Summer of 2007

My sister takes great pictures and has a much better camera then we do. I love these pics of the boys!

A little Confusion

Lately Kevin and I have been extremely involved with the politics of our country as the elections are soon at hand. We have been trying to teach the boys that it is important to love their country and be patriotic. One way that we can show our support and love for our coutry is to vote when you have the chance. South Carolina held their caucuses two weeks ago. Kevin took Trevor to the polls with him and let him cast the vote. Trevor proudly wore his "I voted" sticker all day long. He was so excited that he got to vote for our future President of the United States. A little over a week later President Hinckley died. When we told Trevor that President Hinckley died he started to cry. He said "Mom, did he stop breathing?". I explained to him that he did in fact stop breathing and when a person stops breathing, then they are dead. Trevor explained that he was going to miss President Hinckley and wished that he could still be the prophet. Then he gleefully looked up at me and said, "Hey, is Mitt Romney going to be our prophet now?! We voted for him, you know." I giggled at his response and had to further explain the process and differences of being the President of the Church and President of the United States. I think that he is still a bit confused but knows that Mitt Romney will not be our new prophet.

Finally Some Snow!

We don't get a lot of snow here in the south, however at least once a year we will get a freezing rain and sometimes a snow flurry! The boys were out playing in the sun room last night when suddenly Spencer came running in shouting to Kevin, "Dad, it's Christmas outside, it's Christmas!" Of course we had to let them play in the little bit of snow that we got because we knew that by morning it would be slushy. They had a great time! I happened to be at Wal-Mart when Kevin called me to tell me about all of the excitement. Luckily all of the winter gloves and hats were on clearance so I bought a set for each of the boys. I'll have to hang on to those for next year I guess since the snow usually only comes once a year!

This morning the boys woke up like it was Christmas morning! They couldn't wait to throw snowballs. Trevor quickly discovered that the snow was already melting. He scavenged around for all of the snow that he could get to make a snowball, then he came inside and stuck it in the freezer so it wouldn't melt. It was so sweet! These boys are so much fun!

Trevor's School Picture

School pictures are usually so awkward, which is why we are so embarrassed when the old school albums make their "every blue moon" appearance around the house. However, as a mother I can see why my mom laughed and cried (out of love of course) at our school pics. They usually capture the weirdness yet sweetness of being a child.

Happy Birthday Spencer!

4 months

16 month

2 yrs./ 4mo.

3 yrs./ Camping for his birthday

Spencer turned 3 years old on the 21st! We had to celebrate his birthday a little late because I was out of town. We had a lot of Fun!

Stephen is getting married

Stephen is getting married on December 1st! We are looking forward to his wedding and having Arianne (pronounced Arion- French Canadian) and Jacob a permanent part of our family!

Unexpected Family Reunion

This week has been crazy, long, tiring, fun and unexpected! Dad went to the hospital in Columbia last Friday (two Friday's ago) because he has been having heart problems again. Mom and I drove down there Saturday to be with him. We ended up spending the night in the waiting room (something I don't recommend) and driving down to Charleston on Sunday. The doctors decided to send him down to Charleston for a heart catheter and possible surgery. Driving into Charleston was great. I could smell the marsh and salty sea air. It took me back to the "good ole days" of visiting Nick and Alisa when they lived down there. Once we got to the hospital dad was wheeled away for a heart catheter. The results were not what we hoped for, however in the long run dad would be better off. He had to have by-pass surgery. The blockage was too long for a stint and there was significant damage to one of the main arteries. They scheduled him for Friday morning and he had to stay in the hospital until the surgery. We were a little bumbed out but we knew that it was for the best. We drove back to Greenville for a couple of days to get things squared away and taken care of before the surgery. Thanks to my wonderful mother-in-law, I was able to help my mom during this time and didn't have to worry about my children. In the meantime, we made plans for our family to meet back down in Charleston to be with dad during this time. Nick drove from N.C., Nathan drove in from Tennessee, Heather flew out from Utah and of course Stephen, Scott and I were already here. This was the first time in over ten years that all six of us have all been together. It was so much fun to have our family together for dad. The surgery went well and dad recovered ahead of schedule. He is scheduled to come home today! We are so grateful for the doctors. The surgeon that performed the surgery was a 10th year resident. He was great. Because dad was in a V.A. hospital and we were next door to the medical university, there were mainly residents that took care of him most of the time. They were all great!