my how time flies

WOW.  This is the only word that surfaces in my brain as I think about this day.  Today is my BABY'S last day of kindergarten.  Surely after this year, moving on to the next grade won't seem like such a monumental thing.  But kindergarten?  It is such a milestone. 


And now it's over.

One part of me is saying, "Thank you God for getting him through this first year of school!"   And the other part of me wants him to stay there.  Forever. 

Wasn't it just yesterday...

• ...that Scott and I were sitting at the Steven Curtis Chapman concert and BOTH felt God's call to adopt Internationally.
• ... I opened my email to find a 15 day old, chubby-cheeked, head full of hair Mayan package with our name on it.
• ...I decorated a nursery not knowing when or IF a baby would fall asleep there.
• ...I waited (not so) patiently for God to deliver my blessing home.
• ...We flew to Guatemala to spend Christmas with our baby for the first time, only to turn around and fly home without him.
• We were waiting....and waiting....and praying....and waiting more.
• I was sitting in a movie theatre in Easley, SC, when my telephone rang delivering the MOST amazing news! 
• We brought JP home to America FOREVER!

Wasn't it just yesterday?  And yet here we sit two months before his 6th birthday.

JP,  Mommy and Daddy are SO proud of you!  You have the most amazing spirit and the most beautiful smile.  You are smart, witty and FULL of charm.  I love to listen to you read.  You have learned so much this year in "big boy" school and I pray that God will walk with you through this next year as you grow in 1st grade!

We love you MORE than you will EVER know. 

My, how time flies!

the last pics of jp in a tux!

 LOVE JP's "smile" in this one....only his mommy can see the bubble over his head that says, "I'M SICK OF THIS!"

 my Preciousness

I'm not sure what he's doing here.  At least he's doing it quietly!

And here, he's telling the photographer to get the STINKIN' camera out of his face and STOP asking him to smile!  (Shhh, don't tell Natalie and Bubba!)

things a papa will do for his boys...

While you might see a redneck (love you, dad) in cut off shorts and a t'shirt, Preston and JP see LOVE in the flesh!

No need to ask who spoils these two babies!

look who's in the pool!!

Today was a big day for us. For those of you who do not know, Scott has not been in the pool since 2009.  And probably a little before that.  His big surgery was in September of '09, but he had trouble physically throughout the entire year.  When they rolled Scott back into the hospital room after his surgery, one of the first things he said to me was, "I'm not going to be able to get in the pool with JP."  This has really bothered him. 

Well, today he decided to try it!  As you can see, it worked out really well.  We all had a really great time.

THANK YOU, JESUS!

remember

War is such a controversial topic around our country.  Do I "agree" with war?  Absolutely not.  Who does?  I do not know of anyone that "agrees" with fighting.  Now, do I SUPPORT the war and our soldiers?  A.B.S.O.L.U.T.E.L.Y!  These men and women are the ones who have awarded us our FREEDOM!

This Memorial Day, I would like to encourage you to stop for a brief moment and remember the families around the world who have lost their loved ones overseas.

because i am in that kind of mood

I am not naive enough to think that any of you really care what my pet peeves are, but I thought it would be fun to share my TOP TEN list with you anyway!


10.)  Drivers who do not use their turn signal - I have personal experience with this one because my dad rarely, if ever, uses his signal while driving.  His comment is always, " They see me looking!"  Seriously?  They really don't!

9.)  People who wear white socks with black shoes - Those of  you who know me will never accuse me of being a fashion model.  In fact, I know very little about fashion.  Having said that, I am certain that it is NEVER okay to wear white socks with black shoes!  So, STOP!

8.)  Those who are rude to restaurant servers - Newsflash:  You are not the only customer in the restaurant!!  You are not THAT important!  Sit back, relax, and most importantly BE NICE!  If  you are mean, I feel sure the cooks spit in your food....I know I would!

7.)  Misleading sale signs -  This one irritates me to no end.  I buy JP the Capri Sun Roarin' Waters all the time.  Walmart almost always has them "on sale" 2 for $5 - they are regularly $2.50!  NOT A SALE, PEOPLE!

