Raleigh is our Yellow Labrador Retriever, who turned 9 years old today! His AKC registered name is Raleigh Spartan Pollock, Raleigh for the Wolfpack & Spartan for UNC-G!
David & I bought him after being married a little over a year. His mom was yellow, his dad was black, & all of his brothers & sisters were also yellow. He wasn't the runt of the litter, but he was the smallest male. We went to pick him out and they painted his little toenails pink to mark him as ours. He was so cute!
When we brought him home, he was a MESS! He chewed the door frame off in our kitchen and always stole our socks & underwear out of the dirty laundry to tear those up, too! Eventually, he got to the point where he would specifically choose something of David's to tear up if he left him home alone.
I'll never forget the time I woke up at 4am to find that David wasn't in bed. I went downstairs to check on him & he was fast asleep on the couch with a very tiny Raleigh asleep on his chest!
For a long time, the boys didn't really have much to do with Raleigh. But, recently, that has changed. They LOVE to play with him now. They lay on the floor with him first thing every morning and last thing every night to love on him. As soon as Carter gets home from school, he takes Raleigh outside to play with him. I love watching them together.
Last summer, I finally got the chance to read "Marley & Me" by John Grogan. I sobbed my way through it as it brought back so many memories of our own lives. As soon as the movie came out, David & I took Carter to see it. Again, we all sobbed. We now own the DVD & the boys watch it frequently. Carter wants to know why we didn't wait until after he was born so he could play with him while he was a puppy......maybe someday!?!
This photo shows Raleigh enjoying the HUGE bone that the boys picked out for his birthday gift! Happy Birthday, Raleigh! I hope you have many more birthdays to share with us!
Happy Birthday, Raleigh!
Chuck E. Cheese
We had a family party at Chuck E. Cheese on Saturday to celebrate Carter, Cooper, Jamie & Macy's birthdays since they're all so close together! 
Happy Birthday, Carter!
THEN...
Carter's birthday fell on Easter this year! He was so excited to get Easter and birthday treats on the same day! He got a Nintendo DS from us and the Star Wars kit for it from Cooper. We met David's parents for dinner at a Mexican restaurant and he got to wear a sombrero!
I can't believe my firstborn son is 8 years old! Carter is my very analytical child. He loves numbers and being precise. I can see him growing up to be a meteorologist or an accountant. If you ask him what time he woke up, he tells you the exact time, like 7:03. He loves exploring the weather and finding out what the temperature is going to be.
I am so proud of his intelligence. He makes straight A's and can read anything you put in front of him. He's reading several grade levels above. The only thing bad about this is that he sometimes finds school boring because he thinks he already knows everything! Notice I said, "thinks!" His favorite books to read right now are The Magic Tree House series. He's not so great in the handwriting department...unfortunately, he inherits that from his daddy...ha! ha!
Like most other boys, Carter loves anything electronic...Wii, Gameboy, DS, PS2. He enjoys listening to music, although I'm not fond of the fact that he gets most of his music choices from his daddy. But, he does like listening to the Chipmunks & theme songs from animated movies on his playlist.
As a family, we have really gotten into watching movies together over the past year. Our 1st trip to the cinema all together was to see "Star Wars, The Clone Wars."
Carter also likes to watch The Clone Wars on tv, along with Ben 10. Carter & Cooper love to play pretend Ben 10 in the backyard.
Of course, like his Daddy & Granddaddy, he loves sports! His room is done in a Wolfpack theme, no less. His favorite sport is basketball. He usually goes outside to shoot almost everyday when he gets home from school. He always plays on a team in the winter and in the summer. However, he also plays soccer and flag football. He's always known as the fastest runner, so I keep telling him he should run track when he gets to high school. He seems to like that idea. He also loves to swim in indoor pools in the winter or outside in the summer. He definitely gets his athletic abilities from his daddy!
Carter is much like his mom with his low tolerance for pain and he hates to take medicine. Although, unlike me, he does not like to sleep and he is a picky eater.
Together, we love to read books, play games, travel, & do fun activities/events with our friends.
Carter is a great big brother to Cooper. He helps take care of him, plays with him, and loves on him. That's fantastic considering there's a 4 year age difference.
I take him to school in the mornings and he gets out of his seat as soon as we hit the parking lot to give me a kiss before we even reach the school front! But, at home...I LOVE the fact that he still walks by and gives me a hug or kiss and tells me he loves me on his own! I also love the fact that he still plays with my hair when we're hugging or cuddling during prayer time (he has done that since he was born!)
So, Happy Birthday to my precious Carter! As sad as it is to think about him growing up so fast, I'm enjoying every second with him! Not only will he be able to celebrate his birthday every year, but he'll be celebrating his spiritual birthday since this was the day he got saved! Praise God for such a wonderful blessing!
Sorry if all of this is boring for you, but I mainly wrote it for me so I will never forget these precious details!
NOW...
Happy Easter!
We had a terrific Easter this year! Cooper had an Easter party and egg hunt at preschool. We went to Reidsville for another egg hunt with our family. At home, we dyed eggs and decorated them (they had a Disney Cars theme this year). We also made Easter bunny pancakes and bird nests out of Rice Krispie treats and candy eggs. More family, the Fishers, came over for lunch on Sunday. Both boys got lots of Easter goodies...webkinz, pool toys, books, clothes, & candy! But, best of all....Carter chose this beautiful day to accept Jesus Christ! What a glorious and wonderful day...all because Jesus died on the cross for us and just like He said He would, He rose again!!!!!
Our 10th Anniversary Trip
In honor of our anniversary, this is our song playing. David played it when he proposed, we danced to it at our wedding, & it's also the ringtone on my phone!
Here's a slideshow of pictures from our trip to The Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa in Asheville, NC. I had a fabulous time, especially spending most of the day at the Spa on Saturday. Of course, you're not allowed to take pics inside the spa, so I'm sorry that I can't share how incredible it actually was. But, I hope you enjoy the photos as much as I enjoyed the trip!
Honestly, I was moved to tears when we arrived and walked into the lobby, which they call The Great Hall. It is HUGE and I felt so small and overwhelmed. It was definitely a WOW moment for me! But, what else could I expect being our 1st trip alone since having kids 8 years ago? What a wonderful treat! I certainly missed my precious boys, but it was great to spend some unusual time with David and reconnect. I'm wondering why in the world we haven't done this sooner???
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