Lake Time

After our visit to NC, we drove down to Irmo, SC for one night to see my dad's latest project.  He is a custom home builder and I always love seeing the houses he builds.  They are usually very large and beautiful and I knew I would not have another chance to see this one since it is out of state.  The finished product will be absolutely gorgeous and ridiculously big (it's his biggest one to date), and I loved walking through it...but even better was the quick zip around the lake that we took that morning...

 My Dad and my Godfather Charlie built this boat in 1980, the year I was born...and I have lots of good memories of days on Lake Lanier on this guy!

 I had not had a ride on it with my dad since before our wedding in 2004...living in another state and another country, leaving only time for short visits doesn't make for much time on the lake...a crime, in my opinion!!

 So, because my Dad is spending half his time in SC, and Lake Murray is minutes away from where he stays there, he decided to take his boat up there.  so, I jumped at the chance for us all to take a ride with him.

 Warms my heart...

 We didn't have a lifevest for Blythe, so Brett and I took turns riding while Harrison "drove".  Brett had never even seen the boat and wasn't sure it even existed until now!  It was a short, but sweet time and brought back lots of good memories...we won't let 8 more years go by before we go for another ride on this special boat!

Visit to Cary

In July, we visited my dear brother and sister-in-law in Cary, NC.  The visit was too short, as always, but packed with some sweet time.  It was days before Blythe's first birthday, so Lindsey, as thoughtful as she is, had a little mini celebration during our time there!

 Lindsey, Grace, Blythe and me

 our precious girl

 This is such a Brett face to me!!

 Those long eyelashes just about kill me!!

 Gracie really took to her Uncle Brett...He really likes the babies!!

 budding pianist!!

 Harrison LOVES his girls!   We call Gracie 'Cheeks'...can you see why?  Those cheeks are JUST killer!

Thanks, Chris, Lindsey and Gracie, for having us (2 months ago).  It was a special time that we will never forget!!

Cute

Just a few things I wanted to remember...

Today my sister took Harrison to the park...he came home with little flowers for me.

He said, "Mom, I picked some beautiful flowers for you because you're so beautiful."

Melt my heart!

And, Story # 2...

 Yesterday I took Blythe to the doctor to check on a lingering cold...

The doctor I saw was someone new to me...

He picked her up and smiled at her and she smiled right back, and he said:

"Phew, her Daddy needs to worry!"

It's true...he already does...

Looks like I'll need to keep BOTH my kids under lock and key until they are 25!

Oh, and it's just a head cold for the little pumpkin!

Today

Harrison said,

"Mommy, you're the best cooker."

And I just wanted to remember it.  So I'm writing it here.

Because I'm not a very good cooker.

But he thinks so.

So, I'll take it!

She's one!

Interview with a 4-year-old

 On May 19, this little guy turned four years old.  Four.  Four.  Four.  I really just cannot get my mind around it.  I spent 4 years in high school.  4 years in college.  4 years total in China.  There is so much in my almost 32 years of life that has lasted 4 years.  It seems so long at the beginning, but goes by in a flash, and here I am, with a son who is as old as my favorite days of life in Athens and Chengdu, China.  Wow!!  Brett and I have exclaimed over the past year that we LOVED age 3.  It was the most challenging age so far, but SO MUCH FUN!  And in the past few months, we have realized that our baby turned into a toddler, and our toddler is now a little boy (but if he heard me say that he would say, 'Actually, mom, I'm a BIG boy').  

 Well, this big boy is exactly that...SO BIG!  He is tall and skinny with not an ounce of baby fat on him anymore...these pictures are not actually from his birthday but from a few different occasions in April, and they all represent something that I want my memory to cling to forever...his first (and many to follow) ice cream cone at Ikea in China, him walking countless stairs in downtown Chengdu...when we moved there, I had to carry him, but he morphed into a stair climber...his favorite face to make at almost age 4...his train conductor hat as he plays with one of his loves...trains (cars top the trains by only a 1/2 %!), and his darling smile.  He is a treasure!

 We had a party at a nearby playground a few days before his birthday, because we flew to Shanghai on the big day in preparation to fly back to the States on the 20th.  I'll hopefully post about the party later...So, at the Shanghai airport, we celebrated at Burger King (I know, you're thinking, that is so gross, and you haven't eaten at the BK since you were 9, but, overseas, these fast food chains are like a dream come true!)

 We had a little dance party and got some stares from a few locals and Harrison managed to poop on the floor in the bathroom, which is another story for another day, but amidst all the fun, we managed to ask him some birthday questions, which is a new favorite tradition of mine, learned from my precious friend Anne Coleman.  We have continued the interview throughout the week and here are some of the answers....

Me: Harrison, what was your FAVORITE thing about being 3?
H:  Ummmm, turning 4!
Brett:  Well, buddy, you're growing SO fast...let's slow down a little so we can do lots of fun things, okay?
H: Yeah dad, like eat ice cream!
Me: Harrison, who is your best friend?
H: Cameron and Gunner
Me: What is your favorite color?
H: Dark blue, blue, and light blue (He likes to cover his bases, huh?)
Me: Harrison, what's your favorite food?
H: Watermelon (while he was eating watermelon)
Me:  What do you want to be when you grow up?
H: A King or a tiger.
Me: Who is your hero?
H: Daddy.  (No prompt here...probably one of Brett's favorite moments ever!)

My favorite is the very first question...He loves being 4!  He always says to me, "Mom, I can do it, because it's easy for a big boy."  He also says "Actually" ALL the time, which is really funny to me!  He has flown at least 40 times in the air and has landed his feet in 5 different countries, he is a tender, shy, loyal and cautious little guy, and I love him, I love him, I love him.  I'm so glad God chose me to be his mom...the hardest, but most rewarding job I have ever had.  Happy Birthday, Hare Bear.  I am so glad you're my boy!

jet lagging

Well, we are here...back in the good ole' US of A!  I have neglected to write much about it or anything lately as, of course, there was much to do to leave China and arrive here, but I also think I was just avoiding processing the inevitable...leaving.  Did 2 years really just pass by?  Was it all just a dream?  So much of it was impossibly hard, but in a strange way, I loved it.  I miss it already and will miss it forever.  And here I sit in the fog of jet lag, with one kid playing couch potato, loving watching American TV again, and one baby screaming her lungs out since the time won't let her know when to stay awake or go to sleep.  We are trying to unpack and settle in to my dad's house for the summer before we move back to Orlando in August.  I'm not sure how I feel about any of it.  Sad, excited, overwhelmed, but mostly grateful.  Grateful for our time overseas, and grateful to call America my home for a time until we possibly go elsewhere.  I hope to come back and share a little bit about our time there as I have a few more minutes to hang out here on the blog.  I most definitely will be reporting on a brand new 4-year-old boy very soon!! Until then, I will just try to stay awake and enjoy the sunshine and green grass, while missing my friends halfway across the world, and hoping to make new ones here.  I'll be back soon!