Life Lately

Life lately has been full.  Today starts the boys spring break and it could not have come soon enough! Weekend before last, we took a quick overnight road trip to Charleston.  Lee completed the Palmetto 200 with his F3 buddies.  {P200 is an overnight relay race from Columbia to Charleston, covering a little over 200 miles}  I met them at the finish line to celebrate!  My FiA sisters and my little brother, Bryson, also ran.  I was so proud of all of them and may just have to get in on that fun next year!  We decided to make a trip out of it with some of our other friends who ran and stayed in Charleston Saturday night.  We grabbed drinks and dinner, but hit the bed fairly early because they were all so tired and ready for an actual bed.  

Lee and I stayed at the Vendue Inn and it was fabulous!  We originally booked an interior room with no window, thinking we weren't going to be there very long so it wouldn't matter, but when we checked in they gave us a corner room! Score!  The weather was crummy the next morning so we slept in and then went to brunch at Fleet Landing before heading home.  

Last week the boys had their fourth grade field trip to Saluda Shoals.  The were able to "net" for small animals and hold a meteorite that was 4+ billion years old.  Yes, billion with a B.  The man said he was sure it would be the oldest thing we would ever hold!  

Hampton had his last preschool Easter party and then promptly smashed that hard boiled egg in my car...nothing says "He is Risen" like the smell of day old eggs in carpet!

 He has also been busy saving the world.

Easter weekend we woke up having been "egged" by our best friend neighbor peeps and made resurrection rolls, or "Jesus rolls" as the boys use to call them.  

 Easter Sunday we had to wake the boys up to get to church on time and squeeze in the Easter baskets.  We went to church and came home to host my family for Easter lunch.  My brother Taylor and SIL Ashley came down from Greenville with "baby" Wells, who is quickly looking less baby-like every time I see him.  Wishing I could hit the pause button and his not even mine!   Mama bought all four boys recorders {thank you very much...now none of us can hear, Gigi} and we laughed for a solid 30 minutes watching him blow that thing!

After everyone left, I washed the last of the dishes and gathered the eggs to put them away for next year...thankful for time with people big and small, my mama, my home, my church, and my Savior.  

Scenes from the Weekend

The past few weeks have been crazy up in here.  Lee traveled a week, we had "the flus" as Hampton called it the next week, and then I traveled for a week for work in Connecticut.  Last week was our first "normal" week around here and I still never found my way to blog!  

Last weekend was such fun!  Friday night we attended the 35th Anniversary Gala for Harvest Hope Food Bank, our local food pantry.  My mom works at Harvest Hope as their Donor Relations Manager.  This was a celebration of 35 years and a fundraiser so they can continue their efforts to end hunger in our state.  I am so proud of my mama.  She always gives so much of herself for anything she is involved in.  I love telling people she's my mama. 

Mario Lopez  AC Slater made an appearance, but I missed him!  Which is unfortunate because every time I've done one of those doppelgänger quizzes, I get Kelly Kapowski sooooo...there's that. 

   We did, however, get to sit near John Popper of Blues Traveler and that was neat.  Our friends Micky and Stephanie had dinner with him and they are basically his best friends now.   

 {Sorry for the quality of the pictures, I only had my phone, of course!}     

Could have been a great picture if not for a Dad photobomb.  Pretty funny coming from the guy who hates to be in pictures! 

Saturday the big boys had a baseball tournament and our cousin-brother, Wells, made an appearance. That kid is just a ball of sunshine.  We are all pretty smitten with him and his towhead locks.  He also spend the night with us all by himself for the first time last week while his mama and daddy worked.  I learned very quickly that I may be too old for another toddler, but it was fun having a little person in our house again.  Saturday night we had friends over to grill out.  It was a perfect night for a porch party!

Sunday the boys team made it to the championship game and played a great game of baseball.  We took home second place and came home to play more baseball in the neighborhood.  Per usual, Lee was the pitcher while the rest of us {me, Tuna, and Travis} sipped and watched.  It was a super weekend of family, baseball, friends and sunshine!

On turning 10

My sweet boys, 

120 months.  That's how long I've been loving you {really more than that, but I couldn't do all that math.}  You were a surprise.  Have I ever told you that?  Not that we didn't want you, we most certainly did, it's just that God sent you when Mom and Dad weren't really expecting a baby.    I carried you 16 weeks before I found out there were two of you.  Mommy failed a test at the doctor's office and they told me something might be wrong with you.  We went to the hospital for another test so we would know more and guess what?  They were wrong.  There was nothing wrong, there were just two of you instead of one.  In a matter of minutes, we went from being scared to death to stunned.  Absolutely stunned. 

You two are becoming your own people, but mama wants so much for you.  

Be compassionate.  When you see hurt in the world, do something about it.    I want you to stand up for people who are different because it's the right thing to do.  This will not always be the popular thing.  When your heart starts to break for what breaks His, let it.

Be grateful.   I want you to understand that you deserve everything you work for, but that you are entitled to nothing.  I'm sure it seems unfair now, but I don't want to give you everything you want because what would I be teaching you?  I'd be teaching you that just wanting something means you get it.  You don't.  Life does not work like this.  Name the gifts you have, don't spend time wanting what you don't have.  

Be brave.  Brave is not something you become....it's a decision you make.  Brave is sitting beside the kid nobody wants to sit with.  Brave is doing the right thing even when no one will know if you cheat.  Brave is telling somebody that Jesus is real when they tell you he's not.  Brave is smiling at people who look/dress/act/love differently than you're use to.  Mother Teresa said, "When we judge people we have no time to love them."  Brave is not judging, just loving. 

Be love.  This is God's greatest commandment for your life.  To love Him with all your heart, mind and soul and to love your neighbor as yourself.  Burn this into your mind and measure yourself against this charge.  The thing is, when you love you will automatically be compassionate and grateful and brave.      

As we pause to celebrate you today, I hope you will feel loved from all sides.  If I could have one day with you as babies again, I'd do it in a heartbeat.  I'd hold you and kiss the back of your necks and stick my nose in your belly and just smell you.  

And then I'd want you to be 10 again because I love who you are and who you are becoming. 

Love, Mama  

Weekend in 7 Pictures

1//

You can't have a birthday without four foot tall balloons.  

Except turning 10 doubles the price!  

$20 on balloons - CHECK 

2//

They requested a cookie cake with a "Pirate P" and a sleepover. 

Each boy got their own birthday song {twin mamas...this is important}.

Also, never call a boy party a "slumber party."  Just trust me on this one. 

3//

After pizza and cookie cake and a nerf war outside until 10:30pm...they all went upstairs and made my house smell like BOY.  Which, in case you are wondering, smells like dirty socks with the occasional toot mixed in.  

4//

Saturday  morning we took those who could join us to Hi-wire and had another large time. 

5// 

Because we try to pack too much into one day, 

after all the boys left we loaded up 

and went to see the Gamecocks play. 

6//

By the end, we all felt like this.