Camping At Hanging Rock

What a weekend! We started out on Thursday with a beautiful day and a lot to do. Bryce went on to school, and many of the teens as well. We left with a trailer full of equipment and a van full of teens and children. I never would have thought that my boys would have been at Hanging Rock as young as they did, but I must say that they have both impressed my soooo much. This is the 4th year that Bryce has been able to go and this is Brant's first. We got to camp around 4:00 pm on Thursday and quickly set up our tents and got ready for whatever was in store. We decided to hike to Hanging Rock right away. I must say that I was a little concerned at how Brant and Logan would do climbing but they outdid my expectations. They were troopers!!! It was so cool to see the mountain that late in the evening. I think that was the latest that I have ever been on top of Hanging Rock. It was a little windy though.

When we got back to camp we got supper ready. Michaellynn and I brought some steaks for the two of us and I must say that on a Coleman stove they were delicious. Of course my sweet honey bought me some A1 sauce so I was in heaven. Jason and Angela cooked up some pork over the fire and mixed in some onions and peppers. It was very good.

After we cleaned up we all went on to bed to get ready for a long day of hiking. Did I mention it was a looonnnngggg day! It wasn't too bad at first, but when we got to about mile 5.4 hiking towards Troy's Den (which I think they kept moving) I was tired and hurting. We finally got to the den, Ha, Ha, more like a hole in the wall, and quickly decided that we were not going to hike back. Thank God for Nanny! Angela's mom came and picked me and Jason up and took us to the van so we could go and pick everyone else up. Needless to say no one complained. My puppies were barking loud. (My feet) We ate supper and quickly went off to bed. The weather had forecasted for us to possibly get some rain over night but it held off until the morning. Right in the middle of fixing breakfast. Between the winds coming through, the heavy down pour of rain and a little lightning, we had a fabulous breakfast, about 11:30.

The rain did finally stop though and we were able to break camp. After getting cleaned up from the camp site we took off toward the falls. We visited Hidden and Window falls, and then we went to the Upper Cascades. I had never been there before. It was absolutely beautiful. We hiked back up the van and loaded up to come home. I must say that I truly have never been as tired as I was when we got back. It was well worth it. I look forward to returning next year.

-Bryan

Get that thing going Jason and Angela, we're hungry!

Check Michaellynn out cooking over the fire!

The group waiting for chow time.

What a cute kid!

A view from the back!

Isn't this a cute picture?

Mr. GQ

Look at all that cheese.

Best buds

On top of O'l smokey all covered with cheese,

Dad and Brant surveying the landscape.


What a cute couple!

BEFORE
AFTER

Easter Sunday and Spring Break

We had a great Easter Sunday! It was a very busy day, but a really good one as well. We had to be at church by 8:00 Sunday morning because the choir was singing in both services. Mrs. Jane Poole from Child Evangelism Fellowship was here and she did such a great job! The kids (and even the teens) really had a good time learning about God's Word with her.

After church we came home and had lunch. Grandaddy, Grandmama, Uncle Ralph, Aunt Debbie and Cooper all came for lunch. We had a great time and the food was really good as well! We did try to get some pictures of the kids in their Easter outfits, but it was a really difficult task. Melia was being such a girl and didn't want to sit down and get her dress dirty! Brant and Cooper were dressed just alike and they were sooooo adorable. We had a pretty lazy afternoon. Everyone had gotten up really early so we all enjoyed a little afternoon nap together!

Around 6:00pm some friends of ours, Brian and Kristie, from South Carolina came to spend a couple of days with us. We had a blast being together. They have two boys, Will and Neil, and the kids got along great! I figured with four boys playing together, we would be doing a lot of refereeing, but they played really well together. On Monday, we went to the park and took a few pictures. We didn't get any of them all together so we will have to do that when we go to their house in April!

