Merry Christmas to All!!

The hostess with the mostess (this woman never stops!)

Peg and Lawton

belly bump

Dad and Trey

Family Picture (look at sweet Belle!)

Trey and Katie

Cat's 30th Birthday Dinner

Brian and I just got back to Greenville today from spending Christmas in Chapin with our sweet and loving families. Our time in Chapin always seems to go by quickly, and this Christmas was certainly no exception since I don't think anyone ever really sat down to relax (but the craziness is all worth it!). Being home this Christmas made me even more grateful for all our Christmas traditions and I'm looking forward to passing them along to our little baby boy. :)

(The pictures above are from Sunday when we had friends and family over for an oyster roast and some chili. Some stayed around to also watch the Tigers win their bowl game. Go Tigers!!!)

21 Weeks

Oh Boy, Oh Boy!!!

We are having a BOY!!! We are pumped and can't wait to meet our little man! We had our 20 week appointment on December 10th and he is healthy and measuring right on schedule - give or take just a couple of days (I'm due April 29th, 2010). As Brian says, his "fighting weight" is at 11oz (his daddy was a state champ wrestler back in the day!). I have been able to feel him flutter around for many weeks now, but I felt his little kicks for the first time last night!!! Brian was also able to feel a kick or two, which brought a huge smile to his face!

We hope to get busy working on the nursery after the Christmas holiday - and I can't wait to start buying cute little boy clothes!! Hopefully we will also settle on his name soon, I'll keep you posted. And, I promise to do better at providing up-to-date posts on my blog! :)

Hope you all have a very MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Love,
Lindsey

Beach Weekend with Butler Family

Brian and I spent last weekend at the Isle of Palms with the Butler Family. We were so excited to spend the WHOLE weekend with Hayes (2) and Cate (3 mos)! We spent a lot of time out on the beach - jumping waves, building sand castles, knocking down sand castles, chasing seagulls, and looking for sharks and seahorses. It was such a great weekend!

Little Miss Center of Attention

I'm planning to paint one of our guest bedrooms this weekend and Belle was definitely feeling playful when I was debating between paint colors! I don't think she was enjoying the fact that our attention was placed elsewhere!!!


I think I've decided to paint the guest room walls Summer White (Sherwin-Williams) and the ceiling Pale Powder (a very pale blueish-green). We'll see!

The Fourth

I don't know about you, but the Fourth of July is right up there as one of my favorite holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas top my list). It's pretty tough to beat a holiday that is spent out on the boat with your family and friends - and you can't forget about all the food, drinks, music, and fireworks!

To continue with our Fourth of July tradition, we headed back to Chapin to celebrate with our families. Belle in particular was so excited to go back and visit with her buddies - Jazzie, Molly and Layla - and gave us kisses the whole drive home! We spent most of Saturday relaxing out on the lake, just enjoying the sunshine. On Saturday night we gathered with family and friends at the annual Fourth of July party at the Moore's lake property (which is nicely located within walking distance from my parents home). They were so kind to provide a bluegrass band and a DJ for entertainment, along with hotdogs and hamburgers. They had asked everyone to bring a side dish or dessert (homemade please), BYOB, your picnic blanket and chairs. I made Paula Dean's "Not Yo Mama's Banana Pudding" -- Mm Mmmm! I love banana pudding! The DJ played patriotic music during the firework display - I enjoyed it, but Brian could have done without it!

Belle, Molly and Jazzie taking the MGA out for a spin!

We couldn't find the American Flag for the boat so the Clemson one had to do :)

Need another noodle?

Sweet mom

Grace sharing her brownie

The tooth fairy recently visited Grace!

Brian and Lawton (w/ A. Sue sneaking in!)

An Amazing Summer!!

I've decided to give blogging a try after following the blogs of my friends for over a year now. A friend of mine suggested I start blogging since I've had many stories to share of my amazing summer (and it's only July!!). I'm a little weary of putting stuff out on the Internet, but here goes ...

I've officially been celebrating all summer long!! Would you believe that both my brothers got married within a month of each other this summer?! I love that my family is continuing to grow and I now have two wonderful sisters (in laws). Its been so fun to see my little brothers growing up! Words can't fully describe how beautiful and fun both their weddings were, but I attempted to below :) ...

Lawton got married on May 23rd to Peg in McClellanville, SC. Both the rehearsal dinner and reception were outdoors on the intercoastal waterway. McClellanville is the definition of southern simplicity in the low country - its absolutely beautiful! While we were there we rode bikes, kayaked, went out on the boat, went crocodile hunting with my little cousins :), ate, drank, and ate and drank some more! It was a remarkable weekend!!







Trey got married on June 20th to Katie in Spokane, WA. My immediate family flew out to Spokane on the Wednesday and Thursday prior to the wedding day and were able to have Trey and Katie show us around their home. The weather was outstanding!! It was nice and cool in the mornings and evenings and perfectly comfortable during the day. Needless to say, we were hit over the head with the thickness of the SC humidity upon our return home! Trey and Katie also had an outdoor reception at a park - it was such a sweet wedding! We are throwing them a big party in SC later this summer for all of our friends and family who couldn't make the trip out west - I'm looking forward to it immensely!





Man, what a summer!!!

Sweet Tea

Did you know that June is National Iced Tea Month? I know it's almost impossible for us to limit our appreciation for iced tea to just 30 days since we consider it a 365-day-a-year beverage, but it's the ideal excuse to gather on the front porch (or side porch at our home) and raise an official toast to the "cocktail" of the South. July will be here tomorrow!!!

(Southern Accents magazine)