The Chavis Family

WOW...it's been a long time!

2011-03-28T10:24:00.000-07:00

I can't believe the last time I updated our blog was the day Kate was born!! We've been busy and things are crazy...but great! Here are a few pictures of Kate taken just days/weeks after she was born. I have more recent ones I'll post soon.

This might be the only picture we have of the four of us so far!

She's here...

2010-12-08T18:18:00.000-08:00

Kate arrived this morning at 9:25.

She weighs 9 lbs. and she's 21 inches long.

She's a very healthy and hungry little girl.

Almost Time...

2010-11-17T10:39:00.000-08:00

Today we are 36 weeks pregnant and Kate is scheduled to arrive three weeks from today on December 8th. We feel pretty ready and prepared. Her room is in order, the car seat is in the car, everything is planned out for Mimi to take care of Joe and I and G to take care of Brady. : )

So, I've been reflecting a little lately. I LOVE our little family of three! I am so excited to add to our family but I am also nervous to see the bond between the three of us change.

I just love these two guys so much!!

Goodbye family of three...hello family of four!

We have a name!!!

2010-07-29T19:00:00.000-07:00

Today we're 20 weeks and 1 day. Last Thursday we found out we're having a girl.

Her name is Katherine Reese Chavis.

We're calling her Kate! We're so excited!!

Our camera is NOT broken...

2010-05-21T05:48:00.000-07:00

Our camera is NOT broken. I have no excuse for why we haven't taken many pictures lately. We've done a lot of "picture worthy" things, but we have forgotten the camera. Here are a few pictures that were on my camera from a few weeks ago.

I can't believe how much Brady has grown.

Mimi, Brady and I went to Isle of Palms for the day a few weeks ago. The water was a little chilly, but Brady didn't care at all!

These are two examples of what I get from Brady when I ask him to smile for a picture. ; )

Brady fishing with Dad at Pop's Jamie's house. Brady has his own Batman rod now and he loves to practice casting it. He's so proud of himself. One of our neighbors who is 3 years older than Brady tried to cast it the other day and he couldn't do it. So, Brady said let me show you how my Dad taught me to do it. He actually taught the other boy how to do it.

This picture sums up our lives lately. We are outside ALL of the time. We go in to eat and take a bath and sleep. Well, does the screened in porch count as technically eating "inside"?

Easter...

2010-04-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter Weekend!

Friday night we went to the Easter Egg Hunt at church. There was so much to do there and Brady had a great time. Saturday we went to Brycen's birthday party in the morning and we spent a few minutes dying Easter eggs in the afternoon. Brady did a great job with this.

Sunday's service was beautiful and very moving for Joe and I. I wish I could say the same for our Easter family picture...but it is what it is...you take what you can get. This is the best picture we got of Brady...thank you Katie. Wouldn't this be a great sibling photo? Too bad you all know she's not ours. : )

This is how we felt about pictures once we got home!!

We quickly changed our clothes and headed to Mimi and G's for lunch and an Easter egg hunt.

After nap Joe and Brady did some yard work.

Then we finished off the day with a picinic dinner outside.

Catching Up...

2010-04-12T07:22:00.000-07:00

Saturday March 13th Joe and Brian helped Bill and Caroline move so Tasha and I took the boys to the Saint Patty's celebration. The boys had a great time riding all kinds of rides together.

Saturday March 20th Joe and I took Brady to Farmville at EdVenture. They had all types of farm equipment and activities set up in the parking lot. The weather was beautiful and this was a lot of fun.

Brady loved "driving" this little tractor.

The wheel barrow races were serious business!!

Brady really liked these little goats.

Of course sitting on all of the tractors was a big hit!

A Great Dad...

2010-03-10T05:00:00.000-08:00

Today is Joe's birthday so I want to share a little story about him.

For those of you who know Joe you probably know he finds great pride in being able to fix things himself. He pretty much refuses to pay someone to (and I quote), "fix something I can fix myself." There is one small exception to this rule which applies to Brian and our computer...Joe gladly accepts defeat in that area. : )

AND he did let me pay someone to paint our kitchen and playroom before we moved into our house BUT he painted the laundry room.

You get the point...

So, my garage door opener has been broken for a few weeks. Joe took it apart and figured out what was wrong and ordered replacement parts online.

(New door = $200 Replacement parts =$25)

He worked for several hours a few Friday's ago and it still wouldn't work. He finally had to stop working and walk away from it Friday night. Saturday morning he was in the garage before 8 am trying to figure out what he was missing. Brady and I could hear the door go up a little then stop and go back down. I knew Joe was about to scream!! Brady went to the garage door and knocked and yelled for Joe to let him come out there. As frustrated as Joe was he let Brady come out and "help" him. Brady was really serious about this. He put on his work vest (over his PJ's) and got his tools and climbed up the ladder.

I'm sure Joe was thinking, "Well you sure can't hurt it, it doesn't work anyway."

This is Brady basically stunned because, "If Dad can't fix it who will?"

Then Brady touched a sensor with his screwdriver and a lightbulb went off in Joe's head!!!

Then I got this picture!! VICTORY!!!

Thanks Joe for everything you do for our family! Thanks for always including Brady!

