I was all ready to post about the debacle of a trip…how I forgot the blanket and the memory card for the camera…how I had to make a $100 trip to Wal-Mart the night that we got to the campground and all the improvisations (is that a word?) that we made throughout the weekend…like using unfolded hotdog buns for hamburger buns, etc…but I can’t get past the kids growing up…

This is the third year that we’ve visited this campground for the 4th of July…so that means that the first trip, Matthew was 7, Sam was 4 and Regan 3….

Wel…Matthew now just takes off on his bike…helping out where he can and just playing hard (and helping when he can…) this year, Matt and Tim went to the dirt track races…after they left the girls took off to go on (another) hay ride…and there I sat…just me and the dogs…and I began to think just all that had happened the 2 days that we were there…

the training wheels had come off both Regan and Sam’s bikes…they aren’t hanging around bugging us anymore…they are making their own friends and we never see them…they are going down the slide at the pool without me waiting at the bottom to catch them…Samara without floaties…she’s swimming underwater without holding her nose…and then Matthew…well, like I said…we didn’t see him all weekend…

so I could tell you all the stuff that went wrong, but right now…with the kids just leaving 2 hours ago with my parents, I won’t…I’ll just tell you that I feel like I blinked once and overnight, they grew up…

i wonder how many more summers we can get away with camping trips that EVERYONE wants to go on? My guess is not many…but that’s okay too…we have the memories of these (Which are currently being developed at WalGreen’s one hour photo lab…can I tell you how long it’s been since I’ve taken ACTAUL pictures on film and had to get them developed???????)

Until next time…

Heather

PS…everyone had some sort of BIG news this weekend…while the girls ditched their training wheels, and Matthew ditched the girls, I started a campfire all by myself and Tim won the 50/50 at the dirt track races….$924….

Ok, so more people are overly interested in what’s going on in our lives than I thought….

So here goes….a long over due update on what’s been going on with us….

Tim:

Well Tim’s pretty much been gone every weekend. He’s either been in West Virginia helping Scott with his house (you can see some pics here at the blog that Tim installed for him www.outpost19b.com) or he’s been in North Carolina visiting Regan since she’s had soccer games. Which means I’ve been left to my own devices way more than I should be! But he’s been busy.

He’s also been working on the house here and there as time permits and last weekend he replanted my sunflowers and my tomatoes outside.

Let’s see…oh! in March, he bought an ‘02 Dodge Durango. He’s in love with it and I will admit, it’s a nice ride…I got to take it to Tennessee the last 2 weekends. But it’s nice. Now we can take all of us (and the dogs) camping in one vehicle. It’s sweet…gotta DVD player and everything in it! Much fancier than I’m used to!

Me

Well, I’ve been busy. Work, work, and more work! But I have taken some time out for myself. I’ve been to get a manicure and pedicure, and I’ve gone out with the girls and with Tim.

Last week, I joined the gym. I don’t know why. I did. It seemed like the thing to do at that time. I’m enjoying it though. I have a little routine, kinda. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday is Jazzercise. That’s the only class that I really like that I’m not dying when it’s over and I’m bummed when it ends. I like it. There are other jazzercise classes but not ones that I can get to. So I’ll have to stick with them. Sondra joined too and so we’ve gone together. I went to the step class on Friday night by myself and I thought I would DIE by the time it was over.

I think that they should post a warning outside the step class that alerts people who lack coordination that they should proceed with caution. I don’t think that I could keep up because I didn’t know where that step thing was when I was jumping all around. Either that or I was tripping over my own two feet!

But that’s the gym. The kids like going as well. They have a pretty nifty set up for the kids and each of them are in their own room and have some space, so that’s good.

What else have I been up to?

Um….I think that’s about it. Work, work and more work, but now that it’s summer (or at least getting a little warmer) I’m starting to scale back a bit. There’s just no point in sitting inside when it’s so nice outside. In fact, 3 times in the last month, we’ve gone to the park to eat. Twice we picked up a bucket of chicken and then this past Sunday, we took the kids and grilled out…and that was very nice. I have Tim to thank for this. he’s the one who’s very into being outside. I like it. Maybe when I get older, I’ll like it too…

Matthew

Matthew participated in his first Destination Imagination competition the end of March and I think he did really well, but he’s my kid. They didn’t win anything, but they had a good time and I think he’s going to participate again next year.

He spent a week with Mamaw, Nana, and Papaw over Easter Spring Break and he’s come home a “man” complete with a belt, hankerchief, and knows what all the pockets of his jeans should hold. He’s also decided that he’s going to play football this fall and is rather excited about it. And since I’ve joined the gym, he’s very excited about losing some of his gut as well.

He’s taking his first communion at church sometime soon. He’s shooting for Pentacost and he has his books and his notebook to jot down the questions and he’s excited about that as well. He’s also goingto be an acolyte starting in June. He’ll start out as a torch bearer and then work his wa up. I just hope he doesn’t get wax in his hair like I did when I was a torch bearer.

