Follow the Fletchers

Adventures in Food

2010-10-05T21:36:00.000-05:00

So we are all back in school and into the routine of being in school. Each day, we get up early, get everyone dressed and fed. Daddy heads out before the kids are up. Mommy heads out after Grammy gets to the house. Abram and Katie head to school. Followed by lunch, naps, then time for Mommy to pick up the kids. Go home fix dinner and get everything ready for the next day. Followed by bedtime and then we start it all over again. The days can get kind of montoneous, so to spice things up we are trying some new food ideas. The latest excitement was homemade pasta. The kids were so excited to help in this adventure.

Abram was great at scooping out the flour, while Katie stirred up the dough.

As Mommy cut apart the noodles the kids hung them up to dry. They loved seeing how long they could get the noodle and keep it together. Notice Katie had to have a wardrobe change...not really sure why, just seems to be what she does now a days!

After all the noodles were cut and hung up, we had to get them in the pot of water.

Then we added some of our homemade pasta sauce and waaa-laaaa a wonderful meal from scratch. You can't tell from the picture but the kids ate all of their noodles and asked for seconds! I think our next food adventure will be sushi?

First Day

2010-08-31T21:43:00.001-05:00

The first day of school rolled around for the kids. Isn't it funny how sometimes you forget the excitement of the first day of school even when you do it every year. We were once again reminded of that excitement as Abram woke up in the morning with a giant smile on his face and a "I get to go to school today!"

They got to walk up all by themselves...well actually they walked up alone with Mommy right behind them.

Katie walked right in, found her cubby and got right to business...


building with those blocks, again. That's okay, she's a girl she can do anything she wants!

Abram's room was next. He had to check and make sure his name was still on the door, Yeap, still there!

Big surprise, he went straight to the computer. Sadly, someone was already there. So we quickly found "the real Gunnar" and life was okay. "The real Gunnar" was his friend who has been with him in class since he was 2. Sadly "the real Haley" was not there.

As Fletcher tradition has established, Mommy takes the kids to school on their first day and Daddy picks them up. Daddy got there early enough to see Abram and his friends crossing over to the big boy playground (another big thing when you are 4).

Then time to big up big 3 year old Katie. Her teacher brought Katie to the car with a giant smile...

which Katie shared with her Daddy along with some apples and a beautiful red finger painted picture.

Then across the parking lot again to the big boy playground where Abram gets picked up this year. As the story goes, he told his teacher to let Daddy know he was not quite ready and could Daddy please wait just a minute.

Abram finally decided it was time to head out and with another giant smile he too climbed in the car.


Big smiles and "I can't wait to come backs" from everyone as the car started out for the next part of the tradition Kilwin's on Main Street for chocolate of choice.

If I haven't already said it THIS IS GOING TO BE A GREAT YEAR for the Fletchers.

Back to School

2010-08-30T21:39:00.000-05:00

It is that time of the year again. All of the Fletchers are headed back to school. Daddy and Mommy have been back at it for a couple of weeks but the kids just got started. Mommy took a few minutes off to take Abram and Katie to meet their teachers.

On the way to school the kids got into a discussion in the backseat about walking in by themselves (a big deal when you are not 2 anymore). The next thing to be seen was this picture. They rode like this the whole way to school.

Once we got to school, we all hooked up and traveled together through the parking lot and into school.

They had to practice walking in alone, so Mommy and Grammy had to stay behind and take pictures.

Katie's room was the first stop. She walked in the door, saw the blocks and started playing. She basically stayed at the blocks the whole time we were there.

She did ask Mommy to help her build for a few minutes.

Then it was off to Abram's room, to check out all of the new excitement.

Hermit crabs, goldfish, and a gerbil!!!!

And a computer, that he can play all by himself!!!

THIS IS GOING TO BE A GREAT YEAR for all the Fletchers!

Tube Time

2010-08-17T21:22:00.003-05:00

Abram got brave at the lake this year and decided he was ready for the tube. I think it had a lot to do with the fact that Will was riding it! After some thought Mommy and Daddy decided it would be okay as long as a "big person" rode with him. Surprisingly, he crawled right out there and held on. He rode like a champ while Daddy bounced him around on the tube. He even learned the proper hand signs from Papaw so he would be able to tell him he was ready to stop, go, speed up, slow down, and I'm OK! We were so proud. Katie got brave the next day and decided to ride too, unfortunately noone got a video of her and Mommy on the tube, but she did a great job too!

Lake Trip 2010

2010-08-14T20:50:00.004-05:00

It is time once again for the annual lake trip. For the past 5 years, we have gone with Mommy's family to the lake for a week. It is great to spend time with family that we don't get to see very often and to get to enjoy all the pleasures that are lake life.

Mommy and Katie enjoying a boat ride.

The 3 Amigos (every waking moment was spent together).

Painting t-shirts with squirt guns.

One of our nightly shows. Always entertaining.

Ice cream was enjoyed, they even got some in their mouths.

Decorating Uncle Luke with foam stickers!

All of the grandkids in their outfits from Papaw and GramT.

We even found an island one day for a picnic. Too bad it started storming!

Kisses for Daddy for helping her learn to swim.

A man on a mission (think he was helping Will build a moat for the castle)

Abram, Daddy and Will riding the tube.

Mommy and Katie riding the tube.


Abram, Daddy and Landon riding the tube.

We all had a great time at the lake this year. The kids are getting to the point that they can play in the water a little on their own, which was much more relaxing for everyone since there wasn't the battle of when to be in and out of the water. Most of all it was great to have some quality family time with all of our family. Until next year!

Astronaut Down

2010-08-12T20:45:00.000-05:00

Astronaut Daddy's rocket crashed, thankfully Doctor Abram and Doctor Katie were there to save him!

Amelia Island 2

2010-07-08T07:31:00.000-05:00

More pictures from our wonderful trip. These are from Day 2, while Aunt Dottie, Uncle Chad, Will, Landon and Aunt Dot were still with us. All of these wonderful people made our great trip even better.

Daddy and Abram trying out some wake board surfing.

Uncle Chad became the expert on the throw net. He caught at least 5 fish and lots of shells.

Katie and Aunt Dot checking out all the wonderful shells that Katie collected throughout the day.

Uncle Walter and the boys playing "how deep can we bury our hands in the waves and sand?"

Our space on the beach. We seemed to claim the same space everyday. We did get better about taking down only what we needed and not the whole house everytime.

Good Buddies!

Amelia Island 1

2010-06-30T13:45:00.000-05:00

It is nap time at the beach. Abram and Katie are in their beds, Daddy is on the couch, and the house is very quiet. I am sitting at the computer looking out over the sand dune to the ocean with the waves rolling in and out and I realized this is the life. So while you are not here to enjoy (although we wish each of you could visit), I will try to share some of this with you.
We arrived on Saturday evening to a welcoming crew of some of our favorite cousins, aunt and uncle. Everyone was very eager to get to the beach...

but it was dinnertime so we took one quick peek and then headed down the street for some seafood.

After dinner the books came out and Aunt Dot was in heaven. All of her babies pile on top for some reading like only she can do.

The next morning started bright and early. The kids were up and ready to head out. Aunt Dottie made a yummy filling breakfast and we lotioned up to head for the beach (all except Daddy who throughly enjoyed his morning catching up on some sleep!).

Abram tried out wake board surfing. He liked it until a wave hit him in the face and then he was happy to just lay on the board in the shallow water .

Aunt Dottie got her little girl fix playing with Katie. I also think she got her arm workout helping her jump waves for a long time.
Will tried to show Abram how to ride the board.

Katie spent a lot of time just running back and forth to try to keep out of the waves.

Then the weather started clouding up and a storm started rolling in. We took that chance to take the kids for a little Aunt Dot shopping. While we are gone Aunt Dottie fixed some awesome snacks in new buckets. We went to the top deck for our yummy snack. The kids played and the adults just relaxed and listened to the ocean we could hear over the screams.

Snack time!

