Today was bittersweet around here...it was Abby's last day of school at EFUMC. There are so many things happening around our house in May, that it ended up where she'd only be in school about three days that month. So, today when school was over, she gave a lot of hugs and kisses to two of favorite people - Ms. Stephanie and Ms. Jennifer. It's the end of an era for Abby at EFUMC. She started when she was only 7 months old as a member of the Kangaroo Class. Since then she was a Bunny, and Tiger and now a Duck. After four school years, it's hard to say goodbye. She is super excited that she will begin Ms. Eloise's this fall, but sad to leave the place that she's called "school" for so long. On a personal note, we want to thank everyone involved in any way with EFUMC....you've watched our girl, taught our girl and loved our girl...thank you isn't even enough. We love you all!
We have been living our lives to the fullest since the last time that we updated our about what's been happening. So many wonderful stories, quips, pictures and events have gone on and to sum it all up, here's our Top Ten - in no particular order, ha!
(1) Abby's school Easter party (Thursday, April 14th) - As a room mom for the Duck Class Easter party, we got all dressed up and headed to FUMC the morning of the party. The kiddos got to enjoy lots of fun including an egg hunt, story time, a visit from a real bunny, McDonald Happy Meal lunches and lots of Easter candy!
(2) April 14th - The twins turn 11 months old! It is absolutely surreal to realize that our two love bugs are only weeks away from the big O-N-E year!!!! At 11 months they are doing awesome! They are 18 (Blaire) and 17 (Reagan) pounds. Blaire is crawling like crazy and talking a ton (Daddy, Hey...and even said "Auburn" back on May 8th). Reagan is clapping and crawling now too!
(3) Pool Party in the USA - One of the best things about living in Tartan Pines (besides the house that we are in love with..and the golf course only steps away!) is the pool! It is open year round so when you are ready to swim, it is ready for you. After lunch time on Saturday (April 16th) we called Jess over and packed up the stroller and bike for a nice little afternoon stroll to the pool. The twins had no desire to relax so it was a bit of a pain, but eventually we got into the "swim" of things and it was a fun afternoon...complete with the mother of all Mommy sunburns as well! (Note to self: When worrying about the kiddos sunscreen, don't forget your self too!)
(4) Two words: SPRING BREAK! Thanks to our awesome relatives, Aunt Julia and Uncle Lomax Fulford, we were able to head down to the beach (Panama City Beach) and enjoy an awesome Spring Break vacation! Abby had been looking forward to this week for the past two months and she was soooo excited that "Spring Break Vacation" finally arrived! We headed out on Sunday (April 17th) afternoon and came back into town on Thursday (April 21st). During our beach stay we hit the water, the stores, the restaurants, the kiddo park, the piers, and the fun spots...but some of the best moments came when sitting in the bedroom, you could hear the babies laugh while Abby says that she "has had the best day of her whole entire life of the last one thousand years." LOL!
(5) Beach Babes! During our Spring Break trip, it was Blaire and Reagan's first time at the beach - and it was a success! Although Blaire decided that it was more fun to eat the sand than play with it, the girls had a great time at the beach. On Monday (April 18th) they went with us to the beach but laid low in the shade, but on Tuesday (April 19th) they got lotioned up and hit the rays and the water!
(6) 4th Annual Playgroup Easter Party and Egg Hunt - Yep, it's been 4 years and we are still going strong every Easter! It is one of our favorite events of the year and it's so much fun to have our friends over to decorate Easter "baskets", hunt eggs, lunch and enjoy a day of playtime and hanging out! This year's party (on Friday April 22) was no different...although we missed friends that have moved away, we enjoyed new friends this year. And as always, we took an annual "couch" picture to show the kiddos getting ready for the egg hunt...this year, I believe we finally out grew the couch - what do you think? Ha!
(7) There are many rumors surrounding the reason why we dye eggs at Easter time, but one thing we know is that it is a fun family tradition that our families have been doing for years, and we have continued with our daughters. Friday night (April 22) after dinner, we colored eggs and enjoyed some awesome family time together around the table...and watching Blaire and Reagan enjoy the beginnings of their first Easter celebrations!
