Happy Halloween

The kids enjoyed trick or treating this year (when do they not?). This year Beckham was Captain America and Ainlsey was a Tiger. The rain didn't keep us away. Luckily it stopped raining when I took them. Unfortunately for Monte it started raining when it was his turn. A good time was had by all and now we have enough sugar to last us a long time.

For a year Beckham has been begging us to do Karate but we could never fit it into our schedules. This fall we found a wonderful karate (taekwondo) place. They are class schedule is flexible and the instructors are great. We sign Beckham up in hopes that it would help his self confidence and his muscle planning skills. After a two weeks we already noticed a difference. He is loving it and is learning so much. The teach self discipline, respect, confidence, leadership, the actual karate skills, and self defense. A few weeks ago Beckham earned his orange belt. he was so proud of himself and we were proud of him. Monte and I were shocked at graduation when Beckham raised his hand to answer a question in front of everyone (40+ kids and 60+ adults). He stood up and in a loud voice answered the question! That proves how much confidence he has gained in a karate because earlier that month his school teacher had made the comment "I just want him to talk to me." We are proud of our little orange belt and know that he is going to continue to work hard and earn his yellow belt soon.

So it's been awhile

I haven't blogged since Beckham's birthday so I don't even know where to begin. The summer came and went and now the air is getting cool and the leaves are starting to fall. A lot has happened since May. we had an eventful summer. Monte and I celebrated out 10th anniversary and went to the Dominican Republic. My mom and dad watched the kids which was such a blessing. It was nice to spend a whole week together with no responsibilities. Monte went to India for 3 weeks for work. We spent lots of time at the lake and pool this summer. Beckham learned how to swim and loves his new water wing free freedom. While Monte was in India the kids and I went to the school bus races again. Always a highlight for the kids (well, Beckham more than Ainsley). Beckham started kindergarten and is loving it. Ainsley is in the 4 year old class at our church preschool. She goes 5 days a week so she thinks she is a big girl. A lot more has gone on but I don't think I could put it all. I just waned to post an update to ease myself back into the blog world.

Happy Birthday Baba

Well, the last time I wrote on my blog it was Ainsley's birthday seems fitting that my next post would be about Beckham's birthday. A ton has gone on in our family (most of you know about the scare we had with Ainsley) but that is for a different blog entry. This one is for Beckham.

Happy Birthday to our kind hearted boy. 6 years ago today the Lord blessed us with a rather large (10# 13 oz) baby boy. Beckham is such a special kid that bring such life and joy to our family. He is a bright young boy that is always thinking and figuring stuff out. You can always see the wheels in his head turning. Not only is he smart but he is one of the most compassionate kids I know. He is always asking about others and is eager to share and comfort his friends. This past year he has also developed quite the sense of humor and is already taking after his dad with quick witted come backs. He is so much fun to be around and you never know what you'll end up talking about. The kid has an extensive imagination. He is definitely a special part of our family and we are so blessed to have such a wonderful son. It will be fun to see how Beckham develops and who he grows up to be.

**Pictures to come tomorrow once I down load the ones from his party. I also promise to blog about Ainsley's story in the next few weeks.

Happy Birthday to the Sweetest Girl

So our sweet little Ainsley turned 4 years old today. I know everyone says it when they get older but time really does fly. I can't believe she is already 4. One more year of preschool and she'll be off to kindergarten - scary. I asked her if she wanted to stay 3 for another year and her response was, "no mom that would be silly, I can't be 3 again but maybe I could be 6." At least she said 6 instead of 16!

Ainsley has grown up so much in the past year. She is no longer a toddler she is a big girl. Not only does she know it, she makes sure you know it. She has quite the personality and is a ball to be around. I love her little giggle and the way she loves life. She spends a typical day "reading" books, doing puzzles, coloring or hopping around like a frog or kangaroo (yes, she is still doing this. A few weeks or maybe it was months ago I wrote a post about her jumping everywhere. I thought it wouldn't last but it has.)

The Lord has blessed us with a wonderful girl that has brought us so much happiness and joy. We love her desperately and are looking forward to what the next year brings.

Here are a few pictures of our "big girl". After not having a camera for months we finally got a new one. Problem is I still haven't gotten around to downloading all the software. Maybe this week I'll get it done and will be able to download some current pictures. Until then enjoy pictures of her younger (bald) years.

PJs and Ice Cream

What better way to end a glorious day than with PJs and ice cream? Bruster's Ice Cream is right up the road from us and every year they have a PJ party. Anyone that wears their pajamas gets a free waffle cone of ice cream. So after dinner we put the kids in their PJs and headed to Brusters for free ice cream. The kids loved it and so did we because when we got home we just put them straight to bed since they were already in their pajamas!

Today was a wonderful day. It started off hanging out with friends of ours we knew in Chicago that now live in the Winston/Salem area. The Clemmons stopped by on their way to Hilton Head. It is always fun to see old friends. Unfortunately the visit didn't last long because I had to go teach swim lessons and they had to get on the road. While I taught lessons Monte took the kids to Home Depot to do the monthly project. Today's was a tough one and since it was 2 on 1 (Monte vs the kids) only one project got done. When I saw the finished product I was quite impressed - 2 ramps for little cars to race down. From there he took the kids to Target to get popcorn and a drink - which the kids love doing. I got home and packed a lunch for us to take to the park. Today was a perfect day - sunny, not too hot and not a cloud in the sky. It was great to be outside. It's funny to think that the kids had 2 snow days this week and it was in the 70s today. We spent the majority of the day outside enjoying the weather hoping it stays like this. All in all it was a great day.

Verse #5

I'm a day late posting but here is verse #5 for the first two weeks in March.

"Tune your ears to wisdom, and concentrate on understanding. Cry out for insight and understanding." Proverbs 2:2-3