He loves you and so do I! Happy Birthday!!

Up Close...

2010-03-03T09:12:00.000-08:00

I love these pictures G captured of Brady!

Apparently no Klenex at the farm!?!

The Farm...

2010-03-02T05:50:00.001-08:00

Saturday G took Brady to Mr. Sease's farm in Newberry. When I say farm I really mean it. This is not a large garden. Mr. Sease takes care of his family's farm. Brady loves going here and he had a great time Saturday. Last time he went he got to help "Sease" feed a calf with a bottle so he was very excited to see how big the calf was going to be this time.

Brady said riding on the 4-wheeler was his favorite thing!

Brady was perfectly happy sitting on hay watching the cows.

Hey what's in there?

At home Brady lined up the tractors from his bucket and pointed to each one saying, "Sease has this tractor. Sease doesn't have this tractor." He was really paying attention.

I know Brady and G had a great time. I'm so glad Brady got to have this experience.

Thanks G!!!

Birthday Party...

2010-02-22T09:48:00.000-08:00

Sunday was Brady's birthday. We had his party Saturday at Marionette Theatre. His party was in the Dino Park room and the show was A Dinosaur's Tale.

The kids enjoyed coloring dinosaur pictures, playing Twister, getting dinosaur tattoos and eating cake before the show.

Brady was first in line to let Joe put on his tattoo.

Brady enjoyed opening a few gifts at the party. He opened the rest of his gifts at home Saturday afternoon. He was so excited about everything he got.

Brady's dinosaur cakes. One was vanilla and one was chocolate.

A few of Brady's friends waiting for the show to start...being silly! : )

The puppet show was fun. The T-Rex was the big hit!!

Rock it...

2010-02-19T05:49:00.001-08:00

Last night Brady asked us (actually begged is more like it) if he could open his birthday gift from us. He knew what was in the box. I asked him several weeks ago what he wanted us to get him for his birthday and he asked for a new guitar. His "old" one is broken because apparently an $8 guitar from Walgreens can't survive being slammed on the floor (thank you Alvin and the Chipmunks). So, Tasha and I found this one at Toys R Us Wednesday night.

I'm so glad we let him open it! Joe and I had front row seats to this little concert! : )

The Hot Sign...

2010-02-16T12:25:00.000-08:00

So after all of the fun in the Snow on Saturday we headed to Krispy Kreme. We picked up Mamaw around 5 and we set off to spend our free doughnut Valentine's we recieved on Friday.

(Thanks to Coleman and Lauren!)

Mimi and G were on their way back from South America on Saturday so we took this picture for them. G loves Krispy Kreme!! We didn't leave them out...we left a dozen on the kitchen counter at their house as a welcome home/valentine gift. :)

This was the first time we had taken Brady here so he was excited to pick out his own doughnut and he loved watching them make the doughnuts.

Sugar = Silliness!!

All of the doughnuts on the belt were heart shaped.

Gotta love the hat!

This picture sums up our whole weekend. We had a great time being crazy together.

SNOW FUN!!!

2010-02-14T15:00:00.000-08:00

Brady had a great time with this great group of kids in our nieghborhood Friday afternoon. They were able to build this snowman in the yard across the street while it was still snowing Friday.

All of the parents were having just as much fun in the snow!!

Saturday morning everyone was up and ready to play in the snow pretty early. We got out several of Brady's tractors, but there was a lot of ice too and it was a little too slippery.

Brady making a snow angel with Patton.

Sledding quickly became the favorite activity. The Pender's front yard was fun (but dangerous) so the kids moved to our backyard where they could continue down the hill in to the Ringer's backyard.

The sled Brady was using had "breaks" so Joe would give him a big push and he would fly down the hill until he pulled the handles up to stop himself. He loved this!!

The Scoggins had these sleds in their garage...I'm still not sure how a family from SC accumulates 4 sleds. ???

The look on Brady's face says it all!!!

Brady wasn't too sure about racing Brandon down the hill at first, but of couse he did it once and wanted to keep doing it over and over.

This was the life lesson for the weekend...you and your sled must climb back up the hill to get another turn going down the hill.

We are thankful for these experiences this weekend. We all had a great time!!

Snow Pictures...

2010-02-14T14:30:00.000-08:00

The snow started at our house around 3:45 on Friday. This is the 1st picture we took. It had been snowing for about 5 minutes and we had all just gotten outside with the kids. At this point we thought we should take advantage of the snow in case it didn't last long.

These are the best two neighbors anyone could have...Susanne and Susanne. :)

This is the first picture we took of our house on Friday when it had been snowing for about 30 minutes.

This was the view from our front porch when it had been snowing about an hour. We all had to go inside and change into warmer clothes when we realized it was actually going to keep snowing.

This was the view of our back yard from our bedroom window Friday afternoon around 5:00ish.

This was our street around 7:00 Friday night.

Our neighborhood looked like the mountains. The trees were beautiful.

This was our house Saturday morning around 8:00.

I have tons of pictures to post of Brady playing in the snow.

I'll get those on here later tonight or tomorrow. :)

The Circus...

