M & M Report

Christmas Eve

2012-02-08T12:02:00.001-05:00

Christmas Eve was extra special this year. Papa and Mama Jo were here to enjoy the holiday with us. We all got ready to go to church for the Candlelight Christmas Eve service. Time for a few pictures in front of our tree at home.

At Church in front of one of the beautiful trees.

Up on stage for the children's time with Pastor Clay. Yep, you guessed it only Mary Ellen went up. Michael preferred staying on Daddy's lap. Hard to believe they are old enough to go up for children's time...what happened to my little babies?!

Snuggle time waiting for the service to start!

Finally...back at home in our Christmas PJ's and ready to open some presents!

We have such generous friends. Here M&M are opening presents from the Peyton's. EmmaLee and Cody helped pay for them with their own money. What great friends!

Opening presents from Uncle Jamie, Aunt Amy, Ryals, Pryce, and Brygs. Can you tell Michael loves his flashlight?!!!

Now for the big gifts from Papa and Mama Jo...close your eyes!!!

WOW, our very own BB guns! Yep, Mary Ellen's is pink! What a fantastic surprise! It was just like A Christmas Story. Hopefully they won't shoot their eye out, LOL! They were so excited...thanks Papa and Mama Jo!

Kingdom Kids Christmas Program

2012-02-07T10:41:00.000-05:00

The stage was set and the kids were ready to enter stage left. We had been practicing for weeks singing all the songs and they were ready...well Mary Ellen was. Michael was still refusing to sing anymore than just a few lines at home. I found out later he was doing the same at school. He told me after the program, "I just don't sing Mama". What do you say to that?

Each class dressed up. 3B dressed as gingerbread men...aren't the aprons adorable?! This was the only picture I have of Mary Ellen AND Michael on the stage. After one song Michael walked down to his teacher on the front row and said, "Ms. Dawn I don't want to sing and I don't want to be a gingerbread man. I'll just go sit with Mama"! Although he did sit there with her he never went back up on stage...just not his thing I guess.

Mary Ellen on the other hand was so excited to sing AND be on stage. She sang every word to every song and smiled like a little angel (well OK I guess like a gingerbread man not an angel but you get the idea). Her favorite song was Go Tell It On The Mountain, and my oh my was she ever cute singing it!

Michael getting his Christmas presents from Ms. Dawn.

Mary Ellen getting her Christmas presents from Ms. Kristina.

Now this was the part of the day that Michael could get into...the eating!! There was so much yummy food afterward for lunch. It was nice to all fellowship together. I love Kingdom Kids and so do Michael and Mary Ellen!

Riverbanks Zoo Lights

2012-01-17T11:20:00.000-05:00

We love the Zoo! And it is beautiful at Christmas time. We went one cold night with our friends the Peyton's to enjoy the lights at the Zoo, the animals (the ones that were out and about), some roasted marshmallows, and Santa Claus! They had the snow machine going when we arrived and M&M did what they always do; try to catch the snowflakes on their tongue. Unfortunately the flakes were not made of ice but soap, yuck.

This picture makes me laugh every time I see it. Michael is waving and Mary Ellen is saluting...so funny!

EmmaLee and Mary Ellen by the jack-in-the-box lights.

All the boys; Andrew and Michael, Crys and Cody....waiting for the girls of course!

The lions were sleeping but we could still see them.

All 4 cute friends; EmmaLee, Mary Ellen, Michael and Cody.

This was only the second time M&M have braved Santa Claus. The first time was when they were one and Mary Ellen cried and cried. They were shy but did a great job this time.

All 4 Thornes with Santa!

Jingle Jam with the Fam

2012-01-16T17:07:00.002-05:00

Jingle Jam with the Fam was a super fun night at our church just for families. What a great way to get in the Christmas spirit! We sang songs and danced (Mary Ellen's favorite), heard the Christmas story told, did some fun crafts, decorated gingerbread men (Michael's favorite), and took silly pictures.

Mary Ellen needed no coaxing to be up front when all the singing was happening. She loves to sing and dance...and apparently be on stage!

Michael's favorite was decorating and eating the gingerbread men. That boy loves his food!

Cute little Mary and Joseph. Fun night for all 4 Thornes to be together and have some Christmas fun!

Hunting with Papa

2012-01-15T18:24:00.001-05:00

Seeing this picture just squeezes my heart. Michael looked so big that afternoon in his orange vest going out scouting with Papa. Of course, Michael thought he was going "hunting" and was really just excited to go anywhere with Papa by himself. And he LOVED the orange vest! He had just returned when I snapped this picture and I had a flash of how his teenage years were going to be. I continually feel blessed that we live close enough now so that M&M can create these memories with their grandparents!

Fantasy of Lights

2012-01-01T19:28:00.000-05:00

Mary Ellen's Dance class was asked to perform at Swan Lake's Fantasy of Lights this year. She was so excited to wear her Christmas colors and ballet shoes and show everyone what she's learned this year. It was cold night but we walked to the performance area and took in all the beautiful lights on the way.

She did a great job as usual...watching Ms. Jill down front like a hawk to make sure she got everything right. I must say it is quite entertaining to watch 3 and 4 year olds dance. Sometimes they are cute as can be and then they get distracted and just stop, lol! The songs and routines were cute though, and the crowd seemed to enjoy it. So proud of my little girl!

M&M loved the lights and wanted to have a picture by Santa in the JD tractor! All-in-all it was a great way to spend an evening together as a family to get us into the Christmas spirit!

Christmas Projects and Baking

2011-12-26T11:38:00.000-05:00

Pinterest has been the death of me...in a good way! There are way too many amazing ideas and too little time to do all of them, especially during Christmas time. The first idea I got from Pinterest for Christmas was this ruffle tree skirt. I added the "Peacock Tree" in the dining room this year and needed a chocolate brown skirt for it...this was PERFECT!

This was our second year doing an advent calendar. M&M love it. I also got this idea off Pinterest. But instead of the throw away version using brown craft paper, I thought I'd sew the stockings using white felt and lots of red and green ribbons and buttons. This took way more time than I thought but I'll have it to use again next year. It was fun doing all the ribbon and button embelishments...fabric glue was my saving grace and glitter glue for the numbers!

These cute shirts for the kids were just pictures on Pinterest so I had to try and recreate it the best I could. Michael's was a cute snowman face and Mary Ellen's a ribbon Christmas tree. They wore them for our BCG Christmas party and on Christmas day.

The idea below was from my super talented friend Mandy. All the families at our church made one during "Jingle Jam with the Fam". What a precious idea and super cute for all year long once I framed it. All 4 Thorne's hands as a perfect reminder of this Christmas.

I wanted to make some special gifts for all the ladies at my MOPS table this year. They turned out to be great gifts for family too. Big and small candy-cane-chocolate-heart pops and Crockpot Apple Butter. I used to can every Christmas before M&M. Forgot how much I love to do it. This Apple Butter is super yummy and made the whole house smell AMAZING!

BAKING

We wanted to give some treats to our neighbors this year and have some for when family visits. So M&M helped me spend one full day (and part of the next) baking. They were such great little helpers...and tasters!

Peppermint Snap Kisses...we also made Chocolate Snap Kisses using red M&M's.

Peppermint Brownie Cookies...YUM!!

Gingerbread Men...M&M decorated all the ones for our neighbors!

We loved Reindeer this year and found a few really cute ideas. The most amazing are these Reindeer gingerbread cookies...just turn the gingerbread man upside down...why didn't I think of that?!

These reindeer cupcakes were so adorable I made them twice! The first for our BCG Christmas party and then again for M&M's school Christmas program.

This Christmas was so super busy. I'm determined next year to slow things up a bit and ENJOY more time with just our family. I haven't figured out yet how that's going to happen...but I'm determined to try! I have so many things I want to do and this ideal in my head of what needs to happen. I'm afraid trying to reach that ideal may threaten to take me OUT one of these days. I so want M&M to remember the LOVE and not the PROJECTS. I must say that seeing them joyful and excited has become my new addiction! Maybe God can show me how make them and me joyful...can't wait for Christmas next year!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

2011-12-23T12:44:00.002-05:00

Christmas is my most favorite time of the year! I love to decorate, do special crafts, bake and spend time with friends and family. So it's all the things I love most in one holiday! We were having two parties at our home in early December so I got busy decorating early.

This is our main tree in the living room. It has all our sentimental ornaments and a jeweled fruit theme. I love being in this house with all the 10' ceilings so I can have these big beautiful trees!

Our fireplace is next to the main tree and also has jeweled fruit and berries.

This peacock tree is in our dining room. This is the newest addition this year. I used brown ribbon, peacock feathers and a small collection of Polish Pottery ornaments that I hope to continue to collect through the years. I also made a chocolate brown burlap ruffle tree skirt for it. I got that idea off Pinterest...love Pinterest.

The crystal tree in our office is my most favorite of all the trees. It has lots of shiny crystals and pearls along with all my stained glass ornament that I've made through the years. There are stars and crosses of every size and shape. Pictures just never do this tree justice. I LOVE the way it sparkles and glows!

