The 4th of July

Independence Day was a very nice day.

It is a special day for us as Americans to celebrate our independence and to recognize those who have and who continue to fight for our freedom. 

Independence Day also has a special meaning for me and Russ.

We were engaged on Independence Day in 2002. 

I love the 4th of July.

Each year, my mother's side of the family has a family reunion picnic so we began our day with them and unfortunately only stayed about 30 minutes before the storm sent us back to the van.

It was nice to see aunts, uncles, cousins, and their children.

It was fun to share our children, too.

With us living away, it is easy for me to forget about my distant family not "seeing" our boys.

 It is also easy for me to forget how proud it makes you feel to share your children with others.

Can you imagine how proud the moms and dads of those fighting for our country must be?
Wow.

After our visit with the Plunk Family, we went to visit with my Dad and Ms. Anita, and her family.  Lunch was delicious and Lawson and Emmitt enjoyed playing with Abby, Sullivan, and Cary Allen.  They were so good with them and oh, so patient.  Mama B and Daddy Denton were also there and it was great to visit with them, too.

Later that night, we had dinner at Mr. Richard and Mrs. Jane's.  We enjoyed hamburgers and hotdogs with the trimmings, and then homemade ice cream for dessert.  It was very good.  All of that food seems to taste better on the 4th... or is it just me?

The food was really good... all.day.long. :)

We closed the night with FIREWORKS! 

I really enjoy fireworks.  I have fond memories of my dad taking me and my sister to buy fireworks and then having a big time shooting them with my family and cousins.  Fireworks brought a lot of fun to our house when we were growing up.

My mom went with us and let Lawson pick out whatever he wanted, and Russ picked up a few others.  My mom and Ms. Jane Hudgins joined us at Russ' parents for the firework show and it was very enjoyable.  Lawson wasn't scared this year and Emmitt didn't seem bothered in the least.  I was glad about that.

It was a fun, yet calm day.  It was just right.

Thank you, God, for this great country and for its independence. 

May you continue to bless us, and may we continue to look for you in each day.

Lately

So, lots has been going on at our house lately...

Lawson has a new book that he can read all by himself... Blue Hat, Green Hat.  He is reading it to Emmitt.

It has like three words per page, but he loves to read it, and it is very funny.

He cleaned out one of the cabinets and decided to have a seat in this big pan.  It was thrown away later in the day as it was destroyed.  Imagine that.  :)

We met some friends from church at the park one morning and had a great time.  Emmitt had to sit in his stroller most of the time... :( not much longer, I hope!

It was a GREAT park for children, by the way!

This is the only pic I got that morning... and there was another little boy named Emmitt playing there.

-Song Leader Lawson-

His "glove" is in his "pocket"... :)

We discovered this "wall" not long after arriving home from Sam's with a large package of paper towels... we can't turn our back these days.

It quickly turned into this...

...and eventually, this...

Who knew paper towels could be so much fun?

I am working on "laughing" these days rather than having my feathers ruffled.

This was one time that I laughed, and am glad I did. :)

===

It has been one HOT summer.  We've enjoyed the sprinkler on a few occasions.

:)

Bubbles make everyone smile, don't they?

We found the cutest fire-truck-bubble-blower at Marshall's, and they love it!

We got the chance to swim with friends one weekend while in Martin.

My best friend, Jennifer, and her husband have a pool at their new house and it was so refreshing and relaxing!

Mr. Emmitt

Taking a sucker break...

-Rhett-

He is quite the swimmer and so bravely jumps from the diving board!

Love this picture!

-We are in this crazy "cheeeeezze" stage-

Miss Ruby Claire... she is so sweet!!! Could you sop her up with a biscuit or what?!

She was like a little fish loving that swimming pool!

:)

It was a fun afternoon!

===

Emmitt's first "part"...

Minute to Win It is back on for the summer so you can imagine what it is like the day or two after we watch it... he loves it, but his level of "playing" can be exhausting!  And coming up with activities for him to "win" as you count for one minute, and talk on the big speaker, and cheer him on... and then you try again... and then you clap and hug and jump up and down when he "wins". Over and over and over again.  Exhausting, but worth it, I suppose.  :)

In addition to Minute to Win It, America's Got Talent is also on... Tuesday night T.V. is great!!

America's Got Talent is my all-time favorite summer show. I can hardly wait for the next Tuesday night to roll around!

===

He's into puzzles these days... he can do this one by himself.

And yes, the curtains are hung the wrong way.  Russ was out of town when they were purchased meaning they weren't hung until after he got back.  I mentioned it is HOT here, so I hung them sideways on three pant hangers and voila!  They at least covered up part of the hot afternoon sun. 

