Halloween fun!

Go Team Wilbur Racing!!! With race car driver, Carson wielding his Piston Cup and Daddy as the Pit Crew Chief, the checkered flag was a sure thing! Mia and I dressed as storybook characters Charlotte and Wilbur from Charlotte's Web. Never knew a cuter little pig than Mia!

Mia's First Day of Preschool

The day finally arrived...Mia's first day of school. Bittersweet for mommy, without a hitch for our big girl! She kicked off the day with a great night's sleep, as evidenced by the Don King hairdo.Getting her out of her pajamas was the biggest hurdle of the day. Carson insisted on being there to drop her off and what a genius idea that was. Of course, she does whatever big brother does, so when she saw him hugging his old teachers and friends and playing with toys, little sister followed his lead. She went straight for the play kitchen and Little People playset. I said my goodbyes and was the only one with tears! Now I know why my Mom and Dad had 7 children. They grow up so fast...so they just made more!!! One question, Mom, two is a challenge~how on earth did you get all of us out the door for school every day?I got a mid-morning call from the Director and she happily reported that Mia was having a wonderful day so far, no tears and acting like she had been there forever. So proud! Her day was filled with story and play time, art, lunch and rest time (she did not nap!) When we picked her up she was ecstatic to see us, but she didn't want to leave! I tempted her with ice cream from the Grove then we headed home for a much needed cat nap. Mia, we are so proud of you...here's to a lifetime love of learning!!! Click below for a video of the day's events:

Words cannot express the gratitude we have as a family at the outpouring of love, support and prayers since our father's passing last Friday. Many have inquired about flowers and/or donations in his memory. After much thought, the family has chosen two charities that would have been close to Dad's heart:

VH1 Save the Music Foundation: a non-profit organization dedicated to restoring instrumental music education in America's public schools, and raising awareness about the importance of music as part of each child's complete education. To date, the Foundation has provided more than $47 million in new musical instruments to 1,750 public schools in more than 100 cities around the country, impacting the lives of over 1.6 million children. http://www.savethemusic.com/

St. Jude Children's Research Foundation: St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance. No child is ever denied treatment because of the family’s inability to pay. http://www.stjude.org/

Thank you again for all of your love!

School is Cool!

As we rounded the corner of the first three weeks of school, Carson has settled into the rhythm of his new school and Pre-K 4 class. He loves his new teachers, his buddies and his girlfriend Tiffany. Amidst a very busy schedule which includes: reading, math, computers, art, drama, music, spanish, gym, library, chapel and more, he somehow found the time to hold Tiffany's hand at recess!! Sweet.
He comes home to spend quiet time by himself with his library books and speaks new Spanish words every day. Sweeter.
He jumps out of bed every day, excited to go to school for a new adventure in learning. Sweetest.

Carson's class

Down on the Blueberry Farm

Mother's Day

My emotional cup always spills over every Mother's Day...I am so blessed to be the Mommy of these two unbelievable kids and blessed again to call three fantastic women in my life "Mom."

I love taking a picture every Mother's Day and reflecting on the joys in my life and how each year as a Mom is so different than the last.

2006

2007

2008

2009

AirFest 2010

Today, Carson and I headed to the annual AirFest at MacDill Air Force Base. He couldn't wait to see the jets go "vroom, vroom!" In fact, he could barely focus on his soccer game this morning in anticipation of seeing the Blue Angels in action.

They closed the gates of the base just before we arrived because it was at capacity, so we headed to an open field nearby to watch the show. Apparently, this is a popular spot...there were hundreds of cars tailgaiting along with 4-wheelers, monster trucks and dirt bikes to add to Carson's delight!

Bonus show!

I was clearly disappointed that we didn't make it in for the show on base, but it really turned out to be a great time...perfect weather, nice tailgating neighbors (with candy to share) and NO traffic jam when the show was over :-)

Girl's Night Out!

Some of us girls from MOPS headed out for a night of bowling ~ good times!

I am definitely no bowler, but somehow I managed to bowl my best game EVER!!! My victory jump after a strike...Yipeeeee!! Girl time is SO good for the soul ;-)

Fun With Grandma and Grandpa

Today was a gorgeous Spring day, so we decided to head over to Grandma Dorothy and Grandpa Fred's house for a visit. We hopped over to the VA Park for some serious play time.

Carson quickly found a new friend to play with and they headed over to the WWII tank to check it out.

Mia's favorite...the slide!

And for our children~an important rite of passage...figuring out how to escape through the doggy door. Go Mia!!!