Lakeside

If you read my last post, it's easy to understand why we love our church. Our 4 wonderful years at the CDC only scratches the surface of the blessings we've received from Bethany. I teach 4 year old Sunday School, I have taken on a big role in our Vacation Bible School that is coming up, I attend a weekly Bible Study with some fine women and we have met some extraordinary families during our time as Bethany members. One such family has stolen our hearts this past year.

I had seen her in the halls of the CDC over the years and recognized her in my first Bible Study a few years ago. I remember thinking she was really pretty and from what I could hear in her conversations with other women, she had a big love for Jesus, her family and next on the list, a big love for animals.....all kinds. We didn't really get to know each other very well during that first study....it was one that followed a year or so later...

It took me a few studies before I mustered up the courage to share much about myself....this is probably surprising to those who know me well but my knowledge of the Bible seemed limited and I was intimidated by all the theology that surrounded me so I kept my mouth closed and my ears opened. Finally, one Friday, I spoke up and shared a little bit about myself - most particularly that I was adopted. When I finished, I looked across the table at this woman who had tears welling in her eyes and she spoke....she shared that she was the mother of 2 adopted children and 1 biological. She talked about her compassion for adoptees and the "lack of control" in the circumstances that most often shaped the life of an adoptee.

In an instant I felt a connection with her and I felt her compassion for me. From that point on, she was no longer a Bible Study acquaintance or a fellow church member, she was my friend - a friend who understood as best she could, some of the challenges I had faced as an adopted child.

So....that's the back story....fast forward 12 months...

I have grown quite close to Kristi and I feel a kinship to her that I can't really describe. The icing on the cake is that as wonderful as Kristi is, her children, husband and animals (she has lots!) are just as wonderful. They are truly one of the most generous families we have ever met. They love the Lord, they open their doors to complete strangers and give until they cannot give anymore. I can't believe our good fortune to have become a part of their lives and they ours this past year. Kristi and I have lots in common, one of which is a heavy involvement at our children's schools - she and I both serve on the PTA Boards at our schools and have lots to talk about just on this topic alone!

Because of our crazy schedules and demands at home, we don't get to see alot of each other. That's changed recently as school began winding down and schedules have eased. A few weeks ago, we spent the weekend with them at the lake and it was nonstop fun for all. Winston and Lilly absolutely loved it- playing with their new friends, swimming, tubing, jumping off the dock, fishing, catching frogs...all of it. Kristi's oldest daughter, Sara, has stolen my heart -- she is adopted and I see so much of myself in her....I can't really explain why but I just feel a connection to her. All 3 of their children are wonderful, well behaved and easy to be around. They even put up with wild and whoolly Winston!! It was just a lovely time with some lovely people.

We've sure been counting our blessings these days and are so thankful for a family who has stolen our hearts.

Swimming

Sweet friends

Striking the pose

Loving that lake water

Waiting for a bite

Caught a baby turtle

Awesome...she is....

Boys on the boat

Tubing

Love the expressions...so much fun!

S'mores after dark

Day 2 - jet ski

Not bad for first attempt on the kneeboard -

Daredevil for sure...

Happy Lake Boy

The End of a Very Sweet Chapter

I remember it clearly, it was our move-in day here in SC.I was very pregnant sitting on the front porch in a beach chair watching the moving company unload our belongings; our new neighbor walked over and introduced herself. She noticed a 2 year old Winston running around, had to have noticed my pregnant belly and at some point asked about our plans for preschools in the area. Preschool was the last thing on my mind at the time but I remember she spoke so highly of the one her children attended as well as the church in which it was affiliated. I made a mental note to investigate at the proper time.

It wasn't long before I made some calls and visits and without any doubt, I knew Bethany CDC was the one for us. During the first phone call, the director asked me my plans for Winston's entrance into Elementary School and urged me to consider waiting that extra year due to his August birthday. She told me it was one of the greatest gifts I could give a boy with an August birthday -- and she was ever so right about that. We were wait listed but by the time registration rolled around, we enrolled without incident and were excited to become a Bethany CDC family.

The welcoming, loving arms of Bethany wrapped around us quickly and haven't let go since. From the beginning of our time at the CDC, I have been amazed at just how much those teachers LOVE the every single one of those children they teach -- it never ever seemed like a job to them, always a privilege. We've had different styles and different personalities in the teachers we've been assigned and all of them were gifts to our children and our family at just the right time.