After what seemed like forever, the storm passed enough for us to head back out. It was much cooler and overcast but there was still water and sand to be enjoyed. Uncle Chad showed us his skills with a throw net, something we learned from our Papa in the Inlet Waterways of NC. We didn't have much luck that night.

Daddy showed off his kite flying skills with the great kites Aunt Cynthia sent down.

What beach trip would be complete without something written in the sand!

So that was day 1. We have 6 more to go and lots of fun to share...hopefully sooner than later, depends on how well naptimes work.

Ice Cream

2010-06-25T08:14:00.000-05:00

Aunt Maria let us borrow her very cool ice cream maker the other day. We made several different kinds of ice cream. Of course, when Mommy had scooped it out and put it in the freezer there was a little left so the kids got to clean up the leftovers. They put the bowl on the stool in the floor and went to town.

Although it looks like Abram is about to stab Katie with his spoon, they were actually getting along and taking turns. As the kids have grown we have noticed more and more of how they play together great or make great sparring partners, the trick is that you never know when things are going to change from best friends to worst enemies.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

2010-06-21T21:19:00.000-05:00

Well, ours is growing fine right now and we are very excited! We have been extremely lucky this year to have Grandma Reid sharing her garden plot with us. She has not been able to use it for several years and so we decided to try our hand at gardening. It is a lot of work, but we are having fun doing all the work. The kids picked some things they wanted to plant. They have greatly enjoyed running to their row each time to see what has grown.

Abram loves to measure and see just how tall his sunflowers are growing and checking for squash on his plants.

Katie enjoys seeing what color zinnias are growing each time (and often picking one or two for Mommy's hair and hers). She is also keeping a close eye on her carrots with hopes they will get big soon.

It is hard to see but we have squash, onions, potatoes, broccoli, cabbage, tomatoes, peppers, okra, beans, corn and freshly planted watermelon that we are working hard to keep alive. The squash are coming in quickly and we are soon to be overwhelmed with them (any suggestions?). But more than all of the wonderful produce we have coming in is all of the fresh air and family time we are getting this summer. As well as the dirt covered fingernails and new discoveries we have with each visit. If you feel the need to pull some weeds or get some dirt under your fingernails come on over, we have plenty to share.

Happy Father's Day

2010-06-20T21:51:00.000-05:00

As always we like to spread our holidays around. This Father's Day was no different. We got to see almost all our favorite dads and even better we got to play with them.
We spent Saturday night with Mommy's family, celebrating birthdays and Father's Day. After some frisbee throwing and a few airplane flights, a game of cornhole broke out. Daddy, Richard, and Papaw got in on the fun, while Abram and Katie ran back and forth shuttling beanbags. If nothing else, they wore themselves out.

Daddy and Papaw spent a lot of time talking trash to each other.

Abram got in on the action a little bit, while Katie and her baby served as spectators.

On Sunday night, we went to Aunt Mandi's house to celebrate with Daddy's family. After a yummy dinner, we all went outside for some great games of Simon Says, Red Light-Green Light, and finally the Daddys were pulled in for a game of Freeze Tag! It was fun to watch some "old" men trying to keep up with they "kids." In this pictures you can see Daddy and Uncle Jeremy trying to get away from Abram who was putting up a force field to keep from getting frozen.
We love spending time with family but it is always more fun when we get to celebrate somebody special. Today we celebrated all the very special Daddys in our lives. Where would we be without them?

April Showers bring May Flowers

2010-06-16T22:34:00.001-05:00

These are pictures from early May
Papa Ted has a beautiful tree in his backyard. So we decided to get the kids all together to take pictures.

Abram and Katie doing a nice shot.

Abram and Katie doing what they do best...being silly!

The Girls

Katie and Brookie

The Whole Crew

David, Katie, Brooke, Abram and Wayne

We are back and ready for Summertime Adventures!

2010-06-15T22:30:00.000-05:00

Summertime has arrived at the Fletcher house and we hope that means we will get back on the blog bandwagon. Please excuse us for the brief break...life happens and we can't keep up sometimes!

So Summertime has arrived and what better way to start a new summer than with the last day of school and a birthday. Daddy celebrated his birthday today and Mommy decided we needed a party. So in true Fletcher (actually this is a Morgan gene), we pulled together a party. Many of our favorite people came to help us kick off, what we hope will be a great summer of memories. As you can see Abram has moved in on Aunt Maria and can't wait to spend lots of time with her in the garden this summer.

Katie on the other hand is making the moves on Papaw in her styling ballerina outfit. She and Papaw had some quality time checking out how much her hand has grown throughout the year by looking over her wonderful memory book from preschool.
So hopefully we are back, so check back often!

4 Years

2009-12-28T08:33:00.000-05:00

We had to take a brief break from all the Christmas festivities to celebrate another wonderful birthday. On Dec. 15 Abram turned 4, four wonderful years of fun and excitement, that we wouldn't change for anything.

We started the morning with some chocolate cupcakes and a big smile. In the evening we had a few friends over to have dinner, we were supposed to have a party for the whole family but Mother Nature had different plans in mind. So we are still waiting to celebrate with all our family.

Helping Others get Festive.

2009-12-24T17:42:00.001-05:00

After we had our house decorated, we had to make sure everyone else was in the holiday spirit.

Grammy helped by making this cool cake.

We started at Grammy's house, with some green lights, lots of decorations and...some good cousin fun!

Then off to Papa Ted's for his decorations.

Then for some decorations with those same great cousins.

We love sharing the holiday spirit with those around us.

Getting Ready...

2009-12-23T17:25:00.002-05:00

The weekend after Thanksgiving, we started getting into the Christmas mood. This year, we caved to pressures of an artificial tree. Daddy got the task of putting it together. For some reason we always have to make a big mess to get anything done.

The tree had lots of helpers to get it dressed. For a while all the ornaments were about 4 feet high, then when the ladder came out all the ornaments moved up about a foot.

We had lots of fun decorating this year and just kept adding more and more. Here is Abram with tree number 4!

Not only do we have several trees, we also want to remember the true reason for the season. We have several nativities set up around the house. Several of them are at just the right height for little hands to explore and remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.

Finding Nemo

2009-12-22T17:25:00.000-05:00

We were very lucky to have Finding Nemo on Ice come close. It was just too neat to pass up, so we loaded up the car and got to see an awesome show.

I am not too sure who enjoyed it more, the kids or Mommy!
Thanks to Aunt Dot for making it happen.

Posing

2009-11-26T08:08:00.001-05:00

Not really sure what got into these two children who will never sit still and especially not together. They were outside playing and all of a sudden they went over to this section of the fence and sat down. Of course, the camera was retrieved very quickly to take pictures of this fleeting moment.

Don't they look happy!

The Woodsman

The Thinker

Pumpkin Picking Time

2009-11-23T07:51:00.001-05:00

We took our annual pumpkin picking trip. We have found a farm that has just enough to keep the kids entertained but not too much. This year we were really lucky to have Aunt Cynthia join us for the fun.

Showing off our bounty. There were so many to pick from we had a hard time choosing the best pumpkin.

Leaves

2009-11-21T07:51:00.000-05:00

One of the best parts of Fall is having leaves to jump in!

Halloween Houses

2009-11-11T08:48:00.001-05:00

Someone gave us these kits to make Halloween houses, so of course, we jumped right in and made a nice mess. More important than that, we had fun doing it.

Getting ready

Before

After

The proud decorators with their houses

We had left over icing, so to work off some sugar and to be good givers, we made cookies and took them to share with Aunt Dot and Grandma Reid.

The kids had lots of fun but the houses are still sitting on the table because they were a little to hard to get our teeth around.

Batman and Mermaid Princess

2009-11-09T08:48:00.000-05:00

Halloween...

2009-11-07T08:38:00.000-05:00

AKA Tour of Hendersonville

Mermaid Princess and Batman waiting to begin their tour of all the hottest spots in town.

