Our princess

Mary Amelia Hopp, age 5, Lockhart Elementary School

Mountain family fun!

On one of our many trips to the camper this past weekend, we heard about an event at Tom Johnson's, which is a RV Sales Center.  It was their 30th aniversary and they were having a customer appreciation day.  What a day!  They had inflatable slides, animals, haystack scavenger hunts, music, and best of all, free food!  All the bar-b-que and fixin's you could eat!  And, we could have not asked for better weather this past weekend.  The air is beginning to get the fall "nip" in it and the leaves are turning into beautiful colors.  Smores, jackets, NC State football, and cooler temps, here we come!
Oh-we did have one casualty.  This is Ethan's second time on the blog with an injury good enough to print!  He was climbing up a slide (after being told not to), slipped, and hit his back on a nail that was sticking out. Lots of tears and TLC for this one!

If at first you don't succeed....

..put them in a Christian school!  Bryce is back at Neuse Christian Academy as a fifth grader.  Ethan's class at Lockhart Elementary did not work out, so he is also at Neuse!  It feels so good to have him smiling and learning in a calm, Christ-centered environment.  Best of all, Neuse added the color pink this year for the uniforms!  (Good for Bryce, not Ethan) Glad to have a "girl" color!"  The money spent is well worth it, especially to have happy, moralistic children!
"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from." Proverbs 22:6

Summer blessings

This past week I was a nurse at Royal Family Kids Camp. This is a camp where foster children get to act like well..children! Many of them have been abused and/or neglected in some way over their lives. It was a hard (extremely hot) but rewarding week, and I am definitely up for next year! This camp is truly about being God's steward and giving back, especially for everything He has done for us!

James 1:27 27 Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Birthday Girl!

Our baby girl turned 5! (Sorry, the post is out of order!)  We had a dual birthday party at Aunt Trisha's because Grampa's birthday is the day after Mary's!  Mary received a "big girl" bike that is all pink and purple-definitely her princess colors!  The whole family was there to celebrate the day-the best way to celebrate!  I was telling James during the party that at that time, 5 years ago, I was still in labor (and was for 17 hours!)  Mary Amelia was absolutely worth it!

First Day of School 2010

It was Ethan and Mary's first day of school today!  Mary started kindergarten and Ethan started 1st grade at Lockhart Elementary.  Technically, Ethan should have started this past Friday, but he was inundated with swollen chigger bites!  Benadryl and sitting at a desk paying attention do not go hand-in-hand!  I can't believe my baby has started school.  Mary was fearless and didn't hesitate to go into her new classroom.  Ethan was a little anxious, but was fine after he saw his school buddies.  Now, mama and daddy are ready for a nap!

Campground fun at Yogi Bear!

Getting ready for another year!

I actually got my two little rugrats to smile and look at the camera at the same time!  Ethan finishes kindergarten in 3 days and Mary begins kindergarten next month! No more babies! Everyone who knows me knows that I will always hold their little ones to get my "baby fix".  But...I will never covet sleepless nights, restaurant tantrums, and whining!  Wait-they still whine!  Oh well.

Our new pets...for now!

My loving, considerate husband told my daughter Bryce that she could get a hermit crab when we were at the beach (note: was not discussed with wife).  They are cute, though.  Bryce's crab unfortunately passed away this week after being attacked by the other crab.  The shopkeeper told me that putting two hermit crabs in a container was fine.  He told Bryce; however, that they tend to fight when they are changing to a new shell, which they do once a lifetime.  Hers is now buried in the backyard.  The container is on top of the refrigerator, safe away from the cat.  Crab chowder, anyone?

Beach 2010

We have a week timeshare down at Pine Knoll Shores that we use every summer. This year, the kids started talking about the beach in February (it was a cold winter!) The water was unusually rough this year, but the temperature was perfect. We all got sunburned the first day out..again. We are always so excited to be there that we'll stay out on the sand all day! One day we'll learn, but we all agree on one thing...we LOVE our beach week!

Summer Fun!

I love warm weather, especially when the kids can go outside to play!  Today was the first day of the sprinkler, pool, anything with water day.  I was impressed with Bryce when she came up with the idea of a homemade waterslide!  It made a big mud puddle at the bottom, which was their favorite part.  Thank the Lord we have a big sink in the garage!

Strawberry pickin' !

I always go and pick strawberries at Hunts Strawberry Farm in Knightdale every May.  This year I decided to take Mary, my youngest.  We had the best time!  She was at the perfect age.  She didn't eat any, stayed in the rows (most of the time), and did all of the picking!  I made a delicious strawberry cake, recipe courtesy of my dear friend Heather.  I think Mary ate the equivalent of 20-30 strawberries a day!  Until next year Hunts!

