2012…

2012 has by far been the fastest year of my life! I have always heard that the years go faster as you get older. I wish I were able to slow down time. Enjoy all of the precious moments I have with Keith, Camp, Crawford and Crew. I am happy to be back to blogging so I can keep a record of of lives so we can go back and see all of the events that have flown right by.

Here’s some of what was captured by photos this past year…

I’ll post a couple of months at a time.

JANUARY:

There isn’t really a dull moment in our house. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

 

Here’s a photo from my birthday last January. It’s from a phone so it’s super grainy. One of my gifts was a sleeping bag for camping. The boys tried it out with me.

 

There was a lot of sickness at our house, and breathing treatments for all of the boys. Here’s Crew taking his first treatment.

 

 

Crew had his first taste of “real food” and wasn’t really a fan. We didn’t start any food again until he was about 9-10 months.

 

 

We moved Crawford into Camp’s room and Camp took the top bunk. They love sleeping in the same room.

 

FEBRUARY:

We made a trip to Columbia and went to Monkey Joe’s for the first time. The boys had so much fun. (Well, Crew just hung out).

 

Our sweet boys cuddling at the hotel.

 

Funny Crawford was so proud of himself. He thought he did a great job putting “gel” in his hair. Lotion is not fun to get out! haha.

 

 

Funny…

 

 

We had some beautiful days to play outside last February.

 

Yep, he fell asleep in a box..

 

I took the boys to Milgrove Farms to feed and hold the animals and pick out some fun produce. We had a blast!! 

Crew started growing into a little man.

MARCH:

Crew started getting around with a little army crawl.

 

More pretty days to play outside!

Christmas…. (Year of the Scooter!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Isaiah 9:6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 

We ended up having a much different Christmas this year than we have had in the past. Keith woke up with the flu last Tuesday and Kathy (my sweet mother-in-law and receptionist at the salon) came to take care of the boys while I worked so Keith could get some sleep. He was so sick that he could not do anything but rest!

So, Kathy watched the boys Tuesday and Wednesday, then she woke up with a fever on Thursday morning. I felt so bad we probably got her sick!!! Camp started with a fever on Wednesday then Crawford had one on Friday. We got TamiFlu into them quickly, so they were better rather fast compared to the normal duration of the flu.

My brother, sister-in-law, niece and nephew came in from Ohio late Tuesday night. My sister, Deanna, also came up from Charleston for a few days. I felt so bad that my boys couldn’t hang out with them fearing we would get everyone sick!! Crew and I were able to see them in the evenings, and Crawford made it a couple nights too.

Friday night I went up with my family to Burro Loco for dinner. I won a little bear for my niece Maddie and a toy for my nephew Weston from the grabber machine there. (I can actually say that I have the art of that game figured out. I have spent a ton of money in my lifetime playing while my parents bowled on a league when I was little! haha).

After dinner we went to the Shadrack light show in Myrtle Beach. It was a neat show, but I thought it was a little expensive at $25 a car. All of the lights change to the music. I guess they have them all over and run after Christmas too. Here’s the information if you want to check it out: Shadrack Christmas Wonderland. We packed into the car and all rode together.

My family ate dinner and celebrated Christmas on Saturday night. Crew is 3 months older than Weston. He’s so cute! Maddie is very into girly things, so I was excited to get her a doll that you could fix the hair on. It cracked me up because she said, “I always wanted one of these!” haha. Crawford is 3 months younger than Maddie. It’s so much fun having cousins so close in age! I just wish they were closer in distance too.

We loved seeing them and hope it won’t be too long before we can maybe make it up there to visit (FREE OF SICKNESS!!).

On Christmas Eve, I gave the big boys some fun new jammies that they were excited about. Crawford said they were ‘soft and beautiful!’ haha. Since 3 out of 5 of us were super sick, we weren’t able to attend a Christmas Eve service at church. We were bummed but read a few stories of Jesus’ birth at home.

We do Santa at our house, so the boys put out milk and cookies for him. They were so concerned with making sure he had enough!!

Crew did not partake in putting out the treats, I knew he would take what he could and run! haha.

