Aucoinfamilynews

Holidays 2011

2011-12-11T21:05:00.001-05:00

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Pictures from Amanda

2011-07-25T10:49:00.001-04:00

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Strawberries!

2011-05-11T18:51:00.000-04:00

We went strawberry picking at Vollmer farm in Dunn, NC on Monday afternoon with our Lighthouse Homeschool group. The boys were thrilled to see the fruit growing in the field and to sample some right off the bush. I guess we are more "citified" than I realized judging from their reactions to the idea that you can actually do that. We had a garden in the yard last year and will this year, too, but somehow tomatoes and squash just don't compare with strawberries for them.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T23:11:00.000-04:00

Well, I see it's been several months since I posted anything. I have some school pictures of the boys to put up, and probably some other things, too. Facebook has come along since I started this blog a few years ago, so that changes the venue for uploading pictures I find. I would like to keep it up, though, and have a memory book made out of it at some point. We had a lovely Easter Sunday. Rainy cold weather Friday and some of yesterday and then sunshine and blue skies today. Aunt Genevieve came to visit from DC and the Aucoins joined us for the traditional lunch at home. Brent and I had nursery at church but did make it up to the sanctuary long enough to see Aaron and his fellow choir members sing. They did a great job! Andrew had received a chocolate egg in Sunday School and than gave it to Aaron for singing so well. Those selfless sweet brother moments don't happen every day I'm afraid but I sure cherish them when they do. The boys also enjoyed egg hunting this morning and dying easter eggs last night.

Boo!

2010-10-31T18:58:00.002-04:00

The boys are having fun out trick-or-treating with friends. Aaron is Superman, Andrew is "army man", and Addison, as you can see, is Elvis. We've had a lot of kids at the door in cute costumes. The boys are pictured below with some neighborhood friends who went out with them.

A Trip to the Fair

2010-10-27T18:36:00.003-04:00

Last week we made our annual trek to the state fair. If we are going to go to the fair every year, it is nice to be close to a large one. The boys had a great time as usual and were sad to leave. Andrew tried his hand at milking a cow. Aaron got close to it but decided just to watch rather than, in his mind, possibly hurt the cow. He kept asking me how they put milk in the cow. His favorite part was winning a plastic blow-up bat at the ducks in a pond game compliments of Nana.

Alamance Battlefield Colonial Living Days

2010-10-12T19:27:00.006-04:00

Today we went on a homeschool fieldtrip to Alamance, NC to visit the battlefield there. The site is historically significant due to the "Regulators Uprising" which took place there in 1771 when some farmers rose up against the unfair taxation and practises of the royal Governor, Tryon. Their uprising did not succeed, but of course in a few years the royals lost all the colonies, so it's viewed as an important example of colonial discontent. This week the site is holding "Colonial Living Days" to showcase various aspects of colonial life. We went as part of the Lighthouse Christian Homeschool Association. The boys had a good time and I think learned a lot. The only drawback was the musket firings, which they liked but the noise made Aaron a little nervous. There was a cannon demonstration just after lunch and I had to promise Aaron that he and I would go inside the museum away from the field before it started, which we did. The cannon roar was still plenty loud, but he felt safer being far from it.

The boys play a game of "rounders," a precursor to baseball. Some of the rules include carrying the batting stick around the bases, if you dropped it you were out, and also running in the opposite direction, so what modern baseball calls 3rd base was 1st. It was confusing but fun to try.
Aaron speaking with some colonial young ladies. I tried to get him to take a picture standing with them, but he didn't want to. When I asked "Wouldn't you like a picture with the pretty girls?" Aaron replied, "I don't like pretty girls."
This was Andrew's favorite exhibit--the blacksmith. He was fascinated that iron could be molded when it's hot and then remain in that shape when cool and hard again. He is planning to try it in the firepit in our back yard. Not sure if that will happen but Andrew thinks so.
Aaron really enjoyed the demonstration of colonial music. Here, the reenactor played "Grandfather's Clock" on her hand-made dulcimer. Aaron looked at me like he was surprised someone else knows that song!
Andrew tried his hand at some colonial toys.
This is a picture of some of the Lighthouse Homeschool group.

Nursing Home Visit

2010-09-19T21:16:00.003-04:00

On Friday we visited a nursing home here in Wake Forest with our homeschool association. The residents seemed to enjoy the children's singing and instrument playing. Addison played "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" and some of the residents even sang! I thought they would recognize that one. The children also handed out beautiful origami paper creations made by one of the older girls in the group. After singing and visiting with residents in the dining room, we went to the room of Mr. Pearce, who was celebrating his 100th birthday! The children sang happy birthday and gave Mr. Pearce homemade cards. It was a sweet time of ministry and fellowship.

Happy Birthday Addison!

2010-07-31T21:46:00.006-04:00

If it seems like we just go from one birthday to the next in the summer, it's because we do. We celebrate a birthday in May, June and July. And we now have one son in double digits since Addison turned 10! To celebrate he had a friend sleep over and we went to Adventure Landing, a fun and games place with laser tag, go-carts, etc. Then on the evening of the 24th we went out to eat with Addison's grandparents at the Cheesecake Factory. It was a fun evening and also included a trip to the Lego store which is in the same mall as the restaurant. It was definitely a star-wars lego birthday for Addison (see pic), and he has also really enjoyed a new Wii game he got from us: Toy Story 3. We thank God for Addison! Also this week we had the boy's cousins from New York visit. They had a great time swimming, hiking and just playing around. (for some reason blogger is not uploading all the pictures I had planned. I'll try it again later).

