We are blessed ...

We are blessed to have two of the strongest people I know in our lives.  We are blessed to have them in our family.  We are blessed with two of the most committed prayer warriors there ever was!  We are blessed to have these two very wise people around to help guide us and give us Godly advice.  We are blessed with these two people who love playing cards more than anyone I have ever known.  We are blessed to have these two people who will leave such a legacy, a legacy of loving the Lord with all their hearts and offering all they have to Him.  We are blessed ...

Growing up, I knew my grandparents... I mean, I really knew my Dad's parents.  They lived on Hilton Head when I was little and I remember going over to their house.  Then they left Hilton Head and moved to central Florida.  I remember all of the times they would drive up to visit and go to the many, many sporting events just to show their support.  I remember getting out of school early for Thanksgiving break and driving down to Florida for the holiday.  We loved going down to their house to ride bikes, skate and play on Grandma's baby grand piano.  They were there for wedding showers, wedding ceremonies & receptions, baby showers and then all the visits up to Hilton Head to meet their great-grandbabies. 

Now, they drive up almost every time we go to Hilton Head just to spend some time with us and more importantly to spend time with their great-grandchildren.  If you were to have asked them 20 years ago if they thought they'd be around to meet their first great-grandchild I think the answer would have probably been that they hoped the Lord would be that good to them.  Well, they not only have been around to meet their first great-grandchild, they have been around to meet all nine great-grandchildren.  Not only have they been around to meet them, the Lord has given them such amazing health to be involved in their lives.  Thankfully, they aren't limited to simply watching their great-grandchildren play but they are able to hold them, pick them up (much to our dislike as most of them are way too heavy for them to be lifting), and they are also able to get on the floor and play with them.  When they are little, they live to just sit and hold them.  GG sings to them as she loves on them, talks to them and takes it all in, every smile, coo and snuggle.

This last time together wasn't any different.  The big boys loved climbing up on GG's lap to read books, they loved goofing off with Goomba and GG gave Luke so much attention.  If she wasn't holding him, she was on the floor playing with him and talking to him.  She jumped at every opportunity to feed him (bottles or solids) and Luke loved every second.

Before getting on the trolley while down in Hilton Head, GG & Goomba enjoyed some good time with their youngest great-grandchild.  While the big kids enjoyed a "nature walk" with Uncle Jason & Aunt Becky, Goomba definitely got in a few good snuggles.

 Luke enjoyed some quiet time with his great-grandparents.  He talked to them and filled them in on life and enjoyed getting lots of attention without the big kids around!!

 Luke loved every second and thought it was so much fun to take Goomba's hat off and try to get his glasses.  Goomba started off wearing both his hat and his glasses and by the time the trolley arrived he had taken off his glasses and his hat!

There isn't much that makes me happier then to hear the big boys talk about their GG and Goomba.  It makes me so happy to see their excitement when they know that they are going to be at Nana & Pop-Pop's house.  It makes me so happy to see them go up to them just to give them a hug, tell them that they love them and snuggle with them for no reason other than to just get some loves.  I hope my boys will never forget the great-grandparents the Lord has blessed them with... the ones they never were able to meet, the ones they met but went to Heaven to be with Jesus when they were so small and the ones that have been able to spend so many fun times with them!

I know our time with them is limited so we take advantage of every opportunity we have together.  It makes me sad to think of them not being around because they have always been around for me and now for my family but I get a feeling of indescribable joy when I think about the forever we'll spend together in Heaven and for that, I'm so beyond grateful.  And until the Lord calls them home, we are blessed ... blessed with so much time to spend with these two amazing people and blessed that the Lord has kept them this healthy for so long so that these kids can get to know them well enough to remember them all their lives!!

Trolley Ride

One of our all time favorite things to do when we are in Hilton Head during the summer time is to go down to Sea Pines and ride the trolley.  The trolley rides used to be open air but they have now replaced all those trollies with new trollies that are completely enclosed.  Part of the fun was having the wind blowing in our faces, (which they all loved, especially on a hot day).  Even though these new trollies aren't open it still is a lot of fun for the boys.  They just love the idea of being on a trolley, open air or enclosed!!

You can tell by the look on their faces that there aren't many other places they would rather be!  And getting to ride the trolley with GG, Goomba, Nana, Pop-Pop and some of their aunts, uncles and cousins make it even better!!

