Christmas Eve 2010

Fun, fun, day!! We started the day waking up at my parents house and Papa doing a devotion about Jesus birth and remember the real meaning of Christmas. We then opened gifts from each other. The funny gifts this year that we laughed a ton about were Papa's bedroom shoes that looked like he had two left feet. We all laughed till we cried and he walked around looking like an elf. Kay-Kay got a shaker weight and we all tried to "work it" but none of the girls could get it to work. Kay-Kay said in 30 days everyone is going to be searching for one because her arms are going to look so good. Mallory said that the doctor said "no more KayKay shakin that thang". (No more monkeys jumping on the bed).
Then we went home and opened our gifts to each other and the girls and we gave the girls a trip to Disney World. They were really excited, but TG is already nervous about the trip. Whatever... probably just trying to get a charge out of us. We are going to have a blast!!! We also had fun giving Lily her Christmas gifts. She was spoiled this Christmas!!!
After a nap, we went to the Rice Family Christmas party and had a BIG time. The Chinese gift exchange was extra fun this year. Lots of pretend arguing over a shaker weight, a donut pillow, and Gamecock tervis tumblers. Guess who was in the middle of all of it??? You guessed it... Lulu, Jane, Hope, and me. They said next year I am disqualified and we need a security guard. It was so funny!!! We also reminisced about our girls weekend when we took Lulu and KayKay to Childress winery for their birthdays and the BIG time we had and all the laughs from too much wine tasting.
Finally, when we got home Mallory was a busy bee getting cookies ready for Santa, putting reindeer food outside, writing a note to Santa about Snowy's (elf on the shelf) hat breaking, and putting place cards on the couch labeling where their gifts were to go so Santa doesn't get it wrong. She got frustrated at TG because she wasn't helping, so I told TG she better help or Mallory might catch on. This is the first year that TG realized that Santa wasn't real. Means she is growing up.:( Mallory just came out of her room after going to bed to tell me she forgot to give Santa milk to go with his cookies. I am so glad we still get to play for her. I will really be sad when they both don't believe anymore. We will still play along though. We always say, "You don't believe, you don't receive".
Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!!!! Happy Birthday Jesus!

It's OFFICIAL...We have a dog we can call our own.

For the past 5 years we have been pet sitting since we lost Wylie. John kept telling me and the girls, that the right time would come. Well, he was RIGHT!! Put best in Mallory's words, "This is the best Christmas EVER!!"

It all happened unexpected. Lily's human mother, died of cancer. She was a single mom with three girls and three dogs. The girls moved to go live with their uncle in WV who already had three children of his own. So, needless to say, he couldn't take the dogs too. Well, my sweet friend Kelly Partlow ran into a friend at Target that was telling her this story about a dog she was looking for a home for. Well, long story short, Kelly called me and I got John to agree to "pet sitting" her for a week to see if she was a good fit for our family. That way if she didn't work out, the girls wouldn't be upset. Well after having her for 45 minutes, I knew she was just perfect!! She was really timid and scared at first, but everyday she seems to come out of her shell a little more. Today she was so excited when I got home, that she was running all over the house and sliding everywhere on the hardwood floors. Her game tonight was hiding her bone in as many places possible and then running to get it before anyone else found it. (so cute!) Let's just hope she doesn't turn into a crazy dog and start chewing the couch cushions, as John would say.

This morning, John and I decided it was time to tell the girls that she was ours to keep. We would tell them at the dinner table. It was just perfect! Taylor Grace was saying the blessing thanking God for everything and praying that Lily would continue to have fun with us and that we would continue having fun with her too for as long as we were keeping her. John said, " AS long as we are keeping her... Well, Lily's mom died and she needs a new family and we are going to be her new family!" It was so sweet. Taylor Grace got tears in her eyes. Mallory screamed and clapped and asked to call Maddie right away and tell her. That is when Mallory said, "This is the best Christmas ever!"

I know that it is a sad story with how she came about joining our family, but I know that her mom is looking down from Heaven smiling because she is in a good home with people who love her VERY much!

This is a picture of Lily the day we got her.

Here is a picture of her now!

