We've got our hands full!

With what, you may ask? This crew seen below-



Last Saturday we gave being a family of 6 a trial run while keeping Garrick and Patrick Spake, almost 2 1/2 year old twin boys of our dear friends Stephen and Tabatha. Stephen went to high school with Jeremy (he was a fellow band nerd), and he, Tabatha, and the kids currently live up in NC so we do not get to see them as often as we would like. Stephen's sister was married last Saturday in Spartanburg, and the Spakes needed some sitters for the boys. We were happy to step in and help them out, so we got to spend most of the day Saturday with Garrick and Patrick.

Because it was cold and raining, we took a field trip to Costco for lunch and some shopping. It was comical how many smiles, stares, and comments we received from fellow Costco shoppers that day. Magnolia, Patrick, and Garrick are almost the same size, so I am sure everyone was trying to figure out just how we managed to have four children so close in age. Though we had a wonderful day with the boys, I am thankful that the Lord has not given us multiples and that if He does bless us with two more children, our four will be more spread out in ages than these four were! I felt like I worked at a daycare during diaper changes and four in carseats at one time is more than I would like to handle every day. :)

One cute story from the day: After bathtime, we let Magnolia and the twins watch movies while waiting for Stephen and Tabatha to arrive. Magnolia was (and always is) incredibly attentive to the television once it was turned on (thus the reason we have to strictly limit her tube time); however, Garrick and Patrick were more interested in tickling/wrestling with one another on the futon (ending up on Magnolia in the process). On Sunday, I asked her if she enjoyed the movie from the night before; she responded that she had. I asked her if she was able to pay attention to the movie or if she had been too distracted by the twins. Her response: "They were all over me like dogs!"

We laughed so hard, we cried.

Hop on Pop

Lapsits for Early Literacy is a non-profit in Greenville which guides the parents of young children to create a love for books, develop readiness for reading, and provide books in the homes. They specifically target underserved families but also work with any caregivers of children age birth through 48 months.
Lapsits holds an annual event focusing on Early Language Fun with the Cat in the Hat. At the event, the children are given 3 books (1 new, 2 used), are able to make various crafts, observe puppet shows, be read to, and play instruments. We took Magnolia and Furman last March, and Magnolia has been talking about going back to see Hop on Pop (her name for the Cat in the Hat) since then. They both seemed to have a wonderful time again this year, and again, the minute we left Magnolia began talking about going back to see Hop on Pop next year. The only catch? She seemed to be upset that Hop on Pop was a woman and insists that it will be a man next year. Furman seemed to like her though-

Part of the Hop on Pop family with the face paint and hats!


After the event, we hit a park close to our house for a picnic, train ride, and time on the playground. There were numerous baseball/softball tournaments that day, so the kids enjoyed watching them as well. Furman was especially tickled with all of the applause and joined in on the action.

Look at this multi-tasker. Clapping and walking at the same time (without falling) takes some skill at his age!

Sharing some love on the playground with a head butt, Furman's fave.

Pretty, pretty princesses.

Several weeks ago, our friends the Browns (only related through Christ) were able to join us for dinner. Leslie and I lived on the same hall my two years at North Greenville, and our friendship was able to grow in the years after graduation. She and Perry were married in 2004, and they are both always such an encouragement to our family. Their little girl Lillie was born the December after Magnolia and then Jo was born the March after Furman, so our children now also enjoy their company.

Lillie loves the Disney princesses as much as Magnolia, so during their recent visit we got out Magnolia's dress-up box. The girls looked so sweet in the princess attire I had to share some shots here.

Magnolia and Lillie (she also discovered one of Magnolia's princess books).


I love this one of Lillie.

Sweet Jo as Sleeping Beauty.

Praying that these princesses will know and love their true King-

Winter Wonder-scenes at the Browns.

Last winter we read a book about kites with Magnolia. She was so excited about getting outside and actually flying a kite herself, but we told her she would have to wait until springtime when it warmed up and was windy. When would this perfect time occur? March. So on March 1, Jeremy bought a kite from Wilsons 5 and Dime store and flew it with Magnolia in the field at our apartment. She was ecstatic that it was "March-days," and she was finally able to see that kite soaring in all of its glory. They were outside for hours and finally returned home when the kite found a new home high in one of the trees. She's recently begun talking about the return of March-days when she can fly a kite again.

