Sweet Friends

We all know the joy of having a great friend. It really is a precious gift. Well, Connor got to experience his first great friend in Colin. They really were two peas in a pod. Colin has an older brother, Ryan, who Connor idolized. These boys have a baby brother, Blaine, and two great parents, Tim and Laura. We love this family very much as just a few weeks ago had to say goodbye as they packed up and moved to Germany. It's almost like the Army didn't care that we really enjoyed each other! Connor has a precious tender heart but he also has an aggressive streak which can mean that making friends isn't super easy. He is working on it and I really can see growth but for whatever reason, he and Colin hit it off right away and have never once had issues. They played side by side, but independently for a long time and as they grew they learned how to play together. It has been a really great last 2 years knowing that Connor has a friend in his class at church that will play with him and looks forward to his arrival. As a parent it has been great to allow my kids to play at a friends house knowing that their values, standards, expectations, etc. are very closely related to ours. It is comforting to know that my child will be corrected appropriately when he makes a poor choice or that he will be praised when he does well.

We have been upfront with Connor about their move and initially he would burst into tears and sob "I not want Cowin & Ryan to move to Germ-nee!" In more recent days he occasionally, with a quivering voice, will say, "I miss Cowin & Ryan. I not want dem to move to Germ-nee." And at night he rarely misses an opportunity to tell God thank you for his friends "Cowin & Ryan." I love this sweet family and am tearfully writing to say that we already miss them dearly. Please pray for Connor as he adjusts to life without his friends Colin and Ryan. Pray for me as I adjust to life without Laura (one of my closest friends I've made since moving to Cove 3 1/2 years ago.) And finally, pray for money to fall from the sky so we can go visit them in Germany!

Connor & Colin "camping"

Ryan's lego creation

All our sweet kids (Milly & Andi joined us) lined up at our last dinner.

Cows!

We went this morning to our friend's the Williams' house. They are a very sweet couple from church who have invited us out to play a few times and this morning was extra special because we got to drive around the property and show the boys the cows. Connor was so excited and timid too. They live on a little over 230 acres so it took us a while to find the cows and Connor was literally standing in the floor of the truck scanning the horizon with baited breath. Cameron was climbing up me arching his back, flailing in every direction. He's a little restless these days. I actually rolled my window half way up because I was nervous he was going to launch himself out of the truck! Once we found the cows and got up close Cameron got real still and clung to me. Connor & Raiford got out of the truck and walked around a little but Cameron might have totally lost it so we opted to stay safely inside. Ms. Linda stayed back at the house and waited there for us.

There were two cows up near the house that we checked out before our ride. Connor held on pretty tightly to Raiford.

Each time we go Connor likes to ring the triangle bell. He calls it the funny sound.

These cows were not happy to see us leave without receiving any feed.

And before we left Connor got to ride the horse swing!

San Antonio Whirlwind Weekend

This past weekend we took a trip to San Antonio. We crammed a lot into three days! We saw grandparents, great grandparents, aunts & uncles, friends from college and friends from Cove! Thursday we started with a visit to Mimi & Papa's house and dinner with Grandma Julie (no pictures, sorry.) This is the only picture I did snap that day: My stubborn toddler who refused to swallow his last bite of lunch. He was so tired he fell asleep in the car with a mouth full of slobbery cheeseburger. Bleh!

Friday we got up early and met our friends from Cove who were in town on their own. We played at Hemisfair Park and went to lunch at EZ's. Hemisfair was so fun until hoards of school children descended upon us. Poor Colin was wearing a cute blue polo shirt but as the playground filled up he became impossible to spot because all of them had on matching t-shirts that were the same shade of blue. For her sanity and his safety, Laura took his polo off and had him run around in his under shirt. (If you can't tell from the pictures Connor just adores Ryan who is 5. He loves to play with Colin who is just a bit older but he adores Ryan.)

No Dad, I don't want to stop playing to take a nap.

And on Saturday my sweet friend Hannah got married! It was a beautiful spring wedding.

Check out those adorable little yellow ballet flats!

Hannah, Elizabeth & I were roommates in college and when I moved out, Bonnie moved in. I had a great time reconnecting with old friends & learning all about life as moms now.

By the way, Cameron did go on this trip. I am a terrible mother who somehow only photographed one child. Ugh, guilt.

For more pictures from the playground check out Laura's blog.

Birthday Parties

Connor got to celebrate his birthday twice. First we had a party with our play group friends and then a family party in San Antonio. He seemed to really enjoy both.

Play Group Party

Family Party