Movie Day

Here are a couple of videos from our days at the lake.

Andrew has become quite the swimmer this summer. We didn't get to take lessons before we moved, and won't be able to fit it in this year. But he has figured it out! On his own, he even started putting his face in the water and swimming that way. I think he'll love lessons next year.

It's A . . .

BOY!

Our ultrasound today went great. His little heart has all four chambers and that heartbeat sounded great. We got several great pictures and a DVD of him moving around. He was sucking his toes and thumb almost constantly. So sweet! I tried to scan in the picture, but am having technical difficulties, so I'll try again later.

Y'all know what a planner I am. A few weeks ago I saw two bedding sets at the Pottery Barn outlet that I just loved. One for a girl and one for a boy. I told Brent today that I'd have to take that girl set back. He asked if I had anything for a boy. I told him yes, and I love it too. He asked what it was, and I told him, "It's a circus." He said, "Well that's perfect." And I'm sure it will be!

The "Wake" or "Kake" - Part 2

The boys both enjoyed playing in the water. Here are some fun pics.

Andrew quickly figured out how to climb onto this float all by himself. If you have never tried to get on a float without help in the middle of the lake where you cannot touch bottom, you cannot appreciate what a feat this is!

Cole really enjoyed riding the waves on the float.

Andrew's favorite activity was jumping off the dock. Gigi told him that when soldiers jump out of airplanes they yell, "Geronimo!" Andrew loved that idea, and yelled everytime he jumped. Only, Andrew yelled, "Jagimo!" not "Geronimo!" It was hilarious! As soon as he came back up, he would swim to the ladder, climb out, and do it again.

a great shot, if I say so myself

The "Wake" or "Kake"

Last week, before Brent started work, we took a mini vacation to Lake Hartwell. My grandparents have had a place over there for several years, and we are all able to go and enjoy it. It was a very relaxing three days. My parents went with us and we all had a great time. I'll divide the pictures over two days.

The boys eating breakfast on the porch. We ate all our meals at this table.

Brent and Andrew fishing off the dock. They actually caught a small fish, but it got off the hook and back in the water before I could get a picture.

He looks like such a big boy!

Their first boat ride. Andrew loved it. Coleman was undecided. He liked driving the boat with Papack, but didn't really care for all the wind and noise.

I love this pic of Andrew.

Check out Andrew's hair after the ride was over.

Wordless Wednesday

Around Town - Part 2

One of the irritations that comes with a major move is having to find all our service people all over again. Doctors, dentists, vets, dry cleaners, hair stylists/barbers, etc. Fortunately, we have a friend in town who gave me a great list of people to try. On her list was Whelchel's Barber Shop.

The boys and Brent all used the same girl in Winston to cut their hair. Miss Kayla was great with Andrew and Coleman, and they loved trips to see her. I was a little nervous about taking them to a real barber shop, but it went great. It truly is an old fashioned place. There are four chairs, and four male barbers - Clyde, Willard, Buddy and Robert. Clyde was off the day we were there. Mr. Willard cut the boys' hair, and Robert cut Brent's. Andrew and Cole looked so cute sitting up there in those big chairs with just their little heads sticking out of this huge cape. They did really well. Mr. Willard was very patient. Turns out, he was a school bus driver for 20 years before barbering.

We have loved their super short haircuts. Cole in particular looks like he's about to enlist. I suppose the good thing is we won't have to go very often!

Around Town - Part 1

Our first week in Gainesville with everyone home, we got out and did some exploring. It seems our new hometown has lots of fun things to do.

Here's the "Welcome to Gainesville" sign. Very difficult to get a great shot from a moving car.

Our neighborhood has a lot of fun stuff to do. One morning we went to the pool. We had the place to ourselves! I think the teenagers must come in the morning, put their towels on their chairs, and go back home. There were towels everywhere, but no other people in sight. We enjoyed our private pool time!

We also have a playground a few streets over. It's very shady and not visible from the road. We had fun playing one night after supper.

Another night, after supper, we took a wagon ride around the neighborhood. We live just one house down from a grassy area called Horseshoe Park. Every time we drive by, Andrew says, "And that's Horseshoe Park where me and Coleman can run and play!" So that night, they got out of the wagon and ran and played. We only had Brent's phone camera, so the picture isn't great, but you can see how far they went.

More adventures to come!

3rd and 4th of July

So I am behind again in blogging. We had much trouble last week getting our pictures to download, and then we went to the lake earlier this week. I'll try to get caught up over the next few days. We have really had a lot of fun this month. Here are our few activities from the weekend of the 4th. On the 4th, we hung out around home and got more things done from our ginormous list of stuff to do. I made a few pictures of Brent and the boys doing yardwork, but that wasn't very festive, so maybe I'll post them another day. That night we cooked out and made homemade peach ice cream using my new Cuisinart freezer I got for my birthday. It worked really well and the ice cream was yummy, as you can tell from these.

Our neighborhood has a get together on the 3rd every year, but Brent and I didn't know where to find out about it, so we skipped it this year. However, around 9pm, we started hearing a familiar booming sound outside. At first, we didn't know what it could be. Then we realized it was the neighborhood fireworks display going on at the lake. We were able to sit outside on our deck and enjoy the show. I tried to get some pictures, but these were the only ones that were good enough to share. Besides, I'm sure you've all seen fireworks before. However, it was pretty neat to see them without having to leave home.

Where Everybody Knows Your Name

There have been a few times in the last ten days when I've realized all over again that Gainesville is indeed a small place. It's not Mayberry small, but it's the smallest place we've ever lived.

The first week we were in town, I overheard an incredible conversation between a grocery clerk and a customer on the phone. We were in Green's Grocery, a local establishment of 59 years. (Incidentally, my great aunt used to shop there years ago.) Anyway, we were checking out (cash or check only) and the phone rang. The checker answered it and this is what I heard on his end.

"Green's Grocery, may I help you. . .No ma'am. I haven't unloaded the freezer yet, but there's a lot of stuff in there. . . Yes ma'am, I'm sure there is, I just haven't gotten to it yet. . . Yes ma'am. I'll call you as soon as I get to it. . . Thank you. It was nice talking to you too Mrs. Smith. Have a good day."

I was really impressed with his manners! He didn't act the least bit aggravated, even after he got off the phone. Green's isn't the kind of place I can do all my shopping, but you can be sure I'll be back often.

Today, this was in the newspaper. And yes, I bought multiple copies.