(8) April 23rd - Saturday Smiles - It was a fun filled jam packed day of parties, events, golf and activities for the entire Wade family. We headed out the door by 9 AM and were still going strong at 6 PM! After the Wade women went to enjoy the "Journey to the Cross" presentation and party in the morning, Eric headed out to the golf course. By afternoon's nap time, Eric stayed home with the twins while Abby went to her friends (Hattie and Grace) birthday party at the park. And how else to relax after a long day? Manis and pedis with Mommy! It was a great day and we were all full of Saturday smiles!
(9) Easter Sunday - "But the words 'it was counted to him' were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification." (Romans 4:23-25) It was a gorgeous day to celebrate Christ who was raised from the dead! He is risen - He is risen indeed! We love this particular time of year and there is nothing better than to celebrate with other believers the foundation of our faith. Along with going to our church's Easter service, we also celebrated the day with other Easter customs including a visit from the Easter Bunny and lunch with family and friends. It was truly a wonderful day!
(10) Third Thursday - Although our schedules got rescheduled this month, we were still able to fit a "3rd Thursday" dinner in April. Since our church was having a service on Thursday night, we had to figure out another time that we could get together. So...in short, 3rd Thursday became 4th Monday this month! Ha ha! And April was our month to host the dinner and hanging out for the night with Jen and Aaron while munching on some hamburgers, brats, side dishes and dessert. Yum!
Currently uploading, downloading, unloading, super loading, back loading, freeloading, overloading, offloading and reloading pictures and updates for the blog...will be under construction until there is actually enough time in the day to post.
After almost an entire afternoon in the courthouse dealing with issues regarding the 4th Amendment, I (Barbara) was glad to see Wednesday night come around...it's that weekly night where I seize the youth group and take them to places unknown, ha! Our family loves our church - Providence Baptist Church in Clayhatcee, AL - but there is a special place in our hearts for the youth group. I've been Youth Director of PACT 24/7 (Providence's Active Christian Teens) for several years and each year I realize that as I teach, I also learn. Tonight, 18 teenagers brought smiles to my face and reminded me that after a day of crimes and trouble, there are still good youth in this world and I am proud to be not only their Youth Director, but their friend.
PS - A little humor that made me laugh when I heard it today! Enjoy:
A minister and lawyer were chatting at a party: "What do you do if you make a mistake on a case?" the minister asked. "Try to fix it if it's big; ignore it if it's insignificant," replied the lawyer. "What do you do?"
The minister replied "Oh, more or less the same. Let me give you an example. The other day I meant to say 'the devil is the father of liars,' but instead I said 'the devil is the father of lawyers', so I let it go."
"We do not remember days; we remember moments." (Cesare Pavese)
There were lots of memories made in our house today...some good, some not so good. We had a little bit of baby drama (teething, head hitting, glass breaking, food spitting, etc.) and a little bit of toddler drama (temper tantrums, stubbed toes, and ear troubles). It seemed like we started the day with it and ended the day with it. So, it was a nice change of pace this afternoon, right smack dab in the middle of the day - when the sun was shining, the weather was gorgeous and all the household diva attitudes were taking a break - that some of our best and most wonderful spring time memories were made!
Well, it's been a while since today's major event happened - and knowing what we know, it'll be a while before it happens again. Curious? Interested? Give up on what we're talking about? OK, we'll fill you in...a Saturday with NOTHING on our calendar. Honestly, nothing. We couldn't believe it when we saw it ourselves...nowhere to go, nothing to do, no one visiting, no jobs, no activities, no parties...literally, nothing. However, it doesn't take us long to turn nothing into something, ha! Eric headed off to the golf course while his women (ha!) headed out for a neighborhood walk. The walk seemed to be a bit more enjoyable than the golf game (or as he would say - his was a good walk ruined!). The twins loved their stroll around the neighborhood and Abby loved the little pit stop at the subdivision's pool! When everyone got home, we enjoyed a lazy afternoon of naps and the Masters on television (we'll let you guess as to who napped and who watched the Masters!). With still some time before night fell, Abby got a little piggy-action from the "best pedicure lady in the whole world" - her Mommy! (Gotta love that kid!) After lots of playing, we sat down for a great Saturday night dinner - pizza! Then it was bed time...for all since our day of nothing turned out to be quite exhausting!