We were supposed to go to the Zoo one day this week during Bryce's spring break, but our van is messed up so we have had to stay home. I really don't think the kids minded at all since we have had company! We are taking the teens to the Student Life retreat this weekend in Spartanburg. Our kids are going to stay with Grandaddy and Grandmama and they are so excited! It is a busy weekend and a fast trip, but I hope that the Lord will do a great work in some of our teens lives! Have a good week!

Easter morning before church. They are SO cute!

I think this is the only picture Melia isn't crying! Oh well, they are still cute.

Melia is mad she is having to sit, and Cooper says he is getting out of here!

Bryce at the park

Brant being silly in the tunnel

Will at the park

Neil (How cute is this picture!?!)

Melia with static in her hair!

Kristie made some homemade chocolate chip cookies and Melia REALLY enjoyed them!

1st Place Eggs

Okay, so it is four something in the morning and I am blogging! I have actually been up trying to get my ham for today to boil. I have finally succeeded and am now waiting to make sure it doesn't boil over so I can go back to bed for one more hour?! I did want to post some pictures of all the Easter activities we have had. On Wednesday night the boys had an egg decorating contest for Awana. We worked really hard on them and they both won first place! They were very excited. Bryce also finished up school on Thursday and has a break until the 31st. I am so glad, I think we all were ready for some down time! We had our egg hunt at church yesterday. It was a lot of fun. Bryan had to run around to take pictures of the kids because Bryce was on one field, while Brant and Melia were on the other. We also dyed some eggs at home yesterday as well. We had a good time and the boys were really big helpers. We only had one small tragedy with an egg, but it survived and didn't crack open completely! Well, my ham is boiling great so I am going back to bed. I will post more pictures of them in their adorable Easter outfits later! HAPPY EASTER!

Here are the prize winning eggs!

The three kids ready for the egg hunt!

Brant trying to fill up his basket.

Melia wasn't so sure of the eggs, but really loved the candy and Chocolate she found!

Bryce looking for a special prize egg.

He found one! (Of course, that was the most important thing to find because he doesn't have any other toys to play with!)

Melia is trying to be so helpful!

The boys helping dye the eggs.

Cooper's 1st Birthday

Here are just a few of the pictures we took at, our nephew, Cooper's party on Saturday. It was a lot of fun and, of course, he was just adorable! He did really well and was in a great mood. I think he knew that the day was all about him because he was very silly! God has truly blessed Ralph and Debbie with a precious boy to raise!

Okay, I know the first picture is of my kid, but she is totally adorable too!!

Melia was really enjoying her lunch!

Bryce and Grandaddy were tired from all the basketball stuff!

Brant and Cooper waiting for their lunch!

Look at that sweet 1 Year Old Boy!!

What a silly face!

Cooper really enjoyed his cake! (So did the rest of us!)

Cooper enjoyed the paper and ribbons more than what was inside! He is such a little goat!

Melia enjoyed his presents as well!

Mommy and Cooper (So sweet!)

Happy Birthday Cooper! Your Uncle Bryan, Aunt Michaellynn and your cousins love you very much!!! We are excited to see what God has in store for your life!

Virus Anyone?

We have had about 5 crazy days! On Wednesday, Brant started with a fever (to go along with his already bad cough) so I took him to the doctor. They gave him a breathing treatment and tested him for the flu. He tested negative for the flu, so the doctor said he just had a virus and would have to just let it work its course. We gave him allergy medicine, motrin and his inhaler and by Saturday was feeling a lot better. (The cough is still with him, but that always takes the longest to go away!)

By the time he was feeling better, Bryce started with the fever as well. He was really tired all day Saturday and didn't have a lot of energy. We thought it was because he had stayed up to late, but sure enough Saturday night he had a high fever as well. He did play his Upward game, but you could tell he was really tired and not feeling well. (He only has one more game to go this weekend!) I kept him home from church on Sunday and his fever finally broke Sunday night. I also kept him home from school yesterday just in case and just to let him rest before getting back to being busy.