Our first stop, right around the corner, at Aunt Dot's house. Batman had to be the leader of this stop...

Trick or treat!!!

Aunt Dot

Can't forget Grandma Reid

Next stop Aunt Mandi and Uncle Jeremy's house. Notice Batman waiting for the sneak attack.

After Aunt Mandi's it was off to Grandma Duncan's, where the kids were treated to their pick of goodies from the orange bucket.

Grammy's was the next stop on our tour.

By the time Batman and Mermaid Princess made it to Grammy's it was time for a break. Lucky for us Grammy came through with cupcakes and juice.

Next stop, Papa Ted's for a great family shot and more candy

Last stop, Grandma Morgan's, Aunt Cynthia and Richard's house...Batman is waiting for the sneak attack in the bushes.

Papaw and GramT

then add Grandma Morgan

and last but definately not least Richard and Aunt Cynthia.

As you can see it was a long day, but Batman and Mermaid Princess hung in there for a wonderful day. It could also have been the large amount of sugar they took it, but whatever it was fun and well worth all the excitement.

Anyone for a good book?

2009-10-17T06:52:00.000-05:00

Abram has finally decided that books are cool and he is trying to share that with his sister. On this night, he pulled out a book after bath time and when Daddy and Mommy got there he was reading it to Katie. Of course, by the time we got to the camera, Katie was distracted.

This is what Katie ended up doing while Abram read.

He finally gave up on trying to read to Katie and found a perch on Daddy to finish his book.

Apple Festival Parade

2009-10-10T08:13:00.000-05:00

Yeah, as usual, we are behind. Around the first of September our town always has an Apple Festival to celebrate the very yummy apples that grow all around us. This year, we got brave and decided to let the kids try out the parade. They did great! Mostly thanks to Uncle Jeremy who works on Main Street and let us sit on the balcony instead on the street to watch all the cars, trucks, motorcycles, floats, and bands go by.

Abram and Katie sitting with Cousin Wayne

Katie and Brooke waiting for the fun to start.

Abram and David admiring all the cars going down the street.

A Trip to the Nature Center...

2009-10-03T07:40:00.000-05:00

one of our favorite places.

Which animal will we find first?

First stop, turtles and lots of them.

Then across the bridge to the bears and deer. Notice who is "leading" the way.

Getting up close with the grey wolves. We got to hear them howling...really cool but a little creepy.

Bobcat Abram

Bobcat Katie, on the move.

A quick ice cream break.

They have the neatest butterfly house, where you can go into a large screen greenhouse filled with plants and newly hatched butterflies and moths. They spray your hands with sugar water and then the butterflies will land right in your hand. They also like to rest on heads and catch rides on bright colored clothes. On this stop Abram was the lucky one to get to hold one in his hand.

And finally the kids turned into otters to try out the slide.

Otter Katie

Otter Abram

If you ever come to visit, we will take you to try out all the fun!

Lake Moments

2009-09-06T17:05:00.000-05:00

As you can see, we still have tons of lake pictures. I am trying to pick a few for highlights. Here are some pictures of the kids in the water. Katie and Abram started out the week a little nervous around the water, but by the end of the week, we couldn't keep them out. Katie would even lay day in the shallow part and kick her feet, the result was a bathing suit full of sand but she had fun.

And as long as Abram had a lifejacket on he was a fish.

We also took some time to feed the fish, did I mention there were a lot of fish living under the dock.

We also got crafty one day and everyone made tie-dye shirts. It was fun and interesting to see how everyone's turned out different.

Of course, Uncle Chad's was the best because he spent a long time (we are talking hours) putting thousands of rubber bands, really tightly on his shirt.

And here is the whole crew in their super cool shirts.

left to right back-GramT, Papaw, Luke, Chad, Daddy, Katie

left to right front-Matt, Lindsey and Kylie in her belly, Mamie, Landon, Dottie, Will, Mommy, Abram

Katie's First Day!

2009-09-01T20:55:00.000-05:00

Up next, Katie! She will be going 2 days a week, her first preschool experience. She had been talking about it some, but still wasn't quite sure what would be going on. Just like yesterday, Mandi was able to bring her in the morning and I did the pick-up. We are going to split the blogging again.

When I got home, Katie had just decided it was time to eat breakfast. Grammy had already done a great job getting her dressed in her butterfly outfit and braiding her hair. She ate a couple of strawberries and then was ready to go. Katie grabbed her backpack, ran to the kitchen and grabbed her lunchbox and stated she was ready to go. I was able to get her in the traditional first day pose with backpack on and lunchbox in hand.

As you can tell by the expression on her face, she was kind of quite and nervous I think. She really didn't say much all the way there. I did get her to tell me that she was going to play with her friends

When we got to school, she proudly jumped out of the car and put on her backpack. She held my hand until we got in the door and then she "did it herself" walking up the stairs. We were greeted by her teachers, who tried to direct her to the dress up clothes or some other girly activity. Instead, Katie found the parking garage and starting pushing buttons and making great car sounds.

As you can see, much like her brother, she was more interested in checking out all that was going on than telling her mommy good-bye. I did manage a kiss before I slid out the door while Katie entered the world of being a 2 year old.

Just like yesterday, I made my way through the que of cars all waiting to for that first day pickup. This was the first glimpse I saw of my suddenly grown up looking little girl coming out the door with her teacher.

Making her way down the sidewalk. I can't say enough how much older she looked.

I promise she was excited to see me. Her teacher said she had a good day and was a very good girl.

Next up was letting her in on the first day of school tradition of going to Main Street for a special treat. I gave her the option of cookie from a great bakery or chocolate from Kilwin's, where Abram went yesterday. Her choice, "Fish." Did I mention the girl loves Goldfish crackers? We settled on Kilwin's and then had the further adventure of trying to pick out a treat. She finally pointed at the same thing more than once and we went with that, some chocolate covered peanut butter. Those she loved.

When we got home Abram was anxiously awaiting the return of his sister. This was the first time that Abram has had to watch Katie leave and be by himself. It seemed that he was kinda agitated all day and kept asking when "my sister" would be coming home. He could barely wait for her to get out of the truck before giving her a series of bearhugs. Katie had missed him too.

Enough of that, time to play! This is going to be a good year for the both of them, I can tell.

Abram goes back to (pre)school.

2009-08-31T20:05:00.000-05:00

Today it begins. The first week of school for Abram and Katie. Katie will be going 2 days a week while Abram moves up to going 3 days. He has been excited all summer about "Going to the 3 year olds room!" Keep in mind, this is usually said very rapidly and very loud. We were able to keep the first day special with Mandi doing the drop off and me doing the pick up. So we are going to tag team the blogging of each day too.

I (Mandi) came home to pick up Abram. Before I could open the front door, he was half way down the steps with his lunch box in one hand and yelling that he was ready to go and he was going to wear his cookie shirt (his choice, not mine). He quickly got in the car and starting buckling himself in...such a big boy! We made it to school without too many delays. He jumped out of the car and yelled, "My friends are already here." We made our way out of the car and up the stairs, which he climbed like a pro, only holding my hand so I could keep him from pushing people out of his way. He headed straight down the hall to his class. Walked in, found his cubbie (before I could) and was off.

He headed for none other than the big trucks of course.

His teacher Ms. Holbert told him this was her little boys toy and she was glad he liked it.

And that was it, he was gone into the big 3 year old room. He did turn his cheek slightly so I could give him a quick kiss before I left.

As I made my way to the preschool I joined the que with all the other parents and our visors covered with funny folders that had our children's names on them. Abram had either forgot or wasn't listening when we told him I was going to be picking him up, because when he saw my truck he began excitedly jumping in place and screaming, "My daddy's truck! My daddy's truck!" It might just be the fact I have an awesome truck.

The smile that wouldn't come off as he was loaded into the back seat. You might see he only has a lunch bag. For some reason (space I think) they are not able to bring their backpacks to the 3 year old room. He also brought home a picture he had painted. It was of me and my long hair. Two things about that: 1. I haven't had anything to be confused with long hair for 7 years. 2. For the first time, something he has drawn or painted looks like what he says. I didn't include a picture, but you can see my legs, body, head, and yes, long hair in the painting. MOMA here we come!

