MOPS Pool Party

Another school year is fast approaching which means another year of MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers).  Hard to believe that I've been a part of MOPS for 9 years!!  MOPS will always have a special place in my heart because it is where I have made friends that were in the same phase of parenting as I was.  Sure, there were a few moms that were a little older and wiser that I have learned many tips and tricks from, but for the most part they were right there in the thick of it with me.

This year for the first time I am co-leading a group.  It is a lot of work, but well worth the payoff.   I decided to host a pool party and cook out for the leadership team and their families.  We all had a great time.  I have known the co-leader for many years, but this is the first time I'm working hand-in-hand with her.  While eating dinner, her husband told me how glad he was that I would be sharing the workload with her, and how relieved he was that she'd be supported in this ministry.  It really meant so much to me that he'd tell me that.  He also scored points in my book for pointing out how cool the collage is in the guest bath (a picture Derek doesn't care for!).  

I can't wait to see what this year of MOPS will bring and how God will be used to form friendships and tell other moms about Jesus' love for them!

Meet Ruby!

The time had finally come for our family to meet the latest addition to our extended family.  Introducing Ruby Thompson!

Ruby is super adorable, can't you tell?  The necklace she is wearing was something special I picked out for her supporting our local Birth Center Boutique.  It is a "teething necklace" made out of baltic amber.  Erin, Joel, & Ruby came for a long weekend and also Aunt Elizabeth too.

We had a great time and hope to see them again soon!

Even Great Aunt Edith was able to come over one night for dinner.  Here are all the cousins together.

Happy Birthday Derek

Tonight we celebrated Derek's birthday with our good friends.  This party was even more special because we found out that a baby is on the way (for our friends).  Congratulations!  Let the rumpus continue!

More Beach Fun!

We really enjoyed our time here at Isle of Palms!

It was very hot, but much hotter (we heard) back in Raleigh.  We spent one afternoon at the local playground.  Luckily there was a nice breeze to keep us from melting.

Before heading back to Raleigh, we found a very small waterpark that the kids could enjoy for the morning.  The plan was to spend the morning there and then pack the cars while the little ones napped and then hit the road.  I normally like to drive during nap time, but there was no time to get packed up and cleaned up otherwise.  

The boys enjoyed the few slides and swimming in the pool.  Jamison even was brave enough to ride a  medium-size slide.  Here are a few more pictures from some times a the beach.  I bought all the boys long-sleeve swim shirts to cut down on sunscreen use.  I also insisted on hats.  I think it's funny to see Brighton swimming below with his hat on.

Maverick is such a cutie!

Also while we were there, my aunt and uncle as well as my cousin, Joyanna, and her fiancé, Joe came by for dinner one night.  Joyanna and Joe are getting married this fall and we'll be back for the wedding.  It was a fun trip and I know we'll always have these wonderful memories.

Isle of Palms, SC

As soon as the big boys were out of school, we headed off to the beach.  We didn't get to go last year, so we were super excited for a beach trip.  My mom (Mimi) has a cousin with a beach house on Isle of Palms, so we decided to head there for a change this year.  We've never been there before and enjoyed the new adventure.  The boys were excited to sit on this tree in the yard the first day down.

With all the shark bites happening, we were lucky that the only sharks we saw were this size.

Brighton didn't miss out on the fishing action, and helped with this one.  I think he was overly tired by the time they packed up though (or so I heard).  

While there, we headed into Charleston, SC for shopping and museums and playgrounds.  There is a really cool firetruck museum that the boys loved.  I was really impressed with their simulator (like you are driving a real firetruck) and the action 3-D movie that they show about fire safety!

You can even make your own fire badges with customized colors, pictures, and names.  The boys loved that!

Then there was the beach.  Going anywhere with four kids can be challenging, but the beach is no picnic.  Just getting ready for the beach and getting everybody's swimsuit on and sunscreen is a challenge.  To help out with that, I bought four long-sleeve sun shirts for the boys so I wouldn't have to buy gallons of sunscreen for this trip.  We did insist on hats, and they mostly complied.

We've never stayed at a place where you could walk to the beach.  The boys were in heaven.  They were ready to go right after breakfast and head back again after nap time.  We even did an after-dinner trip (although we stayed a little closer to shore during shark-feeding time).

Brighton even found a live starfish.  The tidal pools on this stretch of beach were very large.  Jamison really enjoyed these pools that would sometimes come up to his chest.  He like that the waves were minimal because he's not a big fan of the waves.  We brought nets and attempted to catch fish....those things are fast.  

Chandler really loved swimming in the ocean this year.  He caught a few rides on the boogie board too.  

Little Men

Look at these two cute little boys!

Aren't they just adorable?  Derek dressed Jamison and said the shirt was too tight for the bow-tie.  I guess we forgot the socks too.  Jamison was just a little doll today at church and soaking it up.  He knows he's a cutie!  He even wore the hat without bribery (unlike Maverick) who only had it on for pictures.  You can really see the height difference here too.  Wow!  Maverick is tall!

The Big Red Rooster

Today, Brighton's class performed a play for all the parents.  Brighton had the lead role, and I'm so proud of how hard he worked.  The play was an adaptation of "The Little Red Hen" where Brighton as "The Big Red Rooster" plants the wheat, waters the wheat, harvests the wheat, makes bread, etc...and none of his animal friends want to help.

When it comes time to eat the bread, then of course all the friends want to help with that part, but Brighton reminds them that nobody had helped him with any of it, so he'll eat the bread himself!

Kindergarten has been such an awesome experience for Brighton.  He has learned so much and his reading has improved by leaps and bounds.  First grade....here we come!