Field Day

Here are some highlights from Field Day last week. Drew had a great time and we really loved the weather - a little overcast and about 70 degrees - gotta love living in the mountains! Davis even stuck it out in his stroller - I actually got to watch Drew and didn't have to chase the Littlest Fleming the entire time!

We have enjoyed Drew's new school so much this year! He only has 4 more days of first grade and they should be really great days - he'll have water play day, sports day, and game day this week. Sounds like a fun way to end a terrific year of first grade!

Shooting some hoops.

Peace, Mom!

I know I'm biased, but really, is there anything sweeter than this face?

Taking some time out for the little guy.

The monkey bars - we've almost mastered them!

Having a blast at field day!

Action shot!

The weirdest field day event ever - finding marbles with your toes...

in a kiddie pool of flour!

Only 5 Days 'Til Disney!

This is what our chain looked like in April....

And, this is what it looks like today...

WoooooooHooooooo!!!!

Drew's Field Trip to Emerald Village

Drew's last field trip in first grade (makes me so sad, by the way, that first grade is almost over) was to Emerald Village. He has been so interested in rocks and minerals ever since his class began studying them, that Kevin and I both planned to go with him. Davis came along for the ride, also. Drew was so excited about rocks when we got there that he and his friends immediately began analyzing the gravel in the parking lot! I had to have them empty their pockets every 5 minutes to get rid of all of their parking lot "treasures". Emerald Village used to be a working mine, but now it's a museum. The kids had a great time - especially when they got to "pan for gold". Drew kept telling me that his gems were worth MILLIONS OF DOLLARS!

Looking for the million dollar gems...

Davis loved the water - could have cared less about gems!

Drew and friends looking into the mine.

Still my baby -even when he's a second grader!

Finally...

...we are moving into a house! A real house! With a backyard and a basement and a guest room and a bonus room and a garage and a lot of other rooms, too! We just signed our contract today and it will be ours by the end of June. This is truly miraculous news because I was about to lose my mind in our tiny apartment. And that is not an exaggeration - just ask Kevin!

So here it is (drumroll please)...

And just to warn you, if there is not much blogging in June or July, you'll know why. I am either on vacation, moving, shopping for the house, moving furniture around the house or just hanging out by the kiddie pool in my NEW BACKYARD!!!

Papa Luke

Update:

Thank you for your prayers. Papa had a rough first week after surgery - he just wouldn't wake up! Apparently, he is really sensitive to the anesthesia and pain medications and no one knew this because my 83 year old Papa has never been put to sleep for this long before - I think that fact is pretty remarkable! He started waking up on Friday evening (4 days after his surgery!). Once he woke up, he started recovering very quickly. He is now at home and happy to be in his own bed.




Please keep my Papa in your prayers today. He is having open heart surgery early this afternoon. My Papa just can't sit still for long, so please pray for a quick recovery!

Mother's Day

Drew, Mommy, and baby Davis

2006

Today I am feeling so blessed and thankful. I am so thankful to be a mom to 2 wonderful sons. Drew and Davis are, as Mary Poppins would say, practically perfect in every way - most days, anyway! I love them with all of my heart and I'm so excited to watch them grow.

Melissa, Mom, and Me

As thankful as I am to be a Mom, I am even more blessed to be my Mother's daughter. I loved growing up hearing that I look just like her. To me, it was the ultimate compliment. I still hear that compliment, but now people ask if she is my older sister. You should see her gloat! She is beautiful, but her inner beauty is beyond compare. She is the kind of person who never says an unkind word about anyone. "Kill them with kindness" was my Mom's advice when we had a problem with a friend or collegue. My mom sees the best in everyone - including me, which was especially helpful when I was a teenager! She loves her family and she tells them often. She is always right - about being kind and so many other things. During my first year of teaching, I laughed at myself almost everyday because I could hear my Mom's voice coming out of my mouth so often! She is my best sounding board. If I ever have a problem, she is the best listener. I could go on and on... I love you, Mom!

Confessions of a Scrapbooking Failure

I stink at scrapbooking. I make a mess. I spend too much money. I start projects that I don't finish. I can never decide on which paper to use or which decorations to buy. Scrapbooking is a craft that I want to do, but I've failed everytime I try.

I think it's important for my kids to have a documented history. So, I started this blog as my way of "scapbooking" special times in the life of our family. I even found a website called Blurb that can turn my blog entries into a scrapbook if I wanted to spend the money (maybe one day when I stop blogging).

But, I still wanted to scrapbook. I discovered digital scrapbooking when I was online one day. Was this the answer? Nope. I read and read, but it just looked too complicated for me. So, I gave up on scrapbooking again.

Then, I came across How Fast They Grow. It's a scrapbooking site where you upload pictures, pick out a template (they are so much cuter than anything that I could design), drag and drop the pictures into the template, add some text, and you're done! When you order your pages, they are printed in the 12x12 typical scrapbook size and you just slide the page into your scrapbook. Hallelujah! I know I sound like a commercial, but I am so excited! I just designed a few pages last night and I was really pleased with the way they turned out. What do you think?

Popular

I have been so popular lately! My phone rings off the hook all day long! My friends Barack and Michelle have called. My other friend Hillary called, too! Bill didn't call, but I know he's busy. Then, they had their friends call to check on me too! They are so concerned about me - do you know where to vote, do you know when to vote, do you need a ride to go and vote? I told you - they really care. Mysteriously, though, they haven't called today. I wonder if they are ok - maybe I should call 15 times today to check on them. Because that's what friends do...right?

The Windy City

Kevin and I just got back from Chicago earlier in the week. I got to tag along on a work trip, but it was ok because we stayed on Michigan Avenue - lots of shopping for Stephanie last week!