Trick-or-Treating

We continued with out tradition of going Trick-or-Treating with the Dibrells. We pile all the kids in the back of Phil's truck and take them to Heathwood. The dads walk them around while Julia and I follow them in the truck. It's good catching up time for Julia and me. This year Mallory was dressed just like her Bitty Baby in matching pajamas and a bunny robe. Taylor Grace took the easy way out by wearing her Tiger's Cheerleading uniform. (It was my idea of saving money, and she didn't mind.) Sadie was a fried egg. Evan was Jessie from Toy Story, and Josie was a gothic witch.

Camping with the Berrys and Sloops

We had so much fun camping with the Berrys and the Sloops. We went to King's Mountain. We got there Friday, early afternoon, because school was out. It was a great time to go. It was the Friday before Halloween and people had gone all out with decorating their sites with Halloween decorations. We didn't of course, but you would have thought there were some decorations somewhere in ALL that STUFF we brought with us. I can't believe how much stuff there was. When the dad's go and take the kids, they only take a 1/4 of what we took. If you need it, we had it. If you didn't need it, we had it too. From wheelbarrows to a sandwich maker you could use over the fire, to games, etc... BUT one thing we didn't have was technology!!! That is what made it so awesome. WE were our own entertainment and entertainment is what we did. (probably for the whole campground) We had ghost stories, gremlin masks, Shellie's deep questions, kids putting other kids to sleep, hiking, etc. We had so much fun that we didn't get up and leave. We stayed until supper time Saturday night and the Berry's and Sloops stayed another night even though we only planned one on one night. It was definitely a time to remember.

New Color in the Kitchen

I was ready for change in the kitchen. I wanted to "kick it up a notch"! Well that I did. I wasn't sure I liked it at first, but after putting up the pictures and window treatments, I love it!

Camping in Kings Mountain

We wanted to take the kids camping and asked the Berrys and the Sloops to go along with us. We had a ball!!! We had a furlough day on Friday, so we headed up around 2:00. Ashley and John S. had to come up a little later, so John and all the moms had to set up camp! (I think they knew what they were doing when they decided to come later:))

It was cold Friday night!!!! I had to put Taylor Grace between John and me to keep her warm because her sleeping bag kept coming unzipped. I didn't get much sleep that way because I couldn't move. That part was miserable. We planned to only stay one night, so the next day John and I packed all of our stuff gradually. We ended up staying until after supper and the Sloops and the Berry's stayed another night. I liked doing it that way because we had all the fun, but were able to sleep in a nice warm bed.

We had a great time cooking over the fire, watching John collect all the wood, Shellie sharing her opinion, the kids going on hikes, the kids playing in the tents, etc... I love the smokey smell of a camp fire!! I asked the girls what their favorite part was and Mallory said putting Drew (3) to sleep. Taylor Grace said playing with Sydney. Ashley loved it so much, he wanted to go again next weekend. (Not going to go again that soon!!)

Painting the Kitchen GREEN!

We wanted to change the color of the kitchen, so I decided on Fusion green. We paid a guy to come and paint it. When I came home that afternoon I was so scared I had made a mistake. I took a picture of it and showed some teachers the next day. Everyone's reaction was, "WOW it looks great!" I didn't know if they were for real or couldn't say what they really thought. I was wanting to change it, but John assured me to wait until we got the curtains and all the pictures up. Well he was right! It made a huge difference. I love it! The green makes the cabinets and the curtains POP! I am glad we were brave enough to do it.

Camping in the back yard

We wanted to take the girls camping, but I wanted to stay home. So... we camped in the back yard. Mallory said, "I had more fun than I thought I would". It is great when you take technology away and everyone talks more and spends more time together. We reminisced, played UNO, grilled out, roasted marshmallows, etc... The girls went to bed really easy and John and I were able to stay up and talk. I love memories like this! It doesn't take money to have a good time.

Taylor Grace got Braces!

Taylor Grace got braces! She loves them and was a champ through it all. She got them on Thursday. Then on Monday had 2 permanent teeth pulled. Then the following Tuesday went back and had extenders put on the top back teeth. Later that weekend woke up with a HUGE knot on her lower jaw and had to go back for antibiotics. I would have thought that she would have been crying and miserable, but she barely complained. She went from looking like a 10 year old to a teenager! It is amazing how braces make a person look older.

