sweet springtime...

So far, this season has brought with it a crazy mix of emotions for me. We're leaving for Cape Town in less than three weeks and for some brief moments I'm in complete denial that we're really going. One minute, I'm super excited...the next, super scared...and the next, super sentimental about leaving our family, friends, and home behind for three months. Then, as I type that..."three months", I feel super silly because I know it's really not THAT long.

In the midst of all the mixed emotions, I've had many good times lately that have allowed me to hang out with those that mean the most and keep my mind off of all of the unknowns. I feel bad putting it that way...it's not that I don't want to think about the trip or dread it...it's just that the unknowns are scary right now and they'll remain that way until we get there and know everything :-) So...until then, I choose not to dwell on them by keeping my mind on other things. The past two Saturdays have been perfect ones for celebrating two couples who are perfect for one another. We've attended two weddings that quickly climbed to the top of my "best weddings" list. Of course, the couples were amazing, but the people in attendance were also amazing and the decor/settings for both of them was Southern and relaxed. For those of you who know me well, you could guess that I "ooohed and awwwed" over the details only a couple of hundred times. I absolutely loved it and if it wouldn't have been just downright tacky of me, I would have brought my camera along and taken some pics and shared them with you.

Here's one pic of Jesse and I at the last wedding. He was looking especially handsome in his bowtie, which I also really loved :-)

This past Saturday evening was a bittersweet one. Some of my most precious girlfriends came over to our house for a pajama party. Yes...I said pajama party. I'm sure many would think that we've far outgrown such a party, but I say absolutely not! I think there's almost nothing more fun than drifting off to sleep in the middle of girl-talk and being sardined in a king-size bed of four girls. I think this was a record for us, by the way :-)

A highlight of our evening was a "gender reveal" by Whitney, our friend who is expecting twins! She was so creative. She ordered two boxes of cupcakes, calling one the Baby A box and the other the Baby B box. We each got a cupcake from each box. On the count of three, we took bites out of our cupcakes and discovered PINK filling in ALL of them! So...the Hinson family will have two more girls to join their already adorable two year-old daughter! I'm so excited for them and can't think of two better people to raise three beautiful daughters!

One more thing for now...I know that many people have already been praying and continue to pray for our family's upcoming trip and for that I am so thankful. If you haven't already, please remember us if you will. I know the Lord knows exactly what we need before we even speak it. However, if you would like to pray specifically for us, please make Eli a priority. A) Please pray that he will be able to sleep some on the flights and will be well-entertained by the many little toys and gadgets I've been collecting for him. B) Pray that he will adjust well to the major time change and living situation in Cape Town. And, C) Pray that if A and B don't work out well, the Lord will grant much patience and love to Jesse and I :-)

pop's party :-)

This post just has to begin with a really big "THANK YOU" to my Daddy for making last Friday such a memorable one for us. Each week, Eli counts down the days until Friday because that's the day when he and Pop hang out together. Last week, they worked hard all day to set up a camp site so that E could tent camp outside for the first time. After work, I headed over to join them and was pleasantly surprised. They had prepared a nice little food tent, a fire ring and had set out some cool torches and lanterns to be lit. Eli was so excited to show me everything! Once Jesse made it from work, we all enjoyed some yummy campfire hotdogs and roasted marshmallows. It was so relaxing to just sit out by the fire and enjoy the beautiful evening. Once it was dark, we lit sparklers and made some hot chocolate on the camp stove. Eli also rode around on his tractor in the dark and absolutely loved it. This is something that he has done a few times before so he's gotten pretty good at it. He rides with a head lamp and a light attached to the front of his tractor so that he can see where he's going. It's funny to watch the little blur of light flying around everywhere in the dark:-) I was planning to participate in a March of Dimes walk the next morning so I opted out of spending the night. As I got ready to leave, E, Jesse and Daddy were all bedding down and it was really, really dark out there. I was worried about how E would do. But, by the time I made it home and messaged Jesse, E was already sound asleep. The next morning, the guys cooked breakfast and enjoyed the fire a little more. If the success of the camp out could be measured by the amount of dirt under E's fingernails and how many shampoos it took to remove the smell of the campfire from his hair, then I'd say it was super successful! The next day, Eli was telling me something about the night and referred to it as Pop's party :-) If that's the case, I think Pop's gonna have to host many more parties in the woods and next time I'm in for the whole night!

These next two pics are of Maw-maw and E running around in the field with their sparklers. They're not very clear, but I really love them. Such sweet memories!

Thanks again, Daddy! We had lots of fun!

ahhh...spring break...

Unfortunately, it's already over, but the week-long break from reality was really a nice one for our little family this year. We spent a couple of days just hanging around home, headed to the Asheboro zoo for a day, and headed to Ray's Splash Planet for a day. Jesse's mom was in town for the majority of the week so it was really good to spend some time with her and have a couple of extra hands around. She also gave us a date night while she was here which was super nice! Eli loved spending time with his Grandma Cindy and missed her once she left...he doesn't see her near enough! Being at home with Eli for the week made me really look forward to spending so much time with him this summer. One thing he started doing more of during the break was telling us that he loves us without us saying anything. I'm sure he got sick of me practically attacking him with hugs and kisses when he did this...I just couldn't resist!

