Oysters on Folly Beach

Anyone that knows Scott know he loves oysters!! So it's oyster season here is the low country and everywhere you turn there is a salute to the Oyster. Folly Beach was having a festival(music,food,beer and oysters... oh and hot dog eating contest)so we went.Jake and I are not big..ok no fan of the beloved slimy snack so we just enjoyed watching the troopers of the family snarf down several buckets of the steamed variety .Cade was hounding Scott to hurry up and keep um coming.Poor Scott was doing all the work and only getting a 1/3 of the bounty. Cade even shed some tears when he felt he wasn't getting the pick of the litter or bucket! A good time was had by all!!!

Lila the Great....and I mean Great!!

Lila never ceases to amaze the world. Yesterday she taught herself how to tie her shoes. I could believe it when she said" Look Ma I tied my shoe"! so I took a peek and sure enough she had tied her shoes. This almost tops teaching herself to swim in just a few days this summer.Oh and one more stunt... she can write her letter. She made a pic for her teachers and wanted to know how to spell thier names so I told her and she wrote them by HERSELF!! This kids is going to rule the world and I am sure glad I am on her good side!!!Ok one more... so today I picked her up at school and Ms Tina told me Lila got an extra star for helping 5 kids get their coats on and she zipped them up for them!!! Beauty, Brains and Big Heart.... yea Lila has it all!!!!

Jake turns 8!!! Awesome Happy New Year

Jake turned 8 on the 29th. oh how the years have flown by and stood still at the same time!Grandma was so sweet to host Jake's party with his fav cousins, Jordan and Cassie. Jake loves to hang out with Jordan and his Grandma! She made the best cupcakes for the party and I think Jake had 3. So a fun times was had by all. Later that night Chris, Marty, Miriam and Calvin swung by and we all had a chance to catch up!! Lila and Cassie get along so great and Lila never gets tired if hanging with a cousin almost 2 yrs older!! After that we drove up to Lori & Andy's lake house on Hartwell and had the best New Years I have had in many years!!! We had a blast and so did the kids the only driving we did was on the go-cart( I will have to post the pics when I get them from Lori) and was that hilarious!!! I am so thankful to be closer to my bestest friend in the world she just makes me feel at ease and the laughter is just never ending!!!

Reptilian Santa???

Yes Santa deiced to bless the Stark's with 2 more mouths to feed!!! Meet Geno the African Fat tailed Gecko and Sam the Pueblan Milksnake. They traveled from the north pole to find a new place to call home. Jake and Cade have been asking for( Jake for 2 yrs) and Cade well over a year for these new additions and boy have been stalling or what!!!!We all went and meet Sam over a month ago just to make sure how Jake the snake would handle to new friend. I met Geno weeks ago and just feel in love with him his is an absolute doll... yes really he is like a puppy.... yes a puppy with scales and eats crickets!! So far so good my year of being a Vet Tech have come in handy but boy have I forgotten so much in 6 yrs. We had a great Christmas and did not drive 12 hours to see family ... yeah!!!! Gigi and Pop-pop spend to night Christmas eve so they could wake up with the kids and Grandma and Grandapa Bob came later Christmas morning to see all the excitement. I love being able to see our family more than just a few times a year. We will be going to Savannah tomorrow to celebrate Jenny and Jake's B-day's so we are looking forward to it!!.Oh and just so you no one thinks Lila is left out she has a butterfly house that will be filled with butterfly babies as soon as the weather heats up. May the Lord be with me and my new reptilian kids!!!

Jake has lost it!!

Yes the news it out.... Jake has finally( with he help of a dentist) lost tooth #3!!! He will be 8 on 12/29 and has only lost 3 teeth I had the dentist take x-rays to make sure that he really does have back up teeth sleeping in his head! He was so excited to have that tooth taken out since it has been loose for over 4 months and no end in sight!! Things are rolling along here in SC and we are getting our house in order. We have painted several rooms and love, love the new changes. Lila and Cade are doing well. I forgot to post pics of Lila and her new bike she was given for her big 4th b-day on 11/10. She loves it and I am so happy to be able to walk the dogs while she rides. Though she likes to challenge me with her fast riding skills!!! We are getting ready for Christmas and looking forward to NOT driving 12 hrs to see our family!!I don't know what to think of staying in our own house for the Christmas but I won't have to miss my bed this year!!!!Luckily Bob the Elf has made his annual appearance. The kids were really worried that he won't know where we moved to but I assured them that elves are very aware of everything....everything!! So we are all happy to have our little green house guest for the Christmas season.

We are offically SC residents....

Yes we have made it into the new house and are really loving it!! Also our prayers(and my desperate pleading) were answered because have an awesome young couple w/ 1 4yr old and no pets to sign a 2yr 9mo lease for our WV house!!! We met the guy, Brian, and he works at the Pentagon and is so great with a good sense of humor!!! Though he doesn't like Lila's "Crocus Petal" walls so I agreed to let him paint the girly walls if he wants to!!! So they plan to move in on Dec 15 and I could not be happier about our new friends/renters!!! The kids love it here and are doing so much better in school than expected!!! Jake has not gotten homesick once I can not believe it!!! Must be this warm ocean air!!! I will update with some pics when I get the time still trying to settle in. Scott is in Miami Tues- Friday so he gets to come home for 3 day weekends which has made all the difference!!!

My son the lobster!!!Yum

Yes Cade wanted to be a Lobster for Halloween well really his first choice was a FLOUNDER(yes his new environment has gone to his head). I searched high and low for the flounder costume but no luck and thank GOD that I stumbled onto this awesome lobster and Cade was so excited. Jake and Lila are a little bummed that I keep making Cade a lobster just for my own enjoyment but really a fairy and Storm Trooper just are not funny.