Pumpkin Patch

This past weekend we went to the Willard Farms pumpkin patch in Gable, SC. It's still in Sumter county so only about a 15 minute drive. Perfect cold Saturday afternoon for wandering around a pumpkin patch. Of course Michael finds the John Deere right when we pull up so we had to get a picture.

They had a cute play area for the kids with adorable cow tire-swings, big tractor tires to crawl through, and a sand box filled with play tractors.

Michael loved walking up and down the rows looking at all the pumpkins.

He found just the right pumpkin and was ever-so-happy about it!

As you can see Mary Ellen found several she liked! She walked up and down the rows saying "punkie, punkie!" She was so excited to see all the pumpkins! She of course, tried to pick up every one, most of which were still on the vine. So she'd say "Punkie stuck Mama". So cute! She is now obsessed with her little pumpkin. She carries it EVERYWHERE she goes. She'd take it to bed, with the rest of her 100 animals and dolls, if I'd let her!

And, finally a 'caught' smile from Mary Ellen, who was far too busy that day to stop and pose for the camera!

Willard Farms is a real working farm so there was plenty of cool stuff to see. You can see the big silos behind M&M in the next picture. There were tractors everywhere, which made Michael absolutely giddy!

Such a fun day! They each found their own special pumpkin and it was an afternoon well spent.

Baa, Oink, Quack, Moo...You Guessed It We're Two!

What a fun and busy birthday weekend! We had M&M's 2nd birthday party at Chick-fil-A. And anyone who knows the Thornes, knows Chick-fil-A is a family FAVORITE! We had a farm theme so it made for a perfect match! Michael and Mary Ellen looked adorable in their denim, bandannas, and boots.

Here's Michael waiting for the fun to begin!

Andrew's parents, Papa and Mama Jo drove in for the weekend and brought Brygs with them. Andrew's sister Amy and her husband Jamie and the boys drove in the next day for M&M's dedication at church. It was so fun to have Brygs at the party. She is two months older than M&M and they play so well together. Brygs wore her Clemson outfit just for Uncle Andrew!

Michael had the John Deere tractor cake and Mary Ellen had a cow cake. It was just so cute to see their faces. They were thrilled to see the cakes and really understand now all the excitement about their birthday.

Here's a shot of everyone eating dinner with Mama Jo. Michael was so excited and ate, I don't even know how many, chicken nuggets. And then promptly threw up! Bless his heart...he was just too excited!

I just love my cute little kiddos and love to get my picture taken with them whenever I can!

Mama and Mary Ellen. She was pointing at Daddy, who was taking the picture!

Mama and Michael. Oh, my sweet and happy boy! Note throw-up stains.

My how those two love cake. They each had two pieces, one chocolate and one vanilla. Isn't the green frosting great?! It sure was yummy too! We've been practicing blowing out candles in preparation for the party. They were both doing so good but the excitement of the moment got the better of them. So they needed a little help. But they each got their own cake and their own birthday song just for them. They loved it!

What a great birthday party...Thanks Chick-fil-A! Can't believe my babies are two. But they are just getting sweeter and more fun everyday. Looking forward to a great year! Two's not so bad...so far!

We Begin A New Phase...

Isn't that the most precious thing you've ever seen? OK, so maybe it's a bit more wonderful for the Mama of the two cute kiddos. But what a snapshot of our new beginning! We've gone through many new beginnings as a military family. This one is different, however. Although military we still are...the guard counts right?! We are settling down for the first time in almost 11 years. South Carolina is our home and is going to be for the foreseeable near future. I thought it may be a little sad to see that part of our life end...but it's not for me. I relish the thought that in 2 years 8 months we won't have to find a new church home, not to mention a new home, a new dentist, doctor, hairstylist, friends, etc. And I won't have to sew another set of curtains or plant another yard from dirt. This one is it! I can decorate at a leisurely pace instead of weighing every move on "is it worth it for 3 years?". That my children will get to grow up in the same community and home makes me sort of giddy! But most of all I'm in such awe that God had this all worked out. He knew this whole plan from the beginning. And even though I'd have loved to have had a glimpse of this about 5 years ago. I know that the journey has been the point of it all.

So the day they poured the concrete, we put M&M's hand prints just inside the garage. They actually were excited to see it! This is their house and I think they sense that.

A little hot out that day...hence the squinty-eyed red faces, but you can see them sitting by their hand prints.

And a final "Hooray" for our house and their new home!

House Progress...So Far

OK...so this is where we are now. Doesn't look like much for almost a month, you say? Well, we'd definitely agree! But we are trying to balance the need to keep the builder accountable (aka, lots of phone calls) with being patient :-) It is a process and involves lots of people. Some doing a great job and some not so great. What a blessing to be living across the street to see the action as it unfolds...we LOVE you CAS and Christy! So let's take a mini-journey through the steps thus far...