GO Richmond Drive Tigers

Taylor Grace's cheerleading squad won first place in the district's competition for best routine! They worked hard all summer and had great coaches!!! All their hard work paid off. They were awesome! I couldn't believe how good 3-5 grade girls could cheer! WOW!

TG is a TERRIFIC KID!

Taylor Grace got Terrific Kid! She was the first one for the year for her class. Her teacher told me that when she got an email saying it was time to pick a terrific kids, she immediately knew it was TG. That's my girl!!! John, Mallory, Papa, and me were there to see it.

Baden Lake

Once again we had an awesome time at Baden Lake with the Shepperds! The girls click so well with each other. The big hit this summer was taking a WILD ride on the inner tube. Scott threw Harper and Mallory off and about did them in. Then he threw me off. I had to immediately go again for a good example of "If you fall off the horse, get up and ride it again."

Picking Blueberries at Littlejohn's

Ok, the day that it is the hottest day of the summer, I decide that I want to go pick blueberries. I can always count on Mallory to want to go. We did go in the morning, but it was so hot!! Mallory said, "Mom, have you ever been so hot you felt like you were going to puke?" She was so sweet though. We were needing to fill up two gallon baskets and she wasn't complaining at all. She would just say things like," I can fill sweat dripping down my back, or that breeze feels so good." I asked her if she wanted to go to the car and I could put the air on and I would pick the rest? She thought for a minute and then said, "but I don't want you to pick alone." That is my sweet girl Malaboo!!!
The blueberries are delicious!!!! They were plentiful on the bushes, but you could tell that it was getting towards the end of the picking season.

Maddie and Nathan's play date

Today Maddie and Nathan Hamel came over for a play date. We had so much fun. We went swimming, played in the front yard doing wheel barrel races, played with Elmo, drank smoothies, etc... Nathan saw his friend "Freddie" the ant. Also it was fun to watch he and Taylor Grace swim around the pool chasing the "cleaning man", which was the aqua bot, and splashing each other with the water hose.

And more photos

Pictures of the Martha Washington Inn

Virgina Creeper Trail and Martha Washington Inn

We had so much fun today!! We got up early and drove up to Damascus, Virginia with Kay Kay. When we got there, we got fitted for our bikes and helmets. That was so funny seeing everyone with the silly looking helmets on. We then were taken up to the top of the mountain in a van and were able to coast/ride our bikes down the trail for 14 miles. It was so beautiful. At first Taylor Grace didn't want to stop and take in the scenery, but once we saw a lady that had an old country store that had to have our business to make a living, she started to relax and enjoy the ride. Before that she just wanted to get on her bike and get it "over with". We stopped at waterfalls, got in the creek, boy was that cold, and on the rocks. We saw a beautiful valley that was called Taylor's Valley. We had lunch at the cafe' there in Taylor's Valley, which was a nice break and good food. We counted 29 bridges that we crossed, and just enjoyed the stream that followed the trail the whole way down. It was beautiful!! We then ended the perfect day at the GRAND Martha Washington Inn! Wow was it magnificent! The girls said that it was the best place they had ever been their whole life. Taylor Grace said that she felt like a princess when she had to use a hand towel to dry her hands in the spa. They also took showers in the spa after they went swimming in the salt water pool and hot tub. We are so thankful that we were able to go and share this experience with Kay Kay!!

Mallory's Birthday Party "Luau and Minute to win it"

Mallory and her friends had a super time at her birthday party. Those that were there were Camryn Guest, Maddie Hamel, Kate Partlow, Skylyn Stevens, Katie Jane Sweat, Sadie Dibrell, Taylor Grace, Maya Danetinne, Ashley Motz, Patrick Brown, and the grandparents. We had it from 6:30-9:00 because Mallory wanted to be able to eat pizza and swim at night. It turned out to make things a lot different then when she has had swim parties in the past. The light in the pool was a big hit! We played "Minute to Win It" games. The Oreo game and the cotton ball game. It was so funny once everyone got the hang of the cotton ball game that they would get as much Vaseline on their faces and then their teammates would push their heads in the bowl so they could get as many on their faces as possible. Another game that was hilarious we the water balloon game. They had to put the water balloon in their bathing suit and then run to the end and pop it. They got very "creative" as to how they would pop it. So funny!!

