A couple of Disney pictures from January

They loved loved loved watching the fireworks... glad we stayed late!

These two are soo EXCITED to meet Buzz LightYear - what a thrill

Branson's favorite thing was the Castle and Holden's favorite thing was Splash Mountain; which we got to ride 2x in a row because there were No Crowds when we went!! Great trip!

Branson and Holden

Well, it has been an interesting start to the New Year.... we went to Disney World with the boys in early January and had a wonderful time. Got to see Mickey, Buzz Light Year, Woody the Disney Castle, Sea World, etc. Very fun! Then, Beverly (GramBee) passed away near the end of January, today is her birthday by the way! Happy Birthday GramBee - we love and miss you so very much!!

What the boys have been up to lately:
continuing to do Karate (a 30 min exercise class really, at the school) after preschool once a week
signed them back up for gymnastics class again - once a week; they kept asking me to sign them up again
trying to decide whether to sign them up for soccer this next season - they really liked it and excelled in it, so I probably will... not sure when it starts back

Branson and Holden's all consuming activities, thoughts, ideas, etc. revolve around construction. They want to build things, use their tools, dress up like contruction workers, put the orange cones out in the road. They LOVE contruction stuff right now! Thanks to Aunt Courtney, they can now carry on in style with the outfits she got them for Christmas - Contruction Worker Men! Also, whenever we are driving on the highway and they see those work zone orange signs on the side of the road... they immediately yell out "Man Working Ahead"!! Pretty funny the first 920 times really.

Very Sad Loss...

It has been an incredibly sad week for us. Beverly aka "GramBee" unexpectedly passed away on Sunday evening, January 22nd. It has been rough on Ashley and his entire family, as she was only 67 years young. I've gone through my mind over and over how I would update this blog about her, and there is just no way to do her justice with what I would have to say. I was going to make this lengthy and mushy (even brought in a roll of toilet tissue before I started because I knew the tears would be rolling)... but I've decided to keep it short and sweet.


She was a very talented beautiful woman
She loved beach music and other good music too - had hundreds and hundreds of awesome songs on her computer
She was a very good shagger, loved to dance... was going to teach Branson and Holden to shag one day
She was an artist, she dabbled in paintings a while ago... but her best artworks were her beautiful quilts she made - so gorgeous and detailed
She was a dog person - I'm a dog person too; I think it says something about a person if they like dogs ;)
She was incredibly generous and very kind and loving, always had a bright smile and a fun laugh
Loved to be around family and friends - knew how to throw a good party so everyone had fun; it also helped that she was a good Southern cook too
She loved being Grambee and she loved her three grandsons so much ~ Spencer, Branson and Holden

The part that really kills me is that Branson and Holden are only 4... ONLY 4 Years OLD! and it just doesn't seem fair that they won't get to grow up with her in their lives and really knowing her. She was a wonderful lady. That makes me the saddest when I think about it. What a loss for them and for us all. She was too young to die but I have to trust in God's plan. He has a plan for all of us and that gives me comfort.

Psalm 30:5b “weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning.” (*KJV)
Lamentations 3:31-33 “For men are not cast off by the Lord forever.Though he brings grief, he will show compassion, so great is his unfailing love. For he does not willingly bring affliction or grief to the children of men.” (NIV)

Go Tigers!

Clemson Tigers sure have some cute fans! haha The boys are really starting to 'get into' football this year; it also helps to follow a winning team. They are starting to learn the cheers and love to hear the cannon go off after a TD and also the LOUD tiger roar in the stadium ~ so cute to see them so excited!

First Day of PreK 4s!!!!

Hooray for preschool starting back!!! Last week Branson and Holden started school again and were very excited to see their old friends and teachers. This year is a little different in that they have separate classrooms and teachers. I was a little worried that they would be anxious but they weren't at all. In fact, I think they were really excited that they each had their "own" teacher and classroom. I've gotten great reports from the teachers on both boys that they are doing fantastic separated. (I've even noticed Holden has a little skip in his step these days. haha) Off to a great start this year!! WooHoo!

ps Branson is doing a thumbs-down mainly because I said let's do a thumbs-up picture on school starting. I think if I said please don't clean up your room... it would be spotless in about 5 min. ;) Love that willful boy!

New Family Addition! Dusty

Well, we waited long enough according to the boys,"years and years", to get another dog. So we went to the Pets Inc. place and Fate pushed lil Dusty our way; so we adopted him and brought him home with us. He was a new little puppy at the orphanage, dropped off that morning the evening we were there and the rest is history. He has the sweetest little personality and loves playing with the boys. We were told he is a Terrier mix and shouldn't get too big. Branson and Holden named him Dusty; Branson was adamant about the name and Holden was agreeable. We adopted him the day before Preschool started. Timing could have been a little better, but WTH... sometimes you just gotta roll with it.

Branson and Holden really love having a little dog around to play with. They want to help with everything. Feeding, brushing, giving treats and toys to, walking him, etc. Ashley may be more smitten with little Dusty than the boys! He's a good fit for our family. They keep asking if we have to give him back and if we get to keep him forever and ever.

Buzz Off Kid!

I know, I know... where are any new pictures?! I've slacked off for a while... updates will return when I get my sanity back (could be a while).

Today Branson was in the bathroom with the door locked. I knocked on the door and asked what he was doing. He responded "going to the potty... now buzz away please". I think he was trying to tell me to "buzz off". I guess kids really do pick up what you say sometimes!