 The driver of the trolley always thinks it's funny that we, as "locals", would drive down to Sea Pines just to ride the trolley but sometimes us "locals" have to do the fun, touristy things too! :)

It was Luke's first trolley ride... this time last year when we were riding the trolley he was still in utero and I don't think he remembers that ride! :)  It took him a few minutes to get comfortable with the idea of the trolley.  You can always tell when Luke is unsure because he will grab on to whoever is holding him and lay his head down.  He finally became comfortable, enjoyed the ride and even had fun with the shiny pole right in front on him!!

We all had a great time being tourists and enjoying our free trolley ride around Sea Pines.  Both of the boys, along with all of their cousins, always look forward to this when we visit in the summer time and it's a nice, free adventure we can go on to get the kids out of the house.

Play Ball

There are so many boy cousins in this family (with possibly more on the way) that we can almost make up a baseball team on our own.  One evening while we were in Hilton Head we all headed to the baseball field and the boys had a blast, all 5 of them!!  We started by letting all of the boys hit the ball off of the tee... they all did a great job of it.  The tee was a tad bit high for my boys (I think it was adjusted to be the right height for Noah, the tallest) but they enjoyed it none the less.

 

Once they hit the ball they each ran the bases as if they had hit their very first home run!  Eli took off towards first base and kept on running...he would have ran all the way to the fence if no one had stopped him.  Colin took off not really knowing where he was going.  Jacob ran like it was his job and he was taking his job v-e-r-y seriously!!  Chase knew which bases to run to but was confused because he's not used to the bases being so far apart (a high school's baseball field is a tad bit bigger than a t-ball field). :)  And Noah ran the bases and was so proud of himself!

It was so fun watching Pop-Pop coach his grandsons.  I can speak for Chase and Jacob when I say that baseball is the absolute favorite in our house and they loved showing Pop-Pop what they can do and how much Daddy has taught them so far about hitting, throwing and fielding.

When the boys weren't hitting the ball they were out in the field, ready to field any ball that came to them.  I asked them all to get in a "ready position" and I think Jacob won the award!! :)

My boys could not have been happier.  Once they all finished hitting off of the tee Chase & Jacob wanted Pop-Pop to pitch the ball to them so they could show him how they can hit it like the big guys.  So Uncle Dan put the tee away and the boys were ready to show off their skills.

Notice the concentration on Jacob's face.  He is all about business when he is playing ball and you can see it in his eyes.  I love the middle picture... he has really learned to keep his eye on the ball!

Chase is also all about hitting the ball.  He gets so proud of himself when he connects and has gotten so good at it.  He even attempted to bunt, which is a new concept to him.  He saw some players bunt while watching the CWS a few weeks ago.  Charles worked with him a little on how to bunt correctly but it's going to be a few years before he can do that in a game!

With three boys in the house, I know that baseball is going to be a big part of our lives.  With many boy cousins in the family I'm sure that playing ball in the back yard is going to happen more and more as the boys get older.  With the two big boys being so close in age, I know this is not going to be the last time they are on the field together or in the dug out together.  I am so excited for the years that they will be able to play on the same teams and play ball together!!  They are so supportive of each other, get so excited when the other succeeds and are each others biggest fans!  I pray that continues and that the bond they have will grow stronger and stronger and that rivalry will never get in their way!

Meeting Aunt Becky

Luke had just turned 10 months old when he was finally introduced to his Aunt Becky.  For ten months Becky and her family, who live in Seattle, got to know this little one the best they could through pictures, videos and stories.  It was so special for her to finally get her hands on him and love on him!!

 The day we arrived it was a little overwhelming for Luke and he clung to Mommy for a little while  (I think he just wanted them to see his pouty lip right at the beginning of the visit because he sure wouldn't use it the rest of the week!).  After that it didn't take long for him to warm up to everyone and from there he stole the show. :)

The first morning we woke up Becky went up and got Luke up from his bed and he quickly snuggled in to her and it melted her heart!  Aunt Becky snuggled Luke, gave him his bottle and loved on him for the longest time that morning.  What a special time for her to get to know her youngest nephew. 

We are so thankful that she was able to spend such great time with this little one... by the time we see them next he'll probably be a 2 year old, running around and asserting his will! :)  I hope and pray it won't be that long but only time will tell!  Until then... we'll hold on to some pretty amazing memories!!