Wedding Bells!

This past weekend my brother, Jacob, married his sweetheart of six years, Jessica. The wedding took place at Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens in Richmond, Virginia. The ceremony was held outside in the gardens and the reception in the Tea House. Jessica did a wonderful job organizing the event. It was a beautiful evening. Congratulations Jake and Jessica!

Just married!

My mom and dad, all dressed up for the occasion.

The girls (me, my mom, and sister, Susannah).

Brian and me.

Us with the newlyweds.

Bryce won!

Remember the competition over who has the most band-aids? Bryce was officially declared the winner last night.

While riding bikes yesterday afternoon, Bryce took a tumble off his bike. Trying to avoid a collision with Grant who had stopped suddenly, Bryce slammed on breaks. His bike stopped, but his body didn't. He flew over the handle bars and took a nose dive onto the pavement.

After a lot of blood and tears and a trip to the emergency room he ended up with seven stitches on his head.

He was such a brave little boy through the whole ordeal. He held still for the CT scan (to rule out a more serious injury) and was so stoic while getting the sutures put in that the doctor asked him several times to wiggle his toes just to make sure he hadn't passed out!

Grant felt bad about the accident and was very concerned for his brother. As we drove to the emergency room it was sweet to hear him ask that we pray for Bryce. We prayed in the car and Brian also prayed with him in the emergency room. We are so glad that we can call on the name of the Lord in every situation and that our six-year-old was able to remind us of this!

Here is Bryce's "tough guy" look he'll have for the next week:

Our "tough guy"

The bump and bruise on his forehead are from a fall last week while chasing a goose at the park. The goose never would have gotten away if the paved walking trail hadn't collided with Bryce's head!

Bryce being Bryce. A silly face.

(a lollipop in his mouth)

Fun Times With Gramma

The boys love going to Gramma's house and are blessed to be able to visit there often. Living close by, my mom helps me with the boys quite frequently and I am grateful for the breaks (even when it's just going grocery shopping kid-free) and for her positive influence on my children. Gramma's house is always kid-friendly and she comes up with fun things for the boys to do. They love the assortment of toys from the attic, playing on the swing-set, eating chocolate chip cookies, or doing something even more adventuresome like their recent camping experience. It's sure to be a blast at Gramma's house!

Grant and Bryce playing Lite-Brite (remember this?)

Gramma and Carter getting ready for camping in the yard.

Carter excited about the prospect of sleeping in the tent.

They really do love each other.

July 4th

We spent Independence Day weekend with the Little side of the family at Grammy and Pappy's house in Williamsburg, Virginia. It was a fun time of relaxing, trips to the park and the pool and lots of good food. Below are some photos from the weekend.

Brian and the boys on the obstacle course at the park we visited.

Carter trying out the zip line.


Me and Davis.

Grant really liked the zip line.

Grammy and Carter.

My sweet baby boy.

Making homemade ice-cream. Yum!

Fun in the Sun

We love summer time around here and try to spend as much time as possible outside enjoying the warmer temperatures and summer acitivities.

While Grant and I were on our mother-son trip Brian expertly managed the other three boys at home. The younger boys enjoyed the change of pace and Bryce was able to enjoy some one on one time with daddy while Gramma helped with Carter and Davis on Friday. Brian took Bryce to the pool (one of his favorite spots) and out to dinner. That afternoon at the pool a little girl asked Bryce if he could go off the diving board (he had been eyeing it ever since Grant took his first jump). To Bryce's "no" the little girl said, "Come on, it's easy." "Ok," was Bryce's reply. He then took his first jump off the diving board. Grant and Bryce are now the diving board duo and can manage to make some pretty big splashes with their cannon balls (something they are quite proud of!).

The first walk to the end of the board...

...the slight pause...

...the leap!

Carter and Grant passing the "toypedo."

Davis chillin' in the stroller.

Another big jump.

Grant's cannon ball.

Another outdoor activity we all love is visiting our local parks. There are three or four in the area that we frequent. The boys love the trails through the woods at Rockwood Park and attempting the fitness activities along the way.

And of course summer wouldn't be summer without golf (Brian has me trained!). Grant and Bryce officially have the "bug." Recently they had fun playing a nine hole par 3 course with Brian.

Mother-Son Trip

Commemorating the completion of kindergarten, Grant and I took a mother-son trip to Williamsburg, Virginia on the weekend of June 20th. We thoroughly enjoyed our two day adventure. Our first destination was Busch Gardens. A novice to theme parks, Grant amazed me at his daring spirit when it came to roller coasters. As we drove into the parking lot and the skyline filled with coasters he pointed out each one excitedly saying, "I want to ride that one!" As we entered the park he headed straight for the roller coasters. No "warming up" for him! After first failing the height test for the Lochness Monster, I had to teach him how to "stand straight and tall--with your heels a little off the ground" (from one roller coaster enthusiast to another). We rode the Lochness Monster and the Big Bad Wolf each 4 times--two times in the very front car on each! It was a blast! To give mommy's head a break from all the tossling we also enjoyed the sky ride, the log flume, the train, and the boat ride as well as some of the other favorites. It was a wonderful day of being a "kid" with Grant.

At the animal habitat.

Riding the log flume.


On the boat.

Crossing the bridge while riding the train.

After spending the night in a hotel--a rare treat--we headed out on the second part of our trip to the Virginia Aquarium and Marine Science Center in Virginia Beach. Grant has always had a keen interest in marine animals and this was right up his alley. While we have visited other aquariums, we had never been to this one before, making it an exciting new experience. There were a lot of neat exhibits at the aquarium. In particular, we liked the harbor seals, the shark exhibit, the giant octopus, and the marsh walk. After spending our second day together on our mother-son trip we drove home to reunite with the rest of our family. It was certainly a fun and memorable weekend!

Peering into the harbor seal tank.

I think the sea turtle was looking at Grant!

Grant spotted the Virginia Tech dolphin and we had to take a photo!

Watch out Grant!