2010-06-19T15:47:00.003-04:00

We celebrated Aaron's 4th birthday with a backyard "pool" party. Several friends and their parents came and we all had a great time! The kids enjoyed the blow up pool and slip-n-slide. I think the parents enjoyed the shade more, but unfortunately we don't have too much of that in our back yard. Either way, it was good to get to visit with friends and celebrate our sweet boy!

Aaron's 4th Birthday!

2010-06-16T13:43:00.003-04:00

Aaron is four years old today! Though we have a party planned for Saturday, we held our traditional birthday breakfast with candles on waffles and opened family presents. We thank God for our sweet boy, Aaron.

Random pics

2010-06-06T17:05:00.004-04:00

These are just a handful of pics. The first two are of the boys playing with the air flyers we brought them as souvenirs from the homeschool conference last weekend. Andrew's was stuck up in a tree for a while, so he was triumphant about climbing up to get it. The last two are of them in the new blowup pool we put up yesterday. It's not exactly olympic size, but they are loving it.

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T18:52:00.004-04:00

We kept with what has become an annual tradition of going to Duke Gardens after church on Mother's Day. Brent's mom and dad joined us, as did my friend, Jessica, and her three kiddos (her husband is out of the country). We had a fun time and enjoyed the lovely weather and gorgeous flowers in the garden. The last picture also shows the boys this morning presenting me with their handmade Mother's Day present--a painted coffee mug. Just what I wanted!

Spring Break Fun

2010-03-24T17:49:00.004-04:00

We are in week one of a three week school break! Since Andrew still attends Franklin Academy, we decided to follow their school schedule, which includes a 3 week fall break and 3 week spring break ("modified year round" is what that's called). So when we had to start in mid-July last year, that wasn't so fun, but we are reaping the benefits now. Yesterday we took a children's tour of the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University. One of the best things about living here is access to the events and facilities of world renown universities. I think the boys expected the tour to be a little ho-hum or boring, but they really enjoyed it. For starters, we saw two Duke basketball players walking to class, which peaked their interest. But then we found the tour interesting on a child's level as well. It was geared for K-5th grade, and the tour guide helped them make up stories to go with each painting or sculpture that they viewed. At the end they got to make their own sculpture. It was both educational and fun. The last picture was from Kite Day at the park in Wake Forest. The homeschool group here set that up and several families showed up with picnic lunches, kites, bubbles etc. Since Papa came with his giant ball of kite string, suffice to say we had the absolute highest flying kite at the outing. As Andrew said "We won!" No, it wasn't a contest. But I find that for boys anything can turn into a competition.

Boy Scouts and Snakes

2010-03-13T21:49:00.005-05:00

The two just seem to go together, don't they? Well they did today. The boys were able to earn a boy scout badge for attending Reptile Day at the Raleigh Museum of Life Science. They enjoyed looking at and even touching (!) some reptiles. Also, last weekend was the Blue and Gold Banquet, where the cub scouts moved up to their respective next level in scouting. Andrew will be a Wolf next year and Addison is now a Webelo. The banquet was fun, the boys loved getting to help serve which really filled a need due to the larger than expected crowd, probably because the pack was also celebrating Boy Scouts of America's 100th birthday. 1910-2010.

Snow

2010-01-30T17:36:00.003-05:00

I haven't posted in a while due to general busyness. We celebrated Christmas of course :) , but I didn't put any pictures up. Our camera has been acting up some so I didn't get too many good shots anyway. Couldn't resist posting a few pics of us in the snow today, though. This is probably the biggest snow we've had since moving to NC---probably got 8 inches or so. Tonight is supposed to freeze so the roads will be like ice tomorrow. We enjoyed the snow today, though!

Andrew's Song

2009-12-03T22:00:00.003-05:00

Andrew's first grade class had a song program this evening. They did a couple of songs in Spanish and this one with sign language. I persuaded Andrew to do is again at home so I could get it on video. Unfortunately, I can't edit it to turn it right side up, but it's still cute.

Trick-or-Treat

2009-10-31T22:27:00.002-04:00

We had fun trick-or-treating. The boys went as a Ninja, Clone Trooper and a monkey who looked like Curious George. Before going out, Addison, Andrew and I made a scary snake pizza roll we saw on Paula Deen last week. Check out the pics below. It was fun, if a little messy to make, and pretty tasty.

Fall fun

2009-10-31T21:37:00.003-04:00

We had some fall fun on Thursday, carving our pumpkin and then building a fire in our fire pit in the back yard. First time we've done that since moving to this house. We roasted marshmallows with some neighbor children, who also helped carve the pumpkin.

Brent's 40th Birthday

2009-10-09T10:37:00.005-04:00

On October 2 we celebrated 40 years of Brent! We had a nice family party with dinner, a couple of games, a beautiful cake and presents. It was a fun evening of remembering Brent in years past and celebrating with family. A couple of days later, Brent and I went to Charleston for two nights. All four grandparents kindly helped take care of the boys to make that possible. It was a great trip and we enjoyed the sites as well as just relaxing. We thank the Lord for Brent and look forward to many more birthdays together!

The boys made cards for Daddy and "helped" open presents.
My mom with Andrew.
Brent with his mom and dad.

Also pictured here are my dad to my right and Brent's brother, Steven, to the left.

Brent with his dad and Steven.
My sister, Genevieve, with Kay and my mom.

Brent's mom got this cake from a lady who does specialty cakes. It was really delicious. Notice the finger print, meaning Aaron got to it before I took a picture.

Amanda's Birthday

2009-10-09T10:15:00.004-04:00

Last week was my birthday. The boys and I enjoyed a picnic in the park on the day of (9/30), and then my mom, dad and Genevieve came in the next day. We went out to eat and I got a beautiful shawl. Also received lovely flowers from Genevieve (pictured) and gorgeous tiger lilies from Brent, along with a few other nice gifts and hand made cards from the boys shown below. It was a fun birthday!