What a Life!

Time to catch up in blogville.  I thought I'd give Lennie, our cat, his fair share!  We rescued him from the mountains last year.  We had him in our camper one night before we came home, and the next time we went to the camper, it was FULL of fleas!  We had to bomb the camper and stay in a motel that night.  Talk about love!  We always call Lennie a girl for some reason, poor thing, even though he's an "it".  He loves to take naps, especially on our shutters in the dining room. We love you Lennie!

Tooth Fairy time!

Ethan lost his first tooth!  It took him until 6 1/2 years old, but I'm so glad-I love little baby teeth!  And his were so cute.  They really match his little features.  I can't see how a bigger tooth will fit into such a small space, but we did notice that the other little tooth in the next space is now loose.  My baby is growing up!  He was very brave and let his Daddy pull it (you could move the tooth almost horizontal, so it was definitely time).  James said, "ok, on three", then counted, "one, two, oops!" and pulled.  Ethan didn't even feel it.  the tooth fairy was on vacation the first night, but came and left a present for the next night.  Hopefully the tooth fairy will be in town next time!

A Tribute to one of America's heroes

I think all firefighters are heroes. They truly put their lives on the line for us everyday, with wives and children praying for their safe returns every night. One of my dear friends, Heather, lost her grandfather recently. He passed away April 9th at home with his loving wife and family. I had the priviledge of traveling to meet him in Maryland before his passing, and seeing all of the pictures, achievement rewards, and even a surprise visit his fire department to let him see "his" original firetruck. And it was a beauty! God Bless you John Summers and your dedication to America! We love you!

Spring has sprung..and birdbrains?

Here's some evidence of spring in our yard! I especially love the large cherry tree that always shows such beautiful flowers in the spring, then shades great in the sun! As far as the birdhouse, I think Ethan thinks that he needs to label it for the birds to know what it is!

Camping fun!

We own a camper that we have docked at Yogi Bear Campground in Marion, NC. We love it! We have our own lot with a firepit area, deck, and yard. And our friends from church, Tom and Leni, own the camper next door so we often eat together (Leni is a GREAT cook!). This past weekend was the "opening" weekend for the season. James and Tom added an extension onto the deck with Ethan's help (in the rain, no less). Here's to a great summer!

Daddy's Girls

I was a Daddy's girl growing up. I went to work with him, swam with him, and napped on the couch with him! Little Mary is definitely following in my footsteps. If she gets hurt, the first person she runs to is James. I think it would bother me if I didn't have four kids, but by the time I had her, I was ready to share! And as you can see, Bryce loves her Daddy, too!

Finally!!

Training wheels are off for good! We have tried to teach Ethan how to ride a bike for two years without the training wheels, but he was always too scared. So who does he try it for this year? Bryce! The pic I have is of Ethan and James, but Bryce was the one who actually convinced him this year. Of course, now Mary wants to learn too! On to the next biker!.....

Spring planting!

Beginning last year, we started gardening. Everything grew great last year except for the cucumbers, and the squash overtook the garden. We live and learn! We moved the garden to a sunnier spot this year, and are planting a little less of everything. The kids, especially Ethan, love to plant and see what they produce! They actually eat more when they know they have actually helped grow the vegetables! Ethan and Mary were very excited to make the signs for each row. Hopefully we will have just as good of outcome as we did previously!

Raising a soldier

Ethan received two more certificates at church last night and a new badge! He is part of the Royal Ranger program for the Assemblies of God. Each year they "graduate" to a new level. They do crafts, learn bible verses, and have camping excursions when they get older. It is a great encouragement for Christian behavior and witnessing. It's always great to add soldiers to the Kingdom of God!

Dr Seuss Day!

It was Dr Seuss Day at Neuse Christian Academy today! Bryce dressed up as a "thing". Do you know the rule about "things" in the books? Whatever you tell them to do, they always do the opposite! hmmmmm Yes, that is light-blue Easter grass glued on her hat. James saw some in Walgreens and after convincing Bryce that it actually would work, I stayed up last night with the hot glue gun. We thought the outcome was great!

Sugar and Spice....

..and everything crazy!!!Bryce had her birthday slumber party this weekend and had a blast, especially with WII Dance! (thanks, Annelise for letting us borrow it). James gave the girls golf cart rides while trying out for Nascar. (Need I say more?)The girls actually went to sleep by midnight-I think. Here's to our big girl-we are so proud of you!
"A time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance" Ecclesiastes 3:4