This March 1, Magnolia, Furman, and I were sitting in a dark kitchen, having dinner together and watching the snow fall (no worries, our power didn't go out; we could just see the snow better with the lights off inside and on outside). I told Magnolia that it was the first day of March and reminded her of what we were doing the first of March last year. I asked her if we could go outside and fly a kite that day; of course she said no. I proceeded to discuss how it was snowing outside and asked if it was supposed to snow in March. She said no again and informed me that this was a Silly March-day. She was exactly right, and I am so thankful that the Lord provided us a silly March-day to enjoy together. What a wonderful surprise the snow was, and those few silly days were full of such joy and laughter. I treasured the special time I was able to spend with Magnolia and Furman that day.

Following are some shots from our home on this silly day.

Keep reading for photos of Magnolia and Furman!

Silly March Days-Magnolia

Though we got a few flakes Magnolia's first and second years, this was her first big snow. Magnolia had to fend for herself our first round outside, because I had to trail closely behind/beside Furman to pick him up every few feet (or inches). But then I was able to lay Furman down for a nap, get Magnolia in dryer clothing (yes, we did use Furman's coat for Round 2), and hit the yard again for some winter fun. Here are my favorite shots of Mags from the day-

Loving the crunch underneath her feet.

Getting a taste of snow after seeing Furman lick his lips.

Ready for Round 2.

We only managed a two-tier snowgal. Perfect because it was just Magnolia's size and it meant less work for me!

I got the best workout toting this sled around!

Climbing the one hill in our yard. Though it may be small, it made for perfect sledding for this 3 year old.

Showing off her leotard, the bottom layer of her snow ensemble.

So pretty!

Silly March Days-Furman

Furman woke up roaring at the snow on Monday morning. I still cannot seem to figure this one out, but whenever I opened his blinds and he saw the winter wonder in our backyard, he made his tiger/lion noise. He continued to do so throughout the day whenever he looked outside. Funny boy.

On his way home from work late Sunday night, Jeremy picked up a pair of waders for Furman to wear in the snow. He absolutely loved sporting his new boots, but with the difficulty he had walking indoors with them on, I should have known walking in the snow would be almost impossible. I didn't keep Furman out too long because of this. He kept falling and getting wetter and wetter (and somehow kept managing to fall with his arms underneath him where he couldn't even move to get up-this produced lots of giggles on my part). When I began to get a whiff of urine, I knew he was a little too soaked and that it was time to head back indoors with this boy. I did get some super sweet shots of him throughout the day though. These are my favorites-

Loving his new boots (and almost looking like a military man with his pajamas).

Getting a peek at the snow out the front door.

So sweet.

Even sweeter.

Taking it all in.

Not a big fan of the sled.

Yes, I left him on the ground a few seconds longer, so I could take his picture (bad Mom). See how his arms are stuck under his body? Too funny.

Action shot of one of many falls.

Love him!

With love from Europe-

Jeremy and I were looking through old pictures last week, trying to find a landscape/nature shot to enlarge for our downstairs bathroom, when he pulled out a disc of pictures from his tour of duty in Kosovo. Though we didn't use any of these photos for our bathroom, I thought the following were too good not to share. My guy has an artsy eye-

*This one was actually taken from the bus window while travelling on leave. The blurry trees in the bottom right-hand corner kind of give that away, but other than that I was rather impressed with the quality of the shot.

Popeye would be proud.

Though it's not technically the type of spinach that Popeye eats and the food is not actually being consumed, perhaps Mags and Furman will gain some of the benefits of spinach through osmosis. He did this during dinner one night, and she followed suit. So did Jeremy, but we'll keep that shot in the family.

Lovin' some Chick-fil-A

Since having children (particularly since having the second one), I only like to go to restaurants where I am almost positive that we will not be the loudest family there (or most disruptive). Fast food restaurants have become a mainstay on our list of "Most Frequently Visited Places." There are ones I love and there are ones I tolerate because my children love them, but Chick-Fil-A ranks high on everyone's list.
The Chick-Fil-A on Woodruff Road has been rockin' it out for the Browns lately. They have had several amazing Kids Night events (held Mondays for those interested) and even offered free breakfast items for several Wednesdays at the end of January/beginning of February. The thing Magnolia loved the most about this Chick-Fil-A honeymoon period was their Princess/Pirate night event. The restaurant was divided with a princess side and pirate side, and they had coordinated representatives from both to attend. And if you dressed up for the event (kids only, please), you received a free Kids Meal. So, being the frugal Mom that I am (and knowing my kids would enjoy the experience as much as I enjoyed the price), we decked the kids out and loaded up the car. Check out these cuties-

When the "real" princesses arrived, Magnolia was completely enamored with Cinderalla and Belle. Her face in this photo with Cinderalla makes me laugh each time I see it. We seriously aren't sure her sweet heart could handle a visit to Disney World; she could not have been more excited.

