BROTHERS!!!

Now that Connor is pulling up and standing and crawling like a champ, the kid won't leave his brother's side. He loves watching Ben and likes to try to do everything  he is doing. Sometimes Ben is nice but most of the time Ben will shove him away like when he is playing with his train, eating, or playing with balls. Otherwise they are chasing each other though the house and climbing under the table together or in the bath and on the bed. It is quite fun to watch!

So what has been going on with us? - in brief

BEN:
Soccer season has officially started. They had a 1-0 win over Mercer on Saturday. The team looks great! They do have morning practice so he is out the door every morning by 6:00. Ben (husband) started school last week...WHAT? Yes, that is not a type-o. He is back in school getting a second masters in Sport Psychology. To cool and it is perfect for him.

MELISSA:
I am trying desperately to get a different job. I just cannot handle the stress of this ER here. It is crazy busy and I admit it, I just cannot handle it. I think it is my personality type. I like to be organized and in control and this place it just ridiculous. Sooo, there is this new Interventional Cardiologist in town (who happens to be my neighbor) and slowly but surely we are meeting here and there and working out the kinks to get me as an office nurse in his office! This would be an amazing opportunity so cross your fingers and say some prayers! I cannot keep working 11 to 11 but staying 2 hours late and leaving after 12 and the 3p to 3a shifts....uuugh no more thank you!

WEE BEN:
He is finally starting to figure the whole talking thing. Still to darn stubborn to repeat anything though. The pediatrician is not too concerned about it. He says some kids just take longer. Plus he is talking non stop, you just cannot understand a darn thing he says. He has surprised us by how brave he is at the pool. We are not allowed to catch him when he jumps in. He loves going under the water. This has also kept his sinus's clear so that has been awesome. Since all of the traveling, he is also a pain to put down at night, this is no fun for any of us so we are working on this. Although he is usually asleep by 8:45 so cannot complain too much. Oh and he loves his brother :)

BIG NON:
Still just a great, happy, easy baby. Although he is not sleeping through the night yet. He started off as a great sleeper and now he wakes up more at night than ever! We have been enabling this behavior though because I have either been home alone and too tired to stay up and get him back to sleep and it is just sooo much easier to give him a bottle...but that has changed and now we just cross our fingers and hope that he does not wake up his brother.  However Saturday he came down with and has been fighting his first ear infection so back to the comforting 3:00 bottle it has been since he has also been up at 12 and 4 and 5....  His 9 month appt is next week so I will have more to say then!

"Lita" also came this weekend!!! So fun to have her. We shopped around town and she baby sat the kids and Ben and I had TWO date nights in a row!!! Come ANYTIME you want mom!

PRE-SEASON!!

We attended "Meet the Eagles" today in leu of fall sports kicking off. Ben got to meet GUS, Georgia Southern's mascot. There is a chance he made it on the local evening news too because he would not stop following the poor "buwd".

It still never ceases to amaze me though that with all the action going on down on the field, guess where Ben wanted to be??? On the Bleachers!

 Uncle Sam also came for a wee visit. It was great to see him. Thanks for coming Sam!

SERIOUSLY BEN?

He is one determined kid!

HOME SWEET HOME

Finally after 2 weeks of being on the road all through Georiga then to Charleston we are all home as a family again. It was a great end to a crazy and difficult summer. Now Bens season starts at Georgia Southern next week and the craziness will start all over again!

Some happenings over the last 2 weeks:

My sister had her official wedding/celebration/party last weekend. Sadly this was the only picture worth showing that I took. It is a Bobble Head replica that they had made and used as the cake topper. Pretty cool idea. Half of the Freakley Family took advantage of the central location of the wedding and turned it into a reunion as well...plus came to baby sit. And boy did they have their work cut out for them!

 

While there, General Freakley, Will, Sam and Ben ran up Currhaee Mountain (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Currahee_Mountain). While the wives layed low in the hotel with the kids:

My bother flew in to meet up with the rest of his family and we all went to White Water (greatest water park). I think Connor may have has more fun than Ben! Sorry no pictures, as there were more kids than adults and lots of water = not good situation for camera. But here are the kids relaxing on the couch after a fun day.

After the wedding, where my Ben finally met up with us (he had been in Virginia for 3 weeks doing camps) we all went to Charleston to the Isle of Palms and stayed at our friends condo on the beach for 2 days to close out the summer. It was wonderful, Thank You Dr. and Lynn Nycum and Emily for babysitting!

It is official: we have 2 major beach bums on our hands!

Here is Connor standing, his favorite thing in the world to do:

Ben eating ice cream with my mom. Aka "Lita". I met her in Macon and dropped Ben with her at the begining of all the traveling so Connor and I could have some peace and quiet ;). He had fun with her and the cousins.

The boys bumming around:

Yay, dad-deeee is home!

And a family picture, you take what you can get at this point! :

TEETH!!!

This was a hard shot to snap, but we got a photo finally!

MORE BIG NEWS: 

Connor is very proud than he can now pull himself up! We dropped the crib mattress last week. He is growing up so fast :(

SPAIN WINS THE WORLD CUP

FINALLY MY TEAM DID IT!!!

THIS WAS THE ONLY COUNTRY TO QUALIFY FOR PRETTY MUCH EVERY WORLD CUP BUT TO NEVER WIN AND FINALLY THEY DID IT!

 SORT OF A LATE ENTRY, I HAVE WORKED THE PAST 3 NIGHTS IN A ROW, BUT SPAIN DESERVES A POSTING! AND YES, I DID GET UP TO WATCH THE GAME! I HOPE THAT EVERYONE SAW IT!

BEAUFORT

Home from a wonderful vacation with the family in the most fabulous town-Beaufort, SC. We fall more and more in love with it every time we visit. Not to mention we got married there too : )

Our cottage at the Beaufort Inn :

The waterfront part in Beaufort:

Huntington Island Beach:

Revisiting the Old Sheldon Church with the Boys!