Breaking ground the first day. I can't tell you how exciting it was to see the first crew doing SOMETHING on our land. It was a month delay with permits that was almost laughable as we watched our builder, the land owner, and our lawyer chase their tails. None of them, by the way, getting anything done!

The concrete trucks filling in the trenches with concrete. We are building on a "raised concrete slab". Which means that instead of laying a concrete slab on leveled ground. They are doing a raised portion with brick and back-filing with dirt and then the slab. Nice look with the vinyl siding and gives the house a bit grander appearance.

This shows the trenches that they filled with concrete ready for the brick work.

This delivery was exciting. They deliver the roof trusses bound in a bundle and slide it off the end of the truck in one swoop. Very dramatic!

Good picture looking from the corner of the house by the side-entry garage off across the front of the house to the side yard. Isn't it beautiful land?!

This was dirt delivery day. I think after it was done, we had 8 truck loads of dirt to fill inside the brick foundation.

This was yesterday as the plumbing guys work to lay the hot/cold water pipes in the foundation. They brought the pipes up in the needed spots so it's ready for the concrete slab.

So that's where we are so far. Hopefully we'll have the concrete down before the weekend and ready for the walls to start going up next week. It is exciting to watch. Just wish it was going a bit faster. Timing is out of our hands. I guess it will be done when it's done. Stay tuned for the next step...we'll keep you updated!

Fishin' & Snackin'

We spent a fun Saturday at Poinsett State Park. M&M had a little snack while they watched Daddy fish. M&M always love to be outside and find the bugs, squirrels and they really love the fish! We finally settled on this spot to have a rest in the shade.

Andrew caught 3 or 4 little brim. M&M would leave their snack each time to go say "hello" to the fish. Mary Ellen even wanted to kiss them!

Michael loves everything about fishing. He loves looking at the fish but more than that, he loves the fishing pole. He will look at it forever just trying to figure out how it works. We had a little plastic fishing pole that they both enjoy playing with. One afternoon it broke and I didn't think Michael would ever recover. He was so upset when we had to throw it away!

Fun and very HOT afternoon! I'm learning to go with the flow when M&M get dirty and sweaty. Even when the dirt gets in their snack :-) Just part of the experience of growing up in the hot, humid south!

Happy Birthday America!

The 4th of July we actually spent "at home" with our best friends CAS & Christy. The kids loved shooting off fireworks. M&M enjoyed watching from afar. This is Carly and Daniel doing smoke bombs of all colors.

While David and Daniel ran around with their super-duper sparklers, Michael was more interested in the plane flying over-head.

Andrew lit some small sparklers for M&M. Mary Ellen wasn't so sure about being that close. Especially after she burned herself on a smoldering one a little later.

The day before the fourth, we drove to the upstate to visit Andrew's sister Amy. Papa and Mama Jo were there too, so it made for a complete family reunion. We celebrated with a flag cake that all the kids were excited about! We went to the pool and played and generally the cousins got to know each other. They haven't seen each other since M&M were about 6 months old.

Michael and Mary Ellen are so much like how Andrew and Amy were growing up. Although not twins like M&M they are very close in age. Mary Ellen shares many physical characteristics with her Aunt Amy, as Michael does with Andrew. Great picture of the 4 of them. M&M are still waving flags around the house...they loved it!

I love these last two pictures of Andrew with M&M and Brygs. Brygs was born just 2 months before M&M. It will be so fun seeing them grow up together. I'm sure they will be great friends!

I hope everyone appreciates those who sacrifice for our freedoms this year and every year. Great weekend of celebrating with OUR hero :-)

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!

Papa & Mama Jo Visit!

It's been so nice to actually live near family again! Andrew's parents came for a visit a few weeks ago to help out with M&M. The initial stages of building our house has kept us busy and having to attend several baby-free meetings. So thoughtful that they would drive across the state just so we can go to a few meetings. We did lots of the standard stuff while they were here, like going for walks and playing in the pool. But you can rest assured that if we were inside, you'd find Michael with the train set....

...and Mary Ellen with the books!

We did get to spend time outside in the water too. The pool, the sprinkler or just the hose are hours of fun.

They were both fussing over who got to sit on the sit-and-spin. So our solution was just to put both of them on it. They seemed satisfied and had fun trying to spin it!

Mary Ellen hated the sprinkler at first. I think it was just cold and startling to her. So we eased her into it by stepping on most of the sprayers until she got closer and then used to it. Now that's the fun game...to stop up the sprayer with her foot or hands.

That little girl loves sticking her face right in it now!

Now have you ever seen a happier little guy? Michael has always LOVED the water!

I'm telling you...we've been to some really fancy pools but this little blow-up one is a hit! The best $10 we ever spent...got to love Walmart :-)

Fun time with Papa and Mama Jo! We truly feel blessed to be back in the South and know that M&M will be able to grow up seeing their grandparents often. Life is good!