On the Run

Halloween 2008

Our neighborhood is a lot of fun during any reason to celebrate! Each Halloween, one of our neighbors pulls a wagon full of hay behind a tractor and pulls the kids around the neighborhood. They hop on and off every few houses and have so much fun! This year Brooke was Pippi Longstocking, Bryce was, um, I don't really know, but he had a killer mohawk!, And the babies were both pumpkins. They started the night 2 houses down with pizza and games, ran down to the house across the street for the pinata (Brynleigh thought that was great and LOVED the whole concept of banging something until a boatload of candy comes flying out! Oh - and Brooke was the one who broke it of course) and then began the trek through the neighborhood. Benjamin was pretty much done before it all started but was willing to ride in his car once he was coaxed in with a lollipop and Brynleigh was full force and had the "Trick-or-treat" thing down pat! She realized that when you say that, people think she's REALLY cute and gave her handfuls of "canny"! What fun memories!!

Watch out - Here he comes!

This was about 2 months ago so it's already a little outdated. He is now walking EVERYWHERE! Jeff calls him Fred Sanford because he walks with one hand on his chest and the other in the air like when Fred would say "I'm comin Elizabeth!"

Benj loves me!

One of Benjamin's first words was "I love you" or "luduw" as we have all come to say :-) Watch this to hear his precious voice!

Brooke's 5th grade graduation

Brynleigh turns 2!!!!

The terrific two's have arrived!! Here she is drinking someone's drink which was much more appealing than her juice, taking a ride on her new wheels from Gramma, and blowing out her candles - she knew exactly what to do! She loved getting all her "pesents" but was much more interested in the toys than the clothes :-) We got her a bug rescue kit that has a bug vacuum, net, and bug house which has been a favorite. She LOVES "gubs"! It came in handy because we found a wounded dove that Brookie has been taking care of and they have been using Brynleighs things to capture food.

Gracie Mae

Gracie is almost 4 now and is as sweet as ever, but she is often sad that she's not the baby anymore. Scrambled egg breakfasts and back rubs are no more, but she is such a trooper taking attention when its available and letting the babies use her as their favorite play toy. She is so gentle and protective of them, living up to the boxer reputation. Her favorite is dinner time because Brynleigh doesn't understand that Gracie has her own food bowl, so half of her meal usually ends up in Gracie's mouth.

Benjiboo

Happiness is.... this little angel! He wakes up smiling and rarely stops. All you have to do is look at him and he lights up! "Chubs" has earned his nickname because at his last checkup, he weighed only 1 lb less than his sister who is 15 months older! He has rolls on his rolls and rivals the Michelin Man! Benj is now 8 1/2 months old, crawling everywhere, pulling up on anything he can reach, waving and giving kisses. It happens so fast!! For a little one who tried to arrive 17 weeks early, you certainly can't tell he had such a rough start! Our prayers were answered with this little man!! (Even though he NEVER sleeps! :-) )

Brynleigh Marie

What a precious gift this baby girl is!!! Every day she amazes me and never ceases to provide us with entertainment!!! She turns 2 years old on Aug 1 and is learning the tantrums that come with it. Never would I have guessed that I would bargain with a 2 year old, but alas, the day has come. :-) She is as stubborm and independent as her mother which I do appreciate about her, but it makes for some interesting days. She is, though, the sweetest (and most brilliant, of course!) little girl! She loves to sing and she tries to tell stories even though you have NO idea what she is saying and she wants to do everything her brother and sissy do! Don't tell her she's too little because that doesn't go over very well! She is doing amazingly well with Benjamin and tries to hold him like mommy which only makes him mad. :-)

Our Brycimus

Wow, he's going to kill me for putting this pic up, but we don't have any of him with his new haircut without Brooke in it!!! Sorry, Brycie :-) Bryce is doing fabulous and growing up WAY too fast! He is going into the 4th grade and is the stud of Yulee Elementary School. He is getting ready to start another season of football next week and will be this year's star quarterback! He is not nearly into school as much as he is skateboarding but still makes awesome grades, ending the year with A/B honor roll!! He is such a sweet big brother who owns Brynleigh's heart. She wakes up saying, "Mama, I ont Byce," and ends the day the same way. He helps out so much with both babies and is the master at getting them to stop fussing in the car!!! Needless to say, he is precious to have around!!!! And he gives the sweetest hugs and kisses of any boy I know!

Our beautiful Brooke!

Even when she just wakes up, she's as beautiful as ever! Brookie is getting ready for Middle School this summer and has just returned home from Powerlife Camp with the church youth group. We were so excited for her that she was able to participate this year, knowing that with her involvement in youth group will come maturity in herself and her walk with Christ. We couldn't be more proud of the young lady she is becoming and what an instrumental part of our family she is. As second mommy to the babies, she dives right in and helps with whatever needs to be done, often without being asked. Many, many times I wonder what I would do without her!!!

For those of you who haven't had the opportunity to visit, this is our home - well, in 2004 just before it was finished being built. We haven't really taken a new picture of just the house. And there isn't a Civic in the driveway anymore - she was retired a few years back when Jeff bought me the silver Altima I wanted for Christmas (yes, I'm spoiled!) which was then traded for the Freestyle when Benjamin came along. We are SO blessed to have such a beautiful home with 4 bedrooms!!! The babies share the nursery, but we know they will love the arrangement for several more years! Jeff is building a shed in the backyard so we will be able to see our garage floor, but the kids still have plenty of room to play. He put one of his glass crates in the woods behind the house and Brookie and Bryce are making it into their fort. I never imagined that I would be so blessed, but God has truly given me the man, the family, and the home of my dreams and so much more!!!