Rainy Day

It poured ALL day today...what better time for crafts. Carson has LOVED doing crafts lately (I think we spent half the day at the kitchen table doing all sorts of arts and crafts). Here is Carson's favorite completed project...Monkey face masks. The best part was acting like monkeys for the rest of the afternoon!

First Day of School

We decided to enroll Carson in a pre-school program at Church of the Redeemer. He has been on the waiting list all summer and we just heard back last Friday that he was accepted into the program. Today was his first day! He has been very apprehensive about going to school without mama. He did great today since it was mandatory that mom or dad stay for the duration of the class. Next class is Tuesday, where he will be on his own. It was such a joy to experience this first with Carson...walking hand in hand into the school room I was shocked by the reality of what we were doing. My boy is in pre-school. What a big boy he has become.

Jon and I are so excited for this opportunity for Carson, we trust that the Lord has much in store for him this year.

Big Cut

We went to get Carson's hair cut yesterday. She took some off and it just looked bad. I went ahead and gave her the a-okay to go shorter. We definitely got short...

Labor Day Fun

We went over to the Jansen's yesterday for a small Labor Day gathering. It is always refreshing and relaxing to enjoy good food and fellowship with friends. Thank you Jansen family for having us over (and hosting such a wonderful event, as always).







Gigi bought a 'shooter rocket' the the kids LOVED! The boys played with this till we had to pull them away to go home.

kisses

'Night-night' kisses to baby 'sister'....we find out the sex on the 8th!

Sermon

I had the privilege of hearing my beloved preach yesterday morning at church on the topic of suffering. I may be biased, but it was one of the best messages I have heard on the topic. You can listen to it here: http://www.covlife.org/resources/191302-Dont_Wast_YourSuffering

My love, I thank God for you each and every day! You are gift from God, not only to me, but to so many. The Lord is using you in countless ways to spread His glory.

Carson Update

Now that I have been feeling better I feel like it is time to post a way overdue Carson update! What fun he has made this summer for us. In light of me not feeling well, we have spent most of our summer days at home or at the pool. I feel like we have truly enjoyed the simple life of summer this year. Before my eyes my little boy has grown up. He has been so sweet to care for and take care of his 'sick mama.' There have been countless days that I have told him I am not feeling well and his response has been, 'Don't worry Mama, I take care of you." He will then proceed to read books to me in bed and tuck me in 'snug as a bug." He has a growing fascination with his new baby sister (no, we don't know the sex of the baby yet, but he is convinced that it is a girl). He often tells me, 'you need to eat mama, the baby is hungry.' or tickle my tummy to make her laugh or say good morning to my growing belly with such excitement. His imagination grows more and more each day. I will be cleaning the dishes to hear a loud, 'Watch out Mama, the tiger is coming to get you. Don't worry, I will save you!" He has a fascination with rescue heroes (that all began with Larry Boy). Although he has no clue who these hero's are, he will stay in his Batman and Spiderman pjs all day if I let him. When in character he likes to be called Batman, not Carson! As a mom one of the greatest joys has been to watch his love for reading and the Bible grow this summer. He LOVES his books and he loves the word. And another great thing for a mom to see, is his growing love for Dada. He wants to do everything just like Dada. He bought a bike helmet just like Dada, he requests to dress just like Dada, he wants to sit at a desk at his 'office' just like Dada. Carson loves his Dada! Physical developments - he can ride a bike, climb trees, he taught himself how to swim, and is amazing (I am not exaggerating) at baseball. Educationally- he loves his ABCs. He loves to find letters he knows in books and practice phonics of each one. When asked what is your name, he often responds, 'C-A-R-S-O-N, Carson.' There could be so much more shared...I have thanked God again and again for my sickness this summer. It has allowed our life to slow down and enjoy the simple things of life. I don't think that I have ever enjoyed Carson as much as I have this summer and I give all thanks and glory to God for that!

We are still alive!

It feels like it has been forever since I have last posted. I guess I have been saving the limited energy I have to get needed things done around the house. I do think that I am slowly turning the corner (praise God)! Thank the Lord I was able to enjoy our time away with the Jansen family this past week in the Outer Banks. We are so grateful for our relationship with the Jansen family and are humbled that they would ask us to spend a week with them on their family vacation. Needless to say, our time together was wonderful. The weather was perfect (except one cooler, rainy day mid-week). We spent hours on the beach playing in the sand, reading, playing baseball (Carson's new favorite) and surfing (everyone was able to give it a try...well...not me this time). We took lots of long walks, bike rides with Carson, fireworks at night, yummy dinners, card games at night...the list goes on. The only bad thing was that Jon's surf board broke in two on the last day. It got caught in a wave and just snapped! We were thankful that it happened on the last day.

What a blessing it was to enjoy such a wonderful week with a family we love so dearly. Thank you SO much Jansen family for everything...we love you guys!

Our blue house


Time at the beach










Hanging out with everyone at the house








Some Family and group shots

Time with the Foy Family

We headed north after the Smith family reunion to spend a few days with my family. Our time together was anything but dull, beach trips, surfing, boat rides, jet skiing, tubing, bike rides, family dinners, lizard hunts, fireworks and a large Foy family gathering on the 4th. The best part was just being together as a family. Watching Carson and Bobby's affection for one another grow stronger was priceless. On the way home Carson said to us, 'Bobby is my favorite boy in the whole wide world.'







One of my highlights of our trip was spending time with our dear friends the Hayes Family. We spent our childhood together and they are like family to us. Their oldest daughter, Jennifer was visiting from CA, so us ladies got together to do some Finnish baking. It was like old times again...we missed you Catherine!



Carson was so excited to see the fireworks. My two uncles have been doing a firework display on my grandfather's front lawn for as long as I can remember. It only gets better each year...this year was particularly exciting cause it was Carson's first time seeing them!

Smith Family Reunion

We just attended the Smith Family Reunion in Mullins SC. It has been 6 years since Jon and I last attended. There were many family members who had not yet met Carson (and many new family members we had not met either). It was such a blessing to reconnect with family and build many new memories. It was endearing to see how much Jon's family love one another and just love spending time together.

Our time together was altered a bit...Mr. Smith had a minor heart attack the first day we arrived. Thankfully he is doing great. He had a stint placed in a blocked artery to open it up. He has been released from the hospital and is healing well. We are so thankful to the Lord it was not more serious.

In light of all that happened, I hardly took any pictures (the Smith family is so big, I wish I had pics of everyone to post). Here are the few that I have:

Aunt Sherry with adorable Katie Beth



Amanda, Sherry, Mandy, and Shannon



Catching a 'big fish' with Dada. Well, they never caught anything, but that is all Carson talked about...wanting to catch a big fish!



Carson was so excited to catch a lizard! He was a very proud boy.

We are expecting...

baby number 3! We are humbled and amazed at the Lord's kindness to bless us with another gift in a child! Lord willing, little baby Smith will be born on January 24th.