Mirror outside M&M's room.

M&M's tree has a pink and green theme with colored lights. They love to hang all the ornaments and it was overflowing this year with all the homemade ones from school and church. They also love to go to bed each night with the lights on. And they know they have to stay quiet or we'll go in and turn them off...it's worked pretty well this year. We also started the tradition of wrapping all their Christmas books up and placing them under the tree so they can open one each night and read a different story. Even though they're books they already own, it's like new again when they get to tear off the shiny red and green paper!

The advent calendar this year was also thanks to Pinterest. White felt stockings that help us count down to Jesus' Birthday! They love to get their little sercy each day as we count down.

It's always a lot of work to get everything up, but so worth it to have a whole month to enjoy it. It is becoming such a special tradition that M&M love. Seeing the joy and wonder on their little faces is worth the effort!

Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving Day

2011-12-21T14:31:00.001-05:00

Thanksgivng day was such a nice quiet day with just the 4 of us. We knew that Andrew would be returning from TDY likely the day before so we made NO PLANS. Need to remember that for the future. We have such precious few times, especially holidays, with just the 4 of us.

One of the few times we eat in the dining room. Andrew and I used our Wedding china and Michael and Mary Ellen their special prayer plates.

I tried one of my first Pinterest ideas...muffin tin mini pies...cherry and apple. They turned out cute and yummy but I filled them too much so it spilled over in the oven. A smoking oven is no fun when you have a day full of cooking ahead of you.

I made our favorite side dishes; green bean casserole, hashbrown casserole, corn pudding, cranberry relish, dressing and giblet gravy and frosted lime salad. With a baked turkey of course! Lots of food, but Papa and Mama Jo arrived later that night and we managed to finish everything off by the end of the weekend.

Michael and Mary Ellen's favorite dessert was the chocolate trifle...YUM!

The most favorite fun of the day was when Daddy made a tent in M&M's room. I think they could have stayed in there all day! Mary Ellen drew on her magna-doodle and Michael read books and they both played, played, played! What a great Daddy!!

Daddy's Big 40!

2011-12-19T11:34:00.001-05:00

Daddy finally turned 40 and was actually home for his birthday this year. Yes, now he's finally as old as Mama! We tried to make it super special for him.

Opening presents decorated in Clemson stickers by M&M.

Singing "Happy Birthday" to Daddy! His favorite german chocolate cake and two adoring little kids....my how they love their Daddy!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANDREW!

Kingdom Kids Thanksgiving Feast

2011-12-18T15:32:00.000-05:00

Michael and Mary Ellen's class joined the class next door to celebrate Thanksgiving with a feast!

The cutest little pilgrims and indians ever, praying before we eat.

Lots of yummy food and fun with school friends.

Daddy had just returned from TDY so it was all 4 Thornes at the Thanksgiving feast! I love how Kingdom Kids makes every event so special for the kids and the parents!

Mary Ellen Dances!

2011-11-22T15:18:00.001-05:00

Dance has been a fun new adventure for Mary Ellen. This is the first thing she's done without Michael. I love watching her learn and get better each week. The best weeks are when Daddy gets to take her to dance. Daddy and dance...her current two FAVORITE things!

Mary Ellen showing off first position.

Now third position.

Waiting her turn.

Carefully following Ms. Jill's steps.

Now it's time for tap. Mary Ellen can put her own tap shoes on.

All smiles waiting to tap dance.

Watching and following each step.

Mary Ellen loves to go to dance each week with Ms. Jill. She has learned so much and I know she feels special having this time just for her (no brother around) with all the girls.

Halloween

2011-11-18T18:55:00.001-05:00

My adorable little Mickey and Minnie before we left for Fall Festival at church. They were so excited they were beside themselves. I think they really loved their costumes...whew...and they remember how fun Fall Festival is and all the candy they get! I must admit the costumes turned out even cuter than I thought. But like always I stress over making it just right and usually am adjusting up until we walk out the door.

If I could only explain how rare it is that I get two big smiles from M&M in the SAME picture. So this one is rare...and super cute!

One of the fun things about this Halloween was that all the grandparents (and Andrew) were in town this year! So fun for M&M to have so many people they love around for such fun.

This cute display was set up right in the middle of the treat street line. See their baskets...they already had a ton of candy!

The animals are always a big hit with Michael and Mary Ellen. They actually had horse rides this year. They were both excited standing in the line to ride. But when the time came Mary Ellen wouldn't do it. Michael had a ball though. Mary Ellen has always loved rabbits and loves to hold and pet them each year.

We saw several friends and even got a picture with their friend Emma!

It was all fun, but the best part for them was just the unfettered eating of all the candy they could stand! They can have as much as they want for the night and then it magically disappears...wonder how long that will work?!

Such an amazing event our church does every year. A way to give the community a fun and safe way to enjoy Halloween. And as usual they made it over-the-top wonderful for all that attended!

Kingdom Kids Fall Festival

2011-11-16T15:00:00.001-05:00

My cute little cowboys with their cute lego teachers! What a fun day at school for the Kingdom Kids Fall Festival. Michael and Mary Ellen's Mickey and Minnie costumes were waiting to be unveiled that night for Halloween, so M&M were cowboys for the morning. I actually really love these costumes...YEEHAW!

We brought cupcakes to share for our yummy lunch at Kingdom Kids. Dee and Daddy were also able to be there to see the parade and have lunch.

Here comes the amazing 3B class on parade!

Mary Ellen, a little shy at all the attention at the parade.

Michael loving all the attention at the parade...smiles and waves for everyone!

All the classes paraded around the entire sanctuary and then we all had a yummy lunch together.

After the parade there were games and fun in each classroom that we were able to enjoy. Michael loved the "Go Fish" game and Mary Ellen had a tiger painted on her face!

Kingdom Kids did such an amazing job to make it a super fun day for all the kids! Now on to get ready for the big night...

Aldersgate Pumpkin Patch

2011-11-15T13:04:00.001-05:00

Aldersgate is a church in town that does a beautiful pumpkin patch every year. All the proceeds goes to Missions. I'm not sure where they get their pumpkins but they are huge and they have some really unique ones. We spent one beautiful fall afternoon picking out a really special one.

And here it is! One of the biggest ones they had. It was so big and wouldn't stand up very well so M&M had to struggle to keep it up. I told Michael to "put his hip into it" to make it stand straight for the picture. He was working bless his heart! Now we have another pumpkin to add to our collection on the front porch.

Funny Face Pumpkins

2011-11-14T21:19:00.001-05:00

Well, we got out of carving pumpkins again! M&M love to do the funny faces on their pumpkins. They actually remembered doing it last year and asked to do it again. The time is coming where they'll want to carve them but right now they're happy with these...and so am I. Mary Ellen chose the kitty cat and Michael wanted a silly face. They turned out cute and they're so proud of them!

Willard Farms Pumpkin Pickin'

2011-10-29T10:41:00.002-04:00

It's October....so it's pumpkin pickin' time at Willard Farms. We went again this year with my MOPS group. It was a beautiful Fall day and M&M always love it! They insisted on wearing their cowboy boots. I guess they thought it was appropriate since we were going to a farm!

I was pleasantly surprised how much Mary Ellen did this year that she wouldn't last year. She loved the big trampoline and last year she would only get on it with me holding on. Michael loved going really high with Daddy.

The best way to get off the big trampoline...SLIDE!

This was the most fun of the day. This big tunnel slide goes through a big mountain of dirt. They wouldn't do it at all last year. This year they could have done it for hours. Mary Ellen was surprisingly fearless climbing up the big hill to get to the top of the slide.

Michael saw the dump truck right when we walked in and kept asking to go back to it.

My little Mary Ellen loves to swing!

The cow train is always fun and they love to do it all by themselves. Mary Ellen always picks the last cow in the train. Must be the best ride!

The big tractor pulled us over to the pumpkin patch where we spent lots of time discussing which would be the best pumpkin...the big yellow ones or a little orange one. We finally decided on one of each. The pumpkin variety was much better this year and some were pretty big. We also went through the corn maze, but I think they need to be a bit older to really understand and enjoy that. It was a fun family day and we added to our growing pumpkin collection on the front porch.

Kingdom Kids Birthday

2011-10-21T11:46:00.000-04:00

We had the party, opened the presents, and smashed the pinata but it still wasn't M&M's birthday yet. Very hard to explain to a toddler that yes, we had a party but it wasn't your actual birthday. Well the 30th of September, which is their actual birthday, was a school day. So we put up the sign again, got out the Mickey and Minnie shirts, and baked some more cupcakes for their Kingdom Kids class and off we went!

Ms. Kristina and Ms. Dawn are great at making birthday's special in their class. They each got a crown and had "Happy Birthday" sung to them again.

Mickey and Minnie cupcakes for each friend in their class, and their wonderful teachers!

Not only did they get a special day at school, but Ms. Kristina and Ms. Dawn gave them each a beautiful book. They loved them! What special 4-year-olds that get 2 weeks of Birthday fun!