I think that the best part of the whole party for me was when Mallory was opening her presents. She was so excited about each and every gift and made a huge deal thanking each person. It showed me how much she has grown up! In the past opening presents was the tough part because she wouldn't stop to thank people. My sweet little girl is 7!!!

Mallory's Birthday at Fripp

Today we woke up sometime after 8:00. Everyone had a good nights sleep and we were ready to have a great day and celebrate Mallory's birthday. The mom's went off to Beaufort to get the cake and do a little shopping. We found a cute shop called What's in Store. It had some great local gifts and some other great things that can't be found in Rock Hill. It wasn't your typical souvenir store. We got lots of decorations to surprise Mallory with. It started raining which kind of forced everyone off the beach, but the kids still had fun riding the golf cart with the dads and did a little bit of crabbing.
We cooked out at the Rutland's and Sloop's house and surprised Mallory with cake, decorations, and presents. She was so surprised and didn't expect any of it. She got a Fripp Island t-shirt and silly banz from the Rutlands and Sloops and Alisha gave her change purse/i.d. holder that matched a Vera Bradley purse we gave her. The kids loved surprising her and all made her this huge card. After opening presents and cake, all of the kids got in the hot tub in their clothes. We went on a golf cart ride to check out a possible house to rent next year and then called it a night. Fun, Fun, Fun!!! I can't believe this week has gone by so fast!

Day 4 at Fripp

Today we actually had to wake the kids up at 8:15 to get ready to go to Camp Fripp from 9-12. We had a funny conversation about alligators and how they got in the ponds on the golf courses. Mallory's theory was that maybe people got them when they were little and kept them as pets. Once they got too big, then they would put them in the ponds and that was when they would get mean because people would bother then while playing golf. Soo cute! Then TG objected to going to camp. She said that she was here to go to the beach and not to camp. Mallory said that we didn't know about the camp before we came so that is why she didn't have her plan for camp, but now that we know about it go with it. Didn't surprise me that TG would object to going. Comes to find out, we didn't pick a good day for them to go. They didn't have a good time and said that it was boring. I heard later that the day to go is when they take the kids on a boat to an island to find shells. Today they said that they only got to watch crabs race and stuff like that. They did say that they enjoyed petting the baby alligator. Now they are in the hot tub at the Sloop's and Rutland's place while the guys are off to play golf. We went down to the beach around 4:30 and let the kids play in the water and in the sand. It was awesome to be out on the beach that time of the day. The kids loved it. They were so happy and entertained themselves.
Taylor Grace wanted to stay until 8:00, but we did have to leave around 7:00 so that we could feed them and get them to bed. Tomorrow is a big day. Mallory's 7th Birthday!!!

Day 3 at Fripp

Today we went to the Cabana Club to change things up a little. The kids played in the fun pool with all kinds of caves and waterfalls while the adults enjoyed fruity drinks while listening to John Sloop's BIG digital radio. The kids and all of the adults were tired so we all went back to our places after lunch to nap and rejuvenate. Mallory slept until 4:30 and Taylor Grace until 5:00. (We had to wake TG up!!) Good thing we decided to rest because the kids and the adults had a big night. Alisha stayed home and kept the kids and they had pizza, movie, golf cart riding, alligator hunting (found 3) and then to bed. The adults went to Johnson Creek Tavern and had a blast!!!! We sat outside on the deck. When we first got there John S. sat in his plastic deck chair and the deck gave way below him!!!! One leg of the chair went through and he went down breaking the chair. It was soooo funny! We have pictures to prove it. He got a free drink because of it. I tried to get us all free drinks because to the "post traumatic stress" it caused us all, but didn't succeed. Then we found they had a jukebox and the guys all started playing songs and we started singing and "some of us" started dancing. I think that we were the entertainment for the evening. The people sitting inside were laughing and enjoying watching us have a good time. I got a JCT sticker to prove it! We didn't end our evening until midnight!

