3rd grade letter...

At the meet and greet with Drew's new teacher, she asked us parents to write her a letter describing our child. I was thrilled for this little project!
My letter about Drew…
I feel like there is so much I could tell you about this boy. He loves to help; it keeps him busy and gives him a feeling of accomplishment. He thrives on competition; it’s probably what drives him most. If he doesn’t win, he will keep trying until he does. He is a creature of rewards and positive reinforcement. You will get what you want out of him using these approaches. I’ve tried them all. He is much smarter than he gives himself credit for. He is naturally a rock star at math; however, getting him to read is quite a chore. His handwriting is sloppy, but his ideas are big…and usually funny. He will ask A LOT of questions because he wants to make sure he understands; his mind moves so fast he often forgets…and frankly, sometimes he just isn’t listening. If you are patient with him and tell him how proud you are of him…you will soon be his favorite person in this world, and he will treat you as such! He is a people person through and through. He’s loud, a little obnoxious sometimes, and has the biggest heart of any 8 year old I know. He gave his allowance straight from his wallet to a family holding a sign on the side of the road a few weeks ago. He plays travel baseball- third base, loves video games, riding his 4-wheeler and fast cars. He has built a mud truck with his dad and loves “mud boggin”! He’s not a good sleeper, is a picky eater and is a self-declared “Debater”. Maybe we have an attorney on our hands. When he was diagnosed with ADHD in Kindergarten, Matt and I made a commitment to never let him think this was an excuse, a hinder or a label that would hold him back. There is no doubt in my mind that God will use all of his energy to move mountains one day. This is our Drew. I hope you will love him as much as we do. Call us anytime. We are all in this together!

My son, I will always be there

Tonight, my youngest son cried. He cried over everything. He cried because he wanted ice cream before dinner, he cried because he wanted to climb the tree that was too big. He cried because he didn't want to go to sleep, even though his beautiful, blue, 4 year old crying eyes were so sleepy he could hardly hold them open. I hope he wakes up in the morning knowing that I will always be there. I will be there through the crying. I will be there to give him his ice cream once dinner is done. I will be there to help him out of that too big tree and I will be there to lay with him and run my fingers through his blonde hair as he finally drifts off to sleep. 

As the days fly on by, faster than the ones before, I will be there, steady as that too big tree in the yard. When they are late for school, forget their lunch or that kid is mean to them on the bus...I will be there. When their pants need scrubbing and jerseys need ironing for that game when they make the most amazing play, or the game when they feel like they let everyone down, I will always be there. 

When the teacher doesn't "get him", the classes get harder and their friends start to change, I will be there. When the car gets wrecked or they need a ride home from that party they weren't suppose to go to, I will be there. 

When they realize that the girl they liked didn't feel the same way, I will be there to remind them of their great worth...when they find the girl who does see how great they are, I will be there, so excited and grateful. When they promise God to love her forever, I will be there, praying for their every step. When the first argument happens and they think they need a couch to sleep on for the night, I will be there to talk them through it and send them back home. 

When the "It's time, Mom!" call comes, I will rush to be there...and when the "We haven't slept in days." and "The baby won't stop crying." calls come, I will be there. 

As for now, they both are small. They are a handsome, wild at heart, smarter than he gives himself credit for 8 year old and a beautiful, free spirited, barefoot, always has something to say 4 year old. If, one day, all they are sure of about their mother is that she will always be there, then this journey will have been worth every tear they shed. 

Back to school!

School has begun and the long lost routine has made a quick return, Praise the Lord! This little ham started 3 year old pre-K. He has a class of about 10 kids and 2 precious teachers!

He thinks car pool line is the most fantastic thing around, and...I completely agree! Drew cruised his way down the 2nd grade hall this year. 2ND 'FREAKIN' GRADE!!!! Unbelievable. His teacher loved her class so much (the feeling was mutual) that she asked the principal if she could keep her whole class together and move up with them to 2nd grade. We all were so excited to have her again!

Our summer photo shoots were so much fun! Some of Jett's shoot by Lindsay Rae Photography:

Some of Drew's shoot with Karen Roberts Photography:

We had a fun, fun beach trip with the family...

5 month flash!!!

Picture updates seem to be the best way for me to keep up. Frankly, time is cherished at this point in my life. I used to love to write...now I love snapping pictures. We change. :) End of February we took a trip to Panama City Beach to see Grandmommy and Popsy's new condo. It is AWESOME and we look forward to being able to visit it many, many, many more times. In fact in about 8 days, to be exact!!!
While there, we took the boys to the Wonder Works Museum. It was such a cool place to hang out for the afternoon. The boys got to see the inside of a space ship, walk tight ropes, and ride a bicycle into the air.

The highlight of the trip for the boys was the GIANT aquarium at Salt Water Grille. The restuarant may have been Matt's highlight too!

March, we celebrated my 29th birthday with a fun party. We have such awesome friends that truly get me through this life, day by day.

April, we had a fun spring break. We went to the Atlantic coast this time, Jacksonville Beach. We brought along some friends and left the dads at home to work. We also visited with my grandmother, aunt, uncle and got to see my cousin, Priscilla and meet her baby boy, Cohen. The weather was great and the kids had a blast playing in the ocean, pool and eating ice cream at night!
Drew and his buddy Lawson

Jett

Baby Piper, Drew and Lawson

I tried...

Brandi, Shandy and I had a great time hanging out with our kiddos for the week!

The boys and I got to take my grandma out to breakfast while we were in town. She looked great and thought my boys were really well behaved during the 3 hours it took her to eat her toast. :) Love that lady!

In mid May, we celebrated Jetty's 3rd birthday. I still can NOT believe that my baby is 3. Unreal. I dug through my online photos to see how he has changed each year on his birthday. Seems like just yesterday that each of these occured.

His pirate birthday turned out even better than I imagined! The birthday boy had a blast!

The big boys mastered the water balloon launcher!

And after all of our friends and family left, we played and played a little longer...how often do you get to pretend to be a pirate on a real pirate ship??!!
The end of May brought a little sadness for our family. It brought the end of the season that all three cousins, Drew, Tyler and Brody, would get to play ball on the same team, coached by Uncle Jason (Matt's brother). It has been so much fun having all of our boys play on the same team. How many cousins get to do that??
2 years ago...
Now, in mid June, we are in the thick of All Star baseball season. Our little all star has had an awesome year of growth and loves the sport even more. He is playing 3rd base and doing a fine job at it, if I do say so.