Meeska, Mooska, Mickey Mouse!

2011-10-16T17:34:00.000-04:00

MEESKA, MOOSKA, MICKEY MOUSE!

Lots of fun to be had at Michael and Mary Ellen's clubhouse!

It was a Mickey and Minnie party this year. And since Papa and Daddy had worked so hard on the treehouse it was a special surprise kind of day for my loves 4th birthday party!

The pinata was a special request from Michael and Mary Ellen for their party this year. The kids really seemed to enjoy it. And since we had so many little ones at the party it was the pull-string kind instead of the bashing-it-with-a-stick kind...seemed to work out well!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU...times 2!

Great friends, lots of fun, and two very happy 4 year olds!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY M&M!!

Treehouse

2011-09-24T10:06:00.000-04:00

We were determined to get M&M's treehouse built for their birthday party. Papa (Andrew's Daddy) and Daddy (Andrew) spent many days planning out how they would go about it. Andrew took off a few days from work and put the large posts in the ground and in concrete before Papa arrived to help with the build. They spent all day Friday building for the Saturday party.

They were a well oiled machine getting it all done. I'm afraid Andrew was a bit of a slave-driver with his Daddy. But he really wanted it to be mostly up for the party. He's such a hard-worker!

When Aunt Amy and Uncle Jamie arrived Friday night, it was all hands on deck to get it finished. Even Ryals and Pryce were helping. But it looked great for the party and even though the swings weren't in yet, that space made the perfect spot to hang the Pinata. The kids loved it!

After the party on Saturday Andrew finished the swings and now it is the most favorite of their birthday surprises. Thanks Daddy and Papa for our AWESOME treehouse!

The Last of Summer Fun

2011-09-23T13:59:00.003-04:00

Summer was coming to an end and we took one last trip to Palmetto Falls Water Park at Fort Jackson. They have such a perfect place for toddlers to play. Michael and Mary Ellen can do all the activities independently and the toddler area is fenced off from the rest of the water park...perfect. We went with some friends and just had a ball! The best part is the kids were exhausted and slept like babies that night. We will definitely spend more time next year there!

MOPS Kick-Off Party

2011-09-20T10:38:00.000-04:00

The new year for "Mothers Of PreSchoolers" (MOPS) has begun! We had a big kick-off and registration party to start the year. This day is always so much fun for the kids. They loved the Bounce House, which was the perfect size for M&M. It was a super hot day but lots of fun was had by DOZENS of toddlers!

Mary Ellen loved the sidewalk chalk and bubbles. Michael could have stayed in the Bounce Houses all day. Ms. Sue did face painting and M&M both chose a ladybug.

The most amazing thing was this dragonfly that loved to sit on the kids fingers. Mary Ellen was absolutely enthralled! It stayed by us for at least 30 minutes sitting on the finger of any toddler that was around. What a great start to a fun MOPS year!

My Pretty Little Dancer

2011-09-03T11:48:00.000-04:00

I think I was more excited than Mary Ellen to have her start dance. I loved it so much when I was younger and am hoping she does too. She is taking a combo ballet and tap class at Miss Libby's. She really seems to love it. It's also interesting to see her do something without Michael. I have been blown over at how well she's done. And I love that she can have something that's just for her. Being twins they have done everything together up to this point. They even talk in "we" instead of "me". I was concerned that Mary Ellen, being more bashful was relying on Michael too much socially. I have been so impressed how she has taken on each new challenge this year with such confidence. So proud of her!

My Picasso

2011-09-01T18:02:00.000-04:00

My, oh my how my Mary Ellen loves to color. She will literally spend hours coloring if I let her. Those that know her, know how meticulous she is...wonder where she gets it from, hmmmm?! I just love to watch her and she loves to show off her skills and hear me say "Beautiful" or "Great job". She loves to draw too by the way, not just color in coloring books. She loves to paint and really do any kind of craft. I guess I have a little Picasso on my hands!

Mary Ellen's First Haircut

2011-08-30T11:46:00.000-04:00

It was finally time. I mean she's almost 4 years old! It has taken us this long to grow out shoulder-length hair! It finally was getting long but the straggly, uneven ends were pretty bad. So I decide to just even it out across the bottom. Bless her heart...she was as patient and still as a solider. I was so worried I'd cut off her curls or make it too short for a ponytail. But it looks great and so much healthier!

First Day

2011-08-28T18:04:00.000-04:00

Finally the day was here. We had counted down the days. We bought the backpacks. We talked endlessly about sharing toys and following the rules. We met our teachers. The first day had arrived and M&M were beside themselves excited!

So after a breakfast of grits, bananas, and chocolate milk we are finally ready to get into the van and be on our way. I think I was just as excited as they were. I knew they were going to love it!

Yes, they are running to the front doors!

Since we are about 30 minutes early, I know but we were SO excited, we stopped by the rock to take a picture. Under the cross it says "This is a Place of Grace"; and it certainly is. Alice Drive Baptist Church has been such a blessing to us and we are thrilled that M&M will get to experience it in a new way through Kingdom Kids.

Lets go find our classroom!

Putting our backpacks where they go...yep, you guessed it we're the first ones there!

Pictures around the classroom...Ms. Kristina and Ms. Dawn they're our teachers!

Picture by the rainbow wall that we all made at meet the teacher night.

First task at hand...play-doh!!

My last glimpse. I just couldn't stop taking pictures! Really I just didn't want to leave. At some point I realized that I was interfering and just had to leave. And I was very proud that I made it all the way back to the van before I started crying! How is it that I turned into this blubbering Mama that couldn't leave her kids for 3 hours at the very church where they go every week anyway?! But in that moment I realized that it really wasn't about leaving them at Kingdom Kids. I knew they would love them and take care of them. It was ALL that it represented. I saw our whole journey on that car ride home. I saw the years of praying for them and the struggle that nearly broke us. I saw how thrilled we were when we found out there was two..a boy and a girl. I saw them in the NICU working very hard to learn to breath and eat on their own. And all that time when they still needed us so much for their very sustenance. And although they still need me, I realized it is getting drastically less and less as each day passes. That's the point isn't it? To raise them to be happy, responsible, fulfilled people who love God. I know that. But this one milestone, I cried for how fast it all went by. By the time I picked them up I had straightened myself out and was ready to rejoice with them on a thrilling first day. And I realize now that there are so many of these milestones to come. And yes, I will probably cry at every one....

Kingdom Kids Meet the Teacher Night

2011-08-25T21:11:00.000-04:00

We had been counting down the days to school for a solid month. Finally it was here! M&M were so excited to go and meet their teachers Miss Kristina and Mrs. Dawn.

We were able to tour their room, meet their teachers, and see what their routine would be. I was already super impressed with the whole program but especially touched by how much they were so loved already! Michael and Mary Ellen couldn't be in better hands. Now if Mama will only be able to get through it!

One proud Mama with her two LOVES! I fear we may have some waterworks tomorrow morning when it comes time to drop them off...

Emerald Coast

2011-08-12T12:18:00.001-04:00

I was so excited to be going home for a week. I really think I go through withdrawals if I'm gone for too long! It was a special treat to have all 4 Thornes together for a real vacation. My sister, niece, and nephew were also visiting from south Florida. So it was a full house but fun watching the kids play together. Emily and Christopher entertained M&M so well sometimes we forgot they were all in the house! Of course we attempted to go to the beach as much as possible. The first day we went to Beasley Park on Okaloosa Island. This is one of my favorite beaches because it has great facilities and is usually never crowded.

M&M love the beach. Mary Ellen can play in the sand for hours and Michael can push his dump truck in and out of the surf forever.

As fearless as Michael is of the waves Mary Ellen needs some time to get used to it. The waves "coming after her" really scare her. She's content to stand with Daddy...or have him hold her.

We met our friend Tonya and her son Seth at the beach that day. It was nice to have the kids play so Tonya and I could catch up. Three of the cutest kids around!

We have decided that this is the best kind of vacation. We are spending time at some of the most beautiful beaches in the world and we have Grandma to watch the kids anytime Andrew and I want to go out by ourselves! It happened to be my 40th birthday that week so Andrew and I had a few special dinners out and an overnight stay in Sandestin. WONDERFUL!!

We tried to do as many fun things as we could for the kids. We went to see the Cars 2 movie which they had been counting down the days to see. We also went to one of my childhood favorites, Goofy Golf. It was so great to see them enjoying it as much as I did growing up. We are now convinced that Mary Ellen could have a career in the LPGA. But Michael was the only one to get a hole-in-one in the snakes mouth at the end, with a little help from me. He excitedly received his card for a free game next time.

We also discovered a great new cupcake shop, Cupcakes By The Beach. So after a fun and HOT game of Goofy Golf we each chose a cupcake for after lunch.

We decided to go to Marler Park on our last full day in Florida, which is on the bay side of Okaloosa Island. Now I know why we spent so much time here growing up. The kids loved it. There was no fear of undertow or waves and they ran in and out of the water by themselves, no problem.

It was certainly a memorable vacation. One I'm hoping we can repeat in years to come!