2010-02-08T05:48:00.001-08:00

We had a great time at the circus on Saturday. This was Brady's first trip to the circus and he loved it. He started out in his own seat, but quickly got in Joe's lap so he could see everything. At the beginning there was so much going on at the same time he didn't know where to look.

Notice the light up toy in Brady's hand...we bought that at Wal-Mart before the circus...for $3!!!

On the way back to the car I asked Brady what was his favorite thing. He said, "The elephants and the tigers and when can we go back again?"

We were on the 7th row right in front of everything so he could see all of this really well.

The confetti at the end was a big hit!!

Brady takes a nap from 1 - 3 everyday....everyday! So when we were still in the circus at 1:15 I started wondering if he would make it to the car. He did...he walked to the car and got in his seat and barely made it out of the parking lot before he fell asleep. :)

We can't wait to go back next year!!

December Fun...

2010-01-05T07:05:00.000-08:00

December was a lot of FUN!!

Brady & Brycen watching the puppet show at Will's birthday party. His party was at a fire station and the boys had a great time!

Obviously Brady was thrilled to be inside the fire truck!

We went to the lights at Saluda Shoals with the Miller's and the Robinson's. Here are Joe and Brady waiting in line to do the new snow tube slide.

They pushed the tube down the slide backwards...Brady was so excited!

They both had a blast!!

We also enjoyed the lights at the zoo again this year. We LOVE this! Mimi and G had a great time too.

Mimi, Joe and Brady rode the carousel while G and I got popcorn and hot chocolate. :)

Brady opening a "monster truck" from Mamaw on Christmas Eve.

Ok...seriously trucks get this kid excited!!

Brady bowling down the hall...this was a big hit.

This trampoline was from grandad and Beth. Brady wasn't sure about it at first but now he LOVES it!

This tool set from Uncle Ben and Jessica and the work bench from Pop and Jamie

were serious business for Brady.

All of the Chavis men on Christmas morning...and yes they are ALL crazy!

Mimi and G got Brady a blower to match his weed eater. He could hardly wait for Joe to open it and put in the batteries.

Here we are wrapping up a busy and fun Christmas day. Brady's brand new cousin Kaylee got the book Snuggle Puppy from Mimi and G for Christmas. Brady and I are professionals after almost 3 years of practice so we sang it to her before all of the adults headed off to a movie and Mimi stayed home with the kids. : )

Thank you Mimi!!

Update...

2009-12-03T07:24:00.000-08:00

Things have been crazy at the Chavis house. Brady has had strep & the flu at the same time. However we have had some fun over the past few weeks too. : )

Brady & his buddy Aiddan sitting in the chair watching "Mud Trucks" on TV.

This is one of Brady's favorite things right now. He says the brown blanket is mud and he drives his trucks on it while watching one of Joe's old rock crawling videos. He's very serious about it!!

We took a trip to the zoo just the three of us recently and we had a blast. The weather was beautiful. Brady enjoyed watching a few guys in their kayaks in the river. I love this picture!

Here's Brady beating Joe at Mario Cart on the Wii. : )

Brady and Jamie playing in the leaf pile in Jamie's yard. We had to drag both of them in well after dark that night. They had a blast!

Brycen and Brady at The Hanging of The Greens service at our church.

They both did so well during the service. They enjoyed sitting with Katie.

Pictures in front of the Christmas tree after the service are a tradition!

Please excuse my random blue...I'm not sure what I was thinking.

Brady helping Mimi & G decorate the tree after it was moved up onto the platform.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!!

EdVenture...

2009-11-12T11:38:00.000-08:00

Saturday morning G text me and told me there was a special thing with trucks at EdVenture starting at 10. Joe had to work for a little while Saturday so Brady and I headed to EdVenture to check it out. We had NO idea what to expect. It was great!! I think the pictures explain why Brady thought it was a little boys dream come true! :)

We got to climb up into the cab of this dump truck!

Better late than never...

2009-11-06T09:50:00.001-08:00

We had a great Halloween. We had my parents over along with 13 of our nieghbors for a quick kid-friendly dinner. Then we headed out to trick-or-treat. We had a great time!!

Brady did a great job and he loved his costume. It was pretty warm outside so the mask didn't last long. I can't believe Joe was in shorts on Halloween...only in SC. : )

Fair Fun...

2009-10-22T11:15:00.001-07:00

We went to the fair last Sautday Oct. 17th. It was 2 ride for the price of 1 from 9:00 -1:00. We met the Taylor's and the Miller's there. It was kind of chilly, but we had a great time.

The slide was a big hit (for the boys and the moms) again this year!

This was Brady's favorite ride. We both laughed so hard the entire time!!

Solana and Brady rode the swings together. We were a little scared when they started going up high, but they both loved it. Note to self...watch a ride once before you put your child on it. :)

Here they are...you can see Solana's blue jacket and Brady's hat.

One last ride on the carousel before we left. The rain held off until the very end, but we were ready to head home for nap time anyway.

A fun weekend...

2009-10-07T05:36:00.000-07:00

We bought this costume for Brady several weeks ago. He didn't want anything to do with it until Saturday morning...at 8:00 am.

We thought he would be a train conductor but he LOVES this costume now.

He is a cute Batman!