Boy Scouts

2009-09-28T20:26:00.004-04:00

Addison and Andrew have joined the Boy Scouts this year. Andrew is a "Tiger" and Addison is a Cub Scout. I think they look pretty spiffy and cute in their uniforms. Anybody want to buy some popcorn?

Picnic on the Eno

2009-09-06T18:12:00.005-04:00

We took advantage of the beautiful weather and holiday weekend to take a picnic to the Eno River today after church. The boys enjoyed wading in the water, catching frogs in their net, throwing rocks, etc. We also saw that canoes were being rented at a reasonable price, so they were thrilled to take their first canoe ride! The water was very calm and a nice breeze blew, so it was pleasant out on the water. We took turns since we only wanted to rent one canoe, and 15 min. of the hour rented was enough for me (Amanda). We'll probably all have sore arms and shoulders tomorrow from rowing (okay, Brent and I will, the boys probably won't feel a thing in their young arms!). The beauty of God's creation is truly awesome and we are thankful for the chance to get out and enjoy it.

Aaron's 1st Day of Preschool

2009-09-06T17:32:00.003-04:00

Aaron is attending 3 yr. old preschool, two mornings a week, at Wake Forest Baptist Church. He liked the classroom when we went to open house, and this is a picture of him on his first day. He told Addison, "I got a school!"

Addison's home

2009-08-30T18:08:00.002-04:00

We are glad to have our Addison back after two weeks at his grandparents in Texas! He had a great time and has been telling us all about it. Andrew helped me make a sign for the door and a welcome home cake. The boys loved playing with the Space station toys Addison brought from his visit to the space center in Houston. This morning he told me he's glad to be home, but misses Grandmother and Grandaddy. That's okay, I'm sure we'll be seeing them again soon. :)

Addison is 9!

2009-07-25T09:08:00.006-04:00

Addison is halfway to 18! That's a scary thought. He had a nice birthday yesterday with our traditional birthday breakfast. Then in the evening we all went, along with a couple of Addison's pals, out to pizza and a Durham Bulls baseball game. It was fun! The game was sold out (which is why we ended up with lawn seats, and were glad to get them), and it was a very pleasant evening weather wise. The post game fireworks were great, too. Happy Birthday Addison!

Aaron is 3!

2009-06-18T09:38:00.002-04:00

Hard to believe Aaron is three! He enjoyed his big day and seemed to grasp that it was a special day for him, though I'm not sure he understands the concept of turning a year older yet. He had birthday waffles, and the boys helped me make a schoolbus cake for him because Aaron loves schoolbuses, and his favorite song is "Wheels on the Bus". He also enjoyed his new beanbag (pictured below). Now he finally has one of his own like his brothers. It was a fun day and we thank God for Aaron!

Field Day and Kindergarten Graduation

2009-06-13T17:27:00.004-04:00

Andrew says the pledge of allegiance at field day opening ceremonies.
All the kindergarteners got hosed down to offset the heat.

Andrew with pal Nicholas enjoys the jumping house.
Tug of war against the teachers (the boys won).
Walking in for graduation, to "pomp and circmstance." Andrew was the first one in.
The kindergarteners sang a song about how much they learned this year.
Nana and Papa gave Andrew a graduation balloon and present (a transformer)
Post-graduation picture taken by Nana (Brent had to be out of town)
Andrew with his kindergarten teacher, Miss Duncan, a very sweet teacher who he loved.

Piano Recital

2009-06-07T22:32:00.004-04:00

Addison finished his first year of piano lessons with a lovely recital. All the students did a great job. Thank you Mrs. Gravely! Here is Addison with the group as well as playing a duet with Mrs. Gravely. Also, all four grandparents attended and are pictured below.

Happy 6th Birthday Andrew!

2009-05-24T17:08:00.003-04:00

Andrew turned six yesterday! He's excited and thinks it sounds much older than "five." I tried to talk him into just staying five for another year but no luck. He had an "army" birthday party with an obstacle course that all the kids ran and then tried to beat their own time. They also threw water balloon grenades in attempts to knock down plastic soldiers set up on the driveway. Overall it was a fun time and Andrew really enjoyed it!

Boys and Baseball

2009-05-21T18:17:00.005-04:00

I'm discovering that with boys, Spring/Summer might mean long hours spent at the ballfield. Two boys playing means 4 games a week! (I did not know this). We'll see how it goes, and are already committed for this season at least. Both did great at their games, getting a basehit each and Andrew even got to run home, as shown in the picture below. Aaron enjoyed walking around the field and wearing a dandelion necklace made by Nana.

Mother's Day Fun

2009-05-16T14:32:00.005-04:00

We had a nice day on Mother's Day. Brent was so thoughtful to get me flowers and also a griddle that I had been wanting. After church, we took a picnic to Duke Gardens which has kind of become a Mother's Day tradition. Brent and I missed seeing our mothers (one was in Alaska on a cruise and another in DC visiting my sister) but look forward to seeing them soon! Notice in the pictures below that with the boys I get more pictures of the muddy water, rocks, fish and such rather than the beautiful flowers that were in bloom at the gardens. That's okay. I love being mother to my three sweet boys, mud and all.

Aaron was worn out with no nap and running around the gardens. He went right to sleep on the way home!

