Riverbanks Zoo

Mason had a great time climbing all over the animal statues at the zoo last week!

Happy Easter!

Easter Sunday was so beautiful this year! What a wonderful day to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior!

Many of you know my dear friend Tara that recently lost her younger brother Adam in a hunting accident. Adam left behind a wife and daughter that is about the same age as Mason. Even during this time of mourning and grieving for Tara and her family, she was able to totally change my perspective on what this holiday is truly about. Though Adam is dearly missed by his family & loved ones, what an awesome comfort to them to know that this Easter, Adam celebrated the resurrection of Christ IN HIS PRESENCE! Surely this was his best Easter ever.

We started out our Easter celebration at Westminster in Clinton with my parents, then we headed to the farm for Easter dinner at Aunt Beth and Uncle Charlie's house. We were missing some family members because my little cousin Robert was in the hospital with a severe ear/sinus infection, so Alice & Lee were with him (he is all better!); and David couldn't make it down this year either. I regret not getting a picture of our family in our "Easter best" -- had Alice been there this would not have been an oversight!

Mason really enjoyed all the treats in his Easter basket! It is amazing to see how much he has grown and matured in the few short months since Christmas -- on Christmas morning he was still more interested in playing with boxes, bows & ribbons than with his presents; however, on Easter morning, he knew exactly what to do!

The Easter bunny made a stop at our house and filled Mason's sweetgrass basket (a Roper tradition and very appropriate for a SC boy) full of treats!

Mason's first taste of a Peep...yummy! Getting plenty of attention from Sydney...
Miss Ruthanna
Showing Daddy where all the best hiding spots are...

Hunting Easter Eggs at the Brown's House

Mason had a great time hunting for Easter Eggs at Jay and Betsy's house! This was his first Easter Egg hunt -- last year he was too young to participate in any. He knew exactly what to do! It must be the "hunter" in him -- I know his Daddy is proud!

Snakes and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails

Graem and I found out last week that we are having another little boy!!! Little brother was very cooperative during the ultrasound -- he didn't want there to be any mistake about his gender!

It has taken me a few days to warm up to the idea, but I have become increasingly excited about having two boys so close in age. Although the thought of raising two rambunctious little boys seems daunting, I know that the Lord will give me and Graem the strength to manage! Mason will have a little brother and a friend for life! We are so blessed.

The most exciting part of the ultrasound was finding out baby's gender, but lots of other measurements were taken as well. The ultrasound tech and doctor said that everything looks great -- in fact, they used the word "perfect" more than once, which is what I like to hear!!

I continue to feel great. I really enjoy pregnancy for the most part, especially during the second trimester. I love feeling baby kick & roll!

My doctor's office gave me the ultrasound videos on a cd, but they don't appear to be in a format that I can post to the blog. I'll research this further, and hopefully I'll have some pictures or videos posted soon. Then y'all can decide whether or not you agree with me that baby looks just like his Mama!

Clark Look-alike Meter

Some of you might be surprised by the results of the Look-Alike meter, because most everyone says that Mason looks more like Graem. I agree that he and Graem have many similar features, but in my opinion he is the perfect blend of both of us. I am happy to report that my opinion is officially supported by the Look-Alike meter!

And Baby Makes...4!!!

I imagine that most of you have heard this news already, but I'll make it official by posting to my blog. We are expecting! Mason will be a big brother!

I am 15 weeks now, and my due date is July 27, which is also Graem's birthday! We couldn't be more thrilled about the new addition to our family. When I was pregnant with Mason, we decided not to find out the baby's gender until delivery...this time around, we will find out via ultrasound on March 5.

To make this more exciting, we just found out last week that Rob & Kelli (my brother & sister-in-law) are also expecting! I finally get to be an aunt! I'm so happy that our children will be so close in age. Mason has been in the limelight as the only grandchild on both sides of the family, before long he'll have a new sibling and a new cousin!

Check out Mason's t-shirt, borrowed from Jay Brown. If you can't see the words, it says "I'm the Big Brother!"

Trip to Blowing Rock

Wow -- time flies! I can't believe I haven't posted anything to the blog since December. We had a great time in Blowing Rock, NC this past weekend with the Maryanskis, Mathews and Gibsons. I hope you enjoy the pictures from our trip...thanks to Ashley for some of the pictures!

The children...Cooper, Leah and Mason. This is unbelievable, but Mason is older than Cooper by one day, and he is older than Leah by 364 days! Their birthdays are right in a row -- Leah's is 9/15/08, Mason's is 9/16/07 and Cooper's is 9/17/07!

Miss Leah...what a sweetie!

Graem and Mason on the mile-high swinging bridge at Grandfather Mountain The three (or four, to be perfectly accurate) of us

Graem and Mason with Ski and Baby Leah

Back at the cabin playing one of MANY games of Phase 10
Who needs toys when you can play with an empty beer box?

There's room for 2! Harper the beagle looks like she wants to check out the fun...