Orlando!

Last weekend we took the kids down to Orlando as Greenville County schools always have a 4 day weekend in October. We had so much fun! We got there late afternoon on Friday and headed down to Downtown Disney. It was very cool, but with us not getting there until after dark, the restaurant waits were out of control so we ended up leaving and just eating at a Sizzler (ick...never again!) right next to our condo. The next day we just relaxed and enjoyed the amenities around the condos (paddle boat, mini golf, ping pong, game rooms, swimming pool) and then went back to Downtown Disney to make sure we got there early and got our name on the list for a restaurant. The kids both thought that T-Rex was where they wanted to go eat - so we got there about 5pm and were in the restaurant within 25 minutes. AWESOME restaurant! It was created by the same people that did Rainforest Cafe but the theme is dinasours. Very cool and the kids told us about 15 times (a minute, that is! ha ha) that this was the coolest restaurant they had ever been in.

Sunday we used our 2park 1 day Universal Studios tickets to visit Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. What fun! We got there right as it was opening and there was no lines! Josh and I literally just walked in to the Hulk coaster (very fun ride) and as the day went on, the longest wait we had was about 30 minutes at the very end of the day waiting to go in to the Jimmy Neutron blast. It was probably our least favorite, too - but that's the breaks! We rode the new Simpsons ride which was one of the simulated roller coasters, but a little different then the theatre type ones like Shrek. Our votes for our favorite rides all day was Spiderman at Islands of Adventure and the Mummy at Univ Studios.

As we were driving away from Orlando Monday morning, I asked whether they liked Universal Studios or Disneyworld better and both Josh and Kent said they liked Disney. Ally I think was a little too young to really remember it, so she voted Universal. So I guess all in all we had a fantastic weekend, but Disney still wins on where to go. Until next time.....

Fall Sports

The kids are both trying out new sports this fall. Josh is playing football and Ally is trying her hand at football. Both seem to really enjoy their respective sport and it is keeping us busy! Yesterday was a whirlwind between church, football pictures, cheerleading pictures (of course not at the same time), baseball practice and play dates - and working for Carnival as well! Busy busy! But I'm not sure that we know what to do with ourselves if we didn't have a ton of things to do. And you can tell what Kent did yesterday by the pictures....I took Ally's while he was just beginning with the weedeater and Josh came home last when it was nice and neat. :)

First Day of School

This week marked the end of summer as Josh and Ally headed back to school. Both kids like their teacher (Kent and I do as well) and they both have friends in their class.

It was a very busy week as we had a lot to do in order to get everything ready both at home and at school (I got suckered...I mean invited...to join the PTA board so we had a bunch of last minute things)

The kids both missed some practices for football and cheerleading, but they both hit the ground running in both. Josh LOVES football. He is a wide receiver. Ally is having a great time with cheerleading as well. I am helping co-coach (no comments, Jen) and she thinks it is awesome.

Baseball is back in full swing as our first tournament is this weekend. We had a month off - seems like only a week.

Where has time gone?

Sorry it has been so long since the last update. What a summer! We have been on the go non-stop since school let out and it seems unbelievable that the kids go back on Tuesday. We moved over the summer, Josh's team went to the World Series (and took 2nd place!) and we went on vacation to Branson, Missouri. And in between all that, we managed to get unpacked, the kids to all of their events and I changed clients with the company I work from home for.

Here is a picture of the kids at Table Rock Lake in Missouri. My grandparents owned a house right on the lake when I was a kid and after my grandmother passed away in December, we were told that they wanted to have their ashes spread over the lake. So we met my uncle and cousins from Colorado there in Branson for 4 days and had a nice day at the lake. It was a happy / sad experience. It was really cool for my kids to get to experience a little slice of where I spent a lot of my summer vacations growing up but of course sad because of the ceremony. We also went to Silver Dollar City two days and had a great time. My niece Lauren was there from Pennsylvania so it was really our entire family on my dad's side. With everyone as spread out as they are now, I doubt that we get to do that again.