Easter

2009-04-17T06:22:00.005-04:00

We enjoyed a blessed Easter Sunday in our new home! Amanda's parents and sister came to visit. These are a few family pics. We had a wonderful Easter service at church celebrating the resurrection of Christ. At home, we did some of the usual fun stuff with easter baskets, but toned that part down a bit this year in favor of being on time to church and focusing on the reason we celebrate.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-17T08:04:00.004-04:00

Andrew is all decked out in as much green as he was allowed to wear to school today for St. Patrick's day. For breakfast we had bagels with green eggs (no ham). When I told Andrew I couldn't believe what a leprechaun did to our eggs, he informed me in all seriousness that leprechauns are only real "in our imagination." Pictures below Andrew are Aaron with playdough yesterday. It was fun rainy day activity.

Happy Birthday Wake Forest!

2009-02-21T11:58:00.003-05:00

Wake Forest is 100 Years old and yesterday was a big birthday party for the town in the Ledford Center gym on SEBTS campus. The boys and I enjoyed looking at the different booths, all of which had made a special cake for the occasion. Both Addison and Andew got their faces painted, with a dragon, which they loved. And we all enjoyed eating cake. The bottom pic is just a cute one of Aaron in his raincoat, a picture I took the other day on the way out the door.

Happy Birthday Grandaddy Wood

2009-02-09T18:23:00.002-05:00

Aaron and I flew to Texarkana to celebrate my dad's birthday. It was a fun time (even though Aaron had a cold while we were there). Genevieve came in, too, as did my cousin Rebecca with her husband Jason and daughter Mary Katherine.

We enjoyed dinner in Little Rock when Aaron and I flew in on Friday. Aaron especially like feeding the "zert" to Aunt Genevieve.

More snow pics.

2009-01-21T08:13:00.004-05:00

Snow Snow Glorious Snow

2009-01-20T14:01:00.004-05:00

We were thrilled to wake up and see snow falling. I think we ended up with about 4-5 inches, the first significant snow since our move to NC almost 5 years ago. The boys have been having a great time!

Burrr!

2009-01-17T21:17:00.002-05:00

Today was the coldest day we've had this winter. It was 7 degrees when I got up this morning and had warmed up to about 14 when I took the boys to their basketball games. I don't think I've felt so cold outside since we lived in Russia. Aaron didn't go to the games and really wanted to "go outside!" late this afternoon. It was around 30 degrees I think so we put on his little snow-suit and went out for about 20 minutes. It was good to get out but felt great to come back in.

Happy Birthday Jesus

2008-12-17T08:05:00.005-05:00

To help us remember the true meaning of Christmas and also as an outreach to neighborhood kids, we hosted a Birthday Party for Jesus a couple of days ago. Andrew and I made simple, hand-written stockings out of posterboard with the party time and information, and took them to children in our neighborhood. Then we got together some games and decorated for a birthday party. I borrowed a big-picture Bible story book from church, and Brent used it to illustrate the Christmas story and talk about why God sent His son to be born in a manger and, eventually, die for our sins. We had a great time and praise God for this opportunity to minister while having fun!
The kids sing happy birthday to Jesus, each preparing to blow out one candle.
Sidney hams it up for the camera.

Brent tells the Christmas story, starting with Isaiah's prophecy of the coming Messiah. The boys were anxious to raise their hands and answer questions to get a Christmas sticker.
We played pass-the-present,where the children passed the present as the music played. When it stopped, whoever was holding it got to unwrap one layer of paper. After about 6 unwrappings, the last one holding it when the music stopped got the prize inside (I then had a similar prize for each child in a bag under the tree. It was so funny how quickly those who didn't win went from sad faces to thrilled).
Miles gets a spin from Brent before pinning his candle on the cake in this game.
Andrews gets a little help in not peeking!

After pizza, cookie cake, and games, the boys wanted to play with their prizes outside. They got bouncy balls attached to a bungie type string so they could throw the ball and it would bounce back to them. They loved this dollar store gift. :)

2008-12-10T18:15:00.002-05:00

We enjoyed a great time of singing and fellowship at our Sunday night home fellowship gathering. We feel very blessed to be part of such a wonderful group of Christian friends! The children loved singing with us.

Ice Skating

2008-11-30T20:23:00.004-05:00

We had a great Thanksgiving week! Dinner at Nana and Papa's with Uncle Steve and Aunt Genevieve visiting was a special treat. We also finally had a chance to take the boys ice skating--something I had been promising for a while. They ended up doing quite well having not been in so long (Andrew never really skated before). Everyone took a few spills, but it was worth it and they can't wait to go again! We came home that evening and decorated some cookies. These were the kind you buy already made in a kit with decorations. Much less stressful for the cookie baker I must say. And just as fun to decorate :)

Thanksgiving

2008-11-22T14:46:00.005-05:00

The Thanksgiving festivities are well under way. Since the boys are out of school for the whole week of Thanksgiving, they had their feasts at school yesterday (Friday). I made a turkey for the 2nd grade class and macaroni and cheese for Andrew's kindergarten class.

Here is Andrew with his classmate and friend, Gabi.

This is a shot of the kids' desks decorated with their Thanksgiving creations (more on that below). Notice how tall Addison's desk is compared to the others. In the background, you can see: Aaron attended the 2nd grade feast in Addison's class. He loved to "sit with Addison" and watched part of a dvd before lunch.

Addison enjoys lunch with classmates.

Aaron says get me out of this noisy room!

This is the turkey Andrew made in his class listing off what he's thankful for. I love how he put "dogs" first! This is probably related to a new webkinz daschund puppy he got compliments of Nana and Papa. He loves it.

And here is Addison's turkey. It's a (star wars) clone warrior turkey complete with laser blaster. Should I be concerned? Actually, I noticed that almost all the boys' turkeys included some kind of weaponry and the girls were beautifully colored.