I have so many fond, sweet memories from Bethany - one of which happened this past year. One morning I got a call from Vicki, the director. Lilly was running a high fever, felt awful and needed to come home early. When I arrived to pick her up, I walked into the office to find my sweet little girl curled up in Vicki's lap. Vicki had stopped what she was doing and was holding Lilly in her arms, rocking her until I could arrive. I could have cried watching the tender loving care my daughter was receiving by someone who could have easily put her down on the rug for a nap until I could get there. This is just one example of what Bethany gave us over these last 4 years.

We made some wonderful friendships that will last far beyond our years at the CDC with children, other Bethany parents and teachers and staff. Both of our children children learned so much while they were there.As parents, Joe and I learned to cherish the innocence and freedom of childhood....many of the gifts will last a lifetime.

Our last days at the CDC were bittersweet - we are sad to be leaving our beloved preschool but so thankful for the gifts of our time there. We'll stay very close to the CDC because of our church and the wonderful Christian people we met along the way but no doubt, we will miss our daily trips to a most special place.

We could not have asked for a more wonderful place to introduce our children to school life than Bethany.We are so grateful.

Field Day Relays- Run Lilly Run

Enjoying a popsicle treat after Field Day events. Lilly and her sweet friend, McCoy.

5 day 4's - Mrs Shabeldeen and Mrs Harris

Last Day as a Preschooler - growing up way too fast

Two sweet girls - Lilly and Hannah

Final Sing a Long at Bethany

Blessing before the Picnic - I love that she knows exactly what to do

They don't get any better than Mrs Walters - we had her for Lunch Bunch. One wonderful lady.

Mrs Harris and Lillly

Mrs Shabeldeen

And All God's People Said......AMEN!

The crazy train I've been on these last 8 months just pulled into the station and I am knocking people out of the way to get OFF this insane ride for a much needed break. I cannot even fathom how we survived these last few months with the schedule we've been keeping. Endless meetings, PTA responsibilities, Bible School planning, school functions, baseball games or ballet lessons...it's been something every night and literally one thing after another.While much of it was fun and all of it was important - it has left me absolutely worn out and ready to close the calendar and turn off the phone for the summertime.

Our house is an absolute disaster...stuff E-V-ER-EE-WHERE and disorganized....a tired Mama Grant living in a dirty, cluttered, disorganized house is NOT a good combination for this family....especially Mama Grant. It's time to recharge, clean up and enjoy some summer days free of meetings, errands and activities. We'll hit the beach, the pool and all sorts of other stuff but it'll be low-key and worry-free. It'll fly by and we'll be back in school mode in the blink of an eye....so here's a quick summary in pictures of all the fun and hopefully we'll get back on track with some timely blogging. We had a lovely lake trip, Lilly's dance recital and Winston's last big days as a 1st grader that deserve posts all their own....and I'll get to all that...but for now.....this is best we've got until we can find our sanity and praise the Lord for a cloudy, overcast first part of this Memorial Day weekend, I can think of no better way to spend this weekend than cleaning like a mad woman. Pray for the children, I have a sneaking suspicion they will not agree with this plan!

Here's what we've been up to instead of blogging...

Spending time with good people - Courtney's pony party at Middleton Place was a lovely way to spend a Saturday in late April. I love the picture of these sweet children.

Little League night at the RiverDogs...we all had fun at The Joe....

The teams walked the field...

Waiting for the game to start....

Love this picture....
Lilly enjoyed the Dippin' Dots...

A sweet little girls sings at her Mother's Day Tea at Bethany...our last one EVER...sniff sniff

Lilly and her sweet friend sing for the Mommies...

A Mother's Day Dinner fit for a Queen....thanks Daddy, Winston and & Lilly - I loved it!


A Field Trip to Boone Hall for my first grader. Enjoying the bus ride with his favorite classmate...

Switching gears to temporary opponents at the ball field.....it was so cute to see them play against each other and shake hands afterwards.

End of Season Awards....Winston with his coaches. A GREAT first year of baseball. Some of best coaches we've ever had....thanks Coaches!

Great season #2 -- you learned alot, played hard ALWAYS and win or lose, played like a champ.