Kent's parents met us in Branson and took the kids home with them to Texas for 10 days. I go and pick them up tomorrow from the airport in Atlanta. I can't wait! I thought I would enjoy the break, but after this long I'm more than anxious to have them home and have the noise around the house. Although, it wasn't all that quiet as last week we got a puppy from a local shelter. The kids don't know about it so it will be a fun surpise. We have all healed from losing Molly, so it was time to add a friend for Harley. Oreo, the kitten, is tolerating him but Harley is having a great time.

I'll try to do better at keeping this up. :)

State Champions!

Josh's baseball team was in the State Championship tournament this past weekend. The boys had been struggling a bit in tournaments of late, but had really been putting their best effort in practice this past week in preparation.

We won! It was a very exciting weekend of baseball. The Longhorns won all four of our games, two of which were VERY hard fought battles.

Here is a picture of Josh with his Nana and Big Nana after the last game (we won the last one 16-1) Next stop: World Series!

Beloved Molly

Our dog Molly, who we got from a shelter in Houston when Josh was 3 months old, was killed yesterday. I won't go in to the gory details, but we are devastated by her loss.

Molly was the protector of the family. We all loved her dearly, and in return she loved us unconditionally and gave us 10 happy years of companionship. She was extremely loyal and protective of the kids. We just can't believe she is gone.

This is the most recent photo I could find. Molly is the one with Santa hat on. We will miss her forever.

Happy Memorial Day!

Happy Memorial Day weekend to everyone! We are taking it easy this weekend. Ally had her soccer game yesterday morning. They tied 2-2, but it was a good game. Overall, they are undefeated. They've tied twice but have never lost. This is Ally's first time playing soccer, and she says she has found her "love". We're so glad!

Josh had a 3 1/2 hr baseball practice after the game yesterday, so it was a sports day. (when isn't it on Saturday? ha ha) Josh's baseball team, www.simpsonvillelonghornsbaseball.com, has qualified for the World Series, so they are in serious practice mode these days. Thankfully, it is in Lexington, SC so it is not too far from us. We're going to crash on Todd's floor for a week.

Tomorrow we're heading to Mom and Dad's to the lake. We're going to go out and tube and enjoy the water. I hope everyone enjoys their long weekend!

Recovering...

Friday night was Josh's birthday party. He and 11 of his closest friends (plus Ally and her friend)went to the Clemson vs Virginia Tech baseball game. We had rushed pizza at the balcony above the field, followed by Josh being able to throw out the first pitch. Here is a picture of Josh and Jack Leggett, the Clemson head coach for the last 15 years. We were in foul ball territory and Josh was able to snag one. We had a great time as the Tigers took the Hokies down 13-5.
After the game, everyone came back to our house for a night (and well in to the morning) fun. The bulk of the boys went to sleep between 4-5am and were back up raring to go at 7:15am. So needless to say, we're all more than a little exhausted! But Josh had an "awesome birthday party" and can't wait till next year. Kent and I were thinking more along the lines of maybe a birthday party at the library, followed by lunch at the park for next year. Ha ha!

Happy Easter!

Wow! Is it really Easter? Hard to believe that we have been here in SC for 8 months. Spring has finally begun to show itself these last few weeks and I am SOOO thankful! We had a beautiful Easter weekend. The kids were off school on Friday and their Spring Break begins tomorrow. We worked in the yard on Friday and we had our easter egg hunt in the yard yesterday. In the past it has been just our kids but this year we had 8. Kent and I hid at least 50 eggs in our yard and sat back and watched while the kids went nuts. It was fun!

This morning we woke up and Kent made us Easter pancakes and bacon and we went to church. We then headed out to Mom and Dad's on the lake and enjoyed Easter brunch (I guess it was more like dunch -- or ask Kent put it, lupper -- since our seating was at 3:30pm.) But the food was excellent and the kids behaved beautifully. I attached a picture from this morning.