A first day of school tradition I started last year, going to get a special treat. Last year we went to the local bakery for Abram's choice of cookies. The bakery was closed today so we made our way down Main Street to Kilwin's, a chocolate shop. After some debate, and entertaining the lady behind the counter, Abram went with a chocolate dinosaur.

It may not look like a dinosaur now, but trust me it did. But also keep in mind that Abram had this devoured in under 10 minutes. Hey, I was dropping him back off at home with my mom for the rest of the day, a little sugar rush seemed fine at the time.

Tomorrow is Katie's first day. Look for the updates.

Jet Ski

2009-08-18T13:41:00.001-05:00

One of our favorite toys at the lake is the jet ski. I am really not sure why or what makes it more fun than anything else but by the end of the week, it seemed that someone was on it at all times.

All the kids loved to just sit on it.

Uncle Chad and Will

Mommy and Katie

The Morgans

The Fletchers

Even Papaw and GramT had their own way of enjoying the jet ski, even if GramT couldn't get on because of her hurt foot.

Boat

2009-08-17T07:26:00.001-05:00

We spent a lot of time on the boat. So here are some pictures of the many boat adventures from our trip.

Papaw is the boat master!

Uncle Chad shared some of the driving responsibility. He let Abram share some the fun (we tried to get Katue to drive too, but she wasn't that brave).

All 4 kids waiting expectantly to go somewhere.

Daddy and all the cool dudes!

Daddy and a slightly wind blown Katie.

Uncle Chad and Will

Mommy and Katie (we took it ourselves)

Matt and Lindsey (with Kylie in her belly)

Daddy and Abram (they took it themselves)

The boat was a great place to take a nap. Abram found a new favorite nap place was up in the front of the boat with Mamie.

Landon preferred to sleep on his Daddy.

We even enjoyed a night time boat ride, watching a beautiful full moon.

Lake Trip 2009

2009-08-16T13:41:00.000-05:00

Well, we just got back from a wonderful 10 days spent at the lake. We could not have asked for more, except maybe a few more days. We had sun, water, boats, great family time, and super food. All of Mommy's family met for some "bonding time." The whole crew was able to come including Uncle Chad, Aunt Dottie, Will and Landon all the way from Florida.

Here is the view from the porch, that we saw as we walked up first thing to the cabin.

As soon as we got there it was time to get the unloading taken care of, Katie and Abram did all they could to help.

And then, as Abram said "Aaahhhh, time to relax!"

But then Landon showed up, so relaxing was over and it was time for some good cousin fun.

Will and Buzz added to that good cousin fun and it was a late, but good first night to start of the week.

Birthday Time

2009-08-03T07:33:00.001-05:00

Not too long ago, we were lucky enough to have Mommy's aunt moved to town. Which for her is a major change, she now gets to be involved in all family activities and we get to celebrate with her. Last week was her birthday so we got to give her a true family celebration.

Abram and Katie anxiously awaiting the cake and ice cream part of the party.

Helping Aunt Cynthia blow out the candles.

Testing the cake to make sure it is ok for everyone else to eat.

Why is it that grandparents let grandkids do things they would never let you do, like liking all the icing off the cake and crawling across the table to do so?

After we all got full of Grandma's good cooking, we moved to the porch where the old folks could relax and the kids could run around.

Happy Birthday Aunt Cynthia

Cool Kids

2009-08-01T07:33:00.000-05:00

Two super cool kids, chilling with Daddy!

Happy Birthday Grandma Reid

2009-07-18T21:17:00.000-05:00

Grandma Reid turned 85 last week. So of course we had to celebrate. We went with Aunt Dot to her daycare center with a cake and drinks, walked in and surprised her in the middle of a heated trivia game. She was so excited to see us, well to see the kids! She grinned from ear to ear and turned bright red. It was a great surprise and the kids couldn't have performed better. They both ran up to her, gave her a big hug and then shared her cake while they sat in her lap.

Katie doing her part to make the birthday girl happy.

Checking out the cake to see who had the best icing.

2 toddlers+a grandma+3 pieces of cake=no icing

Of course, Aunt Dot got her fair share of snuggles too.

Happy Birthday Grandma Reid, may we help you celebrate many more!

Potty Training

2009-07-12T16:42:00.001-05:00

Why is it so much more fun to learn to use the potty outside?

Yes, there are two potty seats in our driveway!

Now you see me...

2009-07-10T16:15:00.001-05:00

Now you don't!

Now you see us...

Now you don't!

Watch out world here come SuperHero Abram and TinkerBell Katie, at least that is what they were calling themselves as they became invisible in the middle of Mommy's flowers.

Fireflies and Fireworks

2009-07-08T16:14:00.000-05:00

After a brief rest, we headed to Papa Ted's house to wait for dark. With so many cousins around, who can help but hunt for lightning bugs. There were many lightning bugs caught on the 4th of July.

Abram catching one of many.

Katie was in on the act as well, with a little help from Brooke.

After all the fireflies were caught, we headed to Papa's porch for some fireworks.

(Great shot of the fireworks, Daddy!)

Hope you all had a wonderful 4th.

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-05T09:52:00.000-05:00

We had a great 4th, spent with family and friends and lots of activity. We started out with lunch at Uncle Jerry's house (Papa Ted's brother). There were lots of cousins and other fun things to play with.

Katie trying to figure out who all these people are and get some lunch at the same time (lunch was sacrificed for people watching).

Abram on the other hand dug right in with his 2 hot dogs and thanks to those same cousins and uncles, several cookies and brownies.

Abram and Great-Grandma Duncan

Uncle Jerry has a really neat pond and garden.

Abram wore out Uncle Marc, who had to keep taking breaks on the pond bench.

Abram and Uncle Marc having a snack break.

Abram's preferred mode of transportation.

Katie and David getting ready for a game of hide and seek.

The counters

The hiders (they were pretty easy to find because they had a hard time keeping quiet)

Katie and her new best friend, Maylin having a snack break.

We had lots of fun.

After Jerry's, Abram got to go with Aunt Mandi to see the helicopter and Katie got to go with Mommy and Daddy to get Piggy's ice cream. Then we headed over to Papa Ted's for some more cousin fun and fireworks.

Uncle Jay gets married

2009-07-04T09:12:00.000-05:00

About a month ago, we were able to be with a good friend as he finally got married.

Congrats to Jay and Sunny!

Not only did we get to be with this great couple. Daddy got to spend some quality time with two of his best friends.

Cousin #2

2009-07-03T07:22:00.000-05:00

We have been able to spend lots of time with Will and Landon so far this summer and are so excited to get to do this. On this day, the boys came over while their Mommy and Daddy had to go somewhere else. GramT came over to help because Daddy was gone to a wedding and Mommy just didn't think she could handle all 4 alone. So of course, we got into an adventure. First we raced our trucks down the drain pipe race tracks.

Katie had to keep up with the boys.

Will had to show everyone how to do the rolling correctly.

Then, the creek was just too inviting so we had to venture in. Will, being the oldest, showed the way.

Abram and Landon were not far behind.

and Katie joined right in.

We had so much fun and got very dirty, but it was great to spend time with our cousins.

Abram's Last Day of School

2009-06-29T08:43:00.001-05:00

I can't believe we are so far behind...sorry.
Here are a few pictures from Abram's last day of preschool for the year. He had a wonderful year, with a few ups and downs, but he learned so much and told us the other day that he is ready to go back into the big 3 year old room. School has helped his language and social skills so much and he continues to surprise us with the things he learned.
So here is his last day of 2 year old school. It just happened that he got to be the leader on the last day, something that he looked forward to. The leader gets to sit in the middle of the table.

Enjoying a snack with his friends.

Telling his friends bye one more time.

