::Matt::

Matt of all trades! Yes, our Matthew made this salad all by himself one evening. I gave him instructions on how to use the knife properly and he surprisingly was quite good. As you will see in the other pictures he is like a natural with his knife skills. Watch out Bobby Flay I got Chef Matt. It was a delicious salad and he really enjoyed helping Mommy in the kitchen.

Matthew also enjoys being out doors especially with his Daddy helping him cut the lawn. Greg says he gets his play "mow lawner" out (yes, that is what they call the lawn mower) and is always impressed on how dirty it is by the end. Here is my little man after doing the yard work with his Dad.

Happy Birthday Greg!

Yesterday we celebrated Greg's birthday. The kids and I woke him up early and drove him out to the beach to see the sunrise. What a beautiful way to start the day! We headed out for breakfast and pretty much kept Greg busy all day. It was a celebration filled with love, laughter and good memories.

Happy Birthday Greg!

Surfin'

::Greg's new FAVORITE hobby::

photo by Lauren E. Sykes

Braces!

Yes, I typed braces. Today Gabby had three braces placed on three of her top permanent teeth. These will help close the gap that she has. Next Monday we will go back so they can place another device that will sit on the roof of her mouth to help the cross bite that she has. That is when they will also place the wire to the three braces. She initially got very upset and nervous when they were ready to start the procedure but eventually calmed down and did a wonderful job. A new journey begins! Ten months is the prescribed amount of time then to retainers until she gets older and all her permanent teeth come in. She is really excited about all of this. We are doing our best to prepare her for the limitations in foods she will have and the soreness and possible pain she may experience. Our little girl is growing up!

A friend from church went on a missions trip and needed someone to dog sit for two weeks. We volunteered and are happily enjoying our time with a Jack Russell Terrier named Buddy. Buddy is 10 years old and enjoys sleeping and lying around. He has been a joy! Everyone has taken to Buddy and participated in caring for him. It will be very sad to see him leave but we are cheered by the fact that we will see him often.
Alex did not want to smile because he wanted to look just like Buddy, with his tongue out.

Adopt-a-Grandma

"What am I to do? I expect to pass through this world but once. Any good work, therefore, any kindness, or any service I can render to any soul of man or animal, let me do it now. Let me not neglect or defer it, for I shall not pass this way again."

An Old Quaker Saying

::Marge & Alex decorating a photo album::

::Gabby's artwork::

::Matthew & Ann eating cookies we made::

::Ann & Matthew::

::Marge & Gabby::

::Alex & Marge::

::Ann, Allison & Marge::

Once a month we will be heading over to a local assisted living facility to spend some time with our new friends Ann and Marge. This past Saturday was our first visit and we all had a great time! We brought questions to ask our new friends and wrote down five things about ourselves. We did a craft and shared the cookies we brought. We look forward to spending time with our new friends next month, our theme is show and tell.

"Give what you have; to someone it may be better than you dare to think."

Longfellow

Asheville, NC

Here is a photo tour and highlights from our vacation in Asheville, NC. We all had a wonderful time and look forward to our next time in the mountains.

Dog Bite

Winston

Remember our four-legged friend Winston? We adopted him back in April from TN. Winston was a handsome dog who walked well on his leash, was friendly to everyone, was laid back, slept in his crate and loved to run. We enjoyed having him around. He had his accidents but that comes with the territory. We were about two weeks in and adjusting to our new way of life. One evening while sitting around the table after dinner. Alex and Winston were on the floor. There was a dog toy between them. We seem to think Alex was at Winston's level and this must have triggered something in Winston. He growled and then bit Alex in the face. We rushed Alex to the ER where we were told that his scars where superficial but required three tape stitches.

Then next day Winston growled at Alex on two occasions and our gut was telling us this was not going to work out. Thankfully the rescue's policy was that we send him back. A week later Winston went back to TN. We were all sad to see our friend go but knew it was for the best. You might be wondering why I am sharing this and why has it taken me so long? Well, we were concerned about the after effects and Alex's reaction to dogs. We are happy to report that Alex has showed no signs of being traumatized. He actually enjoys petting and being around dogs and talks about Winston often. We are so relieved to know there is still a healthy relationship between Alex and dogs. Many of you shared your dog bite experiences with us and we were happy to observe that the majority of these individuals own dogs today.

Why so long? Well, I was not sure how to share and the majority of people we know knew about it anyway. I did want to share a picture of Winston which was taken the day before the incident and a picture of Alex two days after the incident. Even though this picture will always remind us of what happened I do have to admit it is one of my favorite pictures of Alex. The way he looked, the expression on his face and the lighting are some of the reasons why it will be a favorite and I wanted to share the picture with all of you.

To all of our friends and family we thank you for your prayers during that time. We greatly appreciate it.