and lots of other things that needed to be done. We had a perfect camping spot with our camper on one spot and our friends camper in the next spot, with a large open grass area and picnic table between. We also had a perfect place for the kids to go down to the lake and fish or play safely in the water. They loved it.

On Friday night we grilled hamburgers and hotdogs. We fished in the lake. We found that Katy is an excellent "caster". She could cast her fishing line a good 30 feet or more out into the water. We were all very proud of her, especially Papaw Burch. Mason did pretty good too, and Adam enjoyed sitting on the rocks and watching. Maggie and Nathan (freinds) enjoyed fishing too. Then we enjoyed roasting marshmallows around the campfire.

It stormed a little that night, so we got up to a wet, muddy mess. However, the sun was shining, we wiped down the camp and got started on breakfast (pancakes and bacon). The rest of the day was spent playing and riding bikes with some other kids who were camping behind us. Maggie and Katy also had to leave for a birthday party in the middle of the afternoon.

As it turned out, the weatherman was calling for severe thunderstorms, hail, tornadoes, wind.... for Saturday night and Sunday. So, we decided to stay at camp through dinner, then we packed up and came home (the advantage of camping close by). We gilled Deer ham and shoulder and invited Dad, Aunt Mary, Aunt Tommie, Jo, and Ann up for dinner. We ate like kings, enjoyed the campfire, then packed up around 9:00pm and came on home. It did storm that night, but not terribly bad, still it was good we came on home, the wind was horrific on Sunday.

All -in-all we had a great time and are looking forward to going camping again this comeming weekend. Looks like we will be heading out Friday, we are camping with 2 sets of friends, we will have a good time, no doubt.

Called Home

I lost my mom to a heart attack on March 21, 2008, my son's 1st birthday. She was a diabetic, on dialysis, not super healthy, but not really sick either. So, her death was unexpected. I had prepared myself for a long time that it could happen any time, I knew it could happen when I least expected it, it did. I was at home, making my son's birthday cake, my sister was there (up from Atlanta), my dad called and said mom had gone into cardiac arrest during dialysis and he was going to the hospital. My kids were sleeping, so my sister went with him. I was afraid, I did not feel good about it, I prayed for her to be okay, somehow, I almost knew she wasn't. 30 minutes later, my sister called and said she did not make it. I literally fell to the floor, I cried, my husband was there, he held me, and I cried. I had to go up the hill to tell my oldest sister, we then went together to the hospital. We were able to see Mom before she was taken away. She did not look bad to me, she looked peaceful. It was worth going to see her, to me anyway. Before we left, I spent some time with her, by myself. I knew she was in a better place, feeling good, walking the streets of gold. She is an angel now, a guardian to us all.

The next few days proved to be almost surreal. Is this really happening? I kept asking myself? And the answer was always yes, just hold on, make it through the next thing. My Dad seemed okay, considering, he is strong, logical, determined, and yet soft, kind, real! He will be okay, I know, I still worry a little, it isn't easy for any of us, but after 50 years with someone, I can't imagine.

We made it through the decisions, the planning, the visitors, the phone calls, the food.... We made it through despite our saddness. Even though it was hard, the love and care we felt from others was a comfort, and we appreciated everything. We made it through the funeral, the burial, the dinner... We made it through that night.

The following days, my sisters and I banded together and did all the thank you cards. Then we went through all of Mama's things and distributed them to appropriate locations. We did so Dad did not have to, we did it because we are the daughters, we did it because we love them both. It was good for us, the time it gave us together was time we needed, but rarely get. Good in the midst of bad, happiness in the midst of saddness, laughter in the midst of tears. TIME WE NEEDED.

The days go by, the weeks will pass, our loss no less, no easier. Yet, I find comfort in knowing that she was saved, she is in heaven, she is watching over all of us, I will see her again one day. I have a sense of peace, I know she is with me now, and will always be.

I love you Mom!

Kristi