Furman, on the other hand was terrified of the pirate.

But, as always, absolutely loved his silly daddy.


The Browns were definitely feeling some Chick-fil-A love that night!

Hitting the road!

Several weekends ago, we were overjoyed to visit our dear friends Ryan and Ivana Watkins and their sweet baby girl Evie in Johns Island. Before making our way down to Charleston though, I had a conference to attend in Columbia on Friday, so Jeremy, Magnolia, and Furman kindly escorted me down and hit the town while waiting for me. I have to commend Jeremy for braving eight hours on the town with two kids (as I think all in my family would). Though Magnolia and Furman are not difficult children by any means, they are 1 and 3 and extremely interested in their surroundings (i.e., will take off in opposite directions without any notice-at home, not such a big deal; in new places with strangers and many exits, very alarming).

Jeremy had a great itinerary though and started their morning with breakfast at Chick-fil-A. He then hit the mall to buy some new shoes for Magnolia because her old ones were too "pall" when we tried to put them on that morning (she has such a hard time with s's at the beginning of words!). Somehow, that girl always seems to get a new pair of shoes out of her daddy when I am not around! He then took them to Edventures in Columbia for lunch and a tour of the museum. Although he did admit that it was stressful at times, I think everyone had a great time, and I received many sweet photos of the kids on my phone throughout the conference.

After numerous crying bouts, being misdirected by TomTom (As an FYI, there is no Flamingo Road in Orangeburg. Only an old dirt road surrounded by shacks, and oh yeah, the two trees we encountered that have fallen across the road where Flamingo Road supposedly exists), and dinner at the Cracker Barrel, we finally made it to the Watkins around 8 or so Friday night. Jeremy and I enjoyed catching up with Ryan and Ivana each night after the kids were asleep and even got to play some cards. On Saturday, we visited the children's museum in Charleston and the beach (per Magnolia's request but only for several minutes as she was soon thereafter attacked by the tide). Following are a few photos of our time with the Watkins.

The kids LOVED the water room at the museum in Charleston.

Magnolia with Evie.

Brownie with Furman.

Calling to Brownie and Mags in the fishing boat.

Ryan, Ivana, and Evie Watkins

Magnolia feeling some beach bliss.

As good as a family shot we could get with these active kids!

I love that you can see Furman's face reflected in Ivana's sunglasses here.

On our way out of town on Sunday, we were also able to visit my college roommate, Julie Giordano, her husband Kevin, and their little girl Ella. Ella was so courteous to share her toys with Magnolia and Furman while we were able to catch up with Kevin and Julie. We had such a wonderful time visiting both the Watkins and Giordanos and felt blessed to be able to reconnect with old friends! Thank you both for having us in your homes!

Una Fiesta!

Magnolia turned 3 on February 08.
At times it's hard to believe that my sweet girl is that old, but then at other times I look at her and think "she's only 3?" She is so smart and loving and, as weird as it seems, wise about so many things. She's taught me much about myself and about what is important in life. I love that peanut so very much.

We celebrated her third with a fiesta (Dora-style) with family on Friday night and one with friends on Saturday. The Lord gave us such a beautiful weekend, and we were even able to spend some time outside-something I thought would never happen with a February birthday. We had a wonderful turn-out for both events and are so grateful for all of our family and friends who took the time to celebrate with us, particularly those who travelled a ways to be here. Here are just a few pictures of the party on Saturday.

*Donning her new homemade hairbows from Junior Frosties.

My apologies for having so few pictures. I usually rely heavily on Meme to take shots during these events and completely forgot that the responsibility fell on me this time. Abbie, thank you for your help in taking photos during the party, and Meme, thank you so much for doing it numerous times in the past!

After the party, Jeremy's high school buddies hung around for several hours before heading back to NC. Jeremy enjoyed playing a few games of ball with the guys while Magnolia enjoyed having extended playtime with Garrick and Patrick. I love how attentive to her they look in this picture, and I am sure she loved having an audience. The girl will talk incessantly if permitted, even with no one listening.

She must be wanting to share all of that wisdom she has. Magpie, I look forward to hearing your stories for years to come. We love you so much!