Wedding Party

Ben and I went to a party at Chattooga Belle Farm celebrating, his friend, Forrest's upcoming wedding this June in Texas.  The party was for all the SC guests who most likely couldn't make the trip out to TX.....which we thought was very thoughtful of Forrest's family.  The couple will marry in the bride's hometown of Bowie, TX.  Forrest and Ben went to high school together and were brothers in the same fraternity at Clemson.

Our friends Tyler and Paige went to the party with us and we all had a blast hanging out together.  It's funny how you can go substantial periods of time without seeing your good old friends, but you always pick up right where you left off!  There was an "observation circle" for stargazing, but it also had a special echo effect in the very center that we all found fascinating.....it's the little things, right!?

Nana & Papa came up to babysit for us so that we could go to the party sans kids.  Needless to say, Tyler and Bailey Beth had a fun night playing with their Grands.  The party was super fun, the farm was stunningly beautiful, and we got an evening off of parental duties.....not too shabby for these freshly 30 somethings!

the happy couple, Keelan & Forrest

looking out at the vineyards & mountains from the barn

Tyler & Paige showing how much fun we had

beautiful sunset

That's My Room

Here is a look into both of our kids' rooms.  We just recently finished decorating their rooms since Bailey Beth didn't move into the nursery until she was 8 months old.  Her room doesn't really have a consistent theme other than the colors of green and pink......I call it watermelon.  Tyler's room is currently the nook of a guestroom that will eventually be his once he transitions to the big, full size bed.  Though we can completely see Bailey putting up a good fight to move over to Tyler's room (and have him move back to the "nursery" room) since it's bigger and has a walk-in closet.  Tyler will also get his furniture back from Bailey when he outgrows the toddler bed, but we thought it was crazy to move all the nursery furniture and replace it with new furniture since we have the toddler bed.  Bailey will get a regular "grown up" bedroom suit when she outgrows a toddler bed.

 

I know the outlets look dangerous, but we don't allow Tyler to get out of his bed until we come to get him and he actually doesn't ever try to get out 

Hanging Out

little cuddlebugs

Riverbanks Zoo

We visited Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia while we were in town to meet Baby Britton.  It was Bailey Beth's first zoo trip and the largest zoo Tyler has seen.  Tyler was captivated the entire time and really enjoyed seeing all the animal exhibits.  His favorites were the penguins, giraffes, reptiles, and monkeys.  Bailey liked watching all the fish swim around in the aquarium and the monkeys seemed to grab her attention too.

see the kangaroo munching on the leaves behind Bailey?

 

 

he loves to say "cock a doodle doo"

brown bear, brown bear what do you see?

Britton is Here!

Tyler and Bailey Beth have another new cousin to introduce!  Our extended family sure is growing.  Ben's sister, Erin, safely delivered a beautiful baby girl on Friday, May 6th (which was actually their due date)!  Britton Barbara Thomas was born at 1:21 pm weighing 7 pounds 4 ounces and she was 20 inches long.  She has blue eyes and lots of dark brown hair. 

We drove down to Columbia to meet her and she is so precious!  We even got to babysit when Erin and Bo both had to leave for errands as they were moving into their new home.  There's just something so amazing about having a newborn sleep on you!

Ben's HAZMAT Experience

Late Easter Sunday, at 11:30 pm, Ben received