Day 2 at Fripp

More fun in the sun. We went to a part of the beach where you could actually drive your golf cart on the beach and unload it and then park it, which made getting all of the "stuff" down there. The kids didn't like that part of the beach as well as our first day because the water was really filled with shells and grit. I guess it was from the way the surf comes in?? We then went back to the house to eat and hang out. John and the girls found their first alligator spotting. There was about an 8 foot one on the grass on the golfing green. It just laid there still as can be. Occasionally you could see it moving a little and its jaws puffing when it breathed. John said the thing with the alligator is that he isn't afraid of all the commotion around him because it knows no one will bother it. We had a huge rain storm came up that evening and the Lynches were on the golf cart and got drenched.

First full day at Fripp

Yeah our first full day was AWESOME!!!!!!!! We got out on the beach at 11:30 and didn't come in off the beach until 5:30. We played in the sand, caught some rays, played boccie ball, jumped the waves, listened to some tunes, drank some beer, and the big even was when I got to teach everyone how to find sand dollars at low tide. We found 19 sand dollars, and TONS of conch shells with the conchs still in them. We kept the sand dollars but threw back the conchs especially after Andrea Berry's niece had to go to the emergency room to get 5 stitches in her finger from cutting it on a conch shell. Those here are the Berrys, the Rutlands, the sloops, the Lynches and us. All together with the Lynch's and Berry's extended families make 33 people!! I can't imagine what the rest of the week has to hold. I am so glad that we planned this and that we are having a great time.

Golf Cart Woes

We finally made it to Fripp Island for our long awaited family vacation with 5 other families, more about them later, and we get on our much desired golf cart to go see how everyone on the island is getting settled in. We were excited to see that the Sloops and the Rutlands were the next house down on the opposite side of the road. We stop by to say hey and see that they are still unloading the car. So we told them that we would come back later once they are settled and start down Bonita Rd. and all of a sudden our golf cart loses power. So.......... we all pile out and tell Mallory that she has to drive while we push since she is the smallest. That didn't work so well. She drove as though she had never driven her Barbie Jeep for years past and couldn't stay on the road, so we "Forced" Taylor Grace to drive. She started objecting and saying "no we I am going to get a ticket from the police!!!!!!!!!" She had seen signs posted everywhere that without a valid drivers licenses you would get a $200 fine. That's our rule follower! We must have been the afternoon entertainment for everyone watching. We were all barking out orders to TG, Mallory included. Then she gets the cart stuck up against this post as we are trying to get her to steer the cart through this just big enough space between some post and a palm tree because John wouldn't move the car before we left and wanted to maneuver around it. John then tries to lift the cart and pull it backwards. Well he does do P90X every day, BUT he could not lift the cart. Then he starts to push it and it won't budge. He is really made now!!! I suggest that once we get the cart out maybe it would make things easier if he moved his car. He moved the car and then suggested that we all go upstairs to take a breather. I send the girls both to their rooms because they are asking so many questions and making things worse. I grab my cell phone and go downstairs to call the golf cart owners to see if there is something that we aren't doing because we can't even get the battery that charges the cart to go on. Well after talking to the owners and they have told me everything, from checking to make sure it is plugged into the cart and is the plug to the battery plugged into the wall, etc... I told him that it was sparking and he said that it definitely shouldn't be doing that and to go to the Island Excursion to see if someone can take a look. I walk over there and get someone to come and look at it. On my way back I see both girls looking out the window like captives. So sad, yet so funny!! Comes to find out there is a whole in the battery and we had to get another golf cart. To get another golf cart we needed our amenity cards that we haven't picked up yet, so off John goes to get them. He gets there and they can't find the cards or no reservations for us to get them. So Fripp gives them a call and there is no answer, meanwhile I have the guy telling me that he is sure that all the golf carts have been rented out. I said no way, please go and ask BJ if I can use something because otherwise we would have to go without a cart until Monday or Tuesday. Funny how I know all these people on a first name basis by now. Sure enough BJ found me a cart and he told me that he would bend the rules some and let me rent a cart without an amenity card if I could get the owners club number. I got the card number and the golf cart saga was fixed. I hope the start of our vacation doesn't continue like it started.