Sadly, I don't recall taking this picture, and maybe I didn't, but nonetheless, Emmitt must have had fun with the puzzle, too.

Lawson has enjoyed "camping out" in his tent a couple of nights over the past few weeks.

The goal is for him to SLEEP, so whatever works is good with us. 

He loves his tent that his Nana gave him last Christmas, and his sleeping bag that Daddy Bell and Ms. Anita gave him for his birthday.

This is a first... Emmitt fell asleep in his high chair while waiting for me to come clean him up.  Neither of them have ever done this.

With it being so hot out, I've been pulling new things out of the hat.  I had some water paints so we gave them a whirl and he had so much fun!

And he's about to get it...

And lastly, the heat seems to bring on the storms these days.  These clouds were beautiful the other afternoon.  The silver lining was so vibrant that I had to take a pic.

My big camera is in the shop for a cleaning as clarity has decreased over the past few months, so I am using my point and shoot which is not always as clear, but trust me... they were beautiful!

I believe that is all... as you can see, lots of memories have been made at our house lately.

Thanks for reading... I hope you enjoy your weekend!

Happy Birthday, Lawson! {3 years}

On May 28, 2011, we celebrated Lawson's 3rd birthday!

I am way behind on this posting, but it is certainly worthy of posting no matter the date.

It is so hard to believe that it has been three years since we traveled to the hospital on that beautiful crisp morning in May, just the two of us, and then three days later returned as a family of three.

Where has the time gone?

=1 day old=

Lawson's 1st birthday!

-Lawson and daddy-

Lawson's 2nd Birthday!

-Enjoying his blue sucker from Friday Sucker Day at his school-

Blue suckers are his fave!

We miss you, Mandy! :(

Lawson's 3rd Birthday!

-Enjoyed lunch and birthday cake at Pizza Hut in Martin-

=Me and Lawson on the morning of his birthday=

On a side note, both boys and I received haircuts on Lawson's birthday.  This was Emmitt's first haircut and although Mrs. Amber tried her best, it didn't go so well.  Russ and I have since cut it three times.  He doesn't seem too bothered by it here at home.  But here's to documenting another "first".

Isn't my hair getting long?!  :)

The birthday boy ready for a haircut.

A small birthday party for lunch and cake at Pizza Hut.

Our guests were Nana, Daddy Bell and Ms. Anita, Aunt Julie, and then me and Emmitt.

Aunt Julie and Lawson

Her hair is growing, too!

Me, Emmitt, and Lawson

Later that afternoon we played outside at Grandmother and Granddad's.  Nana bought him some water guns and he experienced his first water gun fight.  He got with it very quickly.  :)

He will probably kill me over the underwear pics in the years to come.

Russ, Emmitt, and Lawson

{I PROMISE they have clothes... promise.}  :)

Another birthday cake at Grandmother and Granddad's

White cake with white icing, requested by Lawson... was actually very good... kind of like wedding cake. :)

I added a few of his bulldozers for the sake of being a boy. 

Imagine this... Emmitt devoured his birthday cake!!

And now for his birthday gift.

He is all about "surprises" these days.  He will tell you to close your eyes as he counts to like fifteen... (ugh) and then he screams, "SURPRISE!!

So, we gave him an eye-closing-counting-surprise!

The excitement in the following pictures is priceless!

SURPRISE!

A new John Deere bicycle!!!

It was the perfect gift!  We walk every night so that he can ride his bike.  He can go pretty fast and loves to use the brakes.  That is actually the first thing he tells people when they ask or comment about his bike... "it has brakes!"  :)

He will still randomly thank us for his bike.  He really does love it!

And lastly, the Thursday before his birthday he had a party at his school.

Once again, I allowed him to pick his cake and icing flavor.  He chose white cake with strawberry icing.  Sounds good, but of course the icing was PINK.  He then picked out the sports candy toppers... so totally cool according to him, and he was very excited about sharing them with his friends.  Oh, well.

At school with his friends...

Lawson, Jora, Ben, Hunter...

And then once again, Ben, Hunter, and then David, and Lyla

~Lyla, his sweet little girl friend~

And that concludes his 3rd birthday celebration!

I am so thankful for his little life... for on his special day, May 28, 2008, we became parents and God filled our lives with a new joy... a joy we could have never imagined.

Thank you, God, for Lawson.  Thank you for breathing life into his precious body and for giving him to us.

We love you, Lawson Bragg, and look forward to what lies ahead!