Georgia On My Mind

2011-08-09T11:26:00.001-04:00

On our way to Florida to visit Grandma Dee, we stopped in Brunswick Georgia. It was a great way to split up the long drive. Andrew had to give a brief to the Georgia National Guard, so it worked out great as a mid-way stop. It was Mary Ellen and Michael's first night staying in a hotel...they loved it! We layed in bed and watched TV and swam in the pool. But, their favorite thing about vacation...going out to eat! It is such a treat for them.

When Andrew was finished with his brief, we took a drive over to Jekyll Island. What a one-of-a-kind beautiful little island. Andrew and I agreed that we were going to return just the two of us to stay at the historic Jekyll Island Club Hotel.

The beaches were surprising too. I guess I expected them to look more like Myrtle Beach since it's on the Atlantic Ocean. But it reminded me much more of the white sand beaches of the Gulf of Mexico where I'm from. There was a pretty nasty afternoon storm blowing through so we didn't stay long. We drove around the island and looked at all the sites and then went back over the amazing Jekyll Island suspension bridge to Brunswick and had supper. We swam in the pool and then got in bed for our adventure on to Florida the next morning!

Last Swim Lesson

2011-08-08T15:04:00.001-04:00

Each Friday they did a safety lesson before they got into the pool. M&M loved getting the "homework" after each lesson. They were surprisingly attentive; mostly due to their teachers. I was super pleased with their first introduction into swimming. Most important, they had a ball!

The last lesson they got a cupcake and chips and were able to swim in the kiddie pool for a while. They also got achievement certificates and a bag of fun prizes. It was definitely one of the best parts of this summer!

Hiding Place

2011-08-05T16:12:00.001-04:00

After a year and a half in our house we thought it was time for the carpets to get a good cleaning. Potty training and just day to day toddler abuse can be pretty rough on carpet. We had to pile some of the furniture up to clear off the floor. The ottoman on top of the chair made the perfect little hiding spot for two little 3 year olds. I love how they can find the fun in every day stuff!

4th of July

2011-08-04T16:52:00.002-04:00

We spent the 4th of July morning at the pool which has become an M&M favorite since their lessons. We planned on going to Dillon Park to watch the fireworks that evening. But we got home and decided that we weren't in the mood to fight the crowd and keep M&M up until 11pm. The bad thing about east coast time zone...summertime sunsets after 9pm! So we went to one of the many firework stands and bought a bunch to set off ourselves. Andrew was probably more excited than the kids :-)

Sparklers are always kid favorites! Nice that they weren't afraid of them this year. They're getting so big.

We actually had quite a few really good fireworks. Most were just OK. Of course it was all amazing to our two 3 year olds. The above is a picture of our "Grand Finale"! And they were in bed before 10pm!

Happy 4th of July!

First Swim Lesson

2011-08-03T10:49:00.001-04:00

We could not have been more excited about starting swim lessons. In fact, M&M were so excited they took to asking me everyday, sometimes several times a day, "Can we go to swim lessons today?". So we made a calendar and counted down the days. The calendar worked out well considering there were so many things in the months of June and July that they were looking forward to; the free movies at the Beacon, swim lessons and our trip to Dee's house in Florida. We signed them up for lessons at Shaw AFB. I was considering the YMCA also but was so thrilled when I saw how the lessons were organized on base. Michael and Mary Ellen and one of their MOPS friends Joshua, were the only ones in the "group". Joshua is two, so on the days he pooped out early they essentially had one-on-one lessons!

Miss Heather, who was home for the summer from Clemson, was so patient and kind to my timid swimmer Mary Ellen. She had to really encourage her to try to do those things that frightened her. And if she wouldn't jump off the side she just helped her and they went on. I think this really helped keep her enthusiasm high for going back every day.

Miss Brittney helped Michael and Joshua and it was no time, literally the first lesson, when Michael was ready to be on his own (with waist floaties and kick-board of course). Michael was fearless to try each new thing and LOVED being in the water. In fact the only issue I had to deal with was him crying each day when the lesson was over. He never wanted to leave!

Learning to jump off the side into the water. Miss Brittney used the noodle as a line in the water and Michael would jump over it. Mary Ellen still needed hands to jump off. But either way, they both had a ball and were excited for the next lesson.

As a treat for a good first lesson, blowing the whistle. They also got to slide down the big tube slide that they were both excited about. Afterward however, they both realized that it was a bit scary and could wait until they were bigger!

The Best Part of Fishing

2011-07-25T11:02:00.000-04:00

Now after a week of fishing in the "big boat" with Papa there were lots of brim to clean. M&M were enthralled with all the fish and loved watching Andrew clean them. Of course Andrew took the opportunity to tell them repeatedly that when they were older this would be THEIR job. They seemed to think that was OK!

And finally the reward for all that hard work. I fried the fish and we had cheese grits and blueberries and strawberries for dessert. Michael my big eater, LOVED it and ate about 3 fish on his own. Mary Ellen wasn't so sure and only ate one fried brim and liked it better when Daddy picked the fish off the bone for her. The cheese grits were a big hit that we all loved. It was a happy day and a great family meal!

Daddy Daughter Date Night

2011-06-29T19:28:00.000-04:00

What a precious couple! For a special Father's Day event Chick-fil-A had a Daddy/Daughter Date Night event. And knowing how much the Thornes love Chick-fil-A, especially Daddy, Andrew signed them up! Mary Ellen dressed up in her prettiest pink dress for Daddy and off they went. They came back with flowers, balloons, cows, necklaces, and lots of wonderful memories. I know Mary Ellen will have forever memories of special times like these with her FIRST love...Daddy! Happy Father's Day to a GREAT man and a WONDERFUL Daddy!

Big Beds

2011-06-23T18:07:00.000-04:00

Oh, my big girl and boy! I know this is probably long overdue considering they'll be 4 in September, but they have done well in their cribs up to this point. Reason #1, they still fit in them and reason #2 they never climbed out of them. So the containment factor has been a blessing to us! But with potty-training progressing as it has there was a need for them to be able to get up and potty as needed at night or rest-time. It has been a scary transition wondering how they would react to all that freedom. So far, it hasn't been a problem. You see, they like being with each other! Which is the reason I think they never climbed out of the crib. Where would they go, into the other ones crib? In fact some mornings they tell me to go away that they aren't ready to get up. Then they go right back to laughing and making up stories from their respective beds! I was wondering when, if ever, the upside to the twin-thing would kick in...it now has! As difficult as it was to have two babies, having two toddlers makes things so much easier. They always have a playmate, a role-model, and peer. Whew, about time! So before we get their twin beds we are trying the toddler bed option. Working out well so far and M&M are excitedly anticipating their big beds!

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-06-17T15:49:00.000-04:00

Memorial Day weekend was so hot. It had been in the 90's for several days and unusually dry. I think we're in for a long summer if it's already this hot in May! But Michael and Mary Ellen love to be outside. They started out helping us in the yard while we planted a few shrubs. Then finally we got the pool out.

Nothing better than a cold popsicle on a hot day!

I'm afraid our $10 Walmart pool from last year is on it's last leg. Time for a new one. I guess a $10 investment each year in a pool isn't a bad deal.

We also had a great dinner group with friends from church on Sunday evening. Fun family time on a great long weekend!

Mother's Day

2011-06-16T20:10:00.000-04:00

Mother's Day was a special day this year. We always enjoy Muffins for Mom at church and I love any day I can spend with my 2 favorite little people and sweet husband. Andrew took Michael and Mary Ellen to the "store of Sumter", aka Walmart, and let them pick out my Mother's Day gifts. Now I'm sure he helped wrangle their choices a bit, but he did let them pick. I received an orange-cranberry candle from Michael and a pink camouflage cap from Mary Ellen. I love them both and love those sweet little kiddos even more. THEY are my greatest gift ever!

First Fishing Trip

2011-06-14T09:05:00.000-04:00

Papa brought the "big boat" down to take Michael and Mary Ellen fishing. They have been saying forever that they wanted to go in Papa's boat. So a day-long fishing trip was in store. And I had a whole day of freedom, which I enjoyed far less than I thought I would. But M&M had so much fun!

Michael and Mary Ellen checking out the motor before they left.

All four fishermen (and girl) in the boat before a morning of fishing on Lake Marion.

Mary Ellen the content fisher-girl and the patience pays off. Daddy helping her with her first fish.

Michael excited about his first fish. And he was content sitting up front with Papa fishing and helping with the trolling motor. A precious picture of the two Michaels. M&M are still talking about this trip. I know they created such great memories and we look forward to many fishing adventures in the future!

One-of-a-Kind Hand-Me-Down

2011-06-12T07:47:00.001-04:00

Papa brought a very special hand-me-down for Michael on a recent visit. This is a .22 rifle that belonged to Papa Webster, Andrew's grandfather. What a special thing to be able to hand such special items down through the generations. Michael was over the moon excited about "his" gun. He would have carried it around all day if Andrew would have allowed him to. Michael's still a little small for it but I'm envisioning some great memories being made for Daddy and son with this rifle!