Brady really wanted to show Aidan his new comstume. Aidan was so cute, when he saw Brady he immediately went and put on his Robin comstume. This is Brady and Aidan playing in Patton's room Saturday morning. They were crazy...I can't believe I got them to stand still long enough to take this picture.

Sunday afternoon after nap time we went to Irmo Elementary's playground.
Brady had a blast!

Joe challenged Brady to a race and Brady said, "I'm going to pass you daddy!"

Did you know you can run faster if you turn your hat around backwards?

Brady was so proud, he passed Dad.

Brady wanted to show his comstum to Jamie when we got home Sunday evening. Jamie put on her Wonder Woman comstume to play with Brady. He loved this!!

Halloween thumb prints...

2009-10-05T00:00:00.000-07:00

CRAFT MATERIALS:
Nontoxic rubber stamp pad
Card stock
Fine point markers
Time needed: 30 Minutes or Less

#1- To make them, just help your child press her thumb onto a nontoxic rubber stamp pad (black for spiders and bats, orange for pumpkins), then onto a piece of heavy paper or card stock.

#2- Add small dots of white acrylic paint (we used a dull pencil to apply it) for bat and spider eyes.

#3- Let the ink and paint dry before using fine-point markers to add pupils, legs, wings, stems, and other features and details.

These would make great Halloween cards! FUN!!

Pumpkin Carving...

2009-10-03T00:00:00.000-07:00

How cute would this be?

#1 - Use a marker to draw the letters and exclamation point on the pumpkins.

#2- Cut the tops off with a sharp knife (parents only); for best results, carve at an inward angle.Make a small hole in each cap to allow heat from the candle to escape.

#3- Remove the seeds with an ice-cream scoop and scrape the walls

until they are about 1 inch thick.

#4- Cut out the drawn letters with a paring knife or pumpkin-carving tool,

then light a candle in each one.

I think I'll try this...I'll post a picture if it turns out!

Have you been boo-ed?

2009-10-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

It's October and Halloween will be here soon. This is a great opportunity to share some fun and get to know your neighbors. I'm sure you've heard of this before, most people call this the neighborhood phantom. Here is a great link to get you started.

You've Been Boo-ed!

This is so much fun! You could start it in your neighborhood today!!

Okra Strut...

2009-09-28T08:56:00.001-07:00

Saturday morning we went to the Okra Strut parade. G rode with us and we joined the Robinson's and the Miller's at the parade. It was a little rainy but we still had fun.

I love this picture of G and Brady. This was Brady's reaction to the horn on the firetruck at the beginning of the parade.

The rain started at the end of the parade, but we stuck with it.

The sticker on Joe's shirt says, "Let's go Joe!" It was from Joe Wilson who by far got the loudest applause of any other politician in the parade and that's no lie. : )

Thanks aunt Tash for letting the boys enjoy their candy under your umbrella.

This was Brady's 1st experience with Smarties. He seemed to like them.

A great weekend...

2009-09-21T05:00:00.000-07:00

Saturday Joe and I went to the USC game. This year we only have tickets to two games so we were excited and ready to make the most of our day. We packed some really yummy food and headed off to spend time with friends.

Here's a picture of our crew! We all had a great time! The new parking wasn't so bad after all.

Go gamecocks!

Brady spent the night with Mimi & G Saturday night and we met them at church Sunday morning. After Sunday School we decided to get Brady from the nursery early and head home for some family time. We had fun Saturday, but we missed him too. I wasn't planning to cook anything right when we got home, but Brady asked if we could cook so here he is "helping" me make mashed potatoes.

We started singing a silly song about cold potatoes and this is Brady using his wooden spoon as a guitar. It was hilarious!!

Then the shirt came off and dad got in on the craziness. If you're wondering about the green sunglasses...Brady wears these when we open the stove because he says the light is so bright...I think they are his cooking glasses now.

Sunday afternoon Pop came over to play with Brady while we headed to Gary's surprise 60th birthday party on the Southern Pattriot. He had no idea. The weather was perfect, the lake was beautiful and we all had a great time with family and friends.

Joe took this picture of Mom and Gary walking down to the boat. This is when Gary first realized the people on the boat where all people he knew. : )

Happy birthday G!!

Sesame Street Live...

2009-09-13T17:25:00.001-07:00

We took Brady to see Sesame Street Live Saturday morning. This is the first time we've taken him to anything like this. He had a great time!!

We don't watch Sesame Street so Brady didn't know the character's names, really Elmo is the only one he's heard of, but he still liked the show. The singing and dancing where great.

He was in his own seat until the lights went out then he went straight for my lap.

I wish we could say the Carolina game was this much fun Saturday night!

Having Fun...

2009-09-10T08:39:00.001-07:00

Even though school has started back and we're all getting back into our routine we're still having fun!! I love this picture of Brady. He's trying to get a butterfly to land on his hand at EdVenture.

Here's Brady playing musical notes with his feet. This is always a big hit at EdVenture.

The traveling exhibit is all about sports right now. Brady threw a tennis ball that registered 15 mph. Not bad for a 2 year old. Joe was very proud!!

On the same trip Brady crawled threw the fire exit tunnel for the first time.