One last hug for his wonderful teachers Mrs. Marlowe (being hugged) and Ms. Bass (in the orange shirt).

Cousins #1

2009-06-14T08:24:00.001-05:00

Cousins are great fun. We miss having Will and Landon around to play with, but we were really excited when they got to come up for a surprise visit. We were sad because they had to come say goodbye to Dottie's grandpa but excited to see them.
We got to visit with them for a while at Grandma Morgan's house to celebrate Aunt Dottie's birthday.

Abram and Landon wearing their matching Goofy shirts playing with their favorite trains.

This is what it looks like up close.

Will gets in on the action as well.

Then we headed outside for a little playing in the rain.

Follow the leader.

Will

Katie

Abram

Landon

Can you tell how wet they got?

Finally inside for some dinner and rounded out the evening with cake and ice cream.

Landon is enjoying hanging with Grandma, she does have ice cream!

Abram and Katie letting Aunt Cynthia help them with their ice cream.

Uncle Chad also enjoyed the ice cream.

Sunday Fun

2009-06-13T08:24:00.000-05:00

Warning: Lots of pictures!

What do you do on the last Sunday before school gets out...whatever you want. We decided to have a wonderful day just being a family. We started out at church and then headed to Holmes State Forest for a picnic and some hiking and then we headed home.

We started off with a yummy picnic of sandwiches and apple sauce.

Checking out the map and mini village to tell us where to go.

The great explorers ready for a hike.

A really big tree!

Up the stairs to get us started.

The trail we hiked was the Talking Trees trail. All along the trail are boxes like this, you push the buttons and the trees talked to you and tell you about themselves.

Listening to what White Birch has to say.

We found a snail climbing up the tree and had to get up close to check it out.

Checking out the waterfall.

No, noone's head got stuck.

Looks as if they are scheming something.

The forest princess on her throne.

Daddy and his little man.

Along with the hiking and picnic areas, they have a trail with old forestry equipment. We found a helicopter and a big tractor.

Time to head home.

Daddy and his little girl.

When we got home our fun continued. Our first stop was the pool in the backyard to cool off a little from our hike. Then the mosquitoes decided to join us so we headed inside.

Daddy and Abram built race cars and tractors.

Mommy and Katie worked on a Potato Head family.

Then it was time for some gymnastics...

and finally a puppet show before dinner and bed.

Needless to say we all slept great!

What a wonderful way to start the last week of school.

Puddle

2009-05-25T19:24:00.001-05:00

It is amazing how much fun two toddlers can have with a small puddle of water and bare feet.

I have no idea what Katie is doing to Abram

THE END

Puppet Stage

2009-05-24T19:23:00.000-05:00

It is scary what can happen when you give Mommy a little time and a big, empty box.

Abram showing his puppet skills.

Pit Stop

2009-05-23T07:31:00.000-05:00

Abram's motorcycle runs low on gas often. His pit crew is always happy to fill it up for him or fix the tires as needed.

In case you can't tell, Katie is using the garden hose to fill up Abram's motorcycle.

Filled and ready for action.

Birthday

2009-05-19T15:49:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday Mommy!

Wow! Look at all those candles, someone is getting old.

Bath Time

2009-05-10T07:44:00.000-05:00

Mickey took an unfortunate spill the other day while trying to use the potty. As soon as he was fished out, Katie decided that he needed a bath. Of course, Abram also thought that was a wonderful idea. So they spent the next 20 minutes scrubbing and rinsing Mickey.

Now we have the cleanest Mickey Mouse in town!

Our Budding Artist

2009-05-09T09:32:00.001-05:00

Abram's preschool had a fundraiser/art show. It was set up really neat. Each child had a picture on display, as well as each class had fixed a basket to raffle, and they were serving dinner. We only ended up making it for the art and raffle, but that was plenty. We walked around and Abram showed us his artwork and all his friends' work. We were also able to meet a few of his friends. Abram is also very lucky to have lots of people who wanted to share his work, Aunt Dot, Grandma Reid, and Grammy were all able to join in on the fun. Enjoy!

Spring Break Project

2009-05-06T12:55:00.000-05:00

Over Spring Break, we decided to clean up the island to add some more play area and to make things look better. It was fun, but a lot of work. We spent lots of time outside which made for tired toddlers and Mommy and Daddy.

Abram helping Daddy dig the hole for our new fire pit.

Katie helping dig a hole to move some plants out of the middle of the island.

The new fire pit, just waiting to roast some marshmallows and hot dogs.

Race tracks made out of old drain pipe for monster trucks.

Abram racing his trucks down the track.

We still have some work to do to get the island playable, but it sure does look better...and it was some great family time.

Spring is in the Air

2009-05-03T20:59:00.000-05:00

These are actually some pictures from last month, but now that I have a little time to get some pictures up I am going to share some old stuff too.

This is just one of those day when you can' t help but get out of the house and enjoy the beautiful weather.

The daffodils were beautiful this year. They popped up everywhere, thanks to the friendly squirrels.

The explorers finding the perfect place for their chairs.

Can you guess who the biggest kid is in our house?

Katie's favorite form of locomotion running or jumping.

All the fresh air makes a body hungry. Great day for a picnic.

Horses

2009-05-01T13:18:00.001-05:00

Since Mommy has been out of commission for a few days, we have had a lot of help around the house. This weekend, the kids went to stay with Papaw and GramT. As usual they were prepared with many fun adventures. Luckily for us, they took their camera and shared their pictures for this one.

At Cataloochee Ranch there are horses that roam wild all over the mountain side. Papaw knows the area very well and they took the kids up to see the horses.

Since the horses are roaming wild, you can get up as close as you want. Several horses came over to visit as soon as the car stopped

We were all extremely surprised that Abram walked right up to the horses and started petting them.

Looks like Abram has a fan.

One more pat for the road.

Katie's turn to get up close and personal...too bad she is distracted by something else.

Papaw shows Katie how to gently rub the horse on the nose.

Abram and Papaw getting a closer look.

And then, a snack for the ride home.

Thanks Papaw and GramT for the great adventure.

Thanks Uncle Chad and Aunt Dottie

2009-04-30T16:29:00.001-05:00

Our new favorite shirts.

Tadpoles

2009-04-29T16:11:00.001-05:00

Yet another adventure provided by Mommy. Papaw and GramT shared a large mass of frog eggs with Mommy's class at school. As Spring Break came around the tadpoles weren't doing so well at school. So, the tadpoles came home.

Abram and Katie had to get a very close look at things. It was very hard to keep their little fingers out of the water.

After several days of watching and hoping neither the cats or the kids got a hold of the tadpoles, we let them go in the creek. The tadpoles swam happily away into their new home and we hope to have lots of new frogs to get us entertained throughout the summer.

Potty Time

2009-04-28T15:37:00.002-05:00

Katie is learning to use the potty. On this day, she decided it was time for her bear to learn also.

Bear goes into the bathroom.

Bear uses the potty.

Bear washes hands!

Seed Planting Time

2009-04-27T13:22:00.000-05:00

Mommy has once again decided she needs a garden. So this year we are trying something new. We found some seeds at the store and are trying to start our garden from seed. Since the North Carolina Spring's are known for being unpredictable, we started them inside. Mommy found every available empty container and filled it with dirt. Then she pulled the kids over and we started planting. Abram was really excited and couldn't wait to help. Katie really wasn't sure what was going on, but was ready to play in the dirt.

The supervisor...making sure everything gets in the right place.

Learning how to poke holes, so the seeds are planted just the right depth...or at least in the dirt.

Carefully putting seeds in each hole (not really sure how many went in each hole!).

Inspecting our work.

Showing off his hard work.

Now we wait. We planted green beans, tomatoes, watermelon, cilantro, and peppers. Wish us luck as we move to the next step of getting them outside so they can grow big and strong and Abram can finally pick them (as he asks everyday).

Creek Stompin'

2009-04-25T09:37:00.001-05:00

This is how we spent our Spring Break. The kids discovered the creek in front of the house.