Easter 2011

2011-06-11T11:24:00.001-04:00

Dying Easter eggs is always fun. Michael and Mary Ellen love to pick out their favorite colors and are always surprised when those plain white eggs come out of the dye a beautiful color. Their expressions are always priceless!

We had a Peter Rabbit theme this year for Easter with a big emphasis on new books instead of candy. I did splurge and get the big chocolate bunnies they had been eying in the store for so long. They loved getting to nibble on the ears for a few days and then they magically disappeared. They never even noticed...whew!

I love picking out their Easter outfits for church each year. I spent so many years dreaming of dressing up my children for Easter, so every year it is an event. Having twins means you want them to match...don't know why it's just part of the twin thing. But having boy/girl twins means they can't really "match", just coordinate, and it's more difficult than you'd imagine. My solution is to have them in the same color and I usually go for a neutral. This year I went way neutral and did ivory. I thought they looked so sweet. I love Michael in a sweater vest and thought Mary Ellen's small dot dress was precious!

Back from a wonderful morning at church. M&M's awesome Sunday school teachers gave them these great Easter baskets with all kinds of very thoughtful gifts.

We had a fantastic lunch with friends, Jen and her two boys came over because her husband is deployed, and then hunted eggs in the yard. They got lots of candy and stickers in their eggs and had a ball finding all of them. Mary Ellen was surprisingly good at hunting and seemed to be a little cut-throat about it. Michael was, like always layed back only putting the eggs in his basket he happened to run across. It was a wonderful day and I hope in all the fun M&M are starting to understand that Jesus is the reason for Easter. And what a celebration...He is Risen!

Strawberry Pickin'

2011-06-01T11:54:00.000-04:00

The strawberries were beautiful this year. This was our first year to pick them ourselves. We went to Stafford's Farm as part of a MOPS Mommy-n-Me outing. This big bucket was $9 and well worth it. They were so yummy and I'm proud to say we ate them all with no problem. M&M love strawberries! It was funny that until I said they could, they didn't even try to start eating them when we were picking. They were just dutifully doing their job picking the "best" ones...which weren't always the best ones...and filling up the bucket. Fun morning and yummy strawberries!

Springtime Play

2011-05-10T16:45:00.001-04:00

This Spring has been crazy. The weather that is. Freezing one day and hot the next. One of our favorite things to do when the weather is cold or rainy outside is get out the play-dough. M&M got this ice cream Play-dough shop for Christmas and they love it! They make me ice cream cones, sundaes and cookies. It is messy but literally hours of fun for them.

We made this cute caterpillar craft when we started really feeling Spring in the air. The grass was turning green and flowers were blooming and we were seeing all kinds of new bugs, frogs, and birds. I love these kinds of crafts because they did it almost entirely by themselves with just a little assistance from me. They named the new caterpillars Oogly and Googly!

This was the best new Springtime arrival. Papa fixed up a used electric truck for them and brought it down on a recent visit. They immediately named it the "New Monster Truck". After they each got a few operating instructions from Daddy and Papa, they were off...at least until the battery ran out and had to be charged! Springtime is definitely in the air and we are ready!

Putting Away Groceries

2011-04-23T10:29:00.001-04:00

I just love how my kids can find fun in the simplest things. One of their favorite things to do is play in the paper bags when we get home from the grocery store. They play robot and hide-and-seek. This day THEY were the groceries. Now that's a precious arm load!

Swamp Fox Family Day

2011-04-19T16:14:00.000-04:00

It was a fun family day this year at McEntire. There were planes and helicopters galore and we all had a great time! Andrew is posing here with his three loves...yep, the F16 ranks pretty high up!

Michael and Mary Ellen loved the tanks and even got to crawl on a few.

But the helicopters were a favorite! Here they are behind the stick and looking happy. We also got to see the F16 East Coast Demo Team fly along with some helicopters. It was like a mini air show. They also had the traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall along with Memorials from all the other wars and conflicts since. There were several food stands and even had a band playing. What a great event and a fun family day!

Gymnastics Observation Day

2011-04-14T13:15:00.002-04:00

In March we had the final observation day in gymnastics for the year. We were so sad that Andrew wasn't able to be there; he was TDY. But Dee (my Mother) was in town so she was able to go with us.

Michael and Mary Ellen waiting for class to start. They are supposed to pick a color square to sit on. As you can see Michael has a different idea as he sprawls across several squares!

Lined up doing their stretches.

M&M love to do front flips, and they're good at it too!

Mary Ellen doing donkey kicks.

Mary Ellen was deathly afraid of the bars and the beam when she first started but Miss Angie helped her get over her fears.

Success!

Great form Michael!

Miss Angie helping Michael touch his toes to the bar.

The whole crew!

And an ice cream treat for a successful gymnastics day!

EdVenture Museum

2011-03-18T10:06:00.000-04:00

During Dee's visit in February we decided to make the trip to the children's museum in Columbia. If you know EdVenture then you know what an awesome place it is. M&M were the perfect age to enjoy almost all of the fun activities. The first, and one of their favorite, was the fire station.

They were able to dress in tiny fire coats, boots and hats and actually crawl through a real firetruck.

Most everything has an education point along with being fun. The gears are magnetic on a big wall and they could move them in different configurations. They loved changing the gears and watching them all move in unison.

A real red VW bug that you can fill with gas and pretend to drive.

The farm area was also a favorite. They both now know, thanks to Daddy, the difference between a John Deere and a Massey Ferguson tractor. Michael's favorite is still the green John Deere. Mary Ellen loved milking the cow...she was good at it too!

But hands down, Mary Ellen's favorite area was the mini Piggly Wiggly. There were small shopping carts and shelves lined with play food of all sorts. She filled her buggy like there was a hurricane coming. And unfortunately, cried when she had to put it all up. Michael found his high school job as a cashier. He was serious about checking everyone out and even wore the apron!

EdVenture was such a fun day! The kids had a ball and it was nice to be able to share their joy and excitement with my Mom.

Swan Lake

2011-02-25T10:14:00.000-05:00

Swan Lake is never more beautiful than in Spring. Now that the weather has turned more Spring-like we had to go enjoy this beautiful park. All the grandparents were in town so we took a picnic lunch and headed to Swan Lake. M&M loved all the swans, ducks and geese. They wanted so bad to feed them but alas, it is not allowed anymore. I guess too many people were feeding them moldy bread and they were getting sick. We walked along the lake and looked at all the amazing Cypress knees while the swans followed us; I guess still hoping they'd get fed!

The black swans are beautiful! Mary Ellen was uncharacteristically brave until one flapped his wings at her and she backed away. Those things can be sort of mean.

Lovely fountain!

And of course we had to go to the playground. They loved to swing on the "tire" swing and climb up and try all the slides. It was a perfect sunny day and we chose a picnic table in the shade to eat lunch. Amazing day...and it made me content and thankful for this great little town we now call home!

Valentine's Day

2011-02-24T18:14:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day was a little lonely this year without Daddy. But I was happy to have my other two loves to celebrate with. Andrew and I celebrated before he left TDY. Above are M&M dressed in their Sunday best for church. Still takes an act of congress just to get both of them looking at the camera at the same time.

My, how they loved their Valentine's Day treats. Mickey and Minnie are FAVORITES and they were so happy when they saw them!

Needless-to-say they have been inseparable since and even asked if they could eat breakfast that morning with them....so cute! We had a fun day and even had pink pancakes for supper! What a perfect day to let those most precious know we love them!

Heart Cookies!

2011-02-21T09:43:00.000-05:00

I have found that cut out cookies are a great activity for Michael and Mary Ellen. They can help in every step and love to help. And of course, they love the end product even more because they did it! I made a batch of decorated heart cookies for MOPS in the beginning of February. And they wanted one so bad but they were gobbled up at our meeting and none were left over for them. They were so pitiful when they realized they didn't get any after they had watched me make them all day. So I knew that we had to make another batch just for us!

After a few tries they could do the cut-out part by themselves. They loved choosing the size heart they wanted and then carefully pressing the shape into the dough.

Watching them bake. We set the timer so they were up in a flash when they heard it go off each time!

It took lots of patience to finally get to the decorating part. And even more to get to the eating part. But they picked out the decorations they liked for each cookie and then chose their favorite to eat first.

Pure joy! I love to make these two happy. I also love to see how they learn and how they are so willing to be Mama's helper.

Fire Station

2011-02-10T16:03:00.000-05:00

Our MOPS group had a "Mommy and Me" outing to the Alice Drive Fire Station. I knew right away it would be right up M&M's ally...they love fire trucks...especially Michael.

They showed all their equipment and put on the suit piece by piece. Michael LOVED this and stood as close as they would let him to the Fireman, oops sorry, Fire Fighter.

Mary Ellen on the other hand wasn't quite so sure. She got close to him but only if I was close or holding her.

But truly, the fire truck was the best part. They let them crawl through the cab and sit if they want. M&M both went through twice and I think Michael would have sat there all afternoon!