Just a cute picture of Andrew in his football sweater.

The boys loved to "help" rake the leaves. It didn't last long.

Here is my sweet little Aaron with his favorite new toy, his "boobus." We often see schoolbuses around town and whenever we do, Aaron shouts, "Mommy! Boobus!" So when Brent and Aaron saw this one at the toy store a few nights ago, Brent couldn't resist.

Cowboy Costume Rides Again

2008-11-03T08:51:00.003-05:00

The boys had fun on Friday carving a pumpkin with dad, dressing up and making the neighborhood rounds of trick-or-treating. Aaron had the honor of wearing the cowboy costume (made by Brent's grandmother) in the tradition of 2 year old Aucoin boys on Halloween. He looked as cute as I remember his brothers! He wasn't too sure about the hat, but once people in the neighborhood started making over how he looked like a real cowboy, he wore it proudly.

Congratulations Andrew!

2008-10-23T18:39:00.002-04:00

Andrew rode his bike with no training wheels for the first time today! Brent took him up to the park, where the surface to ride is flat, and took the wheels off, and Andrew just zoomed off on his own. We took these pics when they returned home and he rode some in the street by our house, with favorite neighborhood pal, Christopher.

Fun at the Fair

2008-10-21T15:11:00.003-04:00

We enjoyed an evening at the NC state fair yesterday. The boys enjoyed all the rides and sights, and the very few games we let them play (terrible waste of money those games). Hard to believe the fair has come and gone again. How quickly time flies.

Aaron loved riding the jet skis with big brother, Addison.
Andrew decided this baby ride was for babies!

Of course the boys made a bee-line for the rifle range where they were assisted by some very nice NC state wildlife rangers.

Finally--Aaron got to steer a car that actually went somewhere!

Various pictures

2008-10-04T14:08:00.008-04:00

These are just various pictures from the past month or so. I haven't posted in a while so I'm just putting some up rather than lable and give background on each individual picture. They include fun with family from Labor Day weekend, Addison's baseball team (he's #44 and standing a little off from the group--of course the tallest one), and a few pics from our recent trip to Texarkana where I celebrated a birthday (no need to mention which one, right?) The last one is the boys with the stray cat they adopted in Texarkana.

Our Last Chance Beach Excursion

2008-08-27T21:08:00.004-04:00

We took a couple of days this past weekend for an end of summer beach getaway. It was a last minute deal, and we found an available condo in Carolina Beach (due to a cancellation they had) on Craig's list, so it worked out very well. It was a great condo and location for the price, with two bedrooms and full baths. The older boys got to watch a movie in their bedroom one night on the wall mounted flat screen TV in there, which they thought was very cool by the way. I'm sure they'll be asking for one in their room at home (not going to happen). It was nice weather, except for a little rain the last day, but we needed to head back anyway. And we enjoyed worshipping Sunday morning at Whispering Pines Baptist Church just a few minutes from our condo. The preacher is also one of our seminary students and did a great job. We had lunch with him and his wife and another couple (with many kids in tow) after church. It was a fun weekend and I'm glad we got to go!

Addison takes a break to pose for me.
Addison loved trying to catch waives on his boogie board. He got pretty good at it and was willing to go out far enough to make me a little nervous.
Aaron did this for several minutes each day when he first went out to the beach. He would point and say, "Mommy--waters."
And then he also spent about the first half hour actually running from the tide, like he was afraid of getting his feet wet. At first, he was a little fearful, then playful (sqealing and running) and then finally he would get wet, but he never wanted to go too far
Aaron made a little friend.

Andrew enjoyed catching the waves, too.

This is the condo building where we stayed. Our condo was on the top floor (long balcony on right side facing it). It had nice views and we wouldn't mind staying there again.

Ocean side view. Inland side view (you can see the lake with park. We enjoyed an outdoor movie there one night).

Genevieve the Mystery Reader

2008-08-11T14:01:00.003-04:00

Aunt Genevieve visited us last week and graciously agreed to be the "mystery reader" in Addison's 2nd grade class. Being from Washington, DC, Genevieve picked a book on presidential elections...in this case a mouse who ran for president. Along with that theme, the class enjoyed string cheese as a snack, and Addison got to hand out American flag pencils and pieces of chocolate with pictures of DC on the wrapper to his classmates. Thanks Aunt Genevieve!

Nana's Birthday

2008-08-03T21:25:00.003-04:00

The birthday fun continues! We celebrated Nana's birthday yesterday along with Brent's brother and sister-in-law, Brian and Sarah, nephews Artie and Oscar, and also brother Steve. All the grandsons enjoyed singing to Nana and helping blow out the candles!

Few more birthday pics.

2008-08-03T21:13:00.003-04:00

Addison took a few friends to the movies (Space Chimps) and had them to our house for cake and presents to celebrate turning 8. It was a fun time.

Isn't it great? Addison's 8!

2008-07-24T22:02:00.003-04:00

Hard to believe Addison is 8! He had a great day, starting with birthday waffles. I brought Transformer cupcakes to school and his class sang Happy Birthday and enjoyed the cupcakes. Then this evening we went to Fudrucker's for burgers and presents. Addison got a skateboard from Nana and Papa, a card with cash from Grandmother and Grandaddy, and monster truck from Andrew (who simply could not resist telling him what it was so he wasn't surprised on that one), a transformer from Aaron (who periodically pointed at gifts as they were opened and said "mine"), and the radio theater cd set of the Chronicles of Narnia and a Star Wars game from Mom and Dad. He'll enjoy going with a few friends to see Wall-E at the movies next week. We praise the Lord for giving us Addison 8 years ago!

The first day of school.