When he came out he said, "Mom that was really dark and I wasn't scared!"

Tasha and I took Brady and Brycen to the zoo late one afternoon when hardly anyone was there and the boys got to sit in the engine of the train. They sort of looked like they thought they were doing something wrong. :)

Brycen wasn't too sure about Brady's driving ability and the Dad's don't look too concerned.

Last weekend we spent one last day at the pool in the morning with the Miller's and then we went to the zoo in the afternoon with the Miller's and the Robinson's. We all had a blast! The boys saw some other kids climb on this rock so of course we did it too.

Brady, Brycen and Will rode the train with out any of us. They did great!

The carousel is always a big hit.

Brady playing with the Pender boys after school yesterday. Anyone know that big kid on the bottom? We're so blessed to have moved to a new house with great neighbors!! Brady loves these guys!

Wild Dunes...

2009-08-10T17:28:00.000-07:00

We spent this past week with my family at Wild Dunes on Isle of Palms. Brady LOVED the ocean this year. He only went to the pool twice all week. He had the best time digging in the sand and playing in the water. There was never a quiet moment in the house with 10 people there...Brady loved every minute of it. He's still catching up on his sleep now that we're home!

Here is a good picture of the busted lip/nose Brady got the 1st day we were there. He was a real trooper and the salt water helped heal it really quickly.

I love this picture of Brady and Joe. They had the best time playing around together.

Brady and Joe eating breakfast together on the back porch of the beach house.
Just to Joe's left was a lagoon and Brady would look for the aligator and turtles each morning.

Brady doing his "work" on G's computer.

Brady loved to dig right at the water and then watch the water fill in the hole. Mimi was great at doing "boy stuff" with us on the days Joe had to come back for work.

We had a great time!! Thanks Mimi and G!!

When you own a house on IOP one day remember to save a room for us. : )

More Summer Fun...

2009-07-28T10:48:00.000-07:00

We have been having so much fun!! Brady has moved into his "big boy" bed. I hope to post pictures of his entire room soon.

Here are Brady and Brycen playing on his new bed - Wednesday July 22nd

They have so much fun just being boys!!

Brady and I enjoyed making cupcakes together for Pop's 60th birthday party.

Friday July 24th

We went to the splash pad at Saluda Shoals with the Penders yesterday (July 27th). All of the kids had a great time. They are so sweet to Brady.

Here are the Pender boys playing Wii in our playroom. They are so good at including Brady.

Today we went to the zoo with Solana and Deedee. Solana and Brady loved the pony ride of course. We all had a great time!!

A Great Trip...

2009-07-06T11:17:00.001-07:00

Last week Joe and I traveled to the Dominican Republic with the Robinson's and the Miller's. We all planned this trip to celebrate our 5 year anniversaries together. We had a great time!!

These two pictures show the view from the balcony outside our room.

Everything was so beautiful!

The beach was wonderful. The water was great!!
We had a great time relaxing, talking and joking around.

On Tuesday we spent the whole day at the beach then we had Italian for dinner. Wednesday we did a little shopping, had couples messages and then we headed back to the beach. Wednesday night we went to the Japenese steak house for dinner then we went to a Michael Jackson show. It was really good. The dancing was great and we were all glad the music was in English. :)

It was so much fun to sit on the beach with Caroline and Tasha. We read a lot of books and we actually had conversations with full sentences. I'm not sure we can say the same for the guys!! We had so much fun together...we always do.

Here we are about to get on the plane and fly back to Charlotte. We were all missing the boys by this time so we were ready to get home!!

Here's to many more great years of marriage!!

Fun Times...

2009-06-30T11:24:00.001-07:00

I need to catch up on some pictures. Here we are at the zoo with the Miller's Friday June 19th. It was member's night at the zoo from 6-8. We took Brycen and Brady and they had a blast. We were able to do some neat things like visit inside the elephant barn, ride the carousel for

F-R-E-E (Tasha) and see the animals eating their special watermelon treats.

On Sunday June 21st we celebrated father's day at our house with Joe's dad, Jamie and Ben.

Here's a picture of all of the Chavis men.

(playing around as usual)

Update on Joe...

2009-06-23T09:38:00.000-07:00

Joe experienced some heart problems on Friday. His heart was in atrial fibrillation from about 3:00 Friday morning until about 12:00 Friday afternoon. Joe was awake at 3 am because Brady had called out for him in his sleep. Joe went to Brady's room and when he came back to bed he realized something wasn't right. At 7:00 he went on to work as normal. On the way out the door her just said he didn't feel good and that he would be ok. He decided to drive his own car to the job site he is working on right now. It just happens to be the new Long's pharmacy in Irmo which is right across the parking lot from our doctor's office. Once Joe got to the site he continued to feel worse and he could feel his heart beating really fast. He was sweating a lot and he felt like he might pass out. So, he walked accross the parking lot to our doctor. They immediately did an EKG and told him it was atrial fibrillation or irregular heart beat. Joe was then sent to the ER at Lexington. I recieved a phone call from Joe around 9:30 telling me he was headed to the ER. I left Bible school and Brady (with Tasha) and headed there to meet Joe. They kept him in the ER for several hours and thankfully his heart beat and blood pressure returned to normal on their own.
Yesterday we went to the cariologist. He examined the abnormal EKG from Friday and explained atrial fibrillation in much more detail. I'm writing about this because it can be very serious. The blood can pool in the top chamber of the heart and clot and a clot can break off and cause a stroke. When sharing this experience SEVERAL girls have told me their husbands have had similar things happen to them. The key is to get to the dr. while it's happening. You don't need an appointment...just go...I promise they'll see you!! Once you have an EKG showing the abnormal heartbeat a cardiologist can help you. This is not normal for a man in his 30's who is in good health. We all know Joe is a big guy, but he is very active and healthy.
Joe has had his blood tested for just about everything in the past few days including thyroid problems which can cause this heart problem. He will be doing a stress test and an ecocardiogram July 10th. I'll let you know what we find out then.
Thanks for all of the prayers!!!
~Kim