Jesse and E also camped out one night in the living room. We set up the tent, turned on the sound machine with crickets chirping, and projected stars on the ceiling. E thought it was the coolest thing ever!

Another highlight of the week for E was the cool new four-wheeler that Grandma Cindy got him...complete with "chromed-out" wheels! He loves it. I, on the other hand, have not decided how I feel about it. He looks WAY too grown up riding it!

On Sunday evening, we wrapped up our break with a hike through the woods with our church's children's group. Mrs. Margo, our children's director, did a great job organizing and brought snacks and drinks for the kids to enjoy at the half-way point. I was really proud of E. He did such a good job riding in the van and hung in there pretty well on the trail. It was a lot of fun and a great way to end the week!

Notice his face in his seat on the van :-) For the first half of the ride to the trail, he was frozen. But, half-way through, he turned around, grinned, waved at me (I was seated a couple of rows back from him), and turned right back around like a little man...It was my favorite moment of the whole week!

easter number three for e...

I don't know that I've ever experienced a more beautiful Easter weekend than this one. The sun was bright and the cool breeze was amazing. It was the perfect setting for celebrating such a special day! After some eye-dying fun with Eli, Jesse and I enjoyed the evening of Good Friday on the water in the moonlight~ a moonlight kayaking trip on Lake Wylie. Being on the calm water under the huge moon was something unlike anything I've done before. It was a nice, relaxing evening. On Saturday, we spent some time playing outside and took Eli to the McA egg hunt. It's always a fun time for the kids in town, but I must say that the Easter bunnies were a bit creepy this year (and, notice I said bunnies...who knew that there were two?) On Saturday night, Jesse and I went with my Dad and a couple of other family members for Elevation Church's Easter service. It was a great service and presented the resurrection message in a way that I've never heard, which was great. If you haven't heard any of Pastor Steven Furtick's messages, you should check them out here... www.elevationchurch.org. On Sunday, we woke up to special treats left by the Easter Bunny and headed to church. At church, we had our annual egg hunt and then headed to Maw-maws. There, we enjoyed good eats...more egg hunting...and more good eats :)

He really wanted to slam dunk the eggs...

Serious hunter...

See what I mean?

First glimpse of his treats~ so sweet :)

Bedhead...

Silly Daddy...

On a mission...

I love this one :)

On your mark, get set, whistle...

sweet talk...

Tonight, Eli had his first real telephone coversation...it was with his Pop (my Daddy). It was the sweetest thing to hear him talking back and forth with his Pop about things that matter the most...you know...trucks, windshield wipers, and fixing sinks :-) This time, unlike every other time, I didn't have to tell him anything to say...I just sat back, drove and enjoyed. If I hadn't been behind the wheel, I would have grabbed my phone and recorded every bit of it so that I could listen to it over and over again! The conversation went something like this...

Hey Pop...whatcha' doin, Pop? Uh-huh...uh-huh...yep. Put new flowers on stage (for grave) day (today)...and water. Uh-huh...uh-huh. Not raining here...uh-huh. Be careful drivin', Pop...turn wipers on. Uh-huh. What color wipers, Pop? Back (black). Driving...mall with Mommy. Uh-huh...yep. You know car with top that go up and down? Boke (broke). Uh-huh. Sink boke too. Eli and Daddy fix it like this, Pop (puts phone down and demonstrates with hands)...See, Pop?


Had to type it out...don't want to ever forget it ;-)

words from the wise...

Growing up, my Maw-maw used to always tell me that a little time outside would "do me some good" when I was stressed or feeling yucky. Well...spending the last two weekends in the beautiful sunshine has once again proven this true for me. I'm also especially thankful for this beautiful weather now because we'll be missing the summer months this year.

Anyway, last weekend we spent some time at Jesse's uncle's house. He and his wife Claudine moved here from Florida several years back and have since gotten a pair of horses and built a cool barn. Getting back on a horse after many years made me feel like such a kid again! It was a lot of fun and Eli loved it. He also loved all of the woods surrounding their house and that Scott had a big tractor that he could check out.

On Saturday night, we had a nice evening out with Scott and Claudine. For dinner, we tried a new farm-to-table restaurant called Halcyon in uptown, and then had dessert at the amazing Amelie's French Bakery in the NoDa area. It was such a nice night of good eats and catching up.

This week, Eli got his first bike and has been trying it out. I have a feeling he's gonna get pretty good pretty quick. He loves it and wants to take it everywhere we go :-) Yesterday, we took a family bike ride along the Greenway and let him play a little in the sandy banks and creek. Then, we took a ride on the train in the park, played on the playground, and had some Sweet Frog's yogurt (he's crazy about that place now). I'd say yesterday was close to his idea of a perfect day. And, it "did me some good" too ;-)

lately...

Things have been exciting around here lately to say the least...and not exciting as in good. I won't go into all of the details, I'll just say that within the short time frame of four days last week, Eli had to visit the emergency room two times and I ended up barely being able to walk because of a hurting hip and leg. It has not been fun, but it has reminded me of God's protection and how un-grateful I can be when things are going well. Eli is perfectly fine...I feel so much better...and I am feeling very thankful!

We tried out some Sweet Frog yogurt for the first time this past weekend and I got a couple of cute pics of E after a fresh haircut. Yes...the yogurt was really yummy and sweet, but I think he is much, much sweeter :-)