This past year was a busy one.  Ben is in the Airforce stationed in SD.  Nik is engaged and getting married May 2012.  Discovered that Eddie has Autism and has therapy Monday thru Friday here at home.  Ed has lost 75 pounds.  Paige is now living with us and is in ROTC and has all Honors Classes with a GPA of 4.75.  Myself, health could be better but I am on this side of the dirt so I count myself blessed.  Christmas is upon us and Eddie really understands it this year.  Ben won’t be coming home for the holiday.   Nik is working all the time and has his own place.  So proud of my kids!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Decided that my little boy isn’t going to miss out on a beautiful day because I have don’t feel good.  I will hurt either way…. stay in the house or get out and have a great day for my son.  So even though I am not leaving the property because that would be to much today…. I did take him in his wagon for a walk on our trails at the back of our land.  When we built this home six years ago, I took a push mower and hand clippers and cleared out several long trails for us to enjoy.  Yes… a push mower that only worked if you kept the front tires up off the ground.  lol  I was younger then.  :0)  The pups wanted to come and they even were all trying to jump in the wagon with Eddie.  Only Rocky stayed in.   We saw two deer running in front of us.  My camera wasn’t fast enough.  One year we had 11 in our yard every evening and morning.  Eddie had a blast.  When we got home he acted like he was the one pulling me around and up/down the hill.  lol 

 

 

He has a thing about wheels

     

 

Here we go….

     

 

 

At the start of the trail

 

 

Midway down Eddie looks back

 

The hill I have to pull him up…. Ugh!  lol

 

 

 Guess little man had to much fun.  :0)

My son (Nik) kitty “Chewy” chilling out on the back deck

 

My son (Ben) kitty “Baby” checking out the Hummingbird

 

 

Eddie’s room is completely Baby Proof.  Seems a bit bare to me but he is content.

 

 

Got the Hummingbird Feeders out.  On my living room window and in my Morning Glory Garden.  I love sitting and watching these beautiful birds.  In my lifetime I have been lucky enough to hold a hummer in my hands four different times.  They are lighter than a butterfly.  So light.

 

 

There was a Praying Mantis watching the show.  Everytime the birds flew by it, it would put up it’s front legs like it was ready to fight.  Funny.

 

 

Rocky and Junior watching the hummers.

 

Eddie checking out the hummers

 

 

Such a cool view

Today Eddie’s crib was turned into a Big Boy Toddler Bed.    Of course Eddie insisted on helping his daddy with this task.

 

 

The puppies were there to lend a helping paw along with Eddie being right in the middle of this event.

 

This little guy was serious.  He really was helping his daddy make his big boy bed.  So cute!

 

 

 

 

Oh when it was finished….. Eddie was so proud of his new bed.  He was like…. Yeah, that’s right.  I’m a big boy now.

 

 

 

When it was time for Eddie to sleep in his big boy bed…. Ed put a blow up mattress beside him to sleep just in case Eddie rolls off his bed while asleep.

 

Well Eddie ended up on the mattress on the floor with his daddy and Junior (Eddies pup) ended up in the big boy bed.  lol

Eddie thinks that if he is under the blanket you can’t see him.  So he now crawls around with it on his head. 

 

 

Looks like this fuzzy friend is having my morning glory for breakfast

 

Sissy has decided that the roof of Ed’s new jeep is now her bed.  Dont’ think that is going to go over to well with Ed.

 

 

I got two Teeth Whiten Kits for free a while back so I used the boys as my test rats.  Ben was laughing and drooling.  Then he said it was beginning to burn and while he was in his pain…. Nik had to add to it.  Brothers.  lol

 

 

Eddie has made himself a club house in my book case.  So cute.

 

 

And big boy has learned to crawl up in his rocking chair by himself.  He loves playing in his room now.  He is becoming such a big boy. 

 

Had a wonderful 24 hours with “My Guys”.  Nik and Ben were still awake when Ed and I woke at 5 this morning for Ed to go to work.  So the boys were out of it for most of the day.  Nik crashed on Ben’s bed.  Just like when they were little.  They got up around 2.  But so were the pups.  Slept all day. 

Eddie and I hung out on the swing in the morning and watched the rain. Loving my Morning Glories. Now I am cooking Hawaiian Chicken and Rice.  Ben is taking Nik back to his house.  Ed just drove up from work and Eddie is at my feet playing.  What a great day.

 

 

 

 

Here are some photos of our trip to Denver in May of 2010. I will try to come back later and label them but our schedule did not go as planned so it was a whirlwind. Enjoyed meeting all of the older kids and grandchildren. They are the sweetest!

WHEN ED BECAME ILL AT THE AMUZEMENT PARK… IT WAS TIME TO HEAD HOME TO THE CAROLINAS:

I haven’t been on my blog for a long time and decided it was time to start updating it. This blog is my “family diary” for the kids to look back on when they get older. Ed is looking into finding a printing company that can come on here and print this into a book. There are about five years of entries that I want to put into hardback to give to the kids. It is way to much for me to print myself so this is going to become a project (just another one of my list).

Eddie started crawling last night. It was so cool. He got across the floor. I took photos of the beginning stages. After that I put the camera down and was on my belly going across the floor with him.

Then Eddie learned to do what every man does in his life….. Puts his foot in his mouth

I have a busy week ahead. We have Christmas at my Dad’s this Saturday in Chapin, SC. We get the girls Saturday night flying in from Colorado. Christmas at my Mom’s this Sunday in Rutherfordton, NC. (Did I mention that I am cooking and baking for these family events?) Tuesday I am having the MRI with the “mix” in my veins (not dye). Thursday have to pick up the Honeybaked Ham and also having family portraits done for all 7 of us that same day. Cooking that evening. Friday Mom is coming down for the big dinner. Oh that morning is Christmas…lol. My living room is going to be filled with five kids and wrapping paper everywhere.

My little man is spoiled. He is now crying if he wants a toy or wants me. It is funny. Wonder how long it will take before he realizes that he can’t always get his way. I fussed at him and told him “don’t you do that”. He looked at me and smiled.

Today has been hard. I woke up as tired as I was when I went to bed even though the baby slept through the night. My body aches all over and it is slowing me down with already having a lot on my list of things I need and want to do. The biggest thing right now is that I am forgetting days. I thought yesterday was Saturday and that Ben was at his dads for the weekend. Ed told me when he realized that I didn’t know Ben was at school that it was Monday. I had not planned on Ben eating and hadn’t made a plate for him for when he got home after wrestling practice. Then this morning I was up when Ed left for work and thought the baby and I were alone. I was changing the baby’s diaper when I heard someone in the kitchen. It confused me and thought Ed had come home. It was Ben making his breakfast before school. I had forgotten he was home….again. This is becoming inconvenient. I go to the doctors Friday.