We love summer time...

2009-06-12T10:55:00.000-07:00

We've been out of school for 1 week and Brady and I have already done so much. Last Saturday we went to the pool with the Pender's. Monday and Tuesday we spent with Deedee and Solana at Funzone and the splash pad at Saluda Shoals. Wednesday Brady and I played at the playground at Seven Oaks Park and in the sprinkler at home. Thursday was Brady's day at Ms. Debbie's but we still got to play outside with our neighborhood friends in the afternoon.

Today we went to the zoo with Solana and Brycen. Brady had a blast!! Of course Brady rode the carousel and the train. He got to feed the giraffe and the Lorikeets. Today he also got to ride a pony for the first time. He LOVED it!!

Softball...

2009-05-25T08:59:00.000-07:00

Thursday night Joe played in 2 softball games. Brady and I were able to go to the 7:00 game and Brady had a great time. We haven't been to a game in a while so he was very excited.

I love this picture! I couldn't resist taking a picture of Brady's little legs hanging off of the bench beside Joe. He thought he was so big sitting in the dugout with the team.

Joe took Brady onto the field before the game and let him run around the bases. He wore his glove and chased Joe around. He made sure to step on each base.

Having Fun...

2009-05-22T08:27:00.000-07:00

Brady is having a lot of fun at the new house.

Here are a few pictures we have taken in the past few weeks.

Brady in his PJ's and boots "helping" Joe cut the grass.

Brady LOVES our new neighbor Jamie. Just about every time we pull up at our house he says, "Is Jamie home?" Jamie loves suckers just like Brady and he gives her one almost everyday.

Brady waiting patiently for Joe to attach the bike trailer to his bike so we could all go on a bike ride. Yes, he's sitting on the saw!! I didn't notice that when I took this picture.

Brady eating his dinner out in the garage while watching the rain. I have a feeling some of the best times between Brady and Joe will happen in this garage. I had to sneak this picture so I didn't interupt their conversation.

Brady has figured out that he can climb the back of the couch and sit on the window ceil in the playroom. It has become one of his favorite spots. The other day Joe grabed him off of there and threw him on the couch and started tickling him. Brady yelled, "Whatch it son!" I thought Joe was going to choke he was laughing so hard. Good times!!

A GREAT day...

2009-05-11T04:00:00.000-07:00

We have been so busy with moving to our new house that we took the chance today to get away from the house and go to the zoo. This was a great way to spend Mother's Day afternoon.

Brady watching the Merkats dig in the sand and crawl in the tunnels.

He looks so grown up in this picture.

We were able to watch the new baby giraffe run and play.

Brady wanted Joe to hold him a lot so he could see everything. One advantage to having a tall dad! :)

Brady and I had fun riding the train and carousel.

Here is Brady at the end of our visit. He's all sweaty and acting crazy.

We stopped by TCBY on the way home for a yogurt treat that turned into our dinner.

This was a great day!!

Spring Break Part 2...

2009-04-13T06:29:00.000-07:00

What a week!! This week was filled with lots of time with family and friends.

We loved every minute of it.

Wednesday at FunZone with the Miller, Robinson, Tucker, Taylor, Safriet, Berube, and Carter families. What a great mid-week playdate!

Thursday morning at the zoo with Mimi and G.

Thursday afternoon we met the Robinson's at the Irmo Elem. playground for some fun.

Saturday afternoon we went to Granddad and Beth's house for a cookout. Brady had a great time hiding and finding Easter eggs.

Sunday's Easter service was great.

Sunday afternoon we spent time playing at Saluda Shoals...just the three of us.

Spring Break...

2009-04-07T10:48:00.000-07:00

This week is spring break so I'm home with Brady all week. It's only Wednesday and we're already having a blast. Brady had two birthday parties Saturday. It was a busy and fun weekend. Monday we only took a quick trip to the gym in the morning and a trip to get Brady's hair cut in the afternoon. Other than that we played at home all day. Yesterday we went to EdVenture with Mimi and G. We all had so much fun.
Brady was asleep in the car before we got back home. :)

Here is Brady on the slide at Brycen's party.

Here's Brady later in the day on the rock wall at Solana's party.

Brady playing in the store with Mimi and Mom and crawling through a tunnel with G at EdVenture.

Tuesdays at the Table...