The girls are crawling!!!!! Yep, it started about a week or two ago and now they are all over the place! You can put them down in one spot of the living room and before you know it, they are either on the other side or in another room. But of course, the times I get my video camera out, what do they do? They act like they've never crawled before, ha! But, regardless, this morning about 6:30 AM I took out the camera and got some shots of them crawling around the upstairs den. Enjoy!
OK...in our house, we know all too well the worries that come when babies arrive earlier than expected. Which is why we have added two very special people to our prayer lists. First, our cousin, Heather. She is preggers with her third child - this time she's having a boy! Little Ethan Cole Bryant isn't due for another 8-9 weeks but apparently Heather's body isn't thinking the same thing! She headed to the hospital late last night and will be there all day today and tonight. There is also the strong possibility that tomorrow she will be taken to another hospital where there is a NICU, in case Ethan really does come early! We love love love this family and will be keeping them in our prayers during this time. And while we're worried about Heather, we've also been worried about our dear friend, Loren. She is preggers with her first pregnancy - and it's twin boys! She's now at 29 weeks and has been in and out of the doctor's offices as well as the hospital. She's trying to hold off until at least 34-35 weeks before Brigham and Baylor arrive. Her doc has put her on home rest and we stopped by today to see her and give those baby boys some early hugs from us. Please pray with us for Loren and her family during this experience.
What started out as just a normal Tuesday around here, became a great family day!!! Eric left early in the morning to head out of town for a hearing...which meant that Abby, who normally gets a ride to school from her Daddy, got stuck with her Mommy this morning, ha! The four Wade women packed up and headed to drop Abby off and then the rest of us came back home for Mommy to get some work done - for clients, youth members and even some household things. Right before lunchtime we got a call from Eric saying that he heading back into town and wanted to take three of his four favorite girls to lunch at the clubhouse. It was awesome! One sandwich, one wrap, two bottles and an hour and a half later we were headed back home. Eric then took the 4Runner for some much needed tire rotation, and on the way home picked up our favorite 4 year old from school. Abby got an additional surprise when she heard that there was an afternoon tee time on the golf course with her name on it! She and her Daddy headed out and had a great afternoon on the greens! After golfing was over we enjoyed a family dinner around the table and it was the perfect ending to a perfect day!
...falling behind in blogging that is! Whew...it's been a long week and a half since we last gave you the update about what's happened in our lives and our family! Now that we have a few minutes to sit down and relax, we wanted to share!
Last we talked, you got to see some pics from the bunny photog shoot that happened at our friend Donna's house. Right after the pictures were taken, we rolled out of Enterprise and headed up to the Hatch for a big night! The twins spent most of the evening over at Aunt Carol and Ra Ra's house while Abby got to join the church youth group for their Forever Friends Bible Study. She had a ball - thanks everyone for making Friday night work out as great as it did!
On Saturday, March 26th we had big plans...until the plans fell through, ha! It was the annual Piney Woods Festival in Enterprise, but this year it was a big flop. Thankfully, we sent out a scout and she came back with a report to which we changed our plans - and ended up enjoying a super day at home with lots of relaxing playtime and snuggles.
Every now and then, we get an occasional snow storm...a possible tornado...a bad thunderstorm...but not Sunday March 27th - we got hail. And lots of it. After church we headed home to our awesome family lunch and all of a sudden, it sounded like rocks were pounding our house. Thankfully we had no damage but needless to say, our girls like hail just about as much as they like thunder and lightening storms.
On Monday, March 28th a big event happened at the Wade house - Blaire started crawling!!! Sure enough, after dinner we were in the upstairs den playing and all of a sudden, she got up on all fours and started talking off. It reminds us of a colt just born and attempting to stand on her own...but regardless, it's an awesome sight to see and we know that in days, she'll be all over the place!
Although the weather report said bad weather was coming through on Tuesday night and Wednesday, by Wednesday morning it was basically just a little bit of rain and not enough to stop our "Let's use up our gift cards" shopping spree! Ha ha! We packed up, grabbed Aunt Carol on the way, and headed over to the Dothan Mall. Hours upon hours later, we were back home - and resting! The girls enjoyed their day out and we managed to mark 5 out of the 6 major things off our shopping spree list...by spending hardly any money at all, woo hoo! After we all managed to take a little nap, we headed off to church....at least two of the five of us did! Abby is a member of the Mission Friends class on Wednesday nights at Providence and she loves it! She is a huge fan of Ms. Rhonda (her teacher) and loves all of the activities and letter work she does!
