Elle's first Swim Meet

Elle had her first swim meet today! It was a not a competetive meet, but a fun one where every kid got a medal. Elle swam in 2 Events - Freestyle and Butterfly. We didn't quite know what to expect. You may remember her running debut in May when she froze at the start line at a Disney kid's race and Jay ended up running the race with her. We hoped that wouldn't happen this time and it didn't! In the first heat she stepped right up to the platform and assumed her position. She was the only girl in this heat, but she didn't mind. Her swim coach, Greg, was with her in both races which helped a lot. She couldn't wait to get back up for the Butterfly. It was fun to watch and she loved it!

Football Time in Tennessee

Well, it's that time of year and we're excited! UT's Central Florida Alumni Fall Kick-off was last weekend. It's always a good time. The kids got their annual picture made with the giant Smokey and we managed to get one of the family as well. Hopefully we'll have a good season. Either way, it's fun to be in the midst of college football madness once again. As you may remember, our neighbors completely covered our house, yard, and car last year with University of Florida paraphanelia the week of the Tennessee vs. Florida game. Revenge is sweet, so stay tuned to see what the neighborhood rivalry has in store this year!

Remembering Joseph

Some of you may remember a request for prayer that I sent out last November about a little boy named Joseph who was diagnosed with a brain tumor at 3 years old. Or you may have seen the link below and have been following him as well. Sweet Joseph passsed away yesterday afternoon at 4 years old. Joseph's parents and aunts went to the University of Tennessee with us. Their faith throughout this struggle has been unshaken and they are a true encouragment and inspiration to anyone who reads their story. I don't know that I am capable of the same strength. Please pray for thier families as they cope with the loss of Joseph and find a way to keep going. If you aren't familiar with their story and want to read more you can click on the "Pray for Joseph" link below.

First Day of School

Today was a big day for the kids! Elle started Kindergarten today!!! I cannot believe that our "baby" is starting school. She has been so excited. We met her teacher, Mrs. Baerga, last week and was very impressed with the teacher and classroom. Elle is even more excited because two of her friends from the neighborhood are also in her class. Jay and I were a little sad this morning as we got the kids ready, fixed breakfast, and took pictures, etc. Elle excitement, however quickly took over and it was hard to to be thrilled for her. As you can see in one of the pictures she literally ran ahead of us towards school she was so ready! Brooks was the only one who cried when we dropped her off in her classroom. It was kind of sweet! He wore his backpack in too so that he was like the other kids. I am confident that Elle will have a great first week. However, it already looks like they may cancel school due to the storm that is coming through. I'll keep you posted!

After we dropped Elle off it was time to take Brooks. Though not Kindergarten, it was a big day for him too. He started at a new school with a new teacher and new friends this year. Since I'll be working full time until graduating in December, I had to find a full time preschool/daycare for him. His school is great and I am excited about it for him! He wasn't as excited about being left this morning as Elle, so I didn't stick around to take pictures in his class or with the teacher. It was best to "kiss and go". I know he will do great! I will let you know how it goes!

May I Have Your Attention Please....

Elle and Brooks would like to announce that they will soon be a big brother and sister to a third (and final) little Bloomer! We are very excited and look forward to it's arrival in February. Elle is thrilled! We just told her this week, and as we expected, she has not stopped talking about it since. It's going to be a long six months for her! She will be a huge help and I am thankful to have such a wonderful big sister. She has already decided that if it's a girl we should name her Jewelry. Why didn't I think of that? Brooks is not as excited. I am sure he will be once it's here, but for now he doesn't really see how it affects him. When we broke the good news to him he simply said "Can I go outside and play?". I think it's for the best because I can only handle one set of questions a day about how, where, and when the baby will be here! Look for changes to the blog in the near future. I was not planning ahead when I named the blog Elle and Brooks. Guess I better make room for the next one!

Just a quick update...I finished my pediatric internship last week and have the next three weeks off. I passed the Praxis in June - my huge licensure exam that I had to pass to graduate and be licensed as a Speech Pathologist. That was a huge relief to have behind! I will begin my full time adult internship in a few weeks and then will Finally graduate with my Masters degree in December! Just in time for #3!!!

Elle starts Kindergarten in two weeks. She is very excited! Her excitement is helping my anxiety, but I still can't believe my baby is going to school. Brooks will also be going to "school" full time since I will be working this Fall. He is excited to be going to school just like Elle. Hopefully we will have an easy transition into school and working full time this Fall!

Jay is great. Working hard as always. We got to spend the past weekend in Vermont at a friends' wedding and had a wonderful time. It was beautiful there and a nice break from the Florida heat. Thanks to Jay's Dad for coming to stay with the kids while we were away!

Thanks for you patience with my scattered blog updates. I will try to do better!

Sweet Baby Lila

We had a wonderful visit to Tennessee to visit Jay's family. The kids had a ball playing dress-up at Granny's and water guns at Grandad's. We filled up on lots of good food at Memaw and Papaw's as always and had a wonderful cookout at Granny's with the entire gang.

The last leg of our trip was to Winston-Salem to see Claire and Brian and meet Lila. She is adorable and it was so much fun to see them. If only we could have stayed longer! We got tons of cute pictures of her...I'll try to narrow it down here!

4th of July

I was fortunate enough to get the week of the 4th off, so the kids and I headed to Kiawah for the week. It was a great week with friends and family. Sadly, Jay had to stay home and work, so we missed him a lot! The kids had so much fun! My cousin, Grae, and her two kids Mary and Jackson got to come down for one day. A couple of my friends from Anderson, Elizabeth and Colby, were able to come for a day with their kids as well! For those of you who don't know Colby, she and her family live in Cairo, Egypt now so we have not seen them in 2 years! They are here for several weeks this summer and we were thrilled to get to spend some time with them! Our kids are all pretty much the same ages and had a great time playing. It is a little scary being outnumbered by our kids now, though! At the end of the week my sister and her family came down. Easton is 19 months now and such a cutie!

The kids stayed with my parents and are enjoying time in Anderson this week while Jay and I have a very busy week. We will go and get them on Friday and then head to Tennessee for a few days to spend time with Jay's family. We look forward to seeing them and most of all meeting baby Lila!!! I'll have lots of cute pictures to share next week!

The New Addition

While Jay was out of town last weekend Elle and I had a moment of weakness and brought home a homeless, abandoned kitten. I'm pretty sure this is one of the worst decisions I've made lately (Jay would second that), but seriously how can you resist such a cute kitten? The sad part is that she will grow into a cat and no longer be a cute kitten, but we're enjoying her for the time being. It is so worth it to watch Elle with her. She just adores her and they are so cute together. Brooks is a different story! We have to watch him closely with her! Elle has named her "Pupcake". This is the name of Strawberry Shortcake's dog, and Elle likes it, so she's using it for her cat! She really has been a great kitten so far. Very well behaved and great with the kids (even when Brooks is terrorizing her). She has slept well at night despite being so young and still needing milk at first. She is eating normal kitten food now and doing great.

Finally!

Brooks is now the proud owner of the much anticipated Edger!!! He is doing great with his potty training and went sun up to sun down today in his big boy underwear. That included many outings, so this was a great accomplishment! Way to go Brooks! Keep up the good work!

Lila Katherine Hemphill

Elle and Brooks would like to proudly announce the arrival of their new cousin, Lila Katherine hemphill. She was born on Thursday morning and weighed 7lb. 2oz. Claire, Brian, and Lila - we love you and can't wait to see you all soon!!