Splashin'

Taking a trip around the big curve.

Cousin Wayne giving the fine details of appropriate stompin'

Cousin Wayne just couldn't stand it, he had to go in too.

Stompin' through the "jungle" also known as rhododendron.

Happy Birthday Katie

2009-04-24T09:36:00.000-05:00

Uncle Chad and Aunt Dottie sent Katie a birthday present, since they weren't able to be with us to celebrate. When we got it we decided to have another little celebration.

Katie is much more interested in the frog wrapping paper, than in the card that Mommy is trying to read.

Abram, as usual, had to get in on the action.

It's a dress-up Minnie Mouse doll in, with clothes, and a special suitcase.

After she figured out what it was all about, Katie was very much into changing all the clothes. The best part was when she put on the cowgirl outfit and Minnie rode around the house on her horse...Abram!

Katie wanted to take Minnie in the bath with her, but after much discussion she decided it was OK for Minnie to just sit on the sink and watch.

Thanks Morgans for the perfect gift, as always.

The Great Egg Hunt

2009-04-15T22:34:00.000-05:00

No Easter is complete without an egg hunt. After a wonderful lunch, David, Wayne and Brooke headed outside to hide eggs for Abram and Katie. It took a few minutes for the kids to get warmed up, but soon the hunt was on. The funniest part came when it was the big kids turn to find eggs, so Katie and Abram helped hide them. As soon as they put it down, they would come back around to find it as if they had no idea where they were. It was fun to watch. Enjoy.

Easter 2009-Part 2

2009-04-13T14:17:00.000-05:00

Easter dawned bright and early (6:45am), after a long evening of very interesting stories from Abram. At some point in the long process of going to sleep Abram decided the Easter bunny some help. Mind you, this is the first he had heard of the bunny. He decided that Mommy needed to pick up and sweep the living room so that he didn't fall, that Daddy needed to go save the bunny because he was caught in a sticky net. This was not just any net, it was one that required Daddy to get into his truck drive away and unstick the bunny. Daddy and Mommy did their part and as soon as Abram was informed of the progress he finally went to sleep. Early the next morning, Mommy and Daddy were greeted by two very happy toddlers who had to tiptoe down the hall so they didn't scare away the bunny. The kids were excited to play with their surprise from the bunny and Mommy and Daddy were content to rest for a few minutes before beginning the long day. After a yummy breakfast of smoothies and homemade coffee cake, we all got dressed up and headed out. God blessed us with another one of those days that makes you thankful to be alive and wonder how anyone can doubt the exsistance of a loving creator. We actually made it to church on time, where Mommy and Daddy heard a great sermon and the kids had a blast playing with their friends. After church we headed to Aunt Mandi and Uncle Jeremy's house for some great food and fun. Enjoy these pictures up to this point in the day, more to come of some rousing egg hunting!

Easter Fun-Part 1

2009-04-12T21:46:00.000-05:00

Mommy finally got brave enough this year to let the kids try dying Easter eggs. After much research, she found a way that didn't appear to be as messy. We tie-dyed the eggs ( http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=11413 ) . It was actually fun and not very messy at all. The kids picked out the aprons they wanted to wear (this was Plan C after Abram got very upset thinking his "cool shirt" was going to get dirty and then that he didn't want to get in on his tummy). It kind of made the whole thing more special because the aprons belonged to Mommy's mom. So after finally deciding on the special attire, we all went to work. Abram and Katie loved picking the colors to put on the eggs before rolling them around in the collander and Mommy discovered that boiled eggs are really tough. Next you had to count to 30 to let the colors set and then pick another color. By the end, Abram could unscrew and squirt food coloring like a pro. Katie had fun for one egg and then got distracted by the apron bothering her neck and she was off to find something else to get in to. All in all fun was had by all and there wasn't a big mess to clean up (Mommy doesn't mind making them but she sure hates cleaning them up). We used our final product on our Easter dinner table to celebrate with Aunt Dot and Grandma Reid. Easter has been a wonderful celebration at our house, more to come.

Katie's Second Birthday

2009-04-11T09:02:00.000-05:00

After much sickness, we finally got to have Katie's birthday party. It was a blast. Katie had on her cutest cute face and was ready to rock and roll. We are so lucky to so many people around who love our kids and want to help us celebrate all our special occasions.

Baptisms

2009-04-03T20:33:00.000-05:00

Just when you think things are slowing down, they seem to speed up and go faster. All that to say...sorry we haven't posted in a while.
Here are some more pictures from the kids being baptized. It was really a special time, with friends and family welcoming our wonderful kids into their family. Abram had been thinking about the situation for a while and on the way to church decided that he was a little scared. So he spent the whole time hiding, he hid under Mommy's arm, under her sweater, in the floor by the pew, and pretty much anywhere he could find. When it was finally our turn, he did much better than expected. He didn't cry or scream or anything. He just kept asking if he could go downstairs (the nursery where all of his friends were already playing). As soon as we got finished we headed downstairs and he was much happier.
Katie on the other hand, had no idea what was going on. She happily played in the pew, reading the hymnal and coloring on the envelopes. When it was time to go up, she happily rode in Daddy's arms. When Pastor Yates put the water on her head, she just looked at him. Then when he finished, she was her cute self watching her brother and smiling at the congregation.
We were so lucky that so many of our family were able to come and give their support.

Sunday, March 22

2009-03-23T21:39:00.000-05:00

Pastor Yates and the Fletcher family

Sunday was a big day for the Fletcher family. We were supposed to have Katie's second birthday two weeks ago but instead of birthday presents, we all got the flu for her birthday. So we moved it to this Sunday. In between the two days, we found out we were going to be able to have the kids baptized. So to make a long story a little shorter, Sunday turned in to a big day of celebrations. Luckily, we have all gotten better and were ready to have lots of fun.

Katie blowing out her birthday candle.

2 years

2009-03-05T20:47:00.002-05:00

To the girl with the sweetest smile in the world! Happy 2nd Birthday Katie-Girl! We love you!

Stylin'

2009-03-01T08:59:00.000-05:00

This picture didn't turn out as good as I had hoped. If you could have seen Katie's outfit for the morning, it was hillarious. She has on her pj top, Dora big girl panties, and pink fuzzy boots. The she decided she needed to ride the motorcycle. Great blackmail picture for later in life!

Dancin' Machines

2009-02-27T08:51:00.000-05:00

Abram and Katie love to dance. Just about anytime music comes on, some body part starts wiggling. On this day, they decided the round puzzle was their dance floor. They boogied down until the circle got too small and a fight broke out over who should really be dancing on the "dance floor."

No, Uncle Marc...

2009-02-25T08:45:00.000-05:00

You cannot leave!

Teeth Time

2009-02-23T08:40:00.000-05:00

Abram has been learning about how to take care of his teeth at school. He is teaching Katie all about it. We now spend lots of time in the bathroom brushing our teeth!

Sick

2009-02-21T08:27:00.002-05:00

Sorry for the brief vacation from blogging. We have had a lot of sick going around this house. As you can see from the pictures it has been a time of little activity around our house. I am now happy to report that we are all feeling better and almost finished with all the antibiotics.

Yes, that is Dean that Abram is being still enough to hold in his arms. First time that has ever happened.

Monkey See...

2009-02-03T22:54:00.000-05:00

Monkey Do!

Two Cool Kids

2009-02-01T22:50:00.000-05:00

And yes, they are sitting on top of Katie's bed. They were trying to get away from the "too loud" vaccuum cleaner.

Some of our Favorite People

2009-01-30T22:43:00.000-05:00

Grammy, who we get to hang out with all day.

And cousin David, who will take the time to hang out and play with us.

Aunt Dot

2009-01-29T22:25:00.000-05:00

One of our favorite outings is to head down the road to visit Aunt Dot. She is always good for wearing the kids out and having good snacks.

Abram and Katie like to entertain Grandma Reid with a little dancing, Aunt Dot always joins in the fun.

