Charleston, well the pineapple fountain at least

Whenever we are in Charleston I always want to go downtown. It holds special memories for Brett and I as that is where we started our marriage. You can't get much better than Charleston. I love going now because the boys are starting to have memories of this area as well. I never took pictures of them with a bear or whatever as they grew but the pineapple fountain marks their growth. :) Starting from when D was just a little babe himself.

Dawson early 2006

June 2014

The boys got into fishing for money that people had thrown in with their wishes. They searched and searched and came out with their pockets full of coins, albeit very damaged ones. :) Hopefully we didn't take away anyone's wishes when we removed their coins. :)

Brett and D laid like this for quite awhile. There had been a homeless man swimming in the fountain when we arrived and I think anyone who came up after us thought there was one still in there, until I called for Brett to get out. :) He said it was really peaceful in there. :)

fLoRiDa

We spent most of June in Florida with Brett's mom. It's always nice to be there and the boys love being only a few blocks from the beach. It was our afternoon routine to head out for a little bit and enjoy the waves and sand. 

H joined us only once as it is a bear to get lotion all over a baby and then try to make sure she didn't get sun exposure. The wind was also a bit much for her. But what a cutie in a bathing suit! Don't know why looking at her little back got to me but I just thought she looked so delicious!

 We went down to the Ponce De Leon lighthouse that had an animal center beside it. This tank was full of sting rays that you could pet. Kenan, being Kenan, jumped right in and put his hand in the water, touching each one as it came by (the stinging parts had been removed from them, but still...).

D was a lot more hesitant, as was I, but I decided that if I was going to encourage him to touch them that I needed to do it myself so I did. Squishy! D finally got up the courage to do it himself.

They loved looking at the eel. I personally have a hard time with eels thanks to "Princess Bride" but since my kids hadn't seen it, they loved it. :)

There was also a very informative session on this bird, which I have forgotten the name of. I may not be able to tell you what kind of bird it is, but I can tell you a lot about it. :)

Brett, the boys, and I climbed the lighthouse. Quite a few steps but they did very well. The view was worth it.

The lake

One of my most favorite things to do while in the US is visit my uncle's lake house. I have so many good memories here from growing up (the house was my grandparents' before they died). The lake is peaceful and calm and there's not much more wonderful than waking up to a beautiful morning there. 

To grandma's delight, the boys wanted to fish. They don't stay out for long periods of time but they did enjoy fishing.

My favorite part of the lake is going on boat rides. They are a little piece of heaven. All kids must wear life jackets and poor Haven's swallowed her up. She would fall asleep whenever we rode because there wasn't much else she could do stuck in the jacket. :)

Learning life lessons from Dad in the water. I love when the boys have their little pow wows. 

 We all got to enjoy roasting marshmallows one evening as well at the new fire pit. A perfect way to end a wonderful day!

A little bit of everything but a lot of Haven

We had poppers and sparklers one night just because the boys found some left over in the house. I love those spontaneous random fun moments in life. The boys began throwing the poppers at Brett (maybe that had something to do with me throwing them at him, maybe). They were throwing packets at his feet at a time and he was jumping around like it really hurt. The boys loved it. :)

I know she's mine, but can she get any cuter?

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H is a strong little girl, just like her big brother D was. She wants to sit up already and has for quite awhile. She can tripod sit for a little bit of time. This is her first day really doing it and she was so thrilled with herself.

Their father's day gift for Brett

my little sweetie

End of the year

We finished the school year! Though it wasn't ideal in that it was done in two different countries with a whole lot of transition, the boys adjusted fairly well. 

only some days did they go to school with scowls on their faces. :)

Ms. Mull was a gift from God. She was my first grade teacher's assistant. My mom ran into her two weeks before we found out we were going to come to the US. She was out of a job currently. We asked if she would consider teaching our boys and she agreed. It was a sweet blessing. As though the Lord wove us together for a time to help heal the wounds we both had experienced. She was gracious and kind to our boys and extremely patient. I am so thankful to have seen the tangible love of God for us in her teaching our boys. And thankfully we both have jobs for the next year!

One thing the boys struggled with was not having activities to do as they had in Mali. So I called up a home school friend and we had field day the last week of school. Here are some of the games they played.