We put the boys in our room for a Christmas Campout. We wanted to make sure they didn’t get up in the middle of the night and see what “Santa” brought without us!! I was up every hour worried I wouldn’t hear them get up.

They slept through the night and woke up about 7am. We made them hang out until Keith and I were all set up and ready to get some video and photos. They waited very patiently!! (I love the bead-head in the photo below!)

This year was truly the year of the scooter! Each boy got a scooter, including an adult one for Keith and I to share. haha. At our house, Santa brings 3 things and they are kept unwrapped. Everything else is from Keith and I and wrapped under the tree (with exception of all of the scooters and anything else large. Here’s what the boys came into.

Camp’s santa presents he got were a pair of Stompeeze, a penguin submarine toy and a game called Pop the Pig.

Crawford got a fire house doll house, stompeeze and a baby he could feed.

Crew got a turtle he can ride, a pillow pet and a second blanket like the one he is so attached to.

One item they both played with all day were a set of handcuffs.

We also got them a few fun gadgets like a telescoping magnet.

Crew wasn’t thrilled about his new puddle jumpers! hahaha. He did love two new cups he got though. He loves being big like his brothers!!

The boys got so many fun things and really had a wonderful morning. We cleaned up and put  most of their toys away and got ready for all of Keith’s family to come over for lunch. My poor father-in-law was still sick and not able to make it. We are also so proud of my sister-in-law Anna Grace for her commitment to YWAM and commitment to the Lord in Hawaii for a year, but we missed her celebrating with us.

Here’s a link to her amazing blog if you want to see what she is up to! :this little Light of mine

I am not the greatest cook, but enjoy doing it, so I was so excited to prepare lunch for everyone! I tried a new (new to me) way to make the turkey by brining it and cooking it breast side down, flipping it 2/3 of the way thru cooking. It turned out well and I have enjoyed the stock from it today!!

Blaze and Asher are the boys’ other cousins. Blaze is almost 3 months older than Camp and Asher is 25 days older than Crawford! We couldn’t have planned it any better!! The boys truly love and cherish their time together!

Below from left to right: Asher, Crew, Camp, Blaze and Crawford. Don’t you love their formal Christmas Day attire!? haha

The boys opened presents and loved everything they got!

Blaze

Asher

To end the day my family came by to open presents and see what they boys got. I am so happy and blessed that our families live close so that we can see them often and they can share in special days!

My dad showing the boys a gift and my Grandma in the background.

This is my beautiful sister, Deanna, who lives in Charleston.

Nana (my mom) and Crawford.

I will end this super long post with one of my favorite photos of the day. My sister got Crawford the Batman shirt and undies and he is wearing his new shoes and back pack from the day! He sure makes us smile!

Our 11th Anniversary…

November 3rd marked our 11th anniversary. I am truly blessed with a sweet, funny, godly, committed, understanding, sensible, and good looking best friend! I really didn’t know that I would ever love him more than I did the day we were married. Our love and communication gets better and better every year. (My communication can only go up from where it started!! haha).

We have had some fun and special anniversaries, and had a few that were not so memorable. Last year Crew was so little, we were not able to get away, so this year was our redemption. This was the first time Keith and I have ever gone away together since we have had children.

*Note to anyone who wants to take the advice: Don’t wait 5 years before going away as a couple, leaving your children!! 😉

Keith and I drove down to St. Augustine , Florida. We left Thursday night after I finished work and took our time, stopping for dinner along the way. It’s funny, but the thing we were looking forward to the most was sleeping in late! We were able to take our time getting up every single day, which was glorious!

The next day we looked around St. Augustine (which is beautiful) and shopped a few local surf shops. Later that day we drove south about 30 minutes to a place called MarineLand. I have wanted to swim with dolphins since I was little and I have not had the opportunity, until now!

Here’s a link to MarineLand if you want to check it out: Marineland – Swim With Dolphins in Florida

They allow up to 10 people at a time to get in the tank with the dolphins (with the package I picked). I was so excited that there were only 3 of us when I went. Usually they give you about 30 minutes of education and then 30 minutes in the water, but we must have had about 45 minutes in the water.

