Blog Changes

With a new baby coming, I'll be morphing this Blog into one that is about the whole family so I don't have to worry about falling behind on two blogs. Changes coming soon...

Bug Peanut Butter

So, this morning I asked Reid what we should have for breakfast. Bagels, pancakes, cereal? He said we could have peanut butter, banana and strawberry. I asked if we were having it on bread. He told me "no, with this" and pointed to the blender. Aha! A smoothie-I clue in.
I got all of the ingredients out and started to blend up a smoothie. Only to have Reid remind me that I left out the peanut butter. Hesitantly, I grab the peanut butter from the cabinet. Reid then inspects the container and tells me I have the wrong one. He asks for the "bug peanut butter." What? Bug Peanut Butter? He's looking for a bug on the container. It is first thing in the morning, so it takes me a minute to realize he's talking about HONEY!

Bug Peanut Butter=Honey

It was a delicious breakfast smoothie!

Reid is 3!

It's hard to believe but Reid turned 3 in June! We had an awesome party in the backyard with several of his friends. We tried to start and end early (before the heat) but to no avail. The party started at 10 and by 10:30 it was 90+ degrees outside. Such is the life of a June Birthday Boy. Fortunately, the rain stopped long enough to dry out the yard.


The birthday preparations started the week before when we bought and erected a monsterous playset. Poppy and Donnie spent all Saturday and some of Sunday building the most awesome and complex contraption. They were very proud of their accomplishment.
Invitations were sent for a Backyard Bug Bash. There was a crowd that came out for the party.

The kiddies all broke in the new playset as well as the jump castle.

As an added treat, we had a bug hunt in the neighbor's back yard. Uncle Shane hid nearly 100 gnarly looking plastic bugs in the yard and trees next door. Each kid had a bug box to collect their bugs. Poppy even collected a few Japanese Beetles and put them in some of the boxes as an added souvenier.
With the help of Uncle Shane and Nanny, we made some pretty buggy cupcakes and snacks for the kids. There were spider, caterpillar, butterfly, and worm cupcakes along with rice crispy bugs. So much fun and definitely worth the work. In all it was a lot of fun for Reid and his friends.Who knows what next year will bring. I suspect we'll try something inside so that we can stay cool and the treats don't melt!

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all!

The fall flew by so fast that January snuck up on me and I realized that there is so much to catch up on. There are several posts to come that will catch you up on a few fun things we did over the past quarter.

For this one I'll share with you a few details from Christmas. We spent Christmas at home this year. My mom and dad celebrated the holiday with us.

We started Christmas Eve off with a trip to Folly Beach. The weather was beautiful and a perfect morning to play on the beach.

That afternoon, we made a birthday cake for Jesus. Reid enjoyed de-icing the cake as I turned the cake plate. Either way, Reid loves birthdays and loves to sing Happy Birthday to You. So, the cake was a perfect fit for him to celebrate Christmas as Jesus Birthday. That will be a tradition we will keep.

We worshipped at Old Fort Baptist church on Christmas Eve. My dad sang in the choir and the service was beautiful. Reid did a great job during the service. He rarely gets to participate in a regular church service so this was a big deal for him. He was seemingly kept busy by a sheet of stickers, a pencil and pad of paper, but much to my surprise, his ear was tuned into the service. As if on queue he echoed a hearty "Amen" each time a prayer was said. So, all of those prayers we've been saying with him are paying off. If he only learns two words in this world I hope they are AMEN and HALELUIAH. That way, he'll be able to talk to any saint when he gets to heaven!

After the service at Old Fort we went to the Christmas Ever service at our home church, Northbridge. There we had a beautiful candle lit service and heard the poem "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" in Gullah. Here are a few pics of the gathered children.

Christmas Day was a great time. Reid enjoyed opening the packages and spending the day with his Nanny and Poppy.

Check back for the stories and pictures from our trip to Virginia.

Family Beach Week

7 days, 1 house, 11 people, memories too many to count.

Isabella, Anthony, Reid, Mia and Joe got their jitterbugs out the night before we left.

Reid was less than happy to pose for this picture. Bella and Reid discuss the waves of the day!
Aunt Kate, while at the Acquarium, picked up two styrofoam swords for Joe and Reid. It took Reid all of three minutes to disassemble his sword making it less of a toy and more of a weapon.

Busy Summer Months

It's hard to believe that it is the middle of July already. We must have missed Memorial Day and thereby missed the kick off to summer. Plus we get bogged down in the everyday-ness of life. It's another hot (90 degree) day with thunderstorms in the afternoon. So if the weather is often the same what is there to differentiate the days/weeks/months.

June was birthday month at our house. Reid turned 2 and then Anthony turned 16. Both are milestone birthdays and evidence that our boys are rapidly growing up. Anthony is learning to drive while Reid is learning to potty train. Anthony is looking forward to college and Reid is ready for his next play date. Both are eerily similar in their ambitions and both LOVE cars!

Here are a few photos from their respective birthday celebrations.

We celebrated with family and friends at Brittlebank Park in Charleston, SC. It was another 90 degree day so we were thankful for the breeze off the water. Cheree and Ellie are standing behind Donnie and Reid.

Anthony is modeling his dad's wetsuit jacket and ridiculous sunglasses from the 80's. If only the girls in PA could see him now! The family all met up in Virginia to celebrate Anthony's birthday. I'll have to include another post with the details of the trip. The pictures and details are can't miss.

The rest of the summer will be spent with family and friends with beach excursions and church activities. I am sure the fall will be here before we know it so I'm going to start savoring the days be they hot and rainy or mild and dry. Each day is a gift from God.

Blessing of the Fleet

We attended the Blessing of the Fleet this month. The festival was held at Alhambra Hall in Mount Pleasant. There was plenty of seafood, lots of sun, and tons of people. Mom and Dad Benson packed a huge picnic lunch. Reid played in the playground and we watched as they prayed over each vessel in the Shrimp Boat Fleet.