2008-07-21T22:41:00.002-04:00

Today we finally had to admit that summer vacation is indeed over. 7:00 am seems awfully early to have to rouse two boys sleeping peacefully, but the school bell tolled for them, so they were up and out the door by 7:45. Andrew was excited to go to his first day of kindergarten. When he got home this afternoon, I asked him what he liked about kindergarten and he replied "Everything! I like everything!" Addison was enthusiastic, but it was the enthusiasm of a schoolboy jaded by experience--he knows the fun and games of the first few days give way to work soon enough. But there is no reason to tell Andrew that for now.

Few pics from 4th of July

2008-07-14T21:03:00.005-04:00

We enjoyed getting to see both sides of the family on 4th of July. The Koens of Pine Bluff and Little Rock, as well as the Kings of Houston. Uncle Tommy and "big Andrew" joined us, too.

Mother, also known as great Aunt Melba, holds Mary Katherine.
Aaron enjoys playing with cousin Mary Katherine.
Aaron decided he liked to sit with cousin Rebecca.
Here we are...Carla, Genevieve, me and Rebecca.
Uncle Carl explains something to Addison.
Brent and Jason (Rebecca's husband) did a great job with the burgers!
The boys had looked forward to swimming with their cousin, Andrew, and were not disappointed. He was so nice to play with them.

A Walk Down Memory Lane

2008-07-14T17:50:00.005-04:00

Brent and I took the chance while in Texas to take a weekend trip up to Fayetteville, where we attended graduate school at the University of Arkansas. Aaron stayed home with Grandmother and Grandaddy so we could enjoy the trip--a 5 hour drive. We also spent the night with my roommate from college, Shannon, and her family (unfortunately not pictured). We had a great time!

Here we are in front of Old Main, near the spot where Brent proposed to me almost 15 years ago.
Woo, Pig souie! The boys enjoy trying on Razorback hats at the spirit shop.
Here I am with Dr. David Edwards and his wife, Caroline. Dr. Edwards was my major professor and dissertation advisor in grad school. It was good to see them and catch up.
Brent and the boys are pictured with our friends from UARK health center. Lynn (dark t-shirt) and Carol (white shirt). Also pictured are Carol's husband from Ghana, John, and daughters Amanda and Gifty.

Friends and Family

2008-07-12T15:20:00.006-04:00

We had a great two week visit to Texarkana at Grandmother and Grandaddy Wood's house! The boys enjoyed all their usual playing and swimming, and Aaron was more in on the action this year than before. It was a nice time that went by too fast.

Aaron enjoys riding on his truck while boys play with pal from church in Texarkana, Melody.
Addison and Melody on the electric car.
Aaron was a big help watering Grandmother's plants.
Addison and Andrew enjoyed this spot, but it made mom a little nervous, especially when Aaron tried to get up there (he did not succeed).
The 33 year old horsie is still going strong!
Grandmother let the boys pick out a toy, and they chose costumes to play Star Wars, Addison is Obi Wan Kanobi, and Andrew is Annakan Skywalker.
Saying goodbye to Genevieve when she had to leave on Sunday afternoon.

Sports Camp Fun

2008-06-23T12:47:00.002-04:00

Addison and Andrew had a big time last week at an All Star Sports camp put on by the Wake Forest department of parks and recreation. Thanks to Nana and Papa for signing them up. They both really enjoyed learning about all different sports from tee-ball and hockey to basketball and volleyball. They were in separate camps based on age, but on the last day all the campers put on a demonstration for family to see what they had learned.

Aaron's birthday pictures.

2008-06-17T21:30:00.004-04:00

Here are a few pics from Aaron's 2nd birthday party. We enjoyed a little celebration with Nana and Papa, and our friends Nathan and Leah Finn, along with their little girl, Georgia. Aaron loved the puzzle, bubble gun, bathtub boat and big truck he got!

Happy Father's Day to Daddy!

2008-06-17T21:04:00.004-04:00

We had a fun filled Father's Day with our traditional Sunday morning cinammon rolls--the boys presented their daddy with pictures they had drawn for him and a new electric drill with attachments. Then a great sermon at Church as always, this one by Andy Winn, our associate pastor. In the evening, we participated in another summertime tradition for us, the concert at Fred Fletcher Park in Raleigh. The boys had a great time listening to the Dixieland band, but mainly playing with Daddy and other kids. Nana and Papa joined us, too. On the way home, we couldn't pass up Krispy Kreme with the hot donut sign flashing. It was a great end to a great Father's Day! We missed seeing Grandaddy Wood but will see him in Texarkana soon. :)

Aaron is 2!

2008-06-16T22:18:00.003-04:00

Hard to believe Aaron is already two years old! Happy Birthday sweet boy. More pictures to come....

Free Summer Movies in Raleigh, NC

2008-06-03T10:09:00.002-04:00

I had a little trouble finding the information for the free movies many theaters in our area show for kids in the summer so decided to post it once I did. Below is a link to a few Raleigh theaters along with their schedule of shows. When you go to the link, you have to scroll down towards the bottom to find the Raleigh locations.

http://www.regmovies.com/nowshowing/familyfilmfestivalschedule.aspx?state=NC

Happy 5th Birthday Sweet Andrew

2008-05-23T21:13:00.005-04:00

Our dear Andrew is five years old today! To celebrate, we took what has become an annual trip to the beach, this year to Wrightsville beach for a quick overnight stay. The weather was beautiful and we had a great time. Today, on his actual birthday, Andrew left with Nana and Papa to travel to New York to see cousins Artie and Oscar and for Oscar's third birthday party on Monday.