She always has something new to try out (notice how the kids match the Backyardigans...good job Aunt Dot).

And as always a little snuggling and hugging makes for a great evening.

They Can be so Sweet...

2009-01-27T22:20:00.000-05:00

and then they wake up!

Skype

2009-01-25T22:14:00.000-05:00

We have discvovered a new play toy at our house. We are learning to skype. It is basically a free conference.

Abram is talking/playing with GramT. For some reason he feels he must hold things as close to the computer as possible so that the other person can see them. On this night, he and GramT raced cars down his track and GramT and Katie painted. It is a great way to stay connected.

Skate Night

2009-01-23T21:42:00.000-05:00

Abram's preschool had a skate night for all the 2 and 3 year olds and their families. So we loaded up the whole crew on a very cold night and headed out. Katie was ready for anything. Abram on the other hand was excited until he saw what was going on.

Katie put on the skates and took off. She was actually a lot better than some of the older kids.

Abram on the other hand, had different ideas. He spent most of the evening like this.

Until his sister, convinced him it was fun and he should try it. He put on his skates and gave it a try. He was ok until he stood up and then well, you can see...

And he couldn't get the skates off fast enough.

But then being the good parents that we are Mommy and Daddy both put on skates to show him it was really fun. He loved helping us skate.

And then Katie and Mommy made one round before heading out.

It was lots of fun and we can't wait to try a family skate night again, maybe next time Abram will have fun too.

Snow Day

2009-01-20T09:16:00.004-05:00

We finally got some snow at our house. After watching it flurry on and off all day and then finally laying the kids down for a nap and whispering to Abram that we might be able to play in the snow when he woke up, our wish came true. By later afternoon we had about 1/2 inch. For some of you that really isn't much, but for us, it is like a blizzard. So after naps and a quick snack, we bundled up and headed out. I am really not sure who had more fun, but it was a close tie between Mommy and Daddy or Abram and Katie. This was Katie's first real snow and Abram's first that he knew what was going on. We had a great snowball fight, well maybe not fight more like chase around with a handful of snow and throw when you get close enough.

Some wonderful sled rides.
A little challenge trying to catch a snowflake.
Abram's first ride down the hill..."Go fast!"

And this is the breakfast we started the morning off with (sorry the pictures are out of order, I can't get them to move). Mommy was trying to convince the snow to really come with some yummy snowperson pancakes.

Christmas Morning 2008

2009-01-10T16:28:00.002-05:00

So you probably thought we had totally disappeared. Well the answer is kind of. Our laptop that had all the pictures on it died. So we have been trying to figure out what to do and how to get all those pictures back. We haven't figured all that out but we are slowly getting what we need on the other laptop and we had a few pictures still on the camera. We will do our best to slowly get those up, so you can share all our Christmas adventures with us.

Here is Christmas morning at our house. The kids were both so excited. Abram had such a hard time going to sleep on Christmas Eve, we actually had to wake him up on Christmas morning to start the fun. After a few minutes of groggy, why are you waking me up stuff...he was ready to go and hit the floor running. Katie on the other hand was up and not really sure what was going on, but she knew that her big brother was excited and so she must be too. So therefore, she hit the floor running also. Mommy and Daddy did the tag team present opening and sharing of excitement. We never realized that Christmas could be so much fun all over again. It's almost like being a kid all over again. Enjoy the pictures and wish us luck getting more up.

More from Christmas Eve

2008-12-27T11:00:00.000-05:00

After we left Aunt Dot's house, we headed home to get ready for bed and the much anticipated Santa visit. Abram had a meltdown before we could get home. We think it was because of his selective hearing, in which he heard us say that Santa couldn't bring presents until you go to sleep. He didn't hear the until you go to sleep part and spent the better part of the next hour crying and saying "Santa no bring me presents." We finally convince him that Santa would bring him presents and that it would be really nice for us to give something to Santa first. So after many tears and reassurances, we set out to fix plates of cookies for Santa. Katie of course got in on the act.

Here they are fixing Santa's special plates of cookies.

Then we had to very carefully carry the cookies and milk downstairs to sit by the fireplace.

Daddy helped pour the special glasses of milk, so Santa wouldn't be thirsty.

Katie got a little distracted, during the process, markers always get her attention.

The specially given plates of cookies and glasses of milk for a Santa who is going to be full if he eats that many cookies at once.

We all climbed back upstairs got into our pjs and spent the next several hours trying to go to sleep. Katie fell right asleep, but Abram stayed up until about 11:30 calling Santa and singing Jingle Bells.

Christmas Eve

2008-12-26T23:24:00.000-05:00

After we made cookies, we decided to run off a little energy so maybe the kids would sleep some for Santa's visit. We got outside and played some before it got too cold and we had to come back in and get ready for church.

A family shot (minus Mommy taking the picture).

Katie showing her great posing style and proud of her Christmas decorations.

Abram admiring the wonder of the season.

After the Christmas Eve Candelight Service, which we all survived with eyebrows and hair in tact, we went to Aunt Dot's for a little Christmas Eve pizza.

Aunt Dot and Katie got their groove on with some Christmas music.

Abram helped Grandma Reid with some very serious project.

Then Katie moved into the kitchen for some more dancing and showing off her pretty, green Christmas dress (it spun really neat!)

And a little Christmas present warm up.

Cookies for Santa

2008-12-25T23:29:00.000-05:00

Yes, Abram lined them up like this. He did all 24 this way and then we had to move them around to fit on the plate so it wasn't one big blob.

Sharing the Spirit

2008-12-24T16:37:00.000-05:00

Not only did we fill the house with Christmas spirit, we had it overflowing into other houses of those we loved. We visited Papa Ted to help him put up his tree.

Abram and Papa Ted got started with the base of the tree.

Then Katie added some limbs with the help of David.

Abram put on the top layer, with a little help from David.

Katie also got a little distracted by a little piece of tinsel stuck on her hand and then...

helped Uncle Jeremy put the angel on top.

If you move your head really fast to make your eyes blurry, you'll see the finished product.

Oh, Christmas Tree

2008-12-24T11:00:00.000-05:00

Right after Thanksgiving, we knew it was time for the tree to go up (see I told you we were behind). We also knew that noone had the energy to keep two very active toddlers away from it 24 hours a day, so we made it all kid friendly.

The tree, pre-decorations. As you can see Dean is checking for approval.

Abram adding some ornaments

As usual, Katie doing the same thing her big brother does.

The final version, as it lasted for a day. If you look closely, you can see exactly how tall the kids are by the fact that all the ornaments are in the exact same spot. Many of them even on the same branch.

After we got the tree up and admired it for a minute, the redecorating began. Katie especially enjoyed taking off each ornament and moving it to a different spot. For a while, there was even a bucket sitting beside the tree for her to put all the ornaments in that she would take off. Now the majority of the decorations are on the top 3/4s of the tree and the entertainment value has worn off. They still enjoy looking at it and moving things around every now and then. It is so much fun to watch the kids with their awe and wonderment of everything that is Christmas. They bring new meaning to the season.

Christmas Spirit

2008-12-23T11:00:00.000-05:00

So we have been getting into the spirit for a while around here but because things have been so busy, we haven't done real great sharing our adventures. We are going to try to make up for it over the next two weeks.
One Saturday morning, we decided to go have some Christmas pictures taken. When we got home, Mommy decided to try out some candid shots herself. Noone cooperated but at least you can see some ways the Fletchers show their spirit.

Abram and Katie in their red and green admiring the ski tree. Yes, it is made out of old snow skis left laying around our house.

Katie showing her favorite light.

Abram trying to "cheese" for the camera, but as always also on the move.

Then he climbed the stairs to show our tree, garland, and snowman on the porch.

Hope each of you is in the holiday spirit!

Happy 3rd Birthday Abram

2008-12-22T15:43:00.000-05:00

Abram's 3rd birthday was so much fun. He really knew what was going on this year and was so excited. As you can see from the many pictures he celebrated in style and for several days. Enjoy!

