Halloween Fun

We had Kilo Ren for Halloween this year....and it makes it even more fun when your buddy Max is a Storm Trooper! Good thing Krispy Kreme's have power over the dark side










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Disney Cruise

Ok so it's been a while since I have updated my blog. My app stopped working so am giving a new one a try. Ever since taking this cruise at the end of September life has been a whirlwind

We so enjoyed getting back on a Disney cruise this time with Wade. This photo sums it up for me!!




The storm that became Hurricane Matthew prevented us from out St Johns stop but we did get to see Tortola BVI.

Kim and McKinley joined us while Marshall and Jared went on a scuba dive.





Wade's favorite part of the ship was the Mickey pool




He also had fun collecting signatures from the characters on his pillowcase and of course pirate night, Halloween fun and spending time with cousins.
















I loved that there was no wi fi so my niece and nephew had to actually talk and engage 😍

Test using new app

Let see if it this goes through without pics.


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A little fishing and dreaming

We thought Wade was finally big enough to sit still in Dads boat so he got to try out his new fishing pole on the water. There are alligators at times in this pond so I don't want to have to jump in after him. Dad was the only one that caught anything. Good thing our favorite catfish place always has plenty (and you don't have to clean them). 

Mmmmm cheese grits and catfish!

I was about 8 or 10 when my Grandaddy Marshall had this pond built. My dream is for a tiny pond house to be built on the bank with a big screened in porch and my Singer featherweight set up and ready to sew. Because we moved a lot as kids, this place is as close to home as we have. So maybe that dream will become a reality someday. 

100th Birthday of the National Parks Service

No doubt I love visiting our National Parks. I can still remember the profound impact The Grand Tetons and Yellowstone had on me when I first saw them in fourth grade. So to mark the NPS 100th birthday (which was actually Thursday) we took Wade to the Blue Ridge Parkway to get his park passport stamped. We bought this passport for him on our trip to The Dry Tortugas National Park a few months before traveling to China. He has now stamped it in three parks!!

I can't wait until he is a little older so we can head West!  And there are still many parks on my list that I have never visited. 

We bought him a Jr Ranger hat and asked the park ranger if we could have a photo...but he said wait, I'll go get my hat too. 

And we took a short hike on the Tanawah trail so Wade could walk under the viaduct...and got this quick family photo by a passing hiker. I have to say, I love this home t-shirt on my little Chinese guy. China may be his country of birth....but NC, USA is his home.  I hope he grows to love visiting our nation's National Parks  too. He has already requested a trip to see hot lava....so I told him to ask Daddy when we could go back to Hawaii. And in just a few weeks he will get his fourth stamp when we visit Virgin Islands NP in St Johns. Who knew there was a US park there?

 

Try-athalon

I decided I will never be a triathlete, but a try athlete. This year's Ramblin Rose didn't get any easier I felt like I had about an extra thirty pounds on each ankle during the run. But as I was plodding along I was reminded that my Mom was already struggling with hip pain by the time she was my age. And lest we forget, they mark your calf .....

I hope to keep moving, and even though my time was a minute slower than last year it's ok. I am only racing against our family's history of arthritis and hoping to keep moving so I can keep up with Wade. 

Thanks Sam for doing it with me. This is our post event selfie. Not too glamorous but that's ok, our boys will hopefully see someday two Moms that wanted to stay healthy and strong for them. 

So even though Yoda said there is no try...do or do not....a try athlete I hope to be again next year. And if you want to join me ladies it's a wonderful supportive group. Ramblin Rose. 225 yard swim, 8 mile bike, 2 mile run (or mostly walk in my case today). 

July Happenings

Where has the month gone? We have stayed so busy, but made lots of good memories this month. 

After my college roomate's daughter got married (yes her kids are grown and I have a four year old) we headed to the beach!  Wade loves it. 

The following weekend he and another boy from church were ring bearers in our pastor's son Spencer's wedding. They did so good!

We had some awesome pictures made at the cabin. We reenacted our wedding photo with Wade....

Hard to believe it's been six years, we celebrated with a night at the Barnsley resort in NW Georgia while Aunt Kim kept Wade. 

The next weekend Max spent the night and the boys really played well together, they are so different in many ways but glad they have each other as they grow up China brothers. 

And we got to take Emma for a quick Krispy Kreme run while she was in Winston for Governor's school... she even turned on the hot light. I still remember driving to Raleigh to meet her as she and Paige got off the flight from China about 16 years ago. She laid the desire in my heart for a Chinese little one of my own.