Back to School 2017

Something strange is going on around here... dare I say life is getting "easier"??

...No...still not easy... but our vibe is changing. 

"Baby" Abe is nearly 4, my baby girl started kindergarten, and my first baby Van is almost as tall as I am.

With each new day, life is becoming more predictable. More routine.

This new pace is comforting and extremely welcome after five years of new beginnings and major changes. But there is definitely a longing for my little babies. I am so proud of them but simultaneously nostalgic for their baby years. (When did we even leave that stage?! It feels like it vanished right in front of me!)

Jeanie has started kindergarten with so much determination. She is so spunky and outgoing- its incredible to watch her float effortlessly into the realm of elementary school.

At her school's open house, there was a board on the wall-- each child in her class expressed the main emotion he/she was feeling on the first day of school.

Most of the emotions were "scared" and "shy" or "nervous"... when I looked to find Jeanie's name, I saw  "BRAVE" on the wall.

It made me so proud of that little girl I had to gulp back some tears.

At five years old Jeanie is a lover. She is a great friend. A crucial part of our family. She loves to match with me (I love this too!) and she loves to perform for us almost every night. She makes up songs and dance moves and puts on some crazy outfits to entertain us. If we start clapping before she is finished, its not okay. She loves her clip-on earrings. She's a great swimmer and loves any activity beach or boat related. I know she is very ready for this big milestone in life.

Way to go Jeanie!!

Daddy's girl always

First week success :-)

Van started second grade this year. His curriculum is no joke! They hit the ground running. His teacher volunteers for the "Turtle Team" in Wrightsville Beach so she told us about a loggerhead nest excavation at the beginning of the year. We grabbed our favorite pizza and made it to the beach just in time to see the tiny turtles make their way into the ocean. 

I know Van is proud to show Jeanie the ropes at his school. I love having them together and their rooms are right across the hall from each other. Van says he is "SO EMBARRASSED" when Jeanie waves at him (but I know he loves it).  At almost 8 years old, Van loves soccer, basketball, still playing guitar (and taking lessons) and has the sweetest crew of buddies. He loves to fish and ride his bike. I believe he caught over 15 fish this summer!

He still has the sweetest soul. Of my three, Van will be the one up late reading the Bible. He keeps us in line. At children's church last Sunday, he explained (in front of the entire congregation) how it went down with Moses and the burning bush. Everyone told Evans and I what a great job we are doing but we reassured them this was all Van... (and his love for the Prince of Egypt movie). 

He loves Star Wars, legos, his CD collection... golfing with Pop Pop...swimming, boating... quite a busy dude with lots of questions and many ideas. Very proud of you buddy.

ABE!

Abe finally got his turn to start 3 year old preschool. We give him such a hard time about being the 'wild child' but he's actually turned a corner recently. He's becoming really sweet, reliable, and independent. He's the most wily of the three and uses his sharp little mind to be quite mischievous and sneaky. But what would we do without him?!? Abe is finally on an age-appropriate soccer team this season and couldn't be more proud to actually fit into his soccer jersey and cleats. ("cleeps" so he says). 

He's still a lefty, loves cars, trains, his light up shoes, the Tarheels, and climbing on anything. 

He is very very tough. Pop Pop calls him "gristle" ;-) because as long as he gets included, he's up for anything. 

Before this post gets ANY longer, I have to mention what a wonderful summer it has been (and add my favorite summer pictures for our virtual memory album). To finally have our life a little more settled has allowed us a lot more flexibility...

official 2017 lemonade stand

Drinking from the Old Well for a year of good luck

2017 Summer Basketball league

Solar Eclipse 2017 in the ICW

Moana dance camp 

Farris family visit!

Jeanie and Abe crawled in bed with Van one Sunday morning to let us "sleep in" ;-)

I cannot believe summer is already over and a new year is here! 

Befores and Afters

I cannot believe it has been nearly a year since we moved to Wilmington. Despite the difficulty of a big change, all five of us have been pretty optimistic about the move and we embrace all the beach has to offer. The previous owners of our house had one thing in common with us: a love of color.

(Just very different colors ;-)... here are a few before and afters just for fun.

Exterior before:

Exterior after:

Back porch before:

Back porch after:

Kitchen before:

Kitchen after:

Den before:

Den after:

Dining before:

Dining after:

Master before:

Master after:

Master bath before:

Master bath after:

It is amazing what paint, updated fabric, and a few updated fixtures can do. We still have a few projects we'd like to tackle-- shutters for the house, update the guest cottage, and finish out the playroom. Its fun to have a few projects on the horizon. More than the house, we are still smitten with our location and proximity to the water. I am thankful for every day we get to spend near the beach!! 

Jean-Margaret Turns 5

A Letter to Jeanie on her 5th Birthday...

Dear Jeanie,

     I read somewhere that "if you want to know where you are going, look at where you came from." I love this advice because it doesn't dictate where you are headed, but it engages the conversation between the pillars of who you are, how you were raised, and what you want out of life.

     Over the past three months there have been many disappointing shocks to women's rights, education, environmental support, civil rights, and the opportunity for universal healthcare. Your father and I often feel like we have been blind-sided by the opinions of others we only assumed felt the same as we did. These issues are never solved and we don't expect them to be perfect. But we always assumed our friends and neighbors at least trusted and believed we were moving forward with good momentum towards common goals of equality, peace, and safety. We never even considered the potential of raising you and your brothers in an environment thats moving backwards... away from equality, away from environmental conservation, away from world peace.

     So here we are. Trying to raise three forward-thinking children to LOVE others, SERVE others, VALUE equality, and value their environment. Its hard. Whenever your father and I wonder where we are going, we think about where we came from. We came from loving parents. People who respect all of those around them. Your G-Mommy, G-Diddy, Granny, and Pop-Pop ALL value service and continue to do so. They are the complete opposite of our president. They are overflowing with humanity. They care about others. They know how to put themselves in other's shoes. They exude compassion.

     Your G-Diddy bravely served in Vietnam in North Korea. You G-mommy taught in public school over 20 years. They married on G-Diddy's leave...he returned to North Korea not long after they said "I do" to serve the country you have inherited.

     Your Pop Pop grew up in rural Virginia, the oldest of four. Despite his contagious sense of humor, he has endured some tough times and handled it with the most resilience I have ever seen.  Your Granny, who lost her own mother at a young age, made countless sacrifices to raise her own family. She raised two strong-willed, creative women who owe their successes to her devotion.

     Jeanie, from the day you were born, SO MUCH LOVE has been poured into you. Your parents, Grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and teachers. We pray that you take this love and do good things with it. Your father and I were discussing you lately and agreed that what we want the most for you is for you to confidently pursue whatever makes you happy.

      So if you ever find yourself wondering where you come from--its love. Love God. Love yourself. Everything else falls into place.

      Love,
Mom and Dad


For the good part... you sure know how to have fun.