We were able to pet, feed and hang out with the dolphin!! MarineLand is awesome! I learned a ton about dolphins and was amazed that they have the oldest living dolphin on record living at MarineLand. The average life span of a dolphin is 25-30 years and she is 59!! They are beautiful and amazing creatures.  

After I swam with the dolphins, we headed up to Jacksonville for the night. The Cheesecake Factory is one of Keith’s favorites so we had dinner there. We even ate lunch there the next day after shopping and looking around. There were so many fun shops and Keith and I loved spending time together and not having a schedule to follow by. It was also nice to take our time, only feed ourselves and not wrestle Crew off the table of a restaurant.

We started heading towards home and planned to spend our last night in Charleston, but crazy enough, there were NO rooms available in Mt. Pleasant. We ended up staying in Myrtle Beach for the night, and were able to sleep in there too!

We had three nights in total and our parents and my sister were so gracious to take care of our kiddos!! It was wonderful for our children and for us too. We are looking forward to our next getaway together.

It was awesome, but of course we were excited to come home to this…

this…

                                                                          and this…

School Christmas Parties…

Each school year, the parents are asked to sign up to organize a holiday party. I signed up for the Christmas party in Crawford’s class and the St. Patricks Day party in Camp’s. It’s a little hard to plan a game for a bunch of 2-3 year olds, so the party mom’s and I planned a snack, craft and to read a few Christmas books.

I was in charge of the craft and reading 2 stories. There are so many crafty ideas to choose from with Pinterest around. I ended up using a photo for a wreath as my inspiration. I got 200+ clothes pins and covered the tops with festive coordinating paper. Next, I bent covered floral wire into circles with a hook on the top to hang. I bagged them up and the kids put all of the clothes pins on the circle. Pinching the clothes pins was a great manipulative for Crawford’s age. The end result didn’t really look like a wreath, but was a cute ornament anyway! The kids had fun, and that’s what mattered.

I think Crawford was excited to have me at school with him. He has such a fun time with his friends there and his teachers are great! 🙂

Here’s a photo of most of their class. Trying to get that many 2-3 year olds ready for a photo was next to impossible!! 🙂

Most of the class holding their ornament craft.

Crawford eating his snack (He looks very underwhelmed!) haha.

The next week, on Sunday, one of the mamas in Camp’s class called me and asked if I could provide a sweet snack for their Christmas party. The parent who had snack had a stomach bug and was encouraged not to send anything. I was happy to help, but didn’t have time to bake that day. I am so glad I have Monday and Friday off so I am able to participate in activities and parties for the boys!

I ended up buying Rice-Krispy Treats, putting a long sucker stick into them, melting chocolate that I kept warm in a crock pot, and fun toppings. The kids dipped their Rice-Krispy Treats into the chocolate and then dipped into candy canes mashed up, chocolate chips, marshmallows and lots of sprinkles. It was a fun treat and because it was potentially messy to eat, they enjoyed them on the playground after they dried 🙂

They played a few games and decorated a ginger bread  man ornament during the party too! 🙂

Camp was super excited I was at school with him. He wanted me to sit next to him and do everything right with him the entire party. I know one day he may ask me to drop him off so nobody sees me with him, so for now I am going to enjoy every moment! 🙂

The School Christmas Program…

Sweet Crew watching his big brothers.

Every year, St Peter Lutheran School has a Christmas program. The kids practice for several weeks learning new songs with the music teacher, Mr. D. They are always so proud to preform for their families. I LOVE to watch my boys in new situations and at events outside of the house. It’s so much fun to see how they will act and react when it’s new and maybe a little uncomfortable.

Camp is a pro, this being his 3rd year participating in the show, and did great. He sang every song and was very serious about his role. We weren’t sure if Crawford would sing or not. Sometimes he is a bit shy. He surprised us both and sang along with his friends and did every movement correctly.

Crew enjoyed watching the boys and had lots of snacks to keep him busy as we waited for them to start.

Here are a few photos from the program…