Yesterday was Garrett's 3rd birthday and Bonny had his party at a gymnasium in town. It was lots of fun for all the kids. So much for them to do and experience. Allie was looking at the pics with me today and asked when she could go back. Don't blame her... I wanted to play too, but guess they have to draw the line somewhere! :)
Stretching
Bubbles!
Adam had so much fun!
"Look how strong I am"!
Allie and I "trying" to hula hoop!
Cake time!
The whole gang!
I took a pic kinda like this of Allie and Chris' feet. Thought it would be cute to do mine with Adam's! :)
Such a little lady... growing up way too fast!
Too busy looking at the tree...
and playing with a little stick to smile for the camera!
We only have a few more weeks until Chris will be home!! But for security reasons the Marine Corps doesn't like us to say much about the actual day they'll be returning. We don't even know yet. Just a tentative window that will probably change a few times before he gets home!
I was looking at 1/9's webpage tonight and found this picture of Chris (far left). I only wish the check he's holding was for us. :-) For the enlisted Marines they get a re-enlistment bonus for signing up for another 4 years. I guess they had a special re-enlistment service and passed out these checks to all those guys. Not sure who got this check ($48,000.00), but if you re-enlist while in Iraq you get that money tax free!!! These guys sure deserve it! Even though we won't be getting a check, I'm so proud of Chris and all the hard work he does for our country. And believe me, he works very hard. Probably the hardest working man I know. And it's because of him (and all of our military) our country gets to sleep in peace at night! Thanks babe, we love you!
Summer is almost over, but we still have plenty of beach days left. The weather here has been so beautiful, perfect for spending a whole day at the shore. October is just around the corner , and we're getting so antsy for Chris to get home! Only a few more weeks to go! 
We miss you babe and can't wait to see you! Love ya!On Monday Bonny, Gail and I (and our 5 kids) made a trip to Wilmington to do a little shopping. It ended up being a all day excursion. We left around 9:30 am and didn't get home until 9:20pm. It was a long day, but the kids did great and we hit lots of bargains! :) Gail had her camera with her, so she got quite a few pics of the kids. And captured what a fun, carefree life they have! :) Thanks for sharing your pics, Gail!
The kids getting some of their energy out before we went to the mall.
This mall is way nicer than our little one in J-ville, and has this cool play area for the kids. We parked the kids here for over an hour and took turns running into stores we needed to shop in.
Adam attacking little Abbey. :( I think we might have another biter on our hands! :-(
Check out Joey's cool mohawk. :)
Adam going after Abbey... again! Poor baby, he just wouldn't leave her alone!
Who's that cute baby in the mirror?
Little dare devil!
And our little mountain goat!
We shopped until we didn't have any room left on our strollers for one more bag. :) JK, Hon!
Bonny and Garrett
Can you tell this little boy is walking now?? His poor face!
It was quite the miracle that both my kids took naps that day. Allie isn't a napper anymore, but I guess all that shopping just wears a girl out! :) Paul Harvey says: I don't believe in Santa Claus, but I'm not going to sue somebody for singing a Ho-Ho-Ho song in December. I don't agree with Darwin , but I didn't go out and hire a lawyer when my high school teacher taught his Theory of Evolution.
Life, liberty or your pursuit of happiness will not be endangered because someone says a 30 -second prayer before a football game.
So what's the big deal? It's not like somebody is up there reading the entire book of Acts. They're just talking to a God they believe in and asking him to grant safety to the players on the field and the fans going home from the game.
But it's a Christian prayer, some will argue.
Yes, and this is the United States of America , a country founded on Christian principles According to our very own phone book, Christian churches outnumber all others better than 200-to-1. So what would you expect -- somebody chanting Hare Krishna?
If I went to a football game in Jerusalem, I would expect to hear a Jewish prayer.
If I went to a soccer game in Baghdad, I would expect to hear a Muslim prayer.
If I went to a ping pong match in China, I would expect to hear someone pray to Buddha.
And I wouldn't be offended. It wouldn't bother me one bit When in Rome ...
But what about the atheists? Is another argument.
What about them? Nobody is asking them to be baptized. We're not going to pass the collection plate. Just humor us for 30 seconds. If that's asking too much, bring a Walkman or a pair of ear plugs. Go to the bathroom. Visit the concession stand. Call your lawyer!
Unfortunately, one or two will make that call. One or two will tell thousands what they can and cannot do. I don't think a short prayer at a football game is going to shake the world's foundations.
Christians are just sick and tired of turning the other cheek while our courts strip us of all our rights. Our parents and grandparents taught us to pray before eating; to pray before we go to sleep.
Our Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. Now a handful of people and their lawyers are telling us to cease praying.
God, help us.
And if that last sentence offends you, well ... Just sue me. The silent majority has been silent too long.
It's time we let that one or two who scream loud enough to be heard that the vast majority don't care what they want. It is time the majority rules! It's time we tell them, you don't have to pray; you don't have to say the pledge of allegiance; you don't have to believe in God or attend services that honor Him.
That is your right, and we will honor your right .. But by golly, you are no longer going to take our rights away. We are fighting back ...
And we WILL WIN!
God bless us one and all, especially those who denounce Him, God bless America, despite all her faults. She is still the greatest nation of all.
God bless our service men who are fighting to protect our right to pray and worship God.
2007 will be the year the silent majority is heard and we put God back as the foundation of our families and institutions... And our Military come home from all the wars.
Keep looking up.
"AND THAT'S THE REST OF THE STORY"
Allie going for a ride with Jake in his Ford truck!
Allie, Micah and Brooklyn - a very active trio!
Where they belong... behind bars! :)
We're so thankful for our wonderful neighbors and the friendships we've made. Love you all! 
Hey girls!
Happy 19th birthday. I was thinking all day today that you guys were turning 20, guess I was wrong! :) You now only have a year left in the good ole teens. Enjoy them while you can, soon you'll be old like Erin and I! :-)
Love you both very much!
Chris, Chel, Allie and Adam
Tropical storm Hanna is heading our way with Hurricane Ike close behind. It's still too early to know what Ike will do, but we're getting ready and hoping for the best! Chris was deployed last time we had a tropical storm, but my parents were in town so I wasn't alone. It was kinda scary with the 50-60 mph winds and all the rain. I think Hanna is a similar storm, so we're heading over to a friends to spend the night. Keep us Carolina folks in your prayers and let's hope we just get a little rain! :)
I didn't have my camera today, so I wasn't able to get any pictures. Thanks Angela and Gail for sending me some of yours! So... about poor Adam's nose.... Yesterday we were outside playing with all the neighborhood kids (like we do every night), and Adam was sitting in one of those Little Tyke's cars. He was being so good and minding his own business, then one of the little girls decided to come over and opened the side door of his car. I was standing right there, but wasn't fast enough in catching him before he fell nose first on the street! It didn't look so bad last night, but when he woke up this morning Allie said he had chocolate milk on his nose. :( Poor kid... sometimes mommy's just aren't fast enough... sorry baby! :-(
Hey Bethany!
Happy Birthday! I was just sitting here wondering what you guys might have done to celebrate your 17th b-day.... perhaps you played a little beach Volleyball?? Maybe took a long canoe ride?? Went for a very cold swim, and then had lots of yummy food that was cooked over an open fire?! :) Wish we could have spent the weekend with you guys! I love CBD and hope we can take the kids there next summer! :) So many great memories and always lots of fun! :)
We love ya girl and hope that your day was super special!
Much love,
Chris, Chelly, Allie and Adam