This is the whole MOPS crew...well as much as we could wrangle them for a quick picture! I don't know if those guys knew what they were getting into with that many toddlers. But they were AWESOME!!

Going home with all their fun prizes from the Fire Station. What a fun morning and a lasting memory for lots of toddlers...most especially my two!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

2011-02-04T20:21:00.000-05:00

This year made me understand why people always say "Christmas is for kids". Michael and Mary Ellen were so excited Christmas morning and it just made our hearts soar to watch that pure joy. The above video is their first peek Christmas morning!

M&M got fleece blankets and pillow pets from Papa and Mama Jo. They slept with them both for weeks after Christmas!

They also got the wisemen addition to their Little People Nativity which Mary Ellen is playing with in the above picture.

Michael got more Thomas trains and track to add to his collection. His favorite!

I love this shot of Michael and his love of transportation. Playing with his trains and flying his airplane at the same time!

One of the favorite gifts this year was the easel. Mary Ellen loves to draw and color so she honed right in on the pink chalk and literally filled the board with colorful chalk.

Such a fun day! And because of the snow we staying all weekend in the living room and played while we watched the snow. You'd never find two more content children....or Mama and Daddy!

Christmas Eve

2011-01-03T11:30:00.000-05:00

Christmas Eve finally arrived and I don't think I've seen Michael and Mary Ellen so excited! We all were! It was so nice to be in our new home, to have hosted a few parties and some family, and been able to enjoy the fullness of the holiday. Papa and Mama Jo were in town and so we all enjoyed watching "The Christmas Story" together, eating a yummy lasagna supper, and then headed out to our Christmas Eve service at church. It was a beautiful service and I was reminded again how blessed we are to have ADBC as our church family!

When we got home from church we got M&M into their Christmas PJ's and they were able to open their last little bag on their advent calendar. I got this great idea for an advent calendar from a friend...yes, all my good ideas are stolen ones...to have little bags with numbers on them to count down to Christmas. We strung it along the big window by the breakfast table so they were able to see it everyday. I really do think it helped with their counting and number recognition too. They loved it and I really miss it now that Christmas is over. It provided the extra bonus of being a good bribe to finish their meals! Then we settled down to read the Christmas story...the REAL one...before bed. We have several Christmas books; "J is for Jesus", "The Three Miracles", " The Tale of Three Trees", and "Nighty Night Baby Jesus" are just a few of our favorites. M&M have always loved books. But for Christmas Eve Andrew and I took turns reading from Luke. They have now heard the story of Jesus' birth many times and I hope they really understand what Christmas means.

It was late. But now our work was just beginning. We got everything wrapped, stockings filled, and toys displayed just so; anticipating seeing the joy and excitement on their faces. We were not disappointed...

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

2011-01-02T11:32:00.000-05:00

I guess I jumped ahead with the "snow" post and skipped right over Christmas. This was a busy and hectic Christmas. I was reminded several times about that Christmas two years ago in Bahrain when it was just us in the Middle East, no family and few friends. I knew at the time I'd one day look back longingly at that quiet Christmas. Although busy, this year was an exciting and joyous one as well. I was able for the first time in 3 years to really decorate for Christmas with all our own decorations, that had been in storage when we were overseas and then building our house. It thrilled me to be able to decorate our beautiful new house just like I wanted. But it was also exhausting! And I admittedly went a little overboard.

I was finally able to do a tree of just my stained glass stars and crosses. It was a beautiful crystal clear and white tree. I wish I could have gotten a better picture of it. This one just doesn't do it justice.

This is my favorite Nativity. I collect them and have about 4 or 5. M&M also have one for their room that is a miniature porcelain set. I was quickly aware that I was having to say "don't touch" way too much and was sad that there wasn't any of our decorations that they could play with. So we got them a little people Nativity set that was the best purchase of the season. It was set up in their room on a shelf they could reach. They loved it and played with it everyday!

This was our big tree in the living room. It's a 9 foot tree and fits perfectly in that corner by the fireplace.

Michael and Mary Ellen even had a tree in their room! Colored lights, pink and green ornaments, and all the twin ornaments they got after they were born. They loved it!

So, yes I got carried away with decorating and yes, it was a lot of work. But to see how much joy it brought to our family it was worth it. M&M really understood this year that we were celebrating Jesus' Birthday and we were all very thankful to be together to share it!

Christmas Snow!

2011-01-01T14:49:00.001-05:00

Well, OK it was actually the day after Christmas. But what a treat for South Carolina to get snow so early! The picture of our house above was when we woke up that morning. That was the most that ever accumulated on the ground. Although it snowed all day, very little stuck. It was beautiful to watch!

Michael and Mary Ellen really were content for most of the day to just watch it snow. They were still most excited about all their new toys and wanted to keep playing inside. I did suggest mid-day that we go outside and play, so we bundled up and headed out.

Here they are displaying their snowballs. They thought it was great to make and throw them. Mary Ellen wanted to make a snowman but alas, not nearly enough snow for that. Her favorite part was eating her snowballs...don't know where she got that from. Michael just loved throwing them.

Beautiful snowfall all day long, just this heavy. Lovely to watch and what a treat to have a white Christmas!

Oaks, Maples, and Broke Toes...Oh My!

2010-12-26T09:19:00.000-05:00

The week before Christmas we had 14, yep that's right 14, trees delivered. I'm not talking little 4 foot things you can get at Lowe's. These were 15 to 20 foot 200 to 300 lb trees. Five Natchez White Crepe Myrtles, 4 River Birch, One Laurel Oak and 4 Maples. They are all beautiful trees that we got a GREAT deal on from a tree farm in Columbia. But they arrived the day before we were to have 20 people over to our house for a Christmas party, it was COLD, and it was raining cats and dogs. Yes, a recipe for disaster! The tree guy delivered them in a car-type trailer that had pull out ramps. So they (the tree guy, Andrew and Andrew's Daddy) were rolling the trees down the ramp into place around the property. About 6 trees in, the ramp fell off the trailer with a tree on top of it as they were rolling it down...right on Andrew's foot. Believe it or not, they finished unloading the trees. Then we went to the emergency room. Big toe broken. I was a little relieved it wasn't worse. Andrew has broken a toe before so to him it wasn't that big a deal although it looked horrible. So the next day he was out in the freezing rain putting those trees in the ground. Now that's dedication!

Cinnamon Ornaments

2010-12-20T19:05:00.000-05:00

I love to do craft projects. I love to do craft projects with Michael and Mary Ellen. But I especially love to do craft projects with M&M that they can actually do. This was definitely a winner!

The recipe is super simple; a cup of applesauce and a cup of cinnamon, roll it out and cut into fun Christmas shapes.

Not only did they help roll out the dough...

But they chose what cookie cutters they wanted and were able to cut them out too!

They were so proud when they saw how many they cut out.

They loved to watch them in the oven...just at their eye-level. The ornaments take a few hours at a very low temp in the oven so they watched them off and on. The best part was the AMAZING smell. Perfect Christmas activity for a cold winter day!

My Little Owl n Puppy

2010-12-10T14:37:00.000-05:00

My friend Jen Wood http://www.etsy.com/shop/jenniferwood917 made these adorable crochet hats for Michael and Mary Ellen. When they first got them, I swear they must have worn them around the house for 2 days straight. It is always a special day when they get to wear them out. Took these cute pictures in the back yard when we were playing one COLD afternoon. Mary Ellen's is a sleeping owl and Michael's is a puppy dog. Super cute...thanks Jen!

A Four-Wheeling Thanksgiving

2010-12-09T10:25:00.000-05:00

We spent Thanksgiving again this year in Laurens. Uncle Jamie's family generously hosted all of us again and it has now really become the 4 wheeling Thanksgiving. That's all the kids want to do...and eat!

Pryce, Mary Ellen and Brygs playing around in the kitchen while waiting to eat. The last one is so cute...Mary Ellen getting kisses after she bumped her head on the counter above.

Daddy giving M&M a ride on the big 4-wheeler. These things always freak me out a bit. Maybe I've read (and known) of too many accidents on these things that end horribly. Of course, I trust Andrew and he is always very safe. And Michael and Mary Ellen could stay on it all day!

Beautiful farm. Beautiful fall day. Couldn't ask for a better Thanksgiving.

Andrew giving Ryals and Michael a turn.

This little John Deere was the most favorite because they learned how to do it all by themselves. The best thing was that you could lock the wheel to one side and they just did big loops the whole time. Contained them a bit. They still seemed to love it every bit as much. Micheal was so funny how he was reclined way back with his gun in his hand...Joe cool!

Gymnastics Fun!

2010-11-19T14:41:00.000-05:00

We signed Michael and Mary Ellen up for gymnastics at Miss Libby's Dance Studio. I was really just going to sign Mary Ellen up for dance but it was Andrew's idea to maybe try and get them both in something this year. So gymnastics was it. They really just get to jump around and do lots of physical stuff, although in a much more organized fashion. And they both love it and look forward to it each week. With all that said, this will probably be Michael's one and only year at Miss Libby's. Don't think Daddy will let him join in Mary Ellen's ballet class next year!