We did have a little time to do some "touristy" things, too. Kevin took me to the Art Institute of Chicago which was so exciting for me! I realized, as we were walking in, that I had never been to a museum - unless you count the art museum in Greenville (and I don't). I loved being so close to such famous paintings. I have to admit, though, that modern art still throws me a little. We even had the nerdy headphone things that tell you about the style, period and other interesting facts about the paintings and sculptures, but I still couldn't see the meaning behind some of those contemporary pieces.


We also got to see "Wicked", which is a wonderful Broadway musical. It was so uplifting and sweet! We took a pretty scary cab ride afterwards, though - think dark alleys and a rainy night while the song "Obsession" is blaring on the radio. Really, really creepy. When we got back to the hotel, I bolted from the cab while Kevin threw money at the driver and ran. Kevin didn't wait on change and said that the driver deserved the large tip for letting us live! It's the little things that count in customer service...


Anyway, we had a wonderful time away, but we were also glad to be home to our boys.

Here are a few pictures from our trip...

A dragon from the Chinese exhibit

One of my favorite paintings - sorry I don't remember the artist!

The view from our hotel room window

Kevin and a view from the top of the John Hancock building

Terrible Twos

I am afraid that the Terrible Twos are here to stay for a while. Our first clue was the unwillingness to sit in the stroller for any extended period of time. Then, the refusal to sit in a high chair or booster seat. Just recently, we have left restaurants with a screaming child in tow. Now, the unwillingness to be carried anywhere has begun (although I usually carry him kicking and screaming up the stairs of our apartment). So sad. I decided that I needed to remind myself that Davis could be sweet and loving and cuddly sometimes. So here is the proof...

Loving on Dad

So cute!

Learning to spread weeds.

So innocent...

Ok. I feel a little better now. This too shall pass...

Down on the Farm

We had a special after school trip to the farm on Friday. Well, we went to the Biltmore Estate Farm. I know, it's not much like a real farm...but they have ice cream. I think the kids had a great time - I know I did!

First, we checked out the animals in the barnyard...

Drew and Carleigh with Bert and Ernie (the huge horses)

A cute calf that found the shade (smart cow)

Posing with a sheep


Then, we played some games on the lawn and crawled on the "vintage" tractors...

How cute!

Please let me out to play!

Lawn bowling

Carleigh teaching Davis the bean bag toss game - he escaped his stroller!

Having fun with the animals.


We had some ice cream (of course)...

Yummy strawberry!

Last, we churned some butter...

Ladylike churning...

...Not so ladylike churning!

It turned out to be such a beautiful spring day and I was so glad to be outside! I immediately started begging for a back yard! Oh well, I guess we can always go over to the Vanderbilts' house (we're really close) if we want to spend some time outside!

My Drew

My very first post on this blog was about how my baby has grown so much lately. Well, I'm feelin' it again today. Not sure why. It may be because we got out Drew's old autograph books from Disney World and it's blowing my mind to see how little he was 3 years ago (and so cute!). It may be because he's reading chapter books and is such a fluent (geeky early childhood major term) reader now. It may be because he's growing out of everything that I dress him in lately and that he's making more and more clothing choices himself. I'm not sure. What I am sure of is that he's a confident, self-assured boy who loves his family. Drew is the best big brother Davis could have ever hoped for. I love my Drew. He's making me so proud lately and I just wanted to share.

Here are some of Drew's latest soccer pictures...

Running for Mom...and the water break.

Precious brothers

Tough guy pose

Birthday Kidnapping

So...this is what I saw when I answered the door at 9:00 on Saturday morning.

*WARNING: YOU MAY FIND THE FOLLOWING PICTURE DISTURBING. I KNOW I DID...*

My friends Michelle and Brooke had come from Greenville to "kidnap" me for my birthday!!! My sweet husband was in on the surprise, too. I opened our door (thinking who in the world is banging on our door at 9:00 on a Saturday?) a tiny bit and saw Michelle with panty hose on her head and I screamed and slammed the door! I was laughing so hard when I opened the door again and saw Brooke and the signs. I don't think I've ever laughed so hard!

Then, I find out that we are going to breakfast! Hooray! I'm on a diet and haven't had eggs in 3 weeks! Breakfast is followed up by manicures and pedicures here...

You're jealous by now, right? I know! We had a wonderful time just sitting and talking and relaxing. Then, we went to the Southside Cafe (my favorite) for lunch. Did I mention my diet went out the window on Saturday?

Michelle and Brooke used to be my co-workers at the Child Development Center, but they quickly became my friends (and Kevin's too.) They are my friends that can tell me the truth because I know that they aren't being mean, just honest. I have read lots of definitions of what a true friend is, and Michelle and Brooke definitely meet all of those criteria. But, now I have something new to add to the definition - a true friend is someone who plans (a month ahead of time) to drive over an hour to your house early on a Saturday morning, show up at your door with laminated signs and panty hose on her head to celebrate your birthday. Even when your birthday is a week and a half away.

Countdown to Disney!

Anyone that knows us, knows that we LOVE Disney World! We have had a really busy couple of years (a baby, a Master's Degree, a new job, a move, etc...), so we are thrilled to be going back to the happiest/most crowded place on earth this Summer and taking Davis for his first encounter with "The Mouse". Drew (um....Mom) is so anxious that we decided to make our own "Countdown to Disney" chain of links. This morning, we took off the first link - only 63 more days to go!

And...have you noticed something is different? I found a really great blog designer that gave me a "blogover"! Her name is Rebecca - you can click on her link in my new, handy dandy side bar to see examples of her work. She is redesigning blogs as a way to raise funds for her international adoption - her son will be coming home from China very soon.

A few new photos...