Tomorrow Mom and I are heading north with the kids. We are taking the kids to Williamsburg, Virginia for a few days. It should be a lot of fun. I remember going when we lived in Carlisle, but that was almost 20 years ago. (GASP~!!!) Josh is studying the American Revolution in school so we thought it would be perfect. Of course, put Josh anywhere where there is history and the threat of war and he is in heaven! I'll be sure to post an update with pictures when we get back.

I wish everyone a very happy Easter!

Josh's Baptism

Josh was baptized this past Sunday. He had been sprinkled when he was a lot younger when we were members of the Episcopal Church, but the Baptist Church requires the full dunk. He recorded an audio testimony prior to that played overhead that was just beautiful. Kent and I were so proud of him! Dad was too sick to make it and Todd had a tennis match, but Mom and Nana made the trip in which was nice.

Baseball season is about to get kicked off again. Josh's first tournament is next weekend - the weekend of Mom's BIG 6-0 birthday! His team is also taking part of a local travel team league for during the week, so we'll be busy little Longhorns!

Ally has decided to give soccer a try. I think she will really like it. We bought her some cleats and she bought herself a pink soccer ball and she is having a blast. She always has to put on shorts and high socks to look the total part even when she is playing in the backyard. Even when it is 40 degrees outside, appropriate soccer fashion is a must, of course!

I'm happy to report that Oreo has successfully worked his way in to everyone's hearts - including Harley's. Harley even shares her ottoman with her at night while we are watching TV. Todd is bringing his yellow lab Bailey over today for us to keep her for the weekend while he goes to Atlanta, so that should make it interesting. Bailey was the one that taught Harley that cats were evil and should be barked at viciously through the window, so we'll see if Oreo can work his charms on her as well.

Meet Oreo

After almost 11 years of marriage, the unthinkable has happened. Kent let Ally get a kitten. She has been begging for one for such a long time, and the poor neighbors cat knows no rest when Ally is around -- so Dad finally agreed. He is the cutest thing. He is a tuxedo kitty with black fur with a white chin, paws and belly. He isn't quite sure what to make of the dogs yet (and vice versa) but I'm sure in time they will be able to live harmoniously. (hoping and praying!) And Ally is in pure heaven.
Isn't he adorable?

Snow!

Now, I know -- some of you are thinking that we are a little TOO excited about the white stuff - but we can't help it! We love snow! We got about 2" of snow on Wednesday night and in to Thurs morning. It was the first time my kids have ever gotten a "snow day". We've vacationed where they have played in the snow, but it has never fallen at our house.
We warmed up yesterday, and now they say we are about to get hit with round 2 in a few hours. The kids are in heaven! I am glad that we brought the sled home that we bought one year in Colorado, for that has been the best entertainment for the kids. Our house sits up high enough on a hill that they can slide right down the hill and right in to incoming traffic. It's great fun for all -- us and the drivers that are swerving to avoid the kids. Just kidding - we watch for cars. ;)
This Saturday marks (hopefully) a temporary break in the madness of the election. Don't forget to go vote if you are in SC! If you don't vote your preference, someone else with another opinion will! This is what is great about America -- you can complain and campaign all you want -- but it comes down to the regular American public that make the choices. Vote! Vote! Vote! (I am about to head out before the snow comes)
Have a great weekend!

Happy New Year!

I'm so sorry to have gotten so behind with the blog! (not that many people read it, I'm sure, anyhow! lol)
We had a good holiday. My grandmother that was here for Thanksgiving (in the photo on my last post) flew back to Colorado on the Wednesday after Thanksgiving and we got a call on Friday that she died of a heart attack. It was very sudden and very unexpected. So I flew out that Monday to Colorado for her service.
We stayed at home for Christmas. We woke up early (shocking, I know!) and by 9:30 or so, Dad and I were ready for a nap! So after we woke up we headed out to Lake Keowee to my parents for a fantastic meal. Everyone pitched in, and the Josh had a great time practicing on his new skateboard (his present from Santa) down the slope of their road, and Ally was his cheerleader on her scooter (her birthday present from Nana and Gramps).
Time really flew. We didn't really do much exciting, but it was a busy month. It is hard to believe that 2008 is already here! What will the new year bring for us all?

Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! As I mentioned before, we went to my parents. It was a nice day. The weather was great (although a little cool), so the kids tried their hands at fishing off the dock. They didn't catch anything, but Kent assured them that it was due to the cold front coming through and didn't have anything to do with their fishing abilities! :)
I've attached a a group picture from when we went to Whitewater Falls in North Carolina. Dad was the photographer, so he isn't in the picture. It was beautiful. You can see it from above (which is still nice) or you can walk down 160 steps below to get a closer view. The only bad thing about going down 160 steps is you have to come back up them! Grandma stayed at the top, but everyone else made the trip down and up with no problems.
Al and Lavon left today to head home. It was a nice visit, but I'm sure that after 2 weeks they are anxious to be home. We really enjoyed having them stay with us, and we tried to talk them in to joining us permanently out here. It might get a little too cold here for Al, though.

Tree Part 2

Since I posted an earlier picture of the tree, I had to post a new one showing the dramatic difference! Isn't it beautiful?

Thanksgiving is right around the corner! We are all heading to my parents house on Lake Keowee for dinner. My grandmother who lives in Colorado flew in yesterday, and with my brother coming up from Columbia that will make 11 for Thanksgiving dinner.

Josh was supposed to have a baseball tournament this weekend, but there aren't enough teams entered so we now have the weekend free unexpectedly! We're going to take Al and Lavon to Isaqueena Falls and the Stumphouse Tunnel tomorrow. I'll be sure to post pictures. I'm sure it will be beautiful travelling up the mountains with the leaves. I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

Happy Birthday, Ally!

Today was Ally's birthday party. Hard to believe that she is 7 yrs old! She had her party here at the house (a first for me... :) )and we all had a great time. We rented a moon walk, did face painting and had a pinata. The kids all had a great time and she got lots of great presents. Kent's parents are also coming in to town this evening from San Antonio. We are looking forward to a fun visit with them. They will be here through Thanksgiving. Time sure snuck up on us this year - we've got less than two weeks until Thanksgiving!

Fall!

Fall is officially here! The weather has turned crisp, and the leaves are changing. This has been such a great treat for us. We have been really enjoying seeing the season change. It was awesome last weekend at the baseball tournament to see the leaves blowing across the baseball field as we huddled in blankets. Or as we drive across town, to see the side of the road filled with red, yellow and green leaves. I know that it will only be a few weeks and the trees will be bare, but we're sure enjoying it while it lasts!

One of the things we are really enjoying since moving here is the change in climate. We love the fact that Greenville has four seasons. We made it through the hottest summer on record without any trouble (Texas more than prepared us for it! lol) and now we are enjoying the great autumn weather. Ally said tonight as we were driving down to my parents house that she can't wait for winter. I keep telling them that Greenville only gets about one snow a year, but even the possibility of that is super exciting to the kids. They can't wait to use the sled we bought in Colorado years ago on the hill in our front yard.

I've attached a picture of the tree in our front yard. In the last couple of days, the red is taking over. Before too long we'll be having to rake up the leaves from it....

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween! I hope that everyone had a fun day yesterday. Ally was our "Pumpkin Diva" and Josh was a "psycho clown". (kind of a joke because it was the clown that scared him so much at the Haunted House mentioned previously!)

Coming from a neighborhood that due to distance between houses and lack of street lights, we never trick or treated in our neighborhood - last night was crazy! We took off for trick or treating about 6:15 and the girls and boys in our group separated so that they could divide and conquer the neighborhood. Apparently, our neighborhood is the big draw of the area. People were coming from all over. The clubhouse parking lot was overflowing, the church parking lot right outside the neighborhood was packed, and people were parking everywhere. One of the houses had a really cool haunted house, and they turned our nature trails into the "haunted trails". The girls didn't make it to the trails, but Kent and Josh said it was fantastic. We all made it home around 8:00 with enough candy to feed a town. But it was lots of fun!

