Graham's Notes . . .

Graham played at his Spring Recital this evening. The performance was GREAT, as always, and we are so proud of him! He played 'The Toy Town' by Bowman & N. Faber. This was his longest recital piece so far (three pages) and he had to turn the page during the performance. We thought ahead and photocopied the page--only to have it blow off the stand during this performance! He proceeded, unruffled, and we are so proud of him. After the recital he received several compliments on his composure and focus during the sheet music incident!

Way to go, GRAHAM! We are so proud of you, and cannot wait to see how these precious fingers will glorify God in the days to come!

Put me in Coach!

Graham's baseball coach scheduled a kids vs. parents game for this past Sunday--apparently that is his tradition every year. What a FUN idea! Anna Beth could not wait to play baseball--she has never played before. She put on the most athletic clothing she owns (A Nike set off the clearance rack!)and grabbed Graham's bat, helmet and old glove. Ethan was even excited about playing with the little kids. I was excited about taking pictures, lol, but somehow got roped into hitting off the tee and then getting tagged out by Ethan at 1st base, lol! I even included a few photos in the slideshow for the ultimate embarrassment. Anything for my boys--they got a kick out of mom hitting off the tee! Anyhow, everyone had a blast; I think Graham really enjoyed seeing his whole family 'in the game'. Ethan got to show-off a little bit with the little kids. As for Anna Beth . . . she has now decided that she WILL be playing baseball with all the boys in the yard, even if she is the only girl playing. I have a feeling we may be seeing her on the field soon! And as for me? Well, I'll be sticking with photography! Enjoy the picts . . .

ORDER IN THE COURT!

Last Friday, Ethan went on his Fourth Grade FOCUS field trip to the Gwinnett County courthouse. It was an incredible experience for students and parents alike! You see, the students have been preparing for a mock trial to be held in the courtroom and precided over by Judge Laura Tate. Every student had their role, and they even brought their own jury of students from the regular classrooms. Judge Tate was incredibly gracious and spent 45 minutes or so answering questions from the students and parents. However, once the case started, she was ALL business! The suspect, Gold Elizabeth Locks (aka "Goldie"), was on trial for breaking and entering. Ethan was Officer Justin Time who arrived on the scene immediately following the crime. He was called to the stand to testify, along with Goldie Locks' siblings, parents, and of course, the Bear family. Both the prosecution and the defense argued their cases well (we even had some objections!). In the end, the jury found Goldie GUILTY and she was sentenced to 20 years! It was a blast and Ethan enjoyed the experience!

Here come the Spring Chicks . . .

Or, I guess I should say, the Spring goslings and turtles! The animal babies are beginning to appear around us and it has been so exciting to see and experience! First came the six little goslings, parading around the lake with their mother and father. They have visited our bank several times, giving us a closer look. They've also visited our new garden . . . but not for long thanks to Mr. Ricky next door, lol! We still have a pair of geese near the Warbington's house with eggs that haven't hatched--we hope they make it, inspite of the dog and children! Then came the baby turtle--Ethan found him along the bank of the lake this week and absolutely LOVED him. He was adorable, maybe the size of a quarter. Ethan released him back into the lake and we hope to see him again soon. We love living here and are amazed more everyday by the beauty of God's nature around us!

God is so good!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Yes, yes, yes . . . you all know we live in 'the country' now, so we had to plant a garden. We've tried gardens in the past, but not with a lot of success. Here in 'the country', with our neighbors Ms. Maggie and Ricky, we decided we would try again and learn from the pros. Ms. Maggie had the absolute best tomatoes and veggies last year, we sampled MANY of them! So, with her guidance and help, we have planted a wonderful garden of cucumbers, squash, zucchini, carrots, onions, cantelope, watermelon and eggplant. It has been lots of hard work so far (and I know there is MUCH more to come), but it has been so fun to work together as a family and a neighborhood (the Warbingtons and Jenkins are planting as well!). The boys worked SO hard hoeing the garden and planting the plants and seeds; and we are ALL excited about seeing the plants and vegetables grow in the weeks and months to come!

Little Miss Sunshine!

Anna Beth had her preschool program last Thursday night and you guessed it . . . she was a little sunshine! No doubt, this is the perfect costume for the little miss priss who loves to brighten our days. The program was ADORABLE with lots of the good old nursery songs and rhymes. Anna Beth sang "Mr. Golden Sun" with several other girls.

Her neighbor and partner-in-crime Riley Catherine is right beside her in the program and in the last snapshot taken after the show. Our other neighbor Blaine was a cute little spider who caused quite a scream for little Miss Muffet. It was a wonderful evening reflecting on the joys of childhood and all that our children have experienced this year. WOW . . . can't believe yet another school year is about to end, it just goes by too quickly!

Okay, Okay, Here is the House!

Okay, I'm giving in--several people have asked that I post some picts of the new house here since they are not close enough to visit. I was planning to wait until it was decorated and looking more orderly than it is at the moment, however, it seems that is going to be MUCH further into the future than I imagined. I will go ahead and post a few photos taken on the day we moved in--they aren't great, but you'll get the picture! Disregard the brown paper all over the floors, lol, that was to prevent scratches on the wood floors on move-in day! Here are some pictures of the kitchen--this was my BIGGEST source of anxiety and stress, but I am very pleased with the outcome. The kitchen has proven to be a great arrangement and amount of space for my cooking endeavors. It has even 're-inspired' me to do more cooking (I've been in a slump lately!)

The photo above is taken walking in from the mudroom; the one below is looking in from the keeping room. You can see the columns we wrapped in stone--they turned out better than I expected! Here is the keeping room that connects off of the kitchen and breakfast area. We don't have any furniture in here yet, but we plan for this to be more of a cozy sitting/game room for family--no television, at least not in the plans for now. Just a fun room that is an extension of the kitchen . . . can't wait to use the fireplace next year! You can't see it in the photo, but to the left there is a HUGE triple window to the floor looking out over the lake.

Here is a photo looking into the great room from the kitchen bar. The second photo is looking in from the breakfast area (which is to the right). The french doors/windows in the great room have been useful already, and provide an incredible view of the lake. The doors open up to a vaulted porch.

This photo is looking from the great room across the breakfast area and into the keeping room--it is a wide open space!

Okay--obviously, this isn't a move-in day photo. This is the dining room, the one room that looks 'okay', so I included a post-move photo. It doesn't look this 'busy' in person, I promise!

Here is part of the master bedroom-it has A LOT of windows, you are looking at the lake and stars at night--the photo of the lake is taken looking out one of our windows, it really is beautiful! I love the vaulted ceiling and chandelier. The second photo is the master bathroom.

I don't have great photos of the kids rooms, the guest room or the area we finished in the basement. However, I think this is probably MORE than most of you wanted to see anyhow!

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all of you who prayed for us during this building/selling process. This new home is a blessing from our Heavenly Father and we cannot wait to invite others in and use it for His glory! We are claiming the verse from Isaiah that states "My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest." May this home provide a place of peace, security and rest for our family, and all who enter!