Pumpkin Patch

Last Tues. Blake got to go on his first preschool field trip to the pumpkin patch. It was so fun to meet Blake's classmates and see them all interact. It was perfect weather and definitely got us ready for fall!

Camping Trip 2011

For Brent's birthday this year, I made him up a bag of camping items along with a card that said Brent, Blake and I would go camping for one night at First Landing State Park. The back story here is that I am NOT a camper. I am not real outdoorsy, I don't like bugs, and I did not grow up camping. Brent on the other hand loves camping, being outdoors, and has many fond memories of camping while growing up. So my present to him was this trip and the willingness of me to go. Since the weather was looking perfect, we decided to go last Friday night. The first Nieter camping trip was a HUGE success. The weather was absolutely perfect (not too hot or cold, no humidity or bugs). Blake had a blast running around the site, helping Brent set up the tent, cooking hot dogs and smores on the grill, sleeping in the tent, hiking, and just spending quality time with Mommy and Daddy. (Allison stayed with MawMaw) I must say I really enjoyed myself too. It was such a great experience and so much fun to get away from the craziness of life to spend some quality time with my boys :) I think this is probably going to become a tradition so hopefully Alli can join us next time for our Nieter Family Camping Trip!

Blake helping Daddy set up the tent

They did it!

Helping Mommy cook dinner

Time to roast the marshmallows


Blake's favorite part...Smores!

All snuggled in for the night

A successful night!

Brent in his element!

Daddy getting Blake used to the trails early

Short family hike

Where's Blake?

Finished the day off at the beach!

Love this little boy!

We were so thankful for the beautiful weather and the great memories!

9 months

I have been meaning to post Allison's 9 month picture for awhile now. Here she is standing by her flower. She turned 9 months on 9/21 and she also took her first step that day. Watch out world, here she comes!!!

3 1/2 yr old

Yesterday Blake turned 3 1/2. I just can't believe how fast time is flying by. He is such a smart kind little boy who is thriving in preschool. He currently is in that stage where he asks questions about everything. The other night after reading our bible story Brent asked Blake if he would like to pray instead of Mommy or Daddy. Blake looked a little confused and said he didn't know what to say so I gave him a few lines. I then must have said something like "you can always talk to God about anything." Blake responds "Does God talk to us?" I said "yes He does". Blake asks, "How?" Brent and I looked at each other and just laughed. So I then tried to explain to my 3 1/2 yr old that God talks to us through the Bible and to our hearts which only led to more how and why questions. At this point, we decided to end the conversation for the night with a hug and kiss. Even though it can be annoying and time consuming, I am loving this age of questioning. I can see the wheels turning in his little head as he tries to process all this new information. I love being able to have a conversation with him and that he is asking Brent and me about these important things. I know this is only the beginning but I hope we can always provide a loving safe environment where Blake feels like he can ask us questions as honestly as he does now.

First Day of Preschool

Today was Blake's first day of preschool and he had a great time. The only tears shed were when I went to pick him up because he wasn't ready to leave :) We are so proud of our little guy. We love you Blake!

Impromptu Roanoke trip

Thanks to Hurricane Irene this past weekend, the kids and I got to have an impromptu trip to Roanoke with Mimi to visit Aunt Lori, Uncle Dusty & Cousin Rachel. It was unexpected but so much fun. Here are the highlights :)

Rachel and Blake having fun
Watching the football game

So sweet...Rachel was insistent on having her arm around Blake!

Silly girls!

With all the girls around this weekend, the boys had to stick together!

Walking into church on Sunday

I can't find the right words to describe this picture. All I can say is that it feels like my heart warms and is about to pump out of my chest when I look at these two kids :)

Thanks Aunt Lori, Uncle Dusty & Rachel for a great weekend!

Tides Game

We had the opportunity to go to a Tides game Wed. night with some friends from church. We weren't sure how Blake would do with paying attention to the game versus wanting to run around but we were hopeful. What happened was unbelievable to us all! Thanks to our friends we were in a luxury suite to watch the game. When we entered the suite Blake looked around taking it all in. He then walked out to the seating area and stood at the railing to look at the field. He must have liked what he saw because from that moment on he stood there the entire night watching the game. He never sat down and only left his post twice. Once when I made him go to the bathroom and the second was when the mascot, Riptide (a big blue furry creature) came into the suite. Blake hid under the table until he left. Blake absolutely was mesmerized and in love with watching the baseball game. He was calling balls and strikes and even complaining along with the crowd when the umps call was questionable. It was such a fun memorable night watching Blake take in his first baseball game as a little boy!

Daddy explaining it all! Allison just having fun with Mommy

That about sums it up!

Daddy and the kids


This is Riptide. I thought about hiding from him too :)