2009-04-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

I had fun posting a recipe last week on my blog. So, I've decided to try it again. I LOVE this salad that my friend Caroline makes. It's very yummy. I've only made it once, because it's better when Caroline makes it. I hope you ENJOY! Be sure to visit my friend Andrea's blog to see more recipes. Andrea sure has come a long way from the days in college we when we cooked a whole meal in one pot! Check out her blog...she has a lot of great (and inexpensive) ideas. :)

Cabbage Salad

Salad:
1 bag of coleslaw (finely shredded, no carrots)
4 green onions
2 pkg. oriental flavored ramen noodles (crushed)
8 Tbsp. pecans (chopped)
8 Tbsp. sesame seeds
3 Tbsp. Margarine

Dressing:
1 cup oil
1 1/2 pkg. ramen noodle flavoring
6 Tbsp. rice vinegar
4 Tbsp. sugar
pepper to taste

Mix the dressing and chill until ready to serve. Saute the pecans and sesame seeds in the margarine. Set aside until ready to serve. Toss the cabbage, onions, and crushed ramen noodles together. Set aside until ready to serve. Mix all three steps together right before serving to avoid sogginess. Enjoy!

Tuesdays at the Table...

2009-03-31T06:30:00.000-07:00

I know this blog is all about our family, but today I'm doing something a little different. My friend Andrea is doing a post called Tuesdays at the Table on her blog My Chihuahua Bites. She asked her readers to do their own food related post today so here goes. These apple dumplings are so easy, so fast and so good! I hope you ENJOY!!

Apple Dumplings

3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and quartered
1 can crescent rolls
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
cinnamon to taste
1 can Sprite

Wrap individual rolls around a clump of apples (divide apples evenly for number of crescent rolls on hand). Pour butter, sugar and Sprite over wrapped apples. Sprinkle with cinnamon.
Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Baseball...

2009-03-27T08:00:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday we took Brady to the USC v. LSU baseball game.

We parked at the Colonial Center and we rode the shuttle to the game.

I think the shuttle may have been the highlight for Brady! :)

The game was at 4:00 and the weather was beautiful.

Brady lasted through 5 innings of the game...not bad!

Two year check-up...

2009-03-17T09:30:00.000-07:00

Brady had his two year check-up with Dr. Whitaker yesterday. Mimi picked him up from Mrs. Debbie's and they met me at the doctors office. I was "armed" with a bouncy ball, crayons, a snack and a blue sucker. A two year old boy confined to a small room is a little crazy. The drawing on the table cover trick Mimi used to use with me worked great! Brady did a great job!

Brady's measurements...

Height 36 in. (80th percentile)

Weight 29 3/4 lbs. (75th percentile)

Head 19 3/4 cm (80th percentile)

Dr. Whitaker said everything looks great.

He was immpressed that Brady is completely potty trained. : )

Everyday my prayer for Brady is that he will be healthy and happy and continue to grow and learn. He is a great kid and Joe and I are so thankful he is a part of our lives.

A Fun Saturday...

2009-03-07T21:20:00.000-08:00

Brady spent the night with Mimi & G on Friday night so Joe and I could go to the USC baseball game. Mimi & G took Brady to Mr. Sease's farm Saturday morning.

Brady enjoyed riding the 4-wheeler.

Brady also got to watch Mr. Sease feed a new calf with a bottle.

Brady was home by lunch time. After nap we did a little cleaning up for Brycen and Tasha to come over. Brady's vacuum had some issues so he had to stop to repair it. :)

Joe got out the bouncy house and both boys had a blast!

It was 80 degrees here today. It was beautiful!!

Cooking...

2009-03-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

Brady has always loved to be in the kitchen. He stands on a stool and plays in the sink and he uses a spoon to stir ice, rice, marshmallows, etc. in a bowl. He is always asking to see what is cooking on the stove or in the oven. Here are a few pictures of Brady in the kitchen.

Mimi and G got back from South America Saturday. They came over for dinner Sunday night. Brady helped Mimi put (eat) the topping on (off of) the dessert. :)

Monday night Brady helped Dad pound (hammer) chicken for the grill. I'm at the other counter making the marinade, but hammering chicken was much more fun!! Brady looked at Joe with a look that said, "Are you sure we should be doing this?"

"Snow" Day...

2009-03-04T06:03:00.000-08:00

School was canceled Monday because of the threat of snow. Brady and I had a great time playing!! It was pretty cold so we were inside most of the day. We took a trip to the gym and the bank and Mimi came over to play in the afternoon. Here are a few pictures of Brady all bundled up riding his bike. Please notice the lack of actual snow! :)

Rainy Saturday...

2009-03-01T21:00:00.000-08:00

Only a rainy Saturday could give me the chance to snuggle with Brady like this.

Don't get the wrong idea...2 seconds after this picture he was riding his bike all around the inside of the house and attacking Joe with his new "blue sword". :)

It rained all day, but we still had a lot of fun!!

Brady is TWO...

2009-02-28T19:00:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday was Brady's birthday. We had a playgound party at Seven Oaks Park.

Brady had a great time playing with his friends.

The weather turned out perfect.

We asked everyone to bring toothpaste and tooth brushes instead of gifts.

