Daisypath Anniversary tickers

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Charleston

We were so blessed to be able to get a week of true vacation before all the changes that are coming up in our very near future start to take place! Mrs. Kay (aka "Dobby") invited us to join her for a week in Charleston, SC, and we had a blast!

Claire was a bit apprehensive of the water, but she sure did love the sand!




And of course, she adored spending so much time with Dobby!



We nicknamed Spencer "The Professor." This is what he did, well, pretty much the whole time...


Claire in her sun-hat, chilling in the boat...



The professor did manage to pull himself away from the books a few times!


Taking a snack break...





We were also excited to get to see Spencer's brother some while we were there. Travis lives in Charleston, and one night he took us all out to see the minor league baseball team play...




Here is Claire, cheering for the Riverdogs...



The ocean is one of my favorite parts of creation. I always think about how Scripture tells us that the voice of God is like the sound of many waters. I seem to remember better when I am at the beach, just how vast and beautiful and powerful and breathtaking God really is.








Thank you, Dobby, for a wonderful trip!

Friday, August 12, 2011

Not much has happened here lately...

No, not much at all. Let's see, just a few things like...Finding out I am pregnant...Spending my first trimester as a "single mom" as Spencer completed his last 6 week clinical in SC...Spencer having shoulder surgery to repair a torn labrum...Spencer GRADUATING from PT school...

Nah, not much at all.

It has been hard to keep up with blogging lately. We have had so much going on here, I feel like I haven't even sat down much at all in the last 2 months. And it's been doubly hard with Spencer being gone and then having surgery as soon as he got home, and quadruply hard with the ridiculous "morning" sickness I've had with this little peanut. I was not even the least bit queasy with Claire, but this time I have been sick all day every day! I think it's waning, though; I've been feeling gradually better over the last week and I am starting to be able to eat more like a pregnant lady :)

Here's a bit of old news...Claire took swim lessons this summer, and though it was exhausting to go every evening for 2 weeks, the consistent exposure to the water was well-worth it. Claire now loves to blow bubbles and "swim" in the bathtub every night!


Of course, the major news in our house is that the Coach is done with PT school! Here is Claire on graduation day, so excited that her Daddy gets to be home more now!

And waiting for graduation to start, what else would she do but eat a snack???

I had to put this picture in, so you can see this face. We have a little comedian on our hands. She LOVES to make us laugh, and any time she wants to do so she just has to look at us like this. I don't know where the squinty eyes came from, but she just thinks it's hilarious, and well, we do too. Last night we spent a good 10 minutes at supper laughing because Claire would look down at her food and then slowly lift her head and look at one of us just like this.

I can't even tell you how excited Claire was that Jeni and Ben came to visit. They were awesome. When it was time to fill the auditorium and take our seats, Jen and Ben walked Claire around outside until graduation started so that she wouldn't have to sit any longer than necessary. Claire has talked about "GG and Beh" ever since.


The graduation itself was really well-done. The class has become super close after spending their last 2 years basically living in the Moore Building at WCU, and it was a really sweet time for them to celebrate together. The class voted on 2 awards to give to classmates, and we got a pleasant surprise when Spencer won the Leadership Award. Actually, it wasn't that surprising at all, but it was so encouraging to hear the comments made by classmates about Spencer and know that the Lord has used him to make a difference in his friends' lives.


And here he is, hooded and all graduated and stuff.


The "Spencer Shugart Fan Club."


Claire did awesome during the ceremony, though she didn't quite make it to the end...


Proud wife with her crippled, graduate husband.






Eating. Again.


Some of Spencer's family stayed on through the weekend to visit. Claire certainly enjoyed the company. Yes, I do know how she is dressed in this picture. Don't judge.

We drove up the parkway to Waterock Knob, one of our favorite places to hang out, hike, and just enjoy the view. Ooohhhh my. Is it possible that we are about to move from this place?




I will try to be better now about keeping updates current! Especially with #2 on the way, and life about to get crazier and crazier, I want to be intentional about recording our life together so we don't forget these moments!