Morgan’s Birthday Party

Yesterday Sean went to his friend Morgan’s birthday party.  At first he only wanted me to hold him.  After about five minutes he said, “Okay, I’ll go play.”  He ended up having a blast!

Ian’s School Christmas Party

I was able to help coordinate Ian’s school Christmas party this year.  It was a little overwhelming at first, but once the other mother and I got together and figured everything out, I felt much better!  It went really well.  Ian had a great time eating tons of junk food, listening to a story, and making an ornament.

Santa Claus

For the first time in quite a while, we actually had two smiling boys in our annual Santa Claus picture!  It won’t be long until Ian will be too big to sit on Santa’s lap!

BJU Christmas Lighting

My parents spent some time with us this week.  We had a wonderful time with them!  On Friday we went to the Christmas lighting at Bob Jones University.  This has become a bit of a tradition for us.  The boys really enjoy it.  Actually, so do I!

Thanksgiving 2009

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving together.  We borrowed a house from some friends.  The house is in a beautiful, gated golf community.  The neighborhood is spread across the side of Glassy Mountain in Landrum, SC.  We thoroughly enjoyed the gorgeous house, our Thanksgiving dinner at Cracker Barrel, strolling through Hendersonville, and exploring the neighborhood!

School Thanksgiving Feast

Ian’s class had a Thanksgiving feast the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.  Ian thoroughly enjoyed dressing up in his Indian costume.  They had a lot of food: turkey, venison meat balls, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, corn, cheese, applesauce, a roll, and pumpkin pie!

Last Soccer Game

The Lions had a great season!  They won some games and had a wonderful time!  I know Ian is excited to play again in the spring.

Trick-or-Treat!

Ian and Sean once again had a great time trick-or-treating!  Thankfully it was pretty warm that night, although it did begin to rain a bit toward the end.  I forgot to count how many kids came to our house.  I would guess it was around 75.  We had a steady stream but not as many as last year.

The Cousins

Our nephews Zachary and Trenton stayed overnight with us last week.  Chick-Fil-A was doing free kids’ meals that night for all the kids who wore costumes.  The boys all dressed up, and we had a great time at a very crowded Chick-Fil-A!

A New Addition

We have a new addition in our family.  A grey kitten wandered into our yard during our garage sale a couple of weeks ago.  She’s beautiful, and we’ve all fallen in love with her – except perhaps Kate!  We finally decided to name her Olivia.

School Open House

On October 21, parents were allowed to come to school and observe.  We had a lot of fun sitting behind Ian during math and Bible!  He absolutely loves school! 

Spiderman

Ian went to his friend Colson’s birthday party recently.  It was a superhero theme, so Ian decided to go as Spiderman!  He and all the other superheroes had a blast!

Ian and Sean

These pictures are technically Ian’s 5-year-old pictures.  That’s why most of them are of him.  Of course, we did need a few of Sean as well!

First Day of School

August 17 was a big day in the Hamrick household – Ian’s first day of Kindergarten.  Mimi and Papa came for the big event.  Sean still does not understand why he can’t go to Kindergarten also!  I told him that he’s not quite big enough.  He replied, “But I’m humongous!”  Ian, of course, absolutely loves school! 

Downtown Greenville

While Jeff’s parents were here, we decided to spend an evening downtown.  Greenville is so beautiful! 

Emma’s Birthday Party

On Saturday, Ian and I went to Emma Moye’s 5th birthday party.  It was a carnival theme.  Ian loved all the games, but his favorite part was the cotton candy!

School Open House

Friday, August 14, was Ian’s school open house.  He was a little nervous but thoroughly enjoyed seeing his classroom, meeting Mrs. Burr, and sitting in his desk.  This visit definitely made school on Monday morning a lot easier!

Spray Ground

While in Indy, we met some friends at a “spray ground.”  It was pretty chilly that morning, but the boys wanted to get wet anyway.

Indiana State Fair

Just before school started, we went to Indiana for a week.  I wanted to go in August this year so that we could go the the fair.  We hadn’t been in 5 years!  We did our best to make up for all the years we missed the fair by going twice!  On Friday we went with Mimi and Papa.  Then on Tuesday we went with Nana, Grandad, Mama, and Aunt Brenda.  The boys loved it!

Ian and Sean – August 2009

Just a few pictures of the boys – some from Indy, some from Simpsonville.