He’s been having some trouble with spelling but we’re working on that now. Of course, I’ve threatened him within an inch of his life to get the grade up and he wants to go to Camp Bethel this summer. He wants to go for at least a week, maybe two…so we’ll see.

I think that’s all that Matthew’s been up to!

Samara

Sam is still Sam. She also participated in Destination Imagination this year and wants to do it again next year. She also started cheerleading but between being sick for 7 days, getting in trouble, and then spring break, she’s not been in 3 weeks. We’ll try again this week…

She was sick for 7 days and missed 5 days of school. She just had a fever that wouldn’t go away and now she’s fighting allergies…poor kid. We just went and stocked up on the Claritin for her. It seems to help and not make her as hyper as the Benedryl.

She’s going to cheer for Hidden Valley this fall and shes excited about that, but in all honesty, Sam’s still Sam. Still doing the same stuff. She did get enough money at Easter to pay for 1/2 of her ticket to see Kenny Chesney this summer. Now she says she just needs $5 more so that she can buy a key chain….

Regan

We haven’t seen a whole lot of Regan since she’s had soccer and Tim’s been going to NC. She was here last week for spring break but stayed with her grandma. She spent Thursday with me and we had a great day at the mall and she helped me pick out 2 new pairs of flip flops…she’s doing well in school and seems to like it. We’re looking forward to getting back to normal with the kid schedule… I’ve missed her!

I think that’s about it…to catch you up over the past 6 weeks…I’ve got some pictures that I will put up soon and I promise (Julie) that I will try to post a little more often!!!

Until next time…

Heather

Regan got to open all her presents the week after Christmas and we had so much fun!

Regan with the sweatshirt Nana got her

Regan with her new pants (more…)

My mom made the girls Christmas dresses so they posed for pictures this afternoon…

You can see more December pictures in the gallery…

Thanks Mom!!!

Until next time…

Heather

Or is it? I always remember the camping trips I went on as a child and how much I really liked them. As soon as we got there, Dad would tell us to get lost and we pretty much stayed lost unless it was time to eat.

I was in search of boys and my brother just rode his bike around and found other little friends.

I’ve figured out that as an adult there’s alot more work involved in these trips and getting lost as soon as you get there really isn’t an option! However, depsite the work involved they are rather nice.

We went to the Wytheville KOA and were in the same site that we were in last year. What are the odds of that happening? Tim got there first and by the time the kids and I got there (there was an accident on the way down so the hour trip turned into two!) he had the tent and screen porch up. I had the bikes with me, so we got there, took the bikes off and told the kids to get lost while Tim and I finished setting up.

The first “I’m bored” came about 30 minutes later. How can these children possibly be bored? We were literally right across from the playground, game room, store and there are a gazillion other little heathens running around! And they have their bikes! We put a stop to that real quick, but the bottom line is that “I’m bored” translates into “I want to go to the pool and nothing else!”

Tim got our campsite set up really nice…

Like I said, it’s the exact same site we were at last year!

Friday night, we didn’t do much, the kids rode their bikes, and Tim and I relaxed a bit. Tim didn’t even get a fire going…but it was a long day…

Saturday morning the people next to us were up early…and so was Rhoda, so I got up with Rhoda and Matthew and putted around. Tim got a new camp stove for his birthday last week so I made coffee on that with our new coffee pot that we bought last camping trip.

The girls got up and since Tim was still sleeping, I took the kids down to play putt putt…thank goodness I didn’t play, I would never have been able to concentrate.

We got back and Tim was up so I took the kids to the pool. They were so excited. The slide wasn’t open yet, and it really wasn’t that hot, so we didn’t stay that long. We came back and had some lunch and then headed back to the pool to leave Tim to his horseshoe tournament.

This time the kids got on the big waterslide. Matthew just goes. He doesn’t care…face first, feet first, sitting up, on his back, on his belly…and he loves to make a splash. Most of the time I had to catch the girls. They did brave going down without their water wings as long as I promised to catch them. They would go down without being caught if they had their wings on. I attempted to teach them to doggie paddle, but that didn’t go over real well. There’s always next time.

We went back to the site to watch Tim finish up his tournament…

While watching Tim, the girls decided to pose for a few pictures…

What hams!

Tim won…he’s now the proud owner of a tee-shirt that says “I’m a winner at the KOA Wytheville”…i confiscated it for a sleep shirt since I forgot Sam’s pajamas and I had to give her my shirt…

Tim took me to play putt putt for my annual butt whooping…I only lost by 2, but I lost…and then Tim discovered the quarter game, where you stick quarters in the machine and try to get more out…I finally left the game room…I was out of money…

Back to play…Tim read and eventually we had dinner and headed down to Kareoke…well Sam, Regan and I did. Somehow I got swindled into singing “Dancing Queen” with the girls. I’m not sure how…but there we were…and then all of a sudden I see Matthew in front of the stage screaming “Tim said it was you!”

