Happenings

I have been itching to update my blog this week but have had a hard time coming up with a subject. I scrolled through my camera looking for new pictures...and the only new ones I have are from work. While I have appraised some really interesting properties in the past few weeks, I realize y'all don't want to read about them. :) So...I thought I would do a general update on what has been going on here, sans pictures.

Mason is thoroughly enjoying his new age of 4. He announces to random strangers that he is 4, with such pride in his voice. He has told me that he is now an adult (ha). He is doing well in his pre-school class this year; he loves to tell me all about his buddies in class. I think the highlight of each preschool day is the playground -- they either go to the "big kid" playground or the "little kid" playground. He has also been meeting with a speech therapist once a week for the past six weeks and he adores her. We have seen lots of improvement with his speech. Soccer is going *okay*...he says he would rather get to tackle like they do in football.

Roper has to have a minor outpatient surgery next week for a hydrocele. So if you want to know what it is, you will have to click the link because it makes me uncomfortable...or I can just tell you that it involves his private parts...and if he ever reads this later in life I'm sure he'll be humiliated. Other than that, he is doing well and is also loving pre-school. He is so sad on the days we drop off Mason and he doesn't get to stay.

New Baby is giving me fits, but its getting better. :) My first 2 pregnancies were so easy...now I have seen the other side. The nausea has subsided a little but I still have a terrible metallic taste in my mouth and have had some killer headaches that last for days on end. I had an ultrasound last week but it was too early to tell if the baby is a boy or a girl. So...I'll have to be patient and wait for my next ultrasound on November 10...which seems forever away!

Graem & I are doing well too...we are taking a class at our church on Wednesday nights by Paul Tripp, "Getting to the Heart of Parenting." It is reinforcing so many things that we know about parenting, but it is so easy to get caught up in the busyness of life and routine that we kind of forget about them from day-to-day. The most important thing I've taken away so far is that for your children's behavior to truly change you have to get to their heart. The concept is straight from Scripture -- "For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks." Matthew 12:34. I correct my children all the time when it comes to behavior, but how often do I use those opportunities to minister to them and teach them about grace?

So hopefully this post in all black and white wasn't too boring. :) I promise to post new pictures soon.

First Game

I know I document all sorts of "firsts" on my blog...last weekend Mason had a "first" that he was very excited about -- his first Carolina football game!

We kind of made a big deal about it & really talked it up to Mason. By the time Saturday rolled around he thought he was going to be playing football for Carolina! Maybe that has something to do with why he was trying to play tackle during his soccer match on Sunday afternoon? :)

The boys have tailgated with us but we have deliberately not taken them into any games yet...mainly because I want them to be old enough to appreciate the experience. I have heard age 7 is the magic age that they really "get" the games...so maybe Mason was still a little young. Nonetheless, he had a great time and made it all the way to the end of the game!





Now that I'm posting this picture I realize you can only see "Navy" on Mason's fleece...which of course was the opponent for this game. Oops...at least the color is right. (For the record, we were playing the Naval Academy, not to be confused with Old Navy).

"Happy Birthday, Dear Mason..."

Beat Navy

Four Years Old

Birthday:


One Year:


Two Years:


Three Years:


Four Years:

And Baby Makes...5!!!

Remember this?? Seems like forever ago! It is so hard to remember what life was like with just one little boy!

Before long, we will have 3 litte ones! That's right, if you haven't already heard, I am expecting Clark Baby #3. Mason and Roper will both be big brothers. Graem's mother has always told me that Roper doesn't have the temperament of a typical second child. Mason & Graem have such a similar temperament that I think she naturally expected Roper, as the younger brother, to have a temperament similar to Brian's (Graem's younger brother). This couldn't be farther from the truth...and finally I told her that Roper has the temperament of a middle child. :)

We are so thankful for this new baby and are thrilled about having another child. My next appointment is on Tuesday...I will be 13 weeks and I'm excited to get another peek at the baby via ultrasound. And yes, we will be finding out the sex of the baby, sometime around 20 weeks...which really isn't that far away!

My due date is March 25...just three days after my birthday. Mason was due on October 9 and was born on September 16 (I had predicted a September 23 birthday, so I was off by 6 days)...Roper was due on July 27 (Graem's birthday) and was born on July 16 (which I accurately predicted)...so of course I'm predicting that this baby will be born on March 16. We shall see!

"Playing" Soccer

Mason participated in his very first organized sporting event on Sunday -- a soccer match (or is it a game?). I call it "playing" soccer because there was a whole lot of playing, but not a whole lot of soccer. What else would you expect from a bunch of 3-year-olds? It was hilarious chaos!

The team had two practices leading up to the first match...I wasn't sure what to expect, but surprisingly, Mason was really interested. Each little player had their own ball and their coach taught them how to kick, dribble, pass, etc. So...as long as each of the children had their own ball, they loved it. But then in the actual match, when there were 8 children chasing 1 ball, most of the children lost interest. Or in the case of my son, he became distracted with the sand pile on the side of the field...and he practiced turning flips in the grass...and he practiced sliding into the goal feet-first & then getting his shoes tangled in the net.

When we sat down to dinner Sunday night, I asked Mason how he thought his first match went. He responded, "It was really good. Coach Card gave me a high five at the end of the match!" So...if Mason thinks it was a success, I guess that's good enough for me. :) After all, we aren't training for the World Cup...we are just hoping he will have fun (and maybe burn off some of his boundless energy in the process).

Richardson's Lake

Saturday morning we ventured down to Aiken with a group of friends for some fun in the sun at Richardson's Lake. Our friend Travis is the proud owner of Richardson's Lake, so while we were there, we got the star treatment. :) Meaning, he gave the girls the very best chairs, we got the primo picnic shelter, and we were entertained with never-ending "Travis" stories and commentary.







The BIG slide...I'm not sure how tall it is, but I'm thinking 30 feet? Or at least 25? This is Jay at the top...



Graem was too scared to slide by himself, so he convinced Jay to slide with him. :)








Mason sliding...




I didn't have my camera with me, I was just using my phone (which thankfully did not go swimming), but the battery went dead before I could get a picture of all the children. I am loving my iPhone but I tell you what, the battery has yet to make it through a whole day. My blackberry battery would last for at least a few days before going dead!

Anyway, we had a great morning. Many thanks to Travis for the hospitality and for keeping us entertained!!

Best Seats in the House

We headed up to Charlotte last weekend for the first Carolina football game of the season...we tailgated in high style, this "tailgating spot" even included a swimming pool! I never got my camera out during tailgating, which might have ended up being a good thing since my phone went for a dip drowned in the pool. I was due for a new phone anyway...but if my camera had ended up in the pool that would have been a different story and would have probably resulted in a withdrawal from a certain 2-year-old's college savings account. :)

By the end of tailgating the boys (and I) were whipped so I was glad that we made the decision from the get-go not to try to take them into the game. After tailgating, we met up with my parents and they and Graem headed over to the stadium. The boys and I went back to the hotel to watch the game from our comfy room.

We ordered room service...they thought that was really neat, especially the miniature ketchup & mustard bottles. :)





Roper only saw the worst part of the game (the first quarter) before nodding off...Mason made it through halftime. He was so funny talking about the players and listening to the commentators. He heard them mention "Mr. Clowney, the man-child," which I think was equally confusing and hilarious to Mason. We were behind at halftime but had momentum going...and then I think I fell asleep sometime in the third quarter. Thankfully we ended up with quite a decisive victory! I can't wait for our first home game next weekend!