Andrew loved the Darth Vader bank (above)--Aaron wasn't too sure about it.
Here is Andrew zooming down the hall outside our room on his favorite new scooter! He was thrilled to get this gift.
Papa, Nana and Andrew leave for New York, spending the night with Uncle Steve in DC on the way.

Aaron and Addison at the park today after school and after Andrew left. (doesn't Addison's hair look better after he got it cut?!--Aaron had just gotten up from his nap and his hair shows it :) )

Jesus is King

2008-05-10T10:10:00.001-04:00

This is Andrew's 4 year old Sunday School Class. The lesson was about Jesus being King of the Jews, so they all made king hats. I thought it was a cute picture.

I Took His Hand and Followed

2008-05-01T16:04:00.002-04:00

My dishes went unwashed today,
I didn't make the bed,
I took his hand and followed
Where his eager footsteps led.

Oh yes, we went adventuring,
My little son and I,
Exploring all the great outdoors
Beneath the summer sky.

We waded in a crystal stream,
We wandered through a wood;
My kitchen wasn't swept today
But life was gay and good.

We watched a robin feed her young,
We climbed a sunlit hill,
Saw cloud-sheep scamper through the sky,
We plucked a daffodil.

That my house was neglected,
That I didn't brush the stairs,
In twenty years, no one on earth
Will know, or even care.

But that I've helped my little boy
To noble manhood grow,
In twenty years, the whole wide world
May look and see and know.

Walk for Life

2008-04-26T21:54:00.004-04:00

Today we "walked for life"' to support the Wake Forest Pregnancy Support Services center. We were on a team with a few others from church and raised money thru pledges. All total, the walk raised over $40,000! We had a good time, and the boys did great considering we walked for two miles. Their favorite part, though, was the fun activities at the meeting site. They got their faces painted and munched on Chick-fil-a. At one point, as I was talking with someone, Addison and Andrew asked if they could play the "go-fish" game. Having seen a play pool with rubber ducks in it, I assumed this was something similar, and said "Sure." Imagine my surprise when they returned several minutes later with 4 LIVE GOLDFISH. They were thrilled to have caught real fish "to take home." So on the way home, we went by the pet store and got a fish bowl, water treatment drops and fish flakes for our new found pets. I warned the boys that goldfish often don't live long, so Andrew keeps checking to see if they are still alive. What a day.

Finally, some Easter pics!

2008-04-26T21:29:00.002-04:00

Disney World fun

2008-03-25T21:41:00.006-04:00

We had a great time at Disney World! Four days probably wasn't enough to see it all, but it was enough to do a lot and we really enjoyed our trip. Below are a few pics that pretty much sum up what we did. Both boys declared that "Space Mountain" was their favorite ride, and Addison was soooo proud of himself for riding (he'd taken a pass on the scary expedition Everest ride at Animal Kingdom). It was just nice to spend time together in a fun (if a little crowded) place. Thanks so much to Brent, Nana and Papa for taking care of Aaron while we were gone. I saw plenty of little kids there his age and younger and did not envy them or their parents! Hope you enjoy the pics with commentary.

Grandmother with boys in front of the "Tree of Life," at Disney's Animal Kingdom where we spent the first day.

Animal Kingdom Parade
Entrance to Magic Kingdom
Inside the Magic Kingdom--Cinderella's Castle in the background.

Eating dinner In Cinderella's Castle (thanks, Mother!) Was a fun time and the food was actually good. The boys were tickled over swords they got after having their picture made with Cinderella.
Andrew gets a kiss from one of the Cinderella mice.
We finally got to meet Mickey Mouse, around midnight when the lines were short (and it was chilly). This was inside Mickey's Toontown fair, an area for younger children complete with a kiddie roller coaster the boys really enjoyed.
The classic tea-cup ride. Those things spin pretty fast!
Genvieve and Andrew prepare to battle the Evil Emperor Zirk (Zirg?) as Buzz Lightyear gives instructions in the background. This ride was fun, no sudden drops or dips, just coasting thru with laser guns shooting at the targets and villains. We felt like real space cadets :)
Laser blaster--check!
With Zirk.
Addison and Andrew got put in the stocks at Liberty Square.
This was a Star Tour similator ride at Disney's MGM studios, where we spent the last day. Notics C3PO in the background.

The boys were glad to see Daddy and Aaron at home!

The Ant and the Grasshopper

2008-03-13T10:10:00.001-04:00

Can't you just hear the liberals calling me "mean spirited"?

TRADITIONAL VERSION:
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!

MODERN VERSION:
The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.

Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving.

CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing, 'It's Not Easy Being Green.' Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the group singing, 'We shall overcome.' Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper's sake.

Nancy Pelosi, John Kerry & Harry Reid exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity and Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer! The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.

Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and the case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill Clinton appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients. The ant loses the case.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant's old house, crumbles around him because he doesn't maintain it.

The ant has disappeared in the snow. The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be careful how you vote in 2008.

Fun in the Mud

2008-02-26T12:20:00.007-05:00

As you can see from the pics, Addison and Andrew availed themselves of the little rain that we've had recently to make some mud! I came home from a doctor's appt. on Friday afternoon to see two mud covered boys waving wildly at me from our neighbor's yard. They were so proud! I thought it was cute--this time--but said in the future it would be a good idea to check with mom or dad before getting this dirty. And to do it in warmer weather--they were freezing as they had to get undressed on the back deck before coming inside! The pic of Aaron is just a cute one of him at home. He did not get in on the mud thankfully, and enjoyed wearing his sunglasses inside.

