He's tucked in and ready

We'll he's in bed and sound asleep. His clothes are laid out in his room so he can get dressed in the morning. We've packed his backpack and his lunch box, his school supplies, his rest mat, his shoes and all are waiting by the door. He's ready for his first day. I think I'm ready too. I've had time to prepare and weeks (even years) to think about this moment. My little boy REALLY isn't so little anymore. He's a school-age boy. He's still MY baby but that's not how others see him. My first born is moving into a new and exciting phase of his life. He's starting Kindergarten!!! He's going to grow and learn so much this year. He's going to change...for the better. I can't wait to hear all of the things he has done, has learned. I can't wait to see all of his work and hang it up proudly around the house! I'm so proud of him and I'm excited for him too! He has no idea the love we have for him, the hopes and dreams we dream for him. My little boy starts school tomorrow and I have not been this emotional about his future since he was first placed in my arms, March 20, 2002.

Lord, you know the prayers I have for him. Please protect him, keep him safe, help him to be eager and willing to learn, to make friends, and to enjoy himself. Help him to choose right and make wise choices. Protect his innocence for as long as possible. Take care of my little boy while I can't see him and help him to know our love for him, YOUR love for him...when this world lets him down and hurts him as I know it will. Thank you for giving him to us and for trusting him to us. He is such a blessing in our lives and we can't imagine life without our boy, our Harrison.

Testing out the new camera...

I tested out the new camera this morning at the park. I think it did a pretty good job! Anthony went out on Sunday night and got a new camera AND an extended warranty with accidental! Why we didn't think of that before, I'll never know! We typically like those warranty deals! :) Anyway, I'll already for tomorrow...I'll be posting pics of the first day! Stay tuned! :)

Baylee's Birthday Party at Ocean Breeze

What a cutie! Baylee was ready to start her big day!

Tom, Grace, & Baylee

Baylee is quite the little swimmer. There is no fear of water in this little girl. I think she really enjoyed her party!

The boys sure felt like they were hot stuff! They had been to the park last month so they knew where everything was and exactly what they wanted to do. I think they tried out the 'potty' slides first...remember, the flushing section at the top of the slide! :)

Jackson REALLY enjoyed the Wave Pool...Emma did as well! :)

Jackson enjoyed walking over the little fountains.

Jackson and Baylee in the Wave Pool

Last shot before the BIG WAVE that almost ruined my day!

I only wish I had pictures of the actual party. I broke my camera about 10 minutes before we ate lunch and had cake. That would have been great coverage to get being as it WAS a BIRTHDAY PARTY! Oh well, what can you do?

Thanks Tom and Grace for providing a wonderful party for Baylee! We had so much fun and you were so generous! The kids had a blast and I'm so glad we were able to make it to celebrate with everyone!

My Rockstar Husband!

Anthony enjoys playing one of Austin's XBox 360 games, Guitar Hero. Actually, we ALL love playing it. It's quite addicting and a lot of fun. We don't usually get to play any sort of video game but whenever we're in VA, we look forward to Guitar Hero! :) Thought everyone would like to see Anthony being a Rockstar!!!

Birthday's for the Cousins!!

Harrison insisted that we get Emma an Ariel doll! Emma was pretty pleased with his selection for her! ...and she was able to get some more cooking utensils for her little kitchen.

Grant seemed excited about his gifts! They played the Hot Hoops game for the rest of the night!

Baylee was SO excited about her new stroller and new baby. She was especially excited that the stroller had a buckle she could fasten. I didn't even know it did. I'm so glad, because she was so cute asking you to help her undo it and then she would hook it again, and then another help me. It was lots of fun!!! Now she can play mommy and take care of her own baby while her mommy is taking care of little Savannah who is due mid-August!!! We can't wait for her to arrive!! :)

Nanny and Grandaddy even got to stop by and see the boys AND show us their NEW Honda Odyssey!!! It is incredibly nice! They're winners now, because they bought their new van at Checkered Flag...where winner's buy! :)

Jackson did his part to live up to his reputation of being a wild and crazy man! While we were all having fun, chatting, and completely ignoring the kids...ha ha..he poured some Diet Pepsi into a toy bowl, poured some of that onto the coffee table, and then convinced his cousin Baylee what a good idea it would be to lick it off of the table! We just had to get a picture before we made them stop and clean up. It was too cute to pass up!

We had a great time celebrating Emma's 4th, Grant's 7th, and Baylee's 2nd Birthday's at Mamaw's and Papaw's house. So glad we were able to make it up to VA and not miss out on all the fun! :)

Harrison's first haircut...I mean first haircut from someone other than his Mamaw!