On Sunday Bryan and I had some stomach issues and I ran a very low grade fever. Melia has a cold like the rest of us, but so far, no stomach issues or fever. I AM SO READY FOR HOT WEATHER! I am truly thankful that the sickness has not been any worse, but I am really ready to feel good and get a break! Okay, enough complaining! We have Bryce's Upward practice tonight and then a fairly normal rest of the week. I will do another post of Cooper's birthday party on Saturday!! Have a great week!

Bryce getting his GOLD star!

His buddy Christian getting his star!

Carter was really enjoying those chips!!!

Rainy Day!

What a yucky day! It is supposed to rain all day today and into tomorrow. I know we desperately need the rain, but my mood desperately needs the sunshine! I think I could lay around and do nothing all day. I am thankful for the rain, but the last few days have been so pretty and warm that I am totally ready for Spring. Bryce has the day off of school today and he won't even get outside to play. We all have a cold (I guess from the change in weather), but Brant is not doing as good with it as everybody else. He has reactive airway and coughs a lot more than normal. He has also had a little fever as well. Hopefully by tomorrow he will be doing much better though! We have a busy weekend planned. We are going to Wilson tonight to eat supper and (hopefully) play some cards. Tomorrow we have Bryce's Upward game and then Cooper's 1st Birthday Party! I can't believe he is already a year old! He is such a sweet boy and he and Melia are so funny together! I will post pictures of the party next week! Well, I need to get something done today but I will leave you with a couple of pictures of Melia. Bryan and the boys went up to the church last night for a few minutes while I was fixing supper. Melia was a little too quiet, so I went to check on her and here is where I found her: on top of the table! She is such a climber and very proud of herself. We have to keep the chairs tucked into the table or this is what happens. I think she may the child that gives us a run for our money?! We may need a little extra prayer!! Have a good weekend!

For the Record!

I know it has been a while since we last posted, but we have been REALLY busy! Before I talk about the kids or anything else, I would like to set the record straight. I might play the Wii at the level of a 62 year old, but I totally beat my level 30 year old husband!!!! I even have proof and here it is:

I am #2 in the red and Bryan is #4 in the orange.

Okay, now that I have gotten that out of the way I can go on. Well, we finally got the boys haircut last week. It looks soooooo much better. Bryce is still doing really well in basketball. He only has two more games left. I am kind of glad because we will not have to travel to Wilson as often (gas prices are so high!), but I am also going to miss seeing our family so much. We have really had a good time just being with our family every weekend. Two weekends ago Mema (Bryan's Mama) cooked for everybody and it was very tasty. She cooked roasted chicken with lemons and croutons, asparagus, dill potatoes and a really really good 7-up (Sprite) cake. This past weekend Grandaddy and Grandmama (my daddy and mama) cooked for everybody. We had BBQ chicken on the grill with Mama's famous sauce, corn, potato salad, mac and cheese, green beans and rolls! With all this good food, I am doing nothing but gaining weight every weekend! We are going to have to start doing some serious exercising!! The weather has been so nice here the last couple of days that I definitely have Spring Fever! I do not want it to turn cold again, but I am afraid we have only been teased. Here are some pictures of the kids the last couple of weeks:

The boys with their new haircut!

Cooper and Brant at Bryce's Game

Melia found her purse Mema gave her!

Brant riding his scooter with his favorite coat.

Melia with her pigtails and the boys taking a break from playing on Saturday. What a beautiful day to be outside!

Melia with her pigtails and curls in the back.

Bryan. Lazaro, Jackson and Eddie

This last picture was taken Sunday. Lazaro is one of our pastors in Cuba and was able to come for a visit to the United States. He is such an unbelievable guy and was able to speak (in English) for both of our services Sunday morning. He did a great job and we were truly privileged to have him here. I just love how God will use someone or something to give us a new perspective on Him and how blessed we are.