6.)  People who end their sentences with prepositions - This happens ALL the time.  If you are looking for your book please say, "Where is my book?"  not "Where is my book at?"  I would rather hear fingernails on a chalk board.

4.)  Parents who bring babies to the movies  - Unless you are seeing a rated G movie or cartoon, leave your babies at home!  I understand that it can be tough to secure a sitter, however, if you cannot find one, go another time.  No one wants to hear your baby cry/eat/snore/coo while they're watching a movie.  I do love babies!  I just do not care to go to the movies with them.

3.)  Able-bodied drivers who park in handicap parking spaces -  This one might make some one mad.  That's okay, because it DRIVES ME CRAZY when I see people park in a handicap spot and walk perfectly fine into a building.  And I am aware that people have heart problems, but it is my understanding that walking is GOOD for your heart.  Trust me, these spaces are not meant for people who have miscellaneous ailments. If that were the case, we'd all need one!  Handicap spots are for people who are in wheelchairs, or who have to rely on walkers/canes or crutches to get around. 

2.)  Couples who sit on the same side of the booth - I realize that technically this one is not WRONG, it just bothers me.  If you love each other so much that you have to snuggle while you eat, do those around you a favor and order take out!

1.)  People who drop by without calling - I don't know about you, but the first thing I do when I get home from work is undress and put on comfy clothes.  I enjoy being lazy in front of the television.  On the weekends, I sometimes doze off in the middle of the day.  I am not a fan of "dropping by" unannounced!  It is nothing personal and it doesn't necessarily mean I don't want to see you, it just means that I would appreciate a "heads up." 


Well, there ya go!  These are in no particular order.  If you have pet peeves that you'd like to share, I would love to hear from you! 

swimming in the front yard & k5 awards day

 We decided to change things up a bit and swim in the front yard.  Preston was having fun with us for about 10 minutes.  He quickly turned purple and had to EXIT the pool! 

 The following three pictures are of today's (Tuesday) award ceremony at JP's school.  It was very informal.  There was a little slide show in his classroom and his teacher handed out little superlative-type awards to everyone.  It was really cute!  I took the day off from work, so JP came home with me and we spent the day together to celebrate his COMPLETION of kindergarten!  I cannot believe how much my baby has grown.  My how time flies!

 Mrs. Carter giving JP his "reward," as he calls it!

my dad, our hero (armed forces parade)

 a wounded Veteran

 A Navy man thanking our Marine for his service - this was a priceless moment!

 It literally melts my heart to see my Guatemalan gift waving his American Flag...one day he'll understand the significance.

 WW11 Vet sitting behind us (probably wondering why the girl in front of him kept snapping pictures!)

 Proud Vietnam and WW11 Veterans

 Waving...

 We're proud of our Papa!

As I was uploading these pics, something went wrong.  A few of them did not post.  I may try again tomorrow.  I believe I'm missing the Marine soldiers marching and possibly a few others.

We had an incredible time Saturday evening at the parade downtown.  It meant a lot to my dad for all of us to be there with him...although he would probably never admit it! :)   I have always been one to get teary-eyed when it comes to the military, but several times during the parade random people came up to dad to "thank" him for what he did.  It was so emotional.  Especially for him.

However, NOTHING compares to what happened when we were getting ready to leave.  A man came up to dad with his young son (probably 8 or 10 years old).  The man shook dad's hand and thanked him for his service.  Before the son reached out for dad's hand, he removed his hat. 

OH MY GOODNESS!!  First of all, kudos to the dad of this little guy for teaching him respect and admiration for the military and servicemen.  I can only imagine what this did to my dad's heart!  I can tell you that he wasn't able to talk for a few minutes afterwards.  (And I won't mention how Laurie and Scott were blubbering idiots the WHOLE time.) 

If you've never attended the Armed Forces parade in downtown Greenville, I strongly suggest you give it a try next year!