Thursday afternoon (March 31st) brought another big moment to our house - Reagan started crawling! She started getting up on all fours about last week and we've noticed in the past few days she was rocking back and forth...but on Thursday, she started taking off. BUT, not like Blaire, just like Abby! For those of you that remember, Abby had a weird little crawl we called her "army crawl" where one of her arms never straightened out and it looked like she was crawling along while on her stomach. Reagan's started doing the same thing! But boy is she fast when she does it! Whew!!
On Friday, April 1st it wasn't a day for pranks around our house. We packed up the car with suitcases, stroller and Jessica and headed southwest to the big metropolis of Pensacola, Florida!!! It was the weekend for the Sacred Heart Hospital's NICU Reunion. All NICU graduates (and family) were invited to come back to the Heart for a day for fun and fellowship with the doctors, nurses, staff and other NICU families. And you know that we weren't going to miss that for the world!!! When we first got into Pensacola, we headed up to the new Ronald McDonald House (which opened only a couple of months after we were visitors of the old house). We got a personal tour and it was just a beautiful place! We reconnected with a bunch of the staff members from there and they loved all over our precious girls. Then we headed over to the Moors where we bunked down for the night with the Tripletts! Gene and Patty were so very kind to welcome us into their gorgeous home! We had a blast - spaghetti dinner, presents, company, a huge spread of guest bedrooms and bathrooms at our disposal, breakfast, anything we needed or could have wanted was there! It was a perfect home away from home - thanks you two! On Saturday morning we headed on to the reunion and it was WONDERFUL...a walk around the campus, a bouncy house, tattoos, snow cones, cotton candy, cake and punch, special visitors (Red Bird, Ronald McDonald, the Chick-Fil-A cow, etc), lots of booths and tables to check out, hand painting station, our dear friends that we met, etc. But the best thing was the people....we LOVE our SHH nurses and doctors! From the L&D ladies that had to put up with our crazy preggo ramblings (ha!) to the NICU nurses that performed miracles to the doctors that were worth their weight in gold - we LOVE everyone! It was by far the most horrific part of our lives and to go back ten months later and still feel the love, nurturing, caring, etc. We just can't even explain what a wonderful feeling it was! And to our special loves - Valerie, Marilee, Erin and Amanda...we say it to our girls, and we will forever say it to you four "Love, love, love!" This time last year, we were strangers. Today, they are family.
After a whirlwind weekend away, Sunday morning came mighty fast and it was time to head on over to Providence. The youth sponsored an event ("Standing On His Promises") where we gave church family members and friends the opportunity to come write their favorite verse or scripture reference on the floors of our new building. It was so much fun and we enjoyed every minute!
Then, we had a special surprise for Abby, Reagan and Blaire. After giving Abby six hints as to what the special surprise was, she finally got it when the last hint "It is in the driveway" revealed her grandparents, Gramercy and Papa Doc, who have come to visit us and give out lots of hugs, smiles and love!
So...we have officially caught up our crazy life on this blog. A dear friend cracked us up when she said "What - like you don't have anything else going on?" when we realized we hadn't updated in a while! Ha ha! Our family is definitely never at a loss for activities or happenings - and as always, we love sharing all of it with you!
r Abby at EFUMC. She started when she was only 7 months old as a member of the Kangaroo Class. Since then she was a Bunny, and Tiger and now a Duck. After four school years, it's hard to say goodbye. She is super excited that she will begin Ms. Eloise's this fall, but sad to leave the place that she's called "school" for so long. On a personal note, we want to thank everyone involved in any way with EFUMC....you've watched our girl, taught our girl and loved our girl...thank you isn't even enough. We love you all!
r Abby at EFUMC. She started when she was only 7 months old as a member of the Kangaroo Class. Since then she was a Bunny, and Tiger and now a Duck. After four school years, it's hard to say goodbye. She is super excited that she will begin Ms. Eloise's this fall, but sad to leave the place that she's called "school" for so long. On a personal note, we want to thank everyone involved in any way with EFUMC....you've watched our girl, taught our girl and loved our girl...thank you isn't even enough. We love you all!