So, since I sang a song with Samara, I had to sing one with Matthew…well we all got up there and sang “When the sun goes down…” Yes, I do believe we won’t be able to show our faces in Whytheville anymore…

The girls were tired, so I got them bathed and into bed, and Tim and Matthew guarded the fire and made s’mores.

Sunday I slept in a little…not much..the people next door were loud. The girls didn’t get up until almost 10…and then they were off playing.

Tim took them up to the pool for a bit…and I snapped a few pics of them…

I got ready for my volleyball tournament…and yes, now I have my own “I’m a winner at the Wytheville KOA” tee-shirt!

Tim comes back and says that he needs to find an ATM since his money mysteiously dissappeared…I start freaking out, only to learn that the money mysteriously dissappeared into the quarter machine! So he goes and comes back and gets Matthew to go go cart riding.

We had dinner and then putted around waiting for the fire works to start…we went on a hay ride…

And Sam tried her hand at horseshoes…

And Tim relaxed…

Then the boys got the fire going and the s’mores set up…

Once it was time for the fireworks we all went up to the bon fire and the girls entertained us…

And then the kids and I had fun taking pictures of ourselves…

Then the owner thought we were off our rockers and took a picture of all of us…

I snapped one of Tim and Regan…

Then the fireworks started…and Rhoda took off…so did Tim…not voluntarily though. Poor thing was scared to death, so Matthew, Samara, and I stayed for the show…not too bad…but poor Rhoda…scared the pee right out of her…all over the tent…it’s funny…we’ve used that tent twice and twice she’s gone to the bathroom in it…

Matthew reached his limit and he went to bed and the girls and I sat around the fire…

Off to bed and up this morning to pack up and head home…

Happy 4th…

Until next time…

Heather and the gang…

The James H. Drew Expo rolls into Roanoke the Tuesday after Memorial Day every year. You can bank on it. They set up in the Civic Center parking lot, draw tons of people, and some other creatures that I’m not sure how to describe…and take all your money.

This year was no different…

On Monday, I told the kids that if they could be good all week, that we would have a suprise…well they were good and so we all got to go to the Expo.

Here are a few pictures of our night…

The girls on the flyer…this is one ride that I didn’t think they would get on…

The ferris wheel…my favorite part of any fair…but we didn’t get on it this time around…

Matthew on the flyer

Samara has no fear…her arms were up on every ride

I asked Matthew if he wanted to go on the Moon Rocket. It goes in a circle and stops when you’re upside down. He said no, so I told him I’d pay him a dollar…he decided to do it…

There he is all strapped in…and as they are starting the ride, he’s yelling at me “you owe me a dollar”…

Poor thing…this is him when he got off the Moon Rocket…I think I’ll keep this one to show future girlfriends…hee hee

The only ride I went on. It cost me $2, but I couldn’t pass it up…

I can’t remember this guy’s name…Tim told me…Tim ran into him at the Country Club when he was playing golf…Yes, Tim plays golf at the country club…so Matt’s on this ridge with former Virginia State Senator What’s His Face…

The next big event will be the Salem Fair…look for pictures in about a month…

Until next time…

A little late, as we’re in May…lol…but here are the girls in their Easter Dresses…in front of the new door…

Where has the time gone? It seems as if it were just Christmas, or us moving back to Roanoke!

May marks many things…spring time…Tim’s out mowing the jungle now. (Apparently, that’s something that I’m just not able to do…I guess he didn’t realize that yark work was my specialty growing up, but I won’t complain!!)

It marks almost the end of the school year. Samara will be a rising 1st grader and Matthew a rising 3rd grader. Regan will be entering kindergarten next year, and Patrick starting his sophomore year of college. It just doesn’t seem possible that these kids are growing up like this. I no longer come home and hear Samara tell me about her day with Papaw and Law & Order on TNT. I now come home to hear her tell me about Hanna S and how Hanna S was cuter than her today, or what latest antics she’s come up with. Matthew is telling me about Julia…oh…I’m just not ready for this!

May marks Tim and his new job. He started with Branch last Monday and seems to really enjoy it. The only downfall is the hour drive to Ferrum College. He’s not used to rising at 5:30 to be to work at 7. Bless him. It’s all I can do to get up at 6:30 to get the kids on the bus by 7!

May marks almost a year for us back in Roanoke and what a year it has been. It truely was the right move for us. Everyone is so much happier. The kids have been spending time with their dad for over a year now and I couldn’t ask for a better situation with him. It was something I never thought would be possible, but am greatful that it is.

The Lord has blessed all of us with what we have and I can’t thank Him enough! I often reflect to my life 4 years ago, even 2 years ago, and the changes have been monumental. With the love, strength, and hope of family and friends, we’ve come a long way.

May also marks warmer weather, which means this remodeling can progress forward. Although, the weather hasn’t stopped Tim before. He started Easter weekend and tore out the wall to put the new door in.