The day after our return from Universal we had purchased tickets for "May the 4th be with you" Shuckers game. Kids were somewhat interested in the game. They certainly liked eating popcorn and watching the fireworks and light sabers glow at the end.
I love this little dude!
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The next day Matt took the boys to do the free Home Depot craft and I got my nails done as an anniversary gift! Such a treat!
Cinco de Mayo- We went to Moe's for our free shirts (boys didn't want to wear because it was pink). We went to a friend's house that evening and watched a classic movie that somehow we hadn't ever seen. It was a fun time and funny movie!
Posing with my big boy before church. Wearing pink to church on my anniversary in honor of my wedding colors. Arrived at church to see my good looking husband wearing his pink tie from the big day. Love him.
Ended the day playing Harry Potter Clue as a family. I'm happiest with my crew.
Monday was the actual birthday! Happy 8th birthday to the boy that made me a mom. He is smart, sensitive, and sweet. I love him and can't imagine my life without him. I hope he never leaves me and marries...just kidding(ish).
We don't really do birthday parties but tend to just do a playdate. Joshua invited a friend over during the daytime and Nathan was supposed to be entertained by a friend too. However, he was having a hard time appreciating that it was Joshua's special day and he was supposed to be happy about that. He pouted in his room most of the day and I entertained his guest. Joshua had a blast though.
Nani and PopPop didn't want to miss out on the actual day so she sent a gift that delighted. Joshua is so "My Kid" we love gift cards. My Dad joined in on the fun by sending money as well. Joshua already has plans for it all.
Joshua decorated his own cake with all things Joshua. Star Wars, Pokemon, and Harry Potter are all represented on this cake.
Chinese food for dinner.
Ended the day dancing to a musical birthday card.
Nathan really wanted to use his Spider Man umbrella so Matt made it rain with the hose.
We signed up for a family bowling package for the summer. Kids are free! The boys had a blast and I hope it will be something we can do out of the heat all summer long.
This is how you do doctor appointments when you don't want the kids included but you are living the homeschool life.
Joshua was invited to a friend from his school days birthday party. Nathan was impressed by the number of kids in attendance and said he wants to go to school as long as he gets to have lunch, snacks, a playground, other kids, and a backpack. Those were his priorities and in that order. Who knows what next year holds for us?
Matt left to go do two weeks of training in Maryland and the boys and I began our independent life. Matt hates the sand so here we are. :-)
Mother's Day presents and two sweet boys to spend it with. We invited over another mom/kids that didn't have her husband at home either. We enjoyed each other so much and splitting the cooking was an added treat. It was a wonderful Mother's Day.
More bowling...
The buddy that came to Joshua's birthday fun had his birthday so it was our turn to get to come over. He celebrated Harry Potter style also but his mom actually did super cute Harry Potter stuff. :-)
Joshua spent the night at the party and I hung out with my youngest.
The next day we met up after the sleepover and went to the aquarium in New Orleans. We bought a membership so we plan to go a lot. It was another effort to give us adventures for our last year in Mississippi. The kids really enjoyed the spinning door.
2 minutes before a worker told my kids to get down and get back inside the safety bar. Ooops.
Sometimes you just need a bath in Mom's tub after a long day. We stayed in Mississippi the first week Matt was gone and then I packed up for our SC adventure.
I pride myself on my ability to push through and drive the 9 hours to SC with only one stop. However, this drive was trying my patience. We had more traffic than ever before. We were about 1.5 hours from home and I discovered that my Dad's house didn't have power. We were stuck in more traffic and I did something very "unVanessalike" I stopped. Normal people stop and stretch their legs and go to the bathroom when they travel but to make up for all of my trips where I don't do these type of normal stops I decided to make up for it with a hotel stop. It was actually a really fun night. We checked in, swam in the pool, and then walked to Cracker Barrel for dinner.
The next day we were recharged and the traffic was gone. We drove to my Dad's house that now had power and were ready for a fun trip.
Nathan got an early birthday present since he won't be around the aunts for his actual birthday. He screamed so loud not over the gift but over the "poppers."
Joshua loves taking care of his younger cousins.
Nathan likes to walk with Sammy.
Aunt Julia made Nathan a spider-man cake. He was so impressed and told her she did a great job! I don't think I'll try to compete with her awesome web.
They love getting out in nature at Dad's house. He cleared a bunch of trails for them out in the pasture.
Nathan loves listening to a kid's cd filled with (annoying) silly songs. It was purchased by my Mom right before she passed away so how can I refuse. Lizzy taught the boys to bang their heads on the "boom, boom" during the song "Boom, Boom Ain't it Great to be Crazy"
We went to the summer movie deal. School is still in session so it wasn't hard to find a seat.
Nathan had to ride "his" car at the Big E. He did this car when he first went to this place with the birth family when he was almost 2. He rides the car everytime even though he's getting pretty big.
I was so glad that Nani joined us for the fun too. Our family suffered a shocking, devastating loss just days before. Matt's Aunt Kacky (Nani's older sister) passed away. She had been battling cancer for 12 years but we were still not ready to say goodbye. Kids are the best source for laughter and love during loss.
