Our Family: April 2011

Friday, April 29, 2011

Camping for Easter

We decided to do something a bit non-traditional this year for Easter... we went camping with our long time friends, Stephen & Elise, and their boys, Anson & Ethan. We have always tent camped in the past, but this time we decided to stay in a cabin. We found one large enough for ALL of us... Jaycie quickly named it "The Green Goblin!" We had a huge area all to ourselves... which was VERY nice! The cabin was BIG... slept 16+ people... AC/heat... satellite TV... full kitchen, too! Not very rustic, for sure ;o) Next time, we will rent smaller family cabins (a bit more rustic) on the lake... they looked awesome! We had gorgeous weather... hiked to a waterfall... had an Easter egg hunt at the campground... found our own Easter eggs around the cabin... roasted marshmallows and s'mores over the campfire... and played... played... played!

Jaycie & Ethan definitely enjoyed the camera the most!

Ethan & Stephen

Jacob LOVED Stephen... and wanted to dress like him... fortunately, no REAL Wolfpack fan goes camping without the appropriate sweatshirt! We tried talking Stephen into letting us put "spike" gel in his hair to really match... but he wouldn't go for it.

Walking sticks ready...

Happy Anniversary!

Stephen & Elise were celebrating 17 years!

Jaycie & Ethan... an arranged marriage...

will make for easy holidays w/all the in-laws!

And the grandchildren would be beyond belief ADORABLE!

Anson, Jessica, Jacob, Jaycie, Jamie, & Ethan

Stephen, Jennifer, James, & Elise

Hitching a ride back...

Relaxing after a long hike!

The dirt pile gave the kids ENDLESS hours of entertainment...

Jacob thought it was his own private track for his remote control monster truck!

How we ended our evenings...

Happy Easter!

We awoke to discover that the Easter Bunny

had hidden eggs at our campsite!

Let the bartering begin...

The bad news... we all had to high-tail it home on Sunday because Ethan was COVERED in poison ivy and Jamie had a stomach virus. The good news... Jamie's virus passed quickly, no one else got the virus or poison ivy, the EB visited our house while we were out of town and Ethan is doing better! Jamie & Jaycie modeling some of the loot from their baskets...

Thanks, S&E&A&E... camping was a great idea! Can't wait to do it again!!!!

Sunday, April 17, 2011

A Girlie Girl Birthday!

Our sweet, sweet Jaycie turned 8 yrs old this weekend! Jaycie is our girlie girl... she loves all things that glitter & sparkle, all things pink, dressing up, wearing fancy shoes, ribbons in her hair, purses, lip gloss, and the list goes on (no surprise that she didn't get this from me?!?) Much to her delight, we planned a girlie girl day for her birthday. We asked her sweet friend, Leah, to join us... along with Jamie and my friend, Elise (she has two CUTE boys... who entertained Jacob for the afternoon!) Our girlie day included lunch at Mellow Mushroom, pedicures, getting Jaycie's ears pierced, and ended at Starbucks!

The start to our day...

Jaycie & Leah... LOVED their pedicures!

Jamie did too!

Jaycie wants a chair like this at home!

Fancy, flowery toes!

Jaycie & Leah... notice Jaycie's new earrings!

Starbucks

Thank you Elise & Leah for helping us celebrate Jaycie's special day!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

A New Best Friend...

Baron was our first boxer... James & I picked him out shortly after we got engaged. He was an awesome dog... all of the kids learned to stand up by pulling up on his collar. He was so patient and loving with them. We lost Baron when he was 13 yrs old (an extremely long life for a boxer)... that was 1.5 yrs ago. Since then... we have thought many times about getting another. But, we were not ready for another indoor dog (we do have 2 outdoor lab mixes). Baron Bullenbeiser (1996-2009):

Several weeks ago after playing with a friend's sweet boxer... I knew I was ready. Jess has been ready the entire time... but James was reluctant. The twins are 5 yrs old now and I decided I could handle an indoor dog. Boxers are great family dogs. They love kids and like to be with you ALL of the time... underfoot. They are big dogs that don't realize their size and would prefer to sit in your lap. I knew a puppy was not an option for us right now... so I started looking into rescuing a boxer... preferably a 1-2 yr old. We applied for adoption, had our home study, and were approved. Now to find the "right" dog... one that LOVES LOVES LOVES kids... gets along well with other male dogs... and fits right in with our family. Within a couple of weeks... we were lucky... we met Colby. He is a 1.5 yr old white male boxer (possibly mixed with an American Bulldog?) He had been in a foster home in Charleston for almost 2 months being nursed back to health... here is his "before" photo...

