Christmas Pajamas -- A Look Back

2009


2010


2011


2012


2013

Christmas Pajamas

We had fun taking our annual Christmas pajama pictures at our new house this year. We actually took these the night that we moved in, which was exactly one week before Christmas!  One of our favorite features of the new house is our fireplace on our back porch.  It was a last-minute addition, we added it during framing, and I'm SO glad we did.  We have enjoyed it so much.  As you can imagine, Graem was itching to build a fire in it, and since we didn't have a tree up we thought it would be a good backdrop for the boys in their Christmas pajamas.





This is Duncan's "Say Cheese" face :-)

Happy New Year!

Happy new year to anyone who is still out there!  :-)  It's funny how taking a break from something can really make you miss it.  The thing I have missed most about my blog is looking back through my old posts and pictures.  For 2014 I have decided to give it another go.  I've dusted off my "real" camera and am planning to start toting it around with me again.

I started with Mason & Roper's basketball game on Saturday, although the pictures aren't great because I grabbed the wrong lens!  Clearly I'm off to a great start with my return to blogging.  :-)

Team huddle...


Roper with the ball...


#1 fan chowing down on concession stand french fries...


These impressive bench-warming skills came straight from me :-)




I'll be back soon!

Last Day of Preschool

Today was Mason's very last day of preschool.  Ever. 



In a few short months he will be a kindergartener! 

I can so clearly remember his first day of preschool.  Wow, time flies!!



Ro finished up 3K today.  Next year he will have Mason's same sweet teachers that have done such a fabulous job of getting him ready for "real school." 



Now...bring on summertime!  :)

Christmas Pajamas

Can't stop now...

2009


2010


2011


2012

Lights at the Zoo

Last week my cousin Kate suggested that we take the boys to see the lights at the zoo...she is so sweet...how many college students choose to spend a Friday night with their little cousins?  Then she offered to watch them Saturday morning while I got some Christmas shopping done and Graem hunted.  Yeah, she is pretty great.  (Thanks, Kate!)


Two monkeys + a goat:






Happy stinker...






They had a snow machine at the zoo entrance...M&R were pretty fascinated with the snow...


Happiness:

Silly

Mason and Roper saw me taking Duncan's 4-month pictures and wanted in on the action...here they are pretending to be baby D.

Strawberry Patch

These pictures are well over a month old, but they are too cute not to share.

Mason LOVES strawberries.  If you ask him what his favorite food is, he will usually tell you strawberries and bacon and chicken wings.

Back during the week of spring break from preschool we met our friends the Parnells for picking strawberries.  Duncan was with us too but he was in the baby Bjorn...kind of hard to get a picture of him while I was carrying him!





Sampling the berries for quality control...




The boys always end up with red goatees by the end of a trip to the strawberry patch!

Snaggle Tooth

The last shot of the full baby tooth smile...

20 Teeth:


19 Teeth:

Catching Up: Easter

I'm determined to catch up on the blog posts that I've had floating around in my head for the past few weeks! My Easter pictures are limited and really random...Duncan had just turned 3 weeks old at that point and the whole weekend is kind of a blur! Thursday we went to the zoo with friends...Friday we cooked out & hunted eggs with friends...Saturday we had our church egg hunt at the beautiful Saluda River Club outdoor center...and Sunday we celebrated the resurrection of our Savior with a beautiful church service followed by visiting family at the farm. Easter baskets were sort of an afterthought for us this year. The week before Easter I took M&R to get Easter shoes and Mason begged to try on these: Me: "We aren't here for tennis shoes, we are only getting Easter shoes." Mason (on the way out of the store): "That's okay, Mama. You don't have to buy those orange shoes for me. The Easter Bunny knows I want them and he'll bring them to me." Yeah. There could be worse things that a little boy wants from the Easter Bunny, right? At least shoes will be worn and they are definitely better for him than a bunch of candy! So, the Easter Bunny obliged Mason's #1 request and also brought some for Roper. (For some reason my iPhone photos turn out blurry when the flash is on) Please note the shoes and ignore the fact that my child brought a huge stick in the house. We made these "resurrection rolls" on Easter morning. They turned out just right and were really tasty!

Source: eatatallies.com via Brantley on Pinterest

All of the ingredients have a meaning...the dough represents the cloth that Christ was wrapped in; the marshmallow represents Jesus, all white and pure because he was without sin, etc. Hopefully we can make this a tradition! Here are Mason and Roper right before leaving for church: While we were at the farm Duncan got to meet Gigi. Here is Gi with her eighth great-granchild!

First Bath

Rest assured that we didn't wait until now to give Duncan his first bath! This is an old picture, taken during his first week at home, but I couldn't resist posting it...he has already outgrown the sink and now gets bathed in the infant tub. And here is what the big boys were doing while Duncan got his first bath...

Mason's Catechism & Scripture Memory Review

You may remember from a post last year that our church has a Catechism and Scripture Memory Program (CAMP) for children starting at age 2. Yes, age 2! It is so amazing what they can learn and retain at such a young age! Since Roper is 2, this is his first year participating in CAMP, but Mason is now in his second year.

This year Mason has until May to learn the answers to the first 13 Catechism questions, as well as memorize six verses. The mid-point review was last week, and Mason has already mastered all the questions as well as the first verse! Now he has until the end of May to learn the remaining 5 verses and then bring on the reward -- all the children that complete their CAMP memory work get a free trip to a waterpark! (That will be fun with a newborn in tow!) :)



I could hardly believe my eyes and ears when I looked back at the video of Mason reciting his Catechism and Scripture from last year...his speech has seen such a huge improvement over the past year and he seems so much more mature now. This was a wake up that I need to take more videos of my boys! I'll be back soon with Roper's recitation.

And in case you are interested, here are the Catechism Q&A and verses that we are working on:

1. Who made you? God.
2. What else did God make? God made all things.
3. Why did God make you and all things? For His own glory.
4. How can you glorify God? By loving Him and doing what He commands.
5. Why are you to glorify God? Because He made me and takes care of me.
6. Is there more than one true God? No. There is only one true God.
7. In how many Persons does this one God exist? In three persons.
8. Name these three persons. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
9. What is God? God is a Spirit and doesn't have a body like men.
10. Where is God? God is everywhere.
11. Can you see God? No. I cannot see God, but He always sees me.
12. Does God know all things? Yes. Nothing can be hidden from God.
13. Can God do all things? Yes. God can do all his holy will.

"I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made." Psalm 139:14a
"God saw all that He had made, and it was very good." Genesis 1:31a
"Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good." Psalm 136:1a
"If you love me, you will obey what I command." John 14:15
"There is no one like you, O LORD, and there is no God but you." 1 Chronicles 17:20a
"I am with you and will watch over you wherever you go." Genesis 28:15a