First Day of School

Handsome man!

One ready for torrential rain (and school), the other still in his PJs.

The Three Musketeers!

Well, the first day of school went off without a hitch. Jack had a huge smile on his face when I picked him up, and, before I could even ask, he was telling me "I had a great day!" When pressed for details, he said "I learned about Jesus." That's interesting because the lesson plan his teachers sent home said that they're focusing their activities around a beach theme this week. No matter. Glad to hear Jesus gets thrown in with the sand and sea animals:)

Labor Day Fun at Matthews Alive

Jack & Noah at the parade--their first parade!

The boys with "Uncle Bill," the fire safety clown.

A real race car--swoon!

Riding Thomas the Train.

Riding the motorcycle ride--hot & sweaty!

Rick was out of town over the weekend, so I worked out a little deal with my neighbors in which they took Sam for the morning in exchange for Noah. Jack and Noah loved the parade with the marching bands, floats, and candy--oh, the candy!

After the parade, we walked downtown past the fire station, where we got the lovely, sun-blocking hats--thank you, Idlewild fire department! We took a quick pit stop (the boys in a bush, I in a port-a-john--ugh!), and then got to put our hands all over the R-E-A-L race car! "Check out the spoiler, Mom!" Uh-huh.

On to the carnival, where the boys rode the swings--and they were fast! The looks on their faces were an equal mixture of fear and utter delight!

After a few more rides, we enjoyed some delightfully cold snow cones and made the trek back to the car. We had some great fun!

Tigers in Training

Every once in a while, some random toys/sports equipment shows up in our yard courtesy of our eccentric neighbor, Bill. Bill has four teenagers, but has held on to every VHS tape, bicycle, piece of clothing--you name it--that his kids ever used. One day, we found these kid-sized golf clubs on our doorstep, and the boys took them out for a swing. It turns out that hitting little balls with heavy, metal sticks is great fun for them.

Happy Birthday, Uncle Chad!

I know we've already posted this picture, but it's just so Uncle Chad! Hope your house gets healthy, so we can party soon! Happy Birthday!

Back to School!

At orientation (school starts next Wednesday), Jack and Noah quickly find the important vehicles (toy garbage, fire, and dump trucks) in their classroom.

Sam enjoyed the multi-colored, uncooked noodle box. After a while, he seized a shovel and began dumping noodles on the floor--yikes!

This is Ms. Julie, assistant teacher to the MWF 3-year-old class.

This is Ms. Laurie. She's the lead teacher for his classroom. Both of his teachers seem very nice. We are very excited for next week!

Welcome, September!

Wow! September 1st rolled around and the weather has become absolutely delicious! I packed the boys a picnic lunch, grabbed some soccer balls and headed to Freedom park to enjoy the blue skies, mild temps, and light breezes. Gorgeous!

Speaking of gorgeous...check out Sammy's new 'do! He's sporting a new mohawk that really makes him look like such a big boy. Aunt Mistie gave both the boys their "back to school" haircuts earlier this morning.

During our picnic lunch, Jack and I swatted at the flies hovering over our food. Unfortunately, a few bees joined the party, and when Jack went to "shoo" them, one little bee stung him on his fingertip. Fortunately, we had ice packs keeping our lunch cool, so I had him squeeze one tightly until his tears dried. He's showing his bee sting, not waving, that's why he's so serious!

Grandfather Mountain

The whole fam, with Grandfather Mountain in the background.

We quickly changed after church on Sunday and headed on a family adventure to Grandfather mountain in Linville, NC. We had never taken the boys before (although I was about 8 weeks pregnant with Jack the last time Rick and I went). The drive is long, but well worth it once you get there. Our favorite part of the trip is visiting the Mast General Store and Candy Barrel on the way home. We decided it was time to share this guilty pleasure with the boys--and boy did they go nuts! The Candy Barrel is a penny-candy store that sells almost any candy you can imagine (even the old candies you really don't see anymore). We left with boston baked beans, candied peanuts, Ice Cubes, Sprees, Sixlets, all-in about $25 in candy at $5.99/lb., if that tells you anything:)

So, back to Grandfather Mountain. Jack was a great little hiker, hiking up a very rocky and, at times, steep trail to the mile-high swinging bridge at the top of the mountain. Here he is pictured at the center of the bridge--exactly one mile above sea level.

We rest at the start of the bridge for just a moment for a photo op. What a gorgeous day it was in the mountains! Low 70's with big, fluffy clouds--perfect for a hike. We won't mention the disastrous ride home with two cranky boys who FINALLY fell asleep as we got on 485 (approximately 5 minutes from home). Yeah, we're not remembering that part. Whose idea was it to give them candy, and then strap them down for 2 and 1/2 hours?