I had to take Harrison to get a haircut today at Great Clips. NO, I DON'T HAVE A PICTURE...see post below. I know this may sound very strange to all of you but my mom has always cut Harrison's hair (Anthony & Jackson, too). We didn't have time for her to do it with all the parties this weekend so I took him to Great Clips. It was getting WAY too long and he starts school Wednesday...I'm starting to realize that everything lately is revolving around when Harrison is starting school, is this how it's going to be from now on? I guess so! :) Mardene did a great job on the cut and he looks as handsome as ever. Hopefully, I'll have a camera in the next few days...so I can document the "going to school" thing that is complicating my life and you can see his new do then! :) You all better start praying for me now...I promise there are going to be tears shed on Wednesday, and this won't even be a full week of school! AHHHH!!!

Camera Catastrophe!!!

Well...I'm in the market for a new camera! We had Baylee's 2nd Birthday party today at Ocean Breeze (we came in to VA last night and had a family party for Grant and Emma's birthday's and then left tonight after the party for Baylee...so our visit was VERY quick!). I was documenting everything because I'm BLOG crazy these days. I was having so much fun and getting so many great pictures. I was taking pictures of Baylee and Jackson in the wave pool and this wave caught me off guard and SOAKED my camera. It's a gonner! We tried drying it out...to no avail! The zoom is in the on position so it won't even close up! I was SO upset with myself. I can't live without a camera!!! Harrison is starting school next week, I have to be able to take pictures!! I'm addicted to blogging...I MUST have a camera!!! I'll probably have to buy a disposable to get his first day of school but hopefully I'll have something soon. The memory stick is fine and the pictures I took of the beginning of the day are fine so that's a blessing! Hopefully I can post some of those tomorrow. Word to the wise...be careful with your camera near the water...you do want to be able to post pictures on your BLOG, don't you???? :)

My loving boy!

Ok, I just had an amazing moment! I walked into the guest room where Harrison is playing with all of his dogs (not real ones, we haven't committed to that yet). I sat down on the bed and started talking to him and then I gave him a big hug. As he was hugging me, he said "Mommy, I would be so sad if I didn't have you." My heart melted! I just LOVE those moments! He is so sweet and tender hearted and I just love him to pieces! These boys touch my heart in a way no one ever could!

Thank you Lord, for my precious boys! You have blessed me beyond measure! I couldn't have dreamed for anything more!

A FREE MOVIE!!!

We spent the morning at the movie theater with some neighbor friends. The theater offers free movies in the summer and we hadn't had a chance to try it out. We saw Barnyard...not one I would add to our collection...but pretty cute. The kids had fun with their friends and eating popcorn! Jackson did suprisingly well. I had warned Harrison that we may have to leave early if Jackson started acting up so he was prepared. Jackson was wanting to wander about the last 20 minutes but it doesn't really matter when it's FREE! :) I thought that was good for a two year old! We even got to play a game afterwards...what fun! I'm so thankful that the boys have GREAT friends in the neighborhood! Thanks Aidan, Riley, & Taylor for joining us (Riley was in his carseat carrier so you can't see him)!!!! We look forward to many more playdates together!

A day at the park...

The Park at Bayleaf Baptist Church

Today we met some friends at the park from our Life Class on Sunday's. They have been meeting on Tuesdays for playgroup and we have met them now for the second time. The boys had a ball and I was so proud of them. They played together so well and Harrison was so loving to his brother. They do pretty well most of the time but they have their moments like all other siblings! But, today, Harrison was especially protective and considerate of his brother. You could see Jackson's face beaming to have his BIG brother by his side, helping him all around. Harrison showed Jackson how to go up on one of the bigger slides which was quite fast. Jackson would land in a heap at the bottom. Being the ham that he is, he kept doing it over and over, falling at the bottom and putting on a big show for all who would laugh and egg him on! He is convinced he is hilarious and I agree with him! :) I'm so thankful that the boys have each other! I had a good time chatting with the ladies. They have all been very friendly and welcoming to me as a new comer to the class! The park was GREAT...completely fenced in (which all mothers love) and lots of shade. Just Perfect! I'm sure we will visit it often! :)

More pictures of our weekend...

Checking out a worm...the rest of the story to this is that after we stood up to walk away, Jackson kicked the worm and split it in half. Jacob said "look, there's two worms now!" Boys will be boys, I guess!

Things we collected on our color walk.

A picture before church...facing the sun, not such a good idea! :)

Josiah, Katy, Callie, & Jacob

What a big girl you are now, Callie!

Callie was truly a joy...what a happy baby!

A story before we take off to VA!

Beth & Callie

"Cheese"

This boy LOVES watermelon, he must have eaten half of the watermelon all by himself! I'm not kidding!

"Buzz Lightyear...Space Rangers"

"To infinity...and beyond!"

Please Come back soon! We had so much fun!