Birthday Wishes

2008-12-14T23:10:00.003-05:00

Abram got this great birthday card in the mail the other day. Check out the video to see just how much they enjoyed it.

Thanks Aunt Cynthia for the entertainment. Think this one might get warn out!

Two "Cool" Kids

2008-12-06T22:59:00.000-05:00

OK, so it is a cheesy title but I just couldn't resist and don't worry we didn't walk away for them to be able to close the lids on themselves or anything like that.

Thanksgiving Stop #2

2008-12-02T23:11:00.000-05:00

After a quick nap, we made our way to Papaw and GramT's house for some more yummy food and lots more things to be thankful for.

When we got there, Papaw was hard at work on another fabulous turkeys.

Abram, Lindsey, and Debbie had to do a little supervision to make sure Papaw was doing things right.

Sitting still didn't last long and Lindsey was the first victim of the cutest "Come play with me, please."

Then it was some sword fighting with GramT.

After dinner everyone sat around, trying to digest the great food and have a little time to catch up.

Except Daddy who found a moment when the kids were entertained to sneak in his Thanksgiving nap.

After a wonderful visit, it was time for pjs and saying good bye.

Check back tomorrow for our final stop.

Thanksgiving Stop #1

2008-12-01T22:24:00.000-05:00

Our first stop of the day was at Daddy's uncle Jerry's house. There were lots of cousins there to play with, lots of very yummy food, but best of all were all the reminders of the many things we have to be thankful for.

Abram and Katie had their first experience at the kids' table (don't worry Mommy and Daddy were very close).

As you can see all the wonderful family we got to spend time with.

After lunch there was lots of time to play with our favorite cousins.

Abram and Cousin David found a special hide out.

The weather was so nice, we got to work off some of that food playing outside. Uncle Marc helped Abram work his off.

Uncle Marc helping the kids build "rock bunnies" (don't ask!)

Abram being a big boy exploring Uncle Jerry's pond and bench.

Katie is trying to encourage Uncle Jerry's grapevines to grow by giving their supports a little shake.

Check back tomorrow to see our next stop.

Thanksgiving Preparations

2008-11-30T21:49:00.000-05:00

We had 3 days off from school to celebrate Thanksgiving, so Mommy and Abram got a little crafty.

Abram made the turkey at school. We tried to make Katie one but it just didn't ever happen.

With some pillowcases and some paint, we all worked together to make some chair covers. Daddy even got into the act by adding his thumbprint for the wattle.

Abram decided he would help stir the icing for the pumpkin spice cake that was on Mommy's list to make.

He was nice enough to share a beater with Katie after it was all finished. They enjoyed the Macy's Parade with an early morning shot of sugar.

This is not the pumpkin spice cake that Abram helped with, but Daddy decided to take a picture of Mommy's first attempt at cheesecake.

Pictures of the three different Thanksgivings we shared will follow over the next several days.

Happy Birthday Papa Ted

2008-11-24T22:10:00.000-05:00

All of Daddy's family got together to celebrate another year in Papa Ted's life.

Mommy made him a race car cake.

Abram was the official tester.

After he decided it was ok. He was happy to let David feed him a nice black wheel (I think his teeth are still black!)

Katie slaved over the hot stove to make sure everyone had enough to eat.

Then she had to show Uncle Marc the right way to ride a hot pink corvette.

And to finish off the evening of fun, Abram and cousin Maylin had to have papertowel capes. It was so much fun to watch them tear through the house with the capes trailing. I think we owe Aunt Mandi a roll of paper towels for all the capes that were made and thrown away that night.

Happy Birthday Papa Ted!

Sleepy Time

2008-11-22T21:59:00.000-05:00

Katie is learning to go to sleep by herself. Part of the routine includes putting up the gate at her door, as you can guess Katie is not a fan of this part. On several occassions, she has gotten out of her bed, made it to the door where she is stopped by the gate. When she gets to the gate she will either scream really loud or lay down in the floor with her blankets. This is the picture I found one night when I went to check on her. In case you can't tell she is in between the gate and the door on top of all 3 of her blankets. She was so asleep she didn't flinch when I picked her up to put her back in her bed. If I am not mistaken, she was also snoring.

Truck Rally

2008-11-21T21:42:00.000-05:00

Abram's preschool had a truck rally fundraiser. We knew that was a must see for Abram our truck man. They did a great job and had lots of different vehicles for the kids to look at, touch, climb on, and stare at.

Abram checked out the tractor trailer and took his turn driving it.

Then we had to check out the fire engine.

And push a few buttons.

Abram also had to try his hand at driving a backhoe.

All was well until the ambulance and police car started blowing their horns and turning on the siren. Abram decided that was too much and it was time to go.

Just for Fun

2008-11-19T21:30:00.000-05:00

I'm not really sure why I took this picture, but as I look at it now it's just funny. I don't remember exactly but I am sure that Abram climbed up first to eat his snack and then as with everything else, Katie decided to join him. The look on Abram's face says it all, "Oh no, not again...I just wish she would quit following me around."

Then this picture is just a classic Katie..."cheese!"

Now They Put Them On

2008-11-17T21:08:00.000-05:00

Just as we predicted, as soon as Halloween was over the kids put on their robot costumes.

OK, so maybe they didn't quite figure out how to wear them all they way. But they have had fun with them

Katie did put hers on also, but she was quicker than the camera to put it on and take it off.

Puzzles

2008-11-07T22:53:00.000-05:00

Abram decided that puzzles were fun. So Mommy brought borrowed a few from school that nobody was using. He has actually gotten pretty good at it.

Can you feel the concentration going on?

Look at that deep concentration!

And of course if Abram is doing it, Katie must also. So to avoid a knock-down-drag-out fight, we found Katie her own puzzle.

She did pretty good until she lost interest and then had a blast putting the pieces in and out of the basket.

Cupcakes

2008-11-05T22:11:00.001-05:00

A couple of days ago the weather was super cold so the kids couldn't play outside very long and Mommy was about to pull her hair out because the kids were so wild and nothing was working. So a sudden inspiration hit...make cupcakes.

Both of the kids climbed up on the counter to help stir. Daddy was there for extra support and supervision.

Both of the kids grabbed a cupcake holder and started filling in the pan.

Abram helped supervise as Mommy finished stirring the sprinkles he just added to the batter.

Katie supervised as Mommy poured the batter in.

After much anticipation and waiting as they baked and cooled, Abram very carefully added one sprinkle at a time to each cupcake.

And finally the all important tasting.

We think they ate more icing and spread more crumbs than they actually ate. But the process was fun and by the time we finished it was bath and bedtime. Another cold evening survived!

Letting Abram do the honors

2008-11-04T22:25:00.004-05:00

So today was the day. We had talked about me voting and even gotten him to run around yelling, "Obama!"I had thought about bring Abram with me to vote but wasn't sure about dragging him out of the house too early. That problem was partially solved by him waking up at 6:00, but I still wasn't sure how he'd do. But then the clincher came when he saw me putting on my shoes and asking, "Go with you Daddy?"
"Do you want to go with me to vote buddy?"
"YEAH!!!"
"Ok."
So we quickly got him dressed and out the door we went.

I was glad to see no line to speak of at our polling place. This was mostly due to the fact 40% of registered voters in Henderson County took advantage of early voting. We were able to walk right in, sign in, and head to our booth. I had to show Abram where the box was on the screen and let him do the honors.

I took over the voting from there due to the large number of candidates on the ballot this time around. While my polling place did not have a sticker for me, Abram was able to snag one that he proudly wore all day.

When I got back home to drop him off so he could head to school, I overheard him talking to my Mom (who doubles as our babysitter):
"Abram, where did you go?"
"I went with Daddy."
"Where did you go with Daddy?"
"I went with Daddy to vote Obama!"

As I'm typing this Obama is up 207-135 with California, North Carolina, Florida, Oregon, Washington yet to be called. I feel proud to have voted for our next president.