On Sunday, we went to church at a different building because my Dad's church was having a special meeting at another location and I didn't want to drive to it. Joshua was nervous about staying for the last meetings because it would be with kids he didn't know. He is pretty shy and reserved when it comes to new experiences and new people. He decided to stay. At the end of church he was so proud of himself. He said that Heavenly Father answered his prayer because the kids were nice to him and he said he learned a lot. He also got invited to come play at the house of one of the other kids. He said double blessing. :-)
At the end of my visit in Blacksburg, Julia offered to watch the boys at her job as a nanny. This was actually the same family that also invited Joshua over from church meeting. We discovered that although Nathan loves Sammy he is terrified of dogs that bark or jump.
He loved the trampoline though and I loved my free time. I spend so much time engaged with my kids that I forget how refreshing and needed it is to do things by myself too.
The boys wanted to run home....I don't know why but why not.
I don't know why I didn't take pictures but we also got to visit with my Aunt Brenda and my grandparents. The boys loved playing with their cousin, Collin and wrestling with Uncle Jimmy. They snuggled with Aunt Julia, Lizzy, and Rachel. They were beyond thrilled to see Rachel doing so much better. Nathan especially was proud of Rachel's progress. He was heartbroken and terrified of her casts and braces. We also got to go visit with Nathan's birth family. We love them so much and are grateful to have more people in our lives to love.
Friday evening we got to pick up Matt. Hurray! Two weeks was a long time. We haven't officially shared it but Matt is being deployed at the end of September for 6-7 months to the middle east. We are sad but accepting of it. The boys don't know yet because we have been tasked with deployment a few times before and then it has gone away. Joshua has physically been ill as he has waited for the deployment to happen. So this time we will tell him right before to prevent him from being miserable before it happens. They will get their practice in though as Matt has lots of away training in preparation for this deployment.
Saturday morning our immediate family gathered together for Joshua's baptism. It was very special to have an intimate crowd for such a sweet occasion. I have accepted that any time there is a life event I will feel my Mom's presence which is a blessing but I will also painfully feel her absence. 
We tried to take a photo beforehand and Nathan loves to photo bomb.
PopPop made the programs.
Nani prepared a lunch for all of us and I so appreciated having help. I need to learn to ask for help more often. The boys were so happy to have their Dad back. Joshua also took a quiet moment to write in his journal about his important day. I love seeing him mature and grow in his testimony.
Julia and I couldn't stay too long because it was time to go to Columbia for her special day in the temple. You usually ask someone special like your mother to be your escort in the temple for the first time. I was humbled and grateful to be her escort.
There were more people than this to celebrate Julia's special day but I didn't get a picture of the whole group.
While we were away, the boys were making precious memories. Elizabeth and Rachel took Joshua to see the new Star Wars movie. Nathan got some solo time with Nani, PopPop, Aunt Kiki, Jessi, and Uncle Peter. Lizzy and Rachel dropped off Joshua and he got to join in on the fun too. 
He says he loves "ruining" pictures. He doesn't realize he is just making good photos for his future girlfriends to see.
Sunday we all went to church together. Nani/Mom was glowing as she sat there with all of her children and grandchildren in one spot. Family is pretty special. Monday we took advantage of the memorial day deals for military families. We went to Edventure and the State Museum. I love watching my boys play and learn. However, after a couple of hours I was ready to leave Edventure. Children's museums and their noise volumes require me to be present in body only. My mind must preserve itself by disappearing elsewhere.
Nathan lost his mind and didn't want to watch the laser show. He has a thing about loud noises and he was convinced it was going to be dark and scary. He finally settled down and actually enjoyed the show. He told us later that he also thought actual lasers were going to attack him not just be on the screen....
Monday night we stayed in a hotel so Matt would be close for his 7am interview start time. When Matt accepted that this deployment was actually happening he realized he was in a slight predicament. He will return sometime in April but will be separating from the military June 1st. He decided to look for a job before he deploys so he doesn't have to worry about that when he returns. The unpacking and packing has been hard work as we have moved around to different locations on this trip. The groceries on the go and the need for lots of restaurants and hotels gets expensive but there are some in our party that haven't minded the travel life one bit.
Matt spent the day interviewing and the boys and I drove around and tried to stay dry on the very rainy day. We looked at houses and drove to different parts of the city. We got to see a dear friend and she let us change clothes at her house for the dinner portion of the interview with all of the partners at the anesthesia group.
Nani and PopPop drove from Rock Hill to Columbia and entertained the boys. The boys had a blast. The first thing Nathan told me was that the restaurant refilled his chocolate milk. (This kid always orders chocolate milk but knows that generally restaurants do only one and then switch him to water.) Joshua enjoyed his time exploring stores with PopPop and Nathan got to smell all of the soaps in Bath and Body Works. He loves good smelly stuff. We then drove way past our bedtime to Atlanta, Georgia to be ready for Matt's early interview there. Matt interviewed and the boys and I swam at the hotel and explored the area. Then we picked up Matt and drove back to Mississippi. Now, the bags are unpacked and order is restored. Matt was simultaneously offered a position at both hospitals. We are grateful and sick. We don't want to choose. I thought it would be a no brainer. SOUTH CAROLINA OBVIOUSLY! However, it has turned out to not be as simple as we hoped. Having choices is a blessing and a curse. We are hoping for prayerful inspiration as he has to make a choice this weekend. Yay for new adventures and grown up life choices. It was nice having the military tell us what to do ;-)
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