CROP Walk

Most of us don't know what true hunger feels like. I am so thankful to have been blessed with the means to put my children to bed each night with full tummies. Many children in South Carolina are not that fortunate. The hunger epidemic in our state has only been exacerbated by the recession.

Over the past year, a handful of others and myself have started H2P (Harvest Hope Producers). H2P is a group of young professionals fighting the hunger epidemic in South Carolina. We will be walking as a team in this year's CROP Walk.

I would be most grateful for your support. Please consider making a donation or joining me for the walk. Click here for more information or to donate.

Me & my nephew

Thanks for the picture, Alice!

I went all the way to Auburn, AL...

...and I only got this one picture.



A former Chevelle re-purposed as a grill. The owner of the grill permitted me to snap a picture and then promptly told me that he was grilling gamecock. Just a little foreshadowing of what would happen that evening. Boo. Actually we didn't get grilled, it was a pretty evenly matched game. We outplayed them in the first half and they outplayed us in the second half. Other than the fourth quarter of the game, we had a great trip.

Times They Are A-Changin...

How different our tailgating experience has been this year! It is the first year we've brought the boys out to tailgate with us and it has been so much fun! They have yet to make it into a game...we'll probably hold off a few years on that, at least until they can appreciate the game a little more. Not to mention, kickoff is usually right around bedtime for evening games and naptime for afternoon games.







Mason's big birthday gifts made last week's tailgate more fun for the kiddos...the bike was a gift from Graem's parents (aka Nana and Granddaddy) and the John Deere tractor was a gift from my parents (aka Bebe and Granddaddy). So much for that 11-lb weight limit on the trailer!













Mason had his first experience with Sprite...and he was not letting go of that can no matter what!





This is the 10th season that Graem and I have tailgated in spot 290...and he has been there longer than that, before I was in the picture. What would our reaction have been back then -- if we could have had a little glimpse of what tailgating is like now?? Ha! Well, I have to say that each year has gotten a little better. :)

Tractor Party

We celebrated Mason's big 0-3 with a tractor party, complete with tractor and hay ride.

Happy Birthday, tractor boy!



Tractor cake...



Mason blew the candles right out.







And thought the entire cake was all just for him.





The youngest party guest, baby cousin Margaret



Tractor ride...









Mason with his hero-cousin, Robert Dorn, whom Mason calls by his full name. At times Mason insists that he be referred to as "Mason Dorn."



Nana & Aunt Judy



Uncle Charlie & Robert Dorn



The McCartys



Kelli & Robert



Betsy-Boo and her Mama



These boys love their Uncle Rob & the infamous orange 'Bota



Opening presents...doesn't this gift coordinate perfectly with Mason's shirt? (Thanks, Ruth Ann!)



Taking the new hog for a spin...



Thanks to everyone who could celebrate with us! And a big thanks to my Daddy and my brother Rob for bringing down the tractor, trailer and hay. The hay ride was a big hit!

Three Years Old

Mason turned three last Thursday. I can hardly believe how quickly three years have gone by.

Seems like just yesterday that this little fella joined our family.



Now look at him...



His 3-year check-up was pretty uneventful. No shots until next year. Stats: 33 lbs (65th percentile) and 39" tall (81st percentile).

Our pediatrician is a graduate of that "other" university in the upstate, and he was sporting an obnoxious orange shirt with a tiger paw on it. Mason promptly told him, "I like your orange shirt!" Much to our dismay, Mason has developed a preference for all things orange. This is driven by his obsession with my brother's tractor, the Kubota, which happens to be orange. We've really been trying to chat up green, as in "John Deere green."

Other than that, nothing newsworthy. Mason chatted with Dr. J the entire time. At one point, the doc looked at me and said, "Do you remember back when you thought he might never talk?!?"

Preschool Days

Preschool has geared back up and I thought I would share pictures from the morning of the first day. Mason was very excited and so proud of his backpack.





Roper is also going to preschool, but he wanted nothing to do with getting his picture made and he could care less about his backpack. I realize he is really too young to understand what is going on, but his teacher assured me that he does really well for the 2 mornings he is there and plays great with the other children. He is the youngest child in his class, but I have full confidence that he will hold his own! Since he wouldn't cooperate with getting his picture made on the first day, I tried again this morning. Again...zero interest. I'm not a morning person either...taking pictures before school is really just a crazy notion.



Then he found his juice cup. Better.





Mason was the "special helper" this week!



I would like to be a fly on the wall when they "clean the tables with shaving cream." That should be a total mess fun.

Click here for last years preschool post.