A Lovely Lowcountry Day

Today was as busy as it gets for this family - I think it's fair to say we like to stay close to home as much as we can. There is some comfort for all of us in piddling around the house. Perhaps that's why days like today are such a treat for us - unless it's a marathon trip to Kiawah on a hot summer day, we don't typically stay away from home all day long. Today was the exception; and a fun one at that.

We had an early morning start at the baseball field where the Biggby Coffee Tigers put together a great game against a formidable Crowfield team. Great game for everyone, including W who had a few base hits and survived a "grazing" by a baseball bat while playing catcher one inning. This Mama sprang up from her seat in a millisecond as I saw and heard the impact...he was just fine, Thank the Good Lord.

Winston is really fun to watch; he is still learning the strategy and rules of this new sport and every now and again he'll show some football moves of his...and no, he hasn't tackled anyone yet but instead of throwing the ball for an out, he'll sprint after an opposing player and attempt to tag a runner out at the bag. It's pretty funny. We couldn't feel more fortunate to be part of this team - our coaches are exceptional and the team Mom continues to give me the warm and fuzzies with her detailed and frequent email communications. Ahhhh...the sweet, sweet joy of someone as OCD as me!

We came home in time to clean off the red dirt stains from the baseball field and head back out to see the Blue Angels fly in the Charleston harbor. The day was absolutely gorgeous and perfect for spending it outside by the water. We parked ourselves on a blanket in Liberty Square; Winston quickly found some boys to join him in a game of football and Lil began what was a very long afternoon of finding and naming ladybugs. Super sweet that girl...I so enjoyed just watching her walk around peaking in the grass for new friends. She had quite an attachment to two ladybugs and named them Jillie and Chrissy. Winston also got to spend some time with his buddy Hampton which is always a bonus.

The most random surprise of the day.....I morphed into a paparazzi for a few minutes when Lilly and I stumbled upon a pretty familiar political figure while we were waiting to see the Blue Angels too.

Crazy huh? I was super happy about my nifty camera and its ability to zoooom in for some great pictures. Actually we weren't that far away but it was nice to get a close up picture. McCain was there to see the Blue Angels too! If Lilly and I would have hung around, we would probably have gotten a handshake but Lilly was more interested in finding ladybugs than discussing politics....a fine choice if you ask me!

So the Blue Angels....

Crazy unbelievable, those pilots. I will be the first to admit I don't really have an appropriate appreciation for the skills required to maneuver an aircraft, any aircraft for that matter, but these dudes (and dudettes?) are MINDBLOWING with the things they do at such high speeds with such massive aircraft. Powerful....loud....astounding.....I am so glad we braved the crowds/traffic (which neither were bad at all) as it was quite a sight to see GREAT STUFF.

Flying 500 miles an hour, about 50 ft from the water....a walk in the park......GOOD GRIEF! And I was nervous about my 7 year old playing catcher in Little League!! Wonder what the Mama's of these pilots think about all of this!

We lingered for quite a while after the show enjoying the sea breeze and lovely sunshine. More football tossing and ladybug finding before we finally packed up, headed for Daniel Island and enjoyed a lovely dinner outside. The weather was perfect to sit outside and since no cooking/cleaning was involved on my part, I was especially happy about the way we ended our day of adventure.

We are home with squeaky clean children, full tummies and lots of happy moments to think about as we drift off to dreamland after this very wonderful Saturday in the Lowcountry.My guess is we'll hardly leave the house tomorrow except for church - and as fun as today was, a day spent in the comforts of home with my people will be more than enough fun for me!

Close to Home

Last year about this time, the kids and I spent a Friday evening at our local high school's track with some good friends walking laps in honor of cancer awareness, cancer survivors and for those who have lost their battles to the disease. Little did I know that one year later, we'd be walking that track again...only this time with more purpose, more emotion....more hope.

Winston had some Relay for Life activities at school today - they walked their own laps this morning and he made a "tile" in honor of his Granddaddy. We were excited to find the BHES tent tonight and for Winston to show us his artwork in honor of a special person in Danville, VA.

Thanks to my sweet friend, the kids had special shirts made to show just who they were walking for. We walked the track searching high and low for the luminary bags we had made; it's a pretty powerful experience to read all those names...so many names....fathers, mothers, children, grandparents, friends....all with their own stories to tell.

We spent time with some friends and enjoyed the fellowship of hundreds of others....all in honor of a special Dad and Granddaddy. Keep fighting Dad - We love you!