Their teacher is awesome! Miss Angie has the patience of Job! She has an amazing way of creating a fun atmosphere while setting firm guidelines in an attempt to wrangle the chaos!

Flips are the best! I have to thank my other gymnastic Mom's who brought their cameras on observation day or else there would be no pictures. Observation day is once per semester and of course the day came while Andrew was TDY and I was running on empty. Needless to say I forgot. Thanks Katie and Raleigh!

Circle Time!

Stretches!

This one cracks me up! There is a strip on the ground that they are supposed to line up on. Why Mary Ellen is facing the opposite way is beyond me! So cute...she is on the line though!

Happy Birthday Daddy...and Welcome Home...and Congratulations too!

2010-11-18T15:33:00.001-05:00

Andrew was TDY for 3 weeks and it just so happened to fall over Halloween and his birthday. I guess there are bigger things to miss, but I know how much he hates to miss out on things M&M are doing. And by the way, his last Master's class finished up while he was away too. So we had his return to celebrate along with his birthday and completing his Masters degree! So he got a special meal including his favorite triple chocolate cheesecake, presents and lots of hugs and kisses for his return home. It's always a good day when Daddy's home!

Fall Festival

2010-11-12T18:18:00.003-05:00

Halloween finally arrived! Michael and Mary Ellen were so excited to be cowboys. So we got dressed and donned our best "Old West" attitude and headed to Alice Drive Baptist Church's Fall Festival. This is one of my most favorite things our church does all year. I think our pastor said we had between 3 and 4 thousand people that night at Fall Festival. In a town the size of ours that is truly amazing! It is a grand effort to organize but it is tons of fun for the kids in a safe, non-scary, and family-friendly environment. There were 4 or 5 bounce houses, a petting zoo, about 20 different games to play with prizes, popcorn and snow cones, a full meal of hot dogs, chips, lemonade and "Treat Street" where the kids go trick or treating! So off we went...and left a bowl of candy on the front step with a "take one please" sign.

Michael and Mary Ellen just finished trick-or-treating on "Treat Street". They were so cute, they wore the hats all night without complaint. When we were getting dressed, anticipating having to carry the cowboy hats all night, I told them that they needed to keep the hats on because it was part of their costume...and they did!

Mary Ellen showing off all her candy! We finally found a free haystack to sit on and Michael was ready to dive into his candy.

M&M with their friend Tyler "the farmer". They are such good playmates and really seemed to "go-together" that night.

The petting zoo was one of the favorites...especially for Mary Ellen. You guessed it...they had rabbits! About 6 fuzzy rabbits, all black or brown except for one big white one that Mary Ellen would NOT hold. He was sort of big and scary looking! They were so fuzzy you could barely tell which end was up. I think Michael talked to the rump-end of one for about 10 minutes.

The duck and chicken were so over-fed by the time we visited them, they wouldn't even take the bread from M&M's hand. Didn't stop them from trying though.

The best part...the unlimited candy! I figure it's only one night....so induldge! I let them have as much as they wanted until we came home and put it away. What a fun night! I love the way our church gives so generously to the community and especially to the kids. Oh, and all the candy in the bowl we left was gone when we got home. Twenty trick-or-treaters or one, who knows?!

Pumpkin Pickin'

2010-11-09T11:19:00.003-05:00

We went to Willard Farms again this year to pick a pumpkin. This place was so fun last year; we knew we wanted to go again. They have vastly expanded their farm to accommodate visitors, especially children. And it was even better this year! They have a huge, at least 5 acres, agriplex for the kids. It's like a big playground with a farm theme!

They have these great play sets that are built to look like a jeep and a tractor. Michael and Mary Ellen loved to climb on them and slide.

The most amazing addition was this big trampoline. It was a huge trampoline bubble that slopped down to the ground. Mary Ellen was terrified of it. But Michael climbed right up and started jumping! I did finally convince Mary Ellen to climb up it and we jumped for about a minute as I held her hand. Michael didn't want to get off it...my little boy is fearless!

The event they both loved the most was the cow train. They climbed right in and sat in their own little cow and rode around the agriplex as I stood in wonder on the sidelines. How did they get so big! Part of what they liked about it was that they were doing it by themselves.

When they were on the cow train they spotted the swings in the far corner of the agriplex. As soon as they were out of their plastic cow they took off running for them. Mary Ellen got there first, man is she fast!

The last thing we did was take the hay ride over to the pumpkin patch to pick a pumpkin. Of course they found several that they liked but finally decided on one to take home, with some guidance from me. What a fun day and fun place to visit. Can't wait to go back in the spring for strawberry-pickin!

MOPS Halloween

2010-11-08T17:26:00.000-05:00

Our first Halloween event was our MOPS (Mothers Of PreSchoolers) costume parade at Memorial Park. If you haven't figured out, Mary Ellen is OBSESSED with bunnies, specifically pink bunnies. So she has begged from the time I first mentioned it that she wanted to dress up as a pink bunny. Michael said a puppy dog but was pretty much game for anything. My solution was these cute ear, tail and bow tie sets. They were so cute...wish this picture showed the tails too...super cute! It was a rainy, yucky day but we had fun at the park and met some new friends!

New Sleeping Bags

2010-11-05T19:37:00.000-04:00

We got these new sleeping bags for our trip to Aunt Amy's. Princesses for Mary Ellen and Cars for Michael. They've turned out to be great fun! This was the day we got them and I wanted to try them out to make sure everything was in working order before we went for our visit. They have a small air mattress on the bottom and it's like a sleeping bag on top. They LOVED them! They work for visits where sleeping arrangements are tight and they are fun to just play on while watching Bambi on a rainy afternoon....like in the picture. Worth every penny!

Pumpkin Faces

2010-11-03T17:24:00.000-04:00

No carving this year for the Thornes! Don't get me wrong, I love the tradition of carving pumpkins. Love the pumpkin seeds. Love how they look lit up at night. But Andrew has been TDY and I just didn't have the energy for the mess and work. Because at 3 years old M&M wouldn't have been much help with the carving. To tell the truth, they had a ball with the stick on faces we did instead and they did it almost completely themselves!

There were fives different faces to chose from and Michael chose this goofy smiley face. Very fitting for his personality I think!

Mary Ellen chose the kitty-cat face, of course. They loved them and has loved seeing them on our front porch!

Party on...we're 3!!

2010-10-22T15:47:00.001-04:00

Michael and Mary Ellen turned 3 and to celebrate we had a hoppin' good time at our house with friends and family. Bunnies and Frogs galore! Yes, a jumping theme along with pink bunnies and green frogs and a jump house out back. Papa and Mama Jo, Dee, Aunt Amy and Uncle Jamie were all able to be there...of course with Ryals, Pryce and Brygs too! We had about 8 friends ranging in age from 6 months to 12 years in attendance.

I made the cakes myself. Which was extremely nerve-wracking for me, but in the end they turned out great. Pink bunnies and green frogs, just what they asked for.

All the decorations turned out cute and with a team effort including the grandparents (don't know how I'd have done it without y'all) we pulled it off beautifully!

Michael and Mary Ellen getting a first look at their cakes.

Bounce house fun! Wish we had one of these permanently in the back yard. They jumped until they were exhausted!

Michael blowing out his candles, with some help from his friends!

Cake! Now that's what we've been waiting for. Chocolate for Michael and Strawberry pink for Mary Ellen. If it's not pink...my little girl doesn't want anything to do with it!

What a fun and memorable day! I have always loved planning events and entertaining. But the reward when you see how much fun it brings to my two favorite little people...well, that's the best complement I've ever received!

Hard to imagine M&M are 3 already...where does the time go. They are growing into such wonderful people. I still feel blessed beyond measure to be their Mama!

Birthday Beach Pictures

2010-10-21T16:51:00.001-04:00

In September we were all able to go back to my hometown in Florida. It is rare, but Andrew was actually TDY there so we just came along with him at stayed at my Mother's house. It is really the perfect time of year there. Still hot but not as bad as summertime and the crowds of tourists are gone. We didn't get to see Daddy much, he was really working...go figure! But we were able to catch up with friends and spend some time at the beach. Since M&M's birthday was the end of September we thought we'd take the opportunity to do beach portraits (photographs by us!) to commemorate. They really turned out great but it is always an ordeal. It took us two nights to time the sunset right and for each good picture there were at least 10 that were NOT. But as you can see, it was worth the effort...

We Love Papa!

2010-10-18T10:35:00.000-04:00

Papa and Mama Jo (Andrew's parents) came to babysit while we went to the Fort Jackson Military Appreciation concert on September 11th. Kid Rock put on the concert for free and it was really AWESOME! Not to mention it was nice to go out to dinner and have a fun evening with my hubby!

M&M love Papa! We took this picture before we went to church the next day. They love to get their picture made with Papa! Boy is it nice to have grandparents close. Not only for the extra help, but mostly for the relationship M&M will get to have with Dee and Papa and Mama Jo!