Much to the surprise of the vet... Colby survived and went from 48 lbs to 80 lbs in foster care!!! Thanks to the devotion of his foster family, this is is Colby now...

Meeting Colby for the first time... Jessica had picked out a rope for him. We had read his description & talked to his foster mom... then it was time to meet him. As soon as we saw him, we ALL knew he was the right dog for us and we brought him home that night.

Colby has settled in quickly. He is wonderful with the kids... he loves to give kisses... he loves to ride in the car... he is gentle, sweet, and just has an awesome personality. His favorite toy... stuffed animals.

And he has a few new best friends, too...

Anyone that has ever had a boxer knows... If it isn't a boxer, it is just a dog! We are all delighted to have another boxer in our family! We are thankful to Carolina Boxer Rescue for saving Colby and matching him with our family!

A Great Friend... A Relaxing Weekend... and a 5K

Melissa and I headed to Murrells Inlet for a relaxing girls' weekend! Saturday morning we ran a 5K at Huntington Beach... the weather was gorgeous and the running course was beautiful. We spent the rest of the weekend relaxing, shopping, eating, and sleeping! I am so thankful for our friendship!! Here are before and after pictures of our race!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Way Way Behind...

Dad reminded me the other day that my blog was a little behind... a little? I haven't updated it with any pictures of the kids since Christmas (sorry long distance family & friends). My scrapbooks are even farther behind. The good news is that I am behind because life has been crazy, busy... in a fun, fun way! The kids are all at such great ages... they love to try new things... they all enjoy traveling... and we finally don't have to worry about naps or strollers... quite a relief!!! So, we are taking advantage of our new found freedom!

We taught Jessica & Jaycie how to snow ski... it was their first time! They caught on quickly and LOVED it... they claim they are ready for Snowshoe, WV! We shall see...

More snow at home in January... the kids have made several snowmen this year... so it was a snow worm this time around!

We spent a long weekend in the NC mountains with Dad & Ann... all the kids (old & young) REALLY loved sledding.

James took the girls to their first Father Daughter Dance... Jessica reluctantly tagged along... Jaycie & Jamie enjoyed every minute... especially the glitter & glam of getting ready!

The twins celebrated their 5th birthday!!! WOW... it is so so so hard for me to believe Jamie & Jacob are 5 years old!! We celebrated at the Great Wolf Lodge... we will definitely do a trip there again!!!

We have been switching rooms at the house... Jaycie & Jamie moved in to the bonus room... Jess moved in to the smaller bedroom... most of the toys moved upstairs... James put up french doors on the front room which will soon be the kids' TV room... no more "play room!" Part of the deal for Jess giving up the big bedroom was that we had to paint her "new" room... it was pink. For those of you that know Jess, you know that won't fly... so now we are seeing green... LIME GREEN!! The girls painted their names & hand prints on the walls before we got started... they have left their mark!

James & I went with our neighbors, Londa & Troy (and their friends & family) on a cruise to the Bahamas to celebrate Londa's BIG birthday! It was SO VERY nice to soak in the warm weather!!! Thank you to Dad & Ann who kept the kids all week... and got them to/from every after school activity! And thank you to Londa who invited us to celebrate with her!

James & Jacob got a new toy... a '67 Firebird. They are in heaven... boy heaven! And I am in mommy heaven when I see them working on it together... so stinkin' cute.

We had another camp out w/Londa, Troy, & Hunter... always a fun time!

Jess has been training Raymond... she loves that pooch & the feeling is very mutual.

Jacob got a spiked hair do... now he is a mess and always wants me to do his hair!

And... James & I have been busy this spring with races. I am doing 4 races in 4 weekends... a 10K, a 4 mile team race with obstacles, the Cooper River Bridge Run (10K), and a 5K.