We collected 19 tubes of toothpaste and 23 tooth brushes to donate to Sharing God's Love.

Last weekend...

2009-02-05T06:08:00.000-08:00

One more snow picture. I can't believe Brady kept the mittens on!

He had so much fun driving the gator that day.

Brady and Pop (Joe's dad) riding the train at the zoo on Sunday afternoon.

Joe, Pop and Brady checking out the goats.

The zoo was not very crowded.

We had so much fun and the weather was wonderful!

This is Brady and Will playing at Funzone Saturday. They were pretty serious about their game. Brycen was there too, but I forgot about the camera until the last minute. I'm so glad all three boys get to do so much together!! :)

Snow day...

2009-01-21T05:39:00.000-08:00

This weekend turned into an extra long weekend. We were out of school Monday and then it snowed on Tuesday so school was canceled. Brady and I had a great time although we did really miss Dad while he was at work. I was so glad Brady was able to play in the snow for the first time even if it was only a little bit of snow. GW took this picture of Brady throwing a snowball at him.

Lights at the zoo...

2008-12-23T18:51:00.000-08:00

Tonight we went to see the Christmas lights at Riverbanks Zoo. Brady loved the lights, the train ride, the "snow" and the carousel. The weather was perfect. We all had a great time!

It's begining to feel a lot like Christmas!!

Christmas Fun...

2008-12-19T05:45:00.001-08:00

Last night we went to see the Christmas lights at Saluda Shoals Park.

Joe had to work in Charleston yesterday so he was up at 4:30 am

and got home late.

He literally ran in, changed clothes and we were waiting for him in the car.

I know he was tired, but I'm glad we got to go.

Thanks Joe! You're a wonderful husband and Dad!!

We met up with the Miller family so we could all ride together. We all had a great time! We all went on a train ride through the park and the boys had their pictures taken with santa.

Here we are all waiting for the train to start.

The boys really enjoyed riding in the car together.
We put the windows down so they could see the lights and hear the music.

Merry Christmas!

Having a little fun...

2008-12-09T08:10:00.000-08:00

Have you ever wondered what three 2-year old boys (well...almost 2)
would do when dressed up and put in front of a camera?

Well this is it...

Also, I ran in my first ever race on Tuesday November 25th.

It was the Sleigh Bell Trot 5K at Saluda Shoals.

It was a night race and the Chrsitmas lights were on.

We were training for St. Patty's, but why wait until March!?!

I finished in 32 minutes 11 seconds.

Here I am with Ann, Deedee and Kary.

November Update...

2008-12-05T18:44:00.000-08:00

We didn't write much in November, but we were busy!

We watched football games with friends.

We played at Harbison Park.

We went to Georgia for Thanksgiving.

We got ready for Christmas at Hanging of the Green.

We are looking forward to December!!

Ballentine Park...

2008-11-01T18:43:00.001-07:00

This afternoon Brady and I went to Ballentine Park with Tasha, Brycen, Caroline and Will. They just built a new playground at the park and it's very nice. We all had a blast!!

Just check out Brady's face!

Happy Halloween...

2008-10-31T18:55:00.001-07:00

Tonight we spent Halloween at a carnival at church. Brady went on a hay ride, fished for a prize, jumped in a bouncy house, and played in the pumpkin patch. He had a blast!!

Pirates were very popular this year.

After the carnival we ate dinner at Rush's with Mimi & GW. When we got home the Gantt Family was trick or treating in our neighborhood so they came over for their "yearly" visit. :)

We ALL had so much fun.

Fall Fun...

2008-10-25T18:52:00.001-07:00

This afternoon our Sunday school class had a fall social. This is a picture of Brady and Joe after the hayride. Brady loved it!!

Brady also enjoyed jumping on the trampoline with Will. They both had a blast!! I LOVE this picture.

Brady spent the night with Mimi & GW so Joe & I could go to a birthday party. When we called Mimi she said Brady fell asleep very quickly. He must have been tired from all of that jumping.

The fair...one more time...

2008-10-23T17:29:00.000-07:00

We went back to the fair one more time last Sunday. Brady sure is learning to pose for the camera. He even says "cheese" when he's smiling. That's a lot of teeth between the three of us. :)

The fair...

2008-10-11T11:10:00.000-07:00

Joe and I took Brady to the fair for the first time today. We met up with Tasha and Brycen. The boys had a blast! They got to see a lot of animals and ride some rides. They even rode a couple of rides on their own! Here are a few pictures.

Golf Tournament...

2008-10-10T19:40:00.000-07:00

Palmetto Hearts 1st Annual Golf Tournament
Saturday, November 22nd

Helps raise funds to provide support to Congenital Heart Disease families throughout SC!
Proceeds will benefit the Annabelle Baskets & provide meal and gas cards to families while their child is hospitalized.

Please visit www.babygirlbutcher.blogspot.com for more information.

Just getting started..

2008-10-09T07:28:00.000-07:00

This is our attempt to start a family blog. We don't have any exciting news to share. We just thought we would post some pictures to keep in touch with family and friends. This will be fun...hope you check back to see more soon! :)

This is a picture of Brady with his "girlfriend" from school. Go Gamecocks!! :)