Family Pictures

"Is He THERE?"

What would the world be without 3 year olds?

Our sweet friends, the McElwains, hired Gehrig to care for their dogs while they traveled. It was his first 'job' and a great way to start teaching him about working and earning money. He already knows that Mommy & Daddy go to work to "make some money so we can buy food," but we have recently started talking with him about different ways we use the money we make. So, he's learning that you first give some to God, you save some and you spend some. Budget 101, right?

Well, the McElwains came over the other night to pay Gehrig (way too generously, I must add) and he was very excited. They handed it to him and he held some up and said, "I want to give this one to God!" I said, "Great! Would you like to go with Mommy & Daddy to big church on Sunday to give it to Him?" Pause, serious contemplation, and then...

"Is He THERE?"

As if to say, 'You know, I've heard all about this God and I'm ready to see Him!!' It was so cute. And a challenge to explain that yes, He is there (and everywhere), but we still can't see Him. B picked him up from his class early yesterday to join us at the end of the service. He surely was the most excited giver there! Funny how our kids teach us while we think we are teaching them.

Psalm 51:12: 'Restore to me again the JOY! of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you.'

Hard to believe June is over...pics are up!

Family Matters

1. The 2008 Bourne Reunion. Just about the most fun, relaxing, special time you can fit into one weekend. It was our first trip to Virginia with both kids and they did great. Aunt Gretchen rode with us and was a huge help and a lot of fun. Greer met everyone, especially Uncle Bill. :) Gehrig joined the big boys playing, not needing Mommy & Daddy around quite as much. And Daddy did a great job leading our Sunday devotion time...the first 3rd generation devotion time leader. We love it and can't wait until next year!! See full album of pics on the right...

(For more on the reunion, see last June's post!)

2. Father's Day. We have a fantastic leader of our family and we are so grateful for all that he does for us and with us. He is everything a husband and father should be and we love him! Here are a few (okay, a LOT) of our favorite daddy pictures.

May

What a full, fun month we had...
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1. Gehrig's first organized sport season. To see the kids that first week, we would've never guessed how much they would have improved by the end of the season. Most of all, they had fun!

2. Birthday party. See last post for details!

3. Mother's Day. B was sweet to treat me to Outback for lunch. He also took my Bible to be rebound since it was very old and sad looking...I'm so excited to get it back with a nice binding and all my notes inside!

4. Visit from the Owens and golf for B! It was great to see them during their visit to Augusta and B enjoyed a day at the course for the first time since last summer. We are looking forward to our next get together!

5. Playdate at the Pierces. Had to share a pic of these cuties having fun!

6. A date to Athens to visit the Dormans and celebrate Lyle's 30th! Our sweet babysitter, Mary kept both kids while we went to Athens for Lyle's surprise party. It was great all the way around...our time there and the kids time with Mary!

7. 3yr birthday and a zoo visit. See last post for details!

8. School ends for B&G. It is so nice to have B home more now that school is out and it is unbelievable to see how much Gehrig has changed over the course of this school year!

9. Great 3yr checkup for Gehrig. So thankful for his growth and health these past 3 years! We are always a little nervous for doctor visits as Gehrig has never loved the exams and has always been so small on the charts. He was so growny this time, handling everything so well. And he was in the 25th%ile in weight and 50th in height! So nice to feel like he is catching up some.

10. Memorial Day trip to Atlanta. We enjoyed a last minute trip to visit the fam over Memorial Day weekend. Got a little shopping done and enjoyed family game night with Bebe, Britt & Margaret, Slade & Jessica.

11. Visits from Mammaw. We are so thankful that Mammaw gets to come and stay with G&g from time to time. This month, she got to come a couple of times to keep them while Mommy & Daddy worked. We just love having her here.

12. Family time at the lake. Mommy, G&g went to the lake with the Bournes & O'Neills while Daddy was at summer baseball. It was Greer's first time in a bathing suit and Gehrig had so much fun playing with Aunt Chris and others.

13. End of one baseball season and the start of another. The regular baseball season ended earlier than usual this year in the 1st round of state playoffs, but not to worry! Summer ball started this weekend and will go through June!

14. The missing Links. The other half of our family was gone for a couple of weeks this month to the beach. We missed them!

...see the full gallery of pictures posted on the right.

Three

May 19, 2005: Our lives changed forever. Our life as a couple became our lives as a family...of three. I thought we would never love anything more than that new baby boy. So cute, so sweet, so ours! Three months in, we had a new understanding of hard. How do we train him 'in the way he should go'? What if we mess up? Will we ever feel rested again?!
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I think we love him more now than we did then. Three years of joy, challenges, laughter, learning. He is so smart. We constantly glance at each other while shaking our heads, amazed at what he knows. He speaks in complex sentences, grammatically correct paragraphs...in the cutest three year old voice. He remembers EVERYTHING and listens to EVERYTHING. He knows more Bible verses than most grown ups. He cracks us up. He loves the number three. Three cookies, three stories..."I want three of 'em!" He loves his friends ('buddies'), his family, God and Jesus. He loves animals, trains, balls, books, puzzles, his Bible CDs, construction trucks, flashcards, playing outside, and snacks. He loves to sing...songs that he's heard or ones that he makes up. He is our favorite little boy.

Thank You, God, for the glimpse that You've given us of the love that You have for Your children. It sometimes is overwhelming how much we love this child and how we would do anything for him...You did everything for us. Thank You for our Gehrig.

Here is the story of him turning three:

We had his birthday party early on May 10th. Two of his favorite girls came into town for the weekend...Aunt Gretchen and his 'big girlfriend' Jessica.


We met at the park for Gehrig to play with his friends and he had a great time there until a storm came about an hour into it.

We were seriously low-key with pizza and cupcakes. So wish that we would've had time to get a picture with all the kids!

After the storm passed, a few of the kids came over to the house and played with Gehrig until bedtime. Boy, did they play hard and have so much fun. Had to post this pic of G opening gifts just to show how wet his hair was from sweating so much!

It didn't go exactly as planned (does it ever?), but Gehrig had a great day. In the end, that's what counts!

On the actual day, Daddy wanted to take G to the zoo. Again, he LOVES animals. Oh the joy! And to make a great day even better, he got to invite his friend Luke. Wow.

Checking out the bears and elephants...

And, oh yeah! It was Greer's first zoo visit! Her present to Gehrig was being a very sweet girl despite missing her afternoon nap and eating a couple hours late!

She is the sweetest thing...oh my word.

We finished the day with a big boy birthday dinner at Ruby Tuesday near the zoo. Hungry and delirious...

And chocolate cake to round out the day!

Happy birthday, G. We love you!! (Please stay three...)