Big John Deere

2010-10-14T09:00:00.001-04:00

Yes, I definitely have country kids now. When you know the name of most tractor attachments and you see as many horses as businesses on the way to town...that's what I call a country kid! Of course, that comes from a decidedly city raised Mama. Andrew thinks it's all oh-so normal! So when we heard and spotted the big John Deere tractor, yes Michael knows the difference between a John Deere and any other, we got excited. The land owners FINALLY came to mow the big field next to our house. It had gotten to tall we couldn't walk through there anymore...it was about waist high to me in some places. So they had this big John Deere with a bush-hog sent over to do the job. Needless-to-say Michael and Mary Ellen were thrilled to watch this big tractor in action. When he finished for the day we decided to go take a looksie!

Michael wanted up first. He loves to sit on our "tractor", that is our little riding lawn mower, so you can imagine how excited he was to sit on this one.

Mary Ellen got a turn too. They loved to turn the steering wheel and even tried to do the gear shift.

Love this last shot of them in the front end loader with the sun setting. You can see our house in the background. We were sad when he finished his work the next day and the tractor left.

Swamp Fox Celebration

2010-10-11T09:28:00.000-04:00

All the Swamp Foxes got together to celebrate on Labor Day this year. Of course, this was really a celebration that everyone was back from the Iraq deployment safe and sound. Deiter had a BBQ at his house on Lake Murray. There was skiing and swimming and lots of great food.

This was Michael and Mary Ellen's first time swimming in a lake and they were a little apprehensive. They've been to the beach in Florida and of course been to several different pools, but the lake water took some getting used to. Mary Ellen kept saying, "The water is dirty Mama"! And the bottom was squishy and a little slimy.

They really didn't love walking around in the shallow part so Andrew put them in this little boat and pulled them around. They LOVED it!

I think they ate their weight in BBQ, chips and cookies. It was a fun day to be together as a family...the Thornes, and the Swamp Foxes!

Michael's Hair Cut

2010-09-04T22:57:00.001-04:00

My poor little babies have been SLOW to grow hair. Now with Mary Ellen this has been slightly distressful for me; wanting to constantly put bows in her hair that would not stay. With Michael it hasn't been that big of a deal. Boys are supposed to have short hair, right?! Michael first started getting this rat-tail-thing that was easy enough for me to trim several months back. We took pictures and I saved the hair. But then it just started getting long and really unruly. So I decided to take him in with me when I got my hair cut and let Debbie trim his up before I had my hair done. Better than me trying to hack away at it, with who knows what kind of results. I was so proud of him! He sat as still as a soldier and didn't once complain. Of course he did have a beautiful lady cutting his hair...what was there to complain about? Debbie did a great job and now he looks like such a little man. Who knew he'd be almost 3 before he got his first real hair cut.

My little man...thanks Debbie!

Flying Airplanes

2010-08-14T05:42:00.001-04:00

We had a traumatic doctors visit earlier this week where we learned Mary Ellen had a double ear infection. She never once complained about her ears hurting. Although, I've learned she rarely ever does and have to look for other signs which is usually an attitude shift! Now the ear infection part wasn't traumatic in-and-of-itself. The traumatic part was that she had lots of wax build up in her ears and they had to spend a considerable amount of time irrigating them. To put it mildly, Mary Ellen did NOT enjoy it! But two free ice cream cone coupons were given...yes, Michael also benefited from Mary Ellen's traumatic doctors visit..so we decided to go to Sonic for lunch and the free ice cream. I guess that's a long story to say we got these GREAT gliders as the free kids meal toy. Because we don't often eat out at fast food places these toys still hold great excitement for the Thorne kids. We waited until Daddy got home to put them together and fly them. I think Michael was in hog heaven; they both were really. You can just see the pure bliss on their faces!

Daddy helped throw them a few times and if they wanted to watch it fly high, but they did most of it themselves. They'd run after each other flying the airplanes and spent a considerable amount of time just throwing it on their own about 2 feet, usually behind them!

This last picture is one of my favorite. What joy it is to watch my children so carefree running through our backyard enjoying life!

New Tractor

2010-08-13T18:32:00.000-04:00

We finally had to break down and buy and riding mower for our 1-acre-monster-of-a "yard". Michael and Mary Ellen call it our tractor and want to ride it everyday...especially Michael. This was right after the Sears truck delivered it. They had a ball just riding around. We love it too and cuts a two day project of mowing the yard down to about 3 hours! Hooray for Sears!!

Independence Day

2010-07-26T13:18:00.000-04:00

July 4th was a great weekend of celebration! We had Andrew home and we were celebrating our country's freedom. What a great way to welcome Daddy home! However, most of our celebrating was done inside just spending time together. We didn't even do fireworks. It was enough to just spend time playing and being together this year. Hope everyone had a great Independence Day weekend and that you had the opportunity to thank a military member for our freedoms!

Daddy's Home!

2010-07-20T10:45:00.000-04:00

Andrew finally made it home, after an excruciating 5 day journey back, and we have been enjoying all being together again. It always takes some adjustment to fall back into routines but it seemed easier this time probably due to a 60 day instead of 120 day deployment.

This was where Andrew slept and all the things we sent him to remind him of how much we love him. The room he shared with Slammer was about the size of our bathroom but he was always thankful for a dark, cool place to sleep when he could. I think he only had one day "off" while he was there and that was only because of trying to schedule crew rest.

My handsome husband ready for a mission. Still does something to my heart to see him in uniform!

He arrived back home very early in the morning. So we arrived before dark to pick him up. Michael and Mary Ellen were troopers though, and so excited to finally see Daddy!! I have video of the actual reunion that I'll have to add later. Seeing them run across this field yelling, "Daddy, Daddy" was priceless!

Mary Ellen modeling the shirts we had made for Daddy's return..."My Daddy is My Hero"!

Michael and Mary Ellen looking happy and content sitting with Daddy.

WELCOME HOME DADDY!

USO Books

2010-06-25T12:24:00.001-04:00

The USO has a wonderful program called United Through Reading where they provide hardback children's books for service men and women deployed to read on video to their children back home. They package up the book and the DVD and send it to the families. What a wonderful treat for children to have their Mom or Dad read them a bed time story and actually be able to see them! Of course many have been away from family for up to a year or more, so seeing them doing something so everyday is truly a comfort for children. Here is a link to a sample of what United Through Reading is doing...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZEGRijdCIm8

Michael and Mary Ellen were so excited to get their books from Daddy! They have instantly become their FAVORITE books; wanting to read them every night! We miss Andrew so much and are eagerly anticipating having him home soon. Thanks USO for such a special memory!

Happy Father's Day, Daddy!

2010-06-20T14:21:00.001-04:00

We were sad we couldn't spend Father's Day with Andrew this year but are eagerly anticipating having him home in a few weeks! We did have a great day at church and Michael and Mary Ellen made cards for Daddy in Sunday school. You'll get them when you come home Andrew! We took some pictures to send to Andrew to remind him how much we love and miss him. You are our hero and the best Daddy ever. Thank you for taking care of us so well and loving us so much. Hurry home!

Hooray for Daddy!!

Artwork for Daddy

2010-06-14T08:11:00.002-04:00

We started working early on Andrew's Father's Day box. It takes about a week for them to receive packages and we wanted him to be able to enjoy our gifts for Father's Day. Michael and Mary Ellen are really into finger painting and coloring right now. So we did a few "paintings" for Daddy. As you can see Mary Ellen decided to use the entire jar of red finger paint for her painting. I finally had to take it away from her. She just kept scooping more and more paint on the paper. I think it ended up being about a 1/2 inch thick! Michael was a little more restrained. We also did a paper collage tie. Wish I would have gotten a picture of those. They turned out really cute! It was a neck-tie outline on a paper and they glued different color scraps of paper on the tie and then we cut them out. They did most of it completely by themselves! We also made "Cowboy cookies" and bought a few DVD's and magazines to add. He got the box yesterday and loved it! We really miss him and are looking forward to finally getting him HOME!!

Daddy's Off...

2010-05-17T12:07:00.001-04:00

Well, Andrew left for his deployment 2 weeks ago and we were able to go with him for the big send-off! We miss him so much already but we are so proud of him and what he is doing.

Michael and Mary Ellen knew Daddy was leaving but thankfully still don't really understand the circumstances or the concept of time and how long he'll actually be gone. So, the send off was less tearful (on my part) than ones in the past. They just think he's going "to work" and I have to be strong for them.

The last good-byes stuck in my throat and were sad but I was still trying to be strong for M&M. Seeing the pictures afterward though was truly bittersweet. Watching Andrew have to say good-bye and knowing how much he's going to miss them. Hearing him say "Mind your Mama", was the most difficult. They both just smiled and said "yes, sir". Anything for their Daddy!

I guess many have forgotten that a war is still going on. We rarely hear about it on the news anymore. But I guarantee you that the loved ones of those serving know and our soldiers and airmen are STILL sacrificing to defend and protect us all. Say a prayer for Andrew and all those who are currently in the Middle East doing the difficult jobs. We owe them so much!

See you soon Daddy...fly safe!