"The Bestest Valentime's Day Ever"

2008-02-15T13:48:00.004-05:00

That's how Andrew referred to his big day yesterday. We had a fun but busy Valentine's Day. The boys woke up to find a card from Grandmother with FIVE DOLLARS in it as well as heart-shaped Nascar tins with car-shaped candy inside. Andrew and Aaron actually spent much of the day over at Nana and Papa's house because I had some activities to attend. They got to walk Sampson outside, make a heart with stickers, "play chess two times" and play card games with Papa. Andrew loved it because he got to win some with Papa whereas Addison is often not so generous. But the Valentine festivities began earlier in the week when we made ceral crispy treats in the shape of hearts using Fruity Pebbles to get the fun colors. Andrew was so proud of them and took one for each child at his Tuesday babysitter. Then yesterday, the Seminary Women's Club (of which I am president this year) hosted it's annual Valentine's Day lunch on campus. I made a crockpot of chili to take and it was crowded and festive as usual. I stayed for a little while at that and then headed over to Addison's school to help 22 first-graders make Valentine crafts, eat cupcakes (which I took) and attempt to get the right Valentine to the correct recipient's box. Then we came home to find a box from Aunt Genevieve with a card the boys loved (see pics of them dancing to it and Aaron clapping little hands to the music) and some candy and even a book for me! A birthday cake book that I look forward to reading and using. Then (could we pack more into this day?), Brent had made reservations for us to eat dinner at Crook's Corner in Chapel Hill. It's a small but kind of famous restaraunt, at least to readers of Southern Living. We really enjoyed it, though most of the other patrons were not those who frequent places we usually go, but it was fun to "branch out" a little. Hope you had a great Valentine's Day. :)

What we're up to today...

2008-02-08T14:52:00.001-05:00

We've had such beautiful weather that we've played outside quite a bit lately. Not sure how long it will last, but we've enjoyed it. This week has been pretty much the normal routine of teaching and caring for kiddos. Brent had a long deacon's meeting in Durham on Tuesday night, so the boys and I went to Addison's upward basketball practise by ourselves. It was fine, but Aaron must now be removed from the gym area because he cannot stay off the court. We found a nursery room to play in and Aaron just enjoys walking around on different surfaces! Today we hit the gym and dollar store (where we ran into Nana :) ) for birthday and Valentine cards. Andrew is really excited to make Valentine treats of heart-shaped rice crispy treats, made using fruity pebbles instead of rice crispies. I think I got the recipe/idea off of familyfun magazine website. I'll try to post some pics when we get them done. Today I continued on teaching Andrew how to read. We are using the book Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons. Many friends I know swear by it (okay, these ladies don't swear that I know of but it's just an expression). We are only on lesson 3, but to say that Andrew is eager is an understatement. He especially loves the part where he writes the letters we are working on that day (see pic of Andrew with his paper wearing his now proclaimed "favorite shirt"). It is obvious from the pic that he needs a haircut, which Aaron recently got, finally! He was really looking like a mophead. When I told Andrew we needed to get his hair cut, too, he asked why, and I just said "So you'll look nice." Andrew replied: "I don't want to look nice, I want to look cool!" ;-)

Tonight we are going to a concert on campus put on by Faithful Men, an all male singing group here on campus. We are all going, with Nana and Papa, too. I'm sure one of us will end up walking around with Aaron most of the concert, but at least we can stilll hear it!

Sharpening our Arrows

2008-02-06T19:40:00.003-05:00

I was reading recently in Psalms 127 where it likens children to "arrows in the hand of a warrior." In other words, children are like arrows we shoot into the future because (usually) they outlive us. We tend to use terms like "leaving a legacy" or "impact," but I like the biblical language better. It also helps me when I think about teaching and training the boys. Sometimes, what we say seems to go in one ear and out the other, with almost no impact! Who hasn't been frustrated when having to correct a child "for the umpteenth time"? But I try to keep in mind that reading the Bible to our boys and having them learn scripture, talking to them about the things of God rather than always about temporal things, is like sharpening an arrow that we will one day shoot out into the world. The sharper it is, the further it will go and the more piercing its impact will be.

Boys at play

2008-01-26T16:56:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pics of the boys doing their favorite things (as you'll notice, many of which include some kind of mess). The first two pics, which are bigger because I'm still new at this blogging thing, show Addison and Andrew "sledding" down the side of the dam at Falls Lake. Having grown up in South Louisiana, Brent and his brothers learned to sled without snow. It's really pretty fun! Andrew and Aaron "helped" me make brownies yesterday. We got it done and they turned out fine, but the kitchen floor didn't fare so well. Also, a pic of Aaron's new favorite hobby, walking around the house carrying a clean diaper, which he then puts in and takes out of the trashcan. He's fascinated by that for some reason! Andrew enjoys doing what he calls "homeschool sheets", where he identifies pictures and puts them in order or traces alphabet dots and colors them. He always displays them himself on the refridgerator. And, an all-time favorite activity (at least at present), playing in the dirt in the back yard with our neighbor, Christopher, whose collection of big trucks to load and haul this dirt now seems to live in our backyard.

Our guys

2008-01-20T22:32:00.000-05:00

Our sweet boys. Addison (7), Andrew (4), Aaron (19 months).

Getting back to "normal"

2008-01-20T22:20:00.000-05:00

With the holidays (finally?) over, we are getting back to normal by the end of January. Our home fellowship group reassembled tonight for the first time in 2008 and it was great to have everyone back in our home. Brent wasn't feeling well so he and Aaron spent the evening with Brent's mom and dad (having them here is such a gift). Addison has finished two weeks of this quarter but is out tomorrow for MLK day and will have two friends over, brothers, to play with him and Andrew. They are really looking forward to it so I hope nothing prevents it (like unexpected illness)! Addison doesn't have time for too many playdates since he started school.