Myrtle Beach Oct 2007

We just came back from a long, fun weekend in Myrtle Beach. The kids had a 4 day weekend due to teacher workdays, so we took advantage of the cheap condo prices in Myrtle Beach and hit the road! This was our first time visiting and it was great! We have always heard that Myrtle Beach is over-commercialized and too expensive, but to be honest -- we didn't feel that way. Maybe we are just used to everything being bigger in Texas (smile), but we had an awesome time.

When we were driving in to town we stopped at a Tourist Center in hopes of getting some discount tickets to the Dixie Stampede dinner theatre. Little did we know, it was a timeshare company offering hugely discounted tickets, but you had to go sit through their 90 minute presentation. If we would have purchased tickets at the gate, it would have cost us $120. By sitting through this presentation, we would get all 4 tickets for $40. So we decided to do it. But while we were there, the kids picked up every brochure imaginable and one was for a Ripley's Haunted Adventure. Ally was dead set on going. Josh was not too thrilled with the idea, but he was talked in to it by his little sister. (something is wrong with this picture, right? the baby sister talking the big brother in to going to a haunted house? lol)

So after we left Broadway at the Beach that evening (tourist paradise!), we headed to Ripley's Haunted Adventure. There was a group of people at the ticket desk who were waivering on going in, but once they saw the kiddos they decided that if kids could do it, so could their group. So we all headed in together. Well...let me re-phrase that. Once we purchased the tickets and began walking in -- both kids decided that there was no way in the world they were going in. SO it was more like we carried them in (only to be told after entering we had to put them down). To sum it up in a short sentence, it was the longest 20 minutes of my childrens lives. lol. Josh and another person from the other group were hanging on to each other for dear life, Ally was crying "When is this going to be over?", and I couldn't stop laughing at the pure madness of it all. It was DEFINITELY a haunted adventure! And I'm pretty sure that it will be the last time our gang heads to a haunted house. Although, believe it or not, when we joked again on Sunday about going back, Ally was all for it again - rationalizing it to Josh "We know what is going to happen!". He was NOT taking the bait.

Saturday after our painful 90 min presentation, we went down to the beach. It was perfect weather. Believe it or not, it was about 85 degrees and we all 4 swam in the ocean. We had a great time! We picked up some cheapo boogie boards for the kids, and they had a blast. It was a moment that I had to sit back and realize that my kids are getting older. No longer were they hanging on to my legs scared of the waves, but it was me calling them back because they had ventured out too far. After they had had enough, we ventured in to the 3 indoor pools. They had a lazy river, a regular pool, and a hot tub. I never did venture in to the regular pool, but the hot tub (of course) and the lazy river were really enjoyable.

That evening we went to Dolly Parton's Dixie Stampede. If anyone ever has the opportunity to attend this, GO! It was great fun! There were live buffalo, horses, acrobatics, "battles", contests, etc. They divide the theatre into a "North" and "South" and you have various contests to see who wins the most. In our show, we were Yankees, but the Rebs won. They don't give you silverware, so be ready to get your hands dirty!

Sunday we woke up, went to IHOP for breakfast (if you haven't tried the Pumpkin pancakes - I highly recommend them!) and went for a round of put put golf. It was a huge 3 story course with views of the ocean. Kent beat us all, but everyone had a good time.

We were all sad to head out, but we had an awesome time. We can't wait to go back. Ally even says she wants to move there!

Starting Out!

I'm VERY new at this but thought that creating a blog would be fun and help keep us in touch with our family and friends! I hope that everyone will enjoy seeing our photos and stories as we explore our new town.
We have already started to make our way around the Greenville area pretty well, and we're looking to expand our comfort zone!