We've Been Busy...

It has been awhile since I blogged... we have definitely been busy. We celebrated Sydney's 3rd birthday (my niece) at the beginning of August...

The kids w/their cousins... Sydney & Rachel

Some have asked who Jacob looks like... here is the answer... my sister, Shelly!

What do little boys do with princess hopscotch? Build houses with garages big enough for their monster trucks, of course! Wild man came up with this one completely on his own...

The twins are thumb suckers... both suck only their left thumb. We decided it was time to break the habit this summer... here they are with their thumb guards.... MUCH to my surprise, they really did not put up much resistance!

30 days later... the habit has been completely broken (even at night!) and here they are with their prizes!
First day of school! Jessica started 5th grade at a new school (5th/6th grade only), and Jaycie started 2nd grade (with sparkly pink shoes)!

Jamie & Jacob started 4K... this is the last year we will have children in preschool (let me get my tissues...) The twins meet their teachers... Ms. Teri & Ms. Mona... they are "Friendly Frogs" this year!

Jamie & Jacob on their 1st day!

Jaycie with Mrs. Bailey (we LOVE her!) Jaycie was the first Terrific Kid in her class! We are so proud of her!

It is always fun to go "home" and catch up with friends... we still REALLY miss everyone!

Erika, Sam, Tammy, Janet, Jennifer, & Wilkie

Sweet girls... Haley, Madison, Morgan, & Jessica

We spent Labor Day weekend in Murrell's Inlet... we always enjoy visiting Huntington Beach State Park and spending time with Grandma Geri!

James & I found a new challenge... the Mud Run! This was done by the Marine Corp and raises money for marines and their families. The course was 4.2 miles... 32 obstacles... and lots of MUD! We had the GREATEST time! This is definitely something we will do again! Thanks Troy & Holly for completing our team... The Dirt Devils! Before and After pics....

Jamie & Jacob are playing soccer for the first time! They are playing with Upward and James is one of the coaches! They have the cutest team ever!

Notice Jamie's facial expression... this is so her...

when life gives her lemons, she pouts...

We are definitely thankful for cooler weather... this grew on it's own in our backyard. It would not have done this well if I were actually TRYING to grow it. James has cut it back several times, but it continues to thrive and we have gotten 4 gourds off of it (you can see one growing on the steps).

And one of our favorite things to do when the weather cools off at night is make s'mores over the fire pit!
Exciting news at our house... Jamie & Jacob have learned how to ride their bikes without training wheels! (Let me get my tissues again, no more babies here...) When we took off the training wheels, they immediately took off! Jacob did it first... and Jamie was NOT going to let her "younger" brother accomplish something she cannot do!

And... introducing our newest pet... "Puddle"... he is a yellow belly slider. Friends of friends found him in a mud puddle after a week of storms. He ended up in his own aquarium at our house (because James & I are suckers). I have suggested taking him back to the pond... but Jess insists he is a member of the family now... actually, he is a member of our zoo (4 kids, 2 dogs, 1 hamster, a beta fish, 4 water frogs, 2 clown fish, and now a turtle)... Fortunately, he is eating and doing well!

And to top it all off... we have had two visits from the tooth fairy this month! Jaycie knocked one of them out in gymnastics... thank goodness it was a baby tooth!