Swimming Lessons

Ian took swimming lessons this summer and loved it!  He really enjoys the water!  By the last lesson he could tread water for quite a while.  And (unlike his mother) he doesn’t even mind swimming under water!  I’m a little jealous!

Tea Party

On July 4th we went to a tea party in Fountain Inn.  I’m afraid I didn’t hear many of the speeches, but the boys had a great time having their faces painted and getting really cool balloons!

The Boys

I thought you might enjoy just a few pictures of my sweet boys!

Greenville Drive

Our Sunday school class went to a Greenville Drive game.  Two of Ian’s buddies were able to go as well.  I don’t know if they actually watched any of the baseball, but they loved the cotton candy!  Ian decided that he wanted to see the fireworks after the game.  He’s never wanted to see them before.  He covered his ears but thoroughly enjoyed the show!

Skyfort Playset

This year we were very blessed to be able to get the boys a playset.  Jeff’s parents graciously came down so that Jeff and his dad could build it.  All went well except for the heat!  The boys love it! 

Truth Trackers Fair

Each May at the end of the Truth Trackers year, Calvary does a fair for all the kids involved in Truth Trackers.  Ian loved it!  This year we also had the Bruster’s ice cream truck come.  That was definitely a hit!

Grandmother’s 90th Birthday

On April 6th, Grandmother turned 90.  We were finally able to get together to celebrate on May 16.  Lots of family and friends got together at Scott and Christina Henderson’s house (my aunt and uncle) in Highland Park, TX.  It was so much fun to be able to see family that we had not seen in several years!

Fort Worth Zoo

While we were in Texas last week, we decided to take the boys to the Fort Worth Zoo.  We had a great time!  The day began with lots of school children and very pleasant weather.  As the crowds thinned, however, the temperature heated up.  By the end of the day we were all hot and tired.  It was worth it, though! 

Ian’s 5th Birthday Party

Ian turned 5 on May 3rd, but we waited until Saturday the 9th to celebrate.  We had such a good time!  It was a beautiful day except for some of the strongest wind I’ve ever been in!  Twenty of Ian’s friends came to his Indianapolis Colts party.  He received a lot of nice gifts, but more importantly had a great time! 

Patch the Pirate

Ian is in the PeeWee Patch Club on Sunday evenings.  He loves it every week, but last week was even more exciting than usual – Patch the Pirate came for a visit!

Grandpa Hamrick’s 90th Birthday

On April 5, Grandpa Hamrick turned 90.  The whole Hamrick family got together that weekend to celebrate – 3 children, 6 grandchildren, 5 great-grandchildren, and lots of in-laws.  We had a great time with family that we don’t get to see very often!

Snow! Snow! Snow!

We had a very exciting event in Greenville at the beginning of March – snow!  Ian, Sean, and Kate all loved it and had a lot of fun!  It only lasted for about 24 hours, but all the schools were closed for 2-and-a-half days!

Soccer Spring 2009

Ian enjoyed playing soccer again this spring.  We had a rainy season but finally caught up on all the rained-out games.  The season ended with two games on Saturday, May 2.  The team did really well.  We noticed a big improvement from the fall to the spring.  The only problem is that the better the team gets, the more nervous and excited the parents get!

The Boys and Kate

It’s been a while since I posted any new pictures, so I thought I would try to give everyone a glimpse of life in the Hamrick house over the last few months.  Enjoy!

Sean

Here are a couple of cute Sean moments!

Time With Family

We were able to spend a little extra time with family this year.  Christmas Day we went over to Aunt Kathy's house for dinner.  Then on Saturday several family members came over to my parents' house for dinner.  It was so much fun to see everyone again!

Christmas Morning

We don't have very many pictures from Christmas morning.  It's hard to take pictures, help the boys, and open our own presents! 

Christmas Eve

My mom's side of the family has for many years celebrated Christmas on Christmas Eve.  We had a wonderful time!  Uncle Ed brought his guitar and led us in Christmas carols.  Our dear friends, the Guillens, were able to join us again this year.  Kim, Eli, and Jade were home -- we really missed them last year!  Ian and Sean are at the perfect ages to enjoy Christmas.  They had so much fun!

Creation Museum

If you haven't been to the Creation Museum, you really need to go.  We went to the live nativity on Monday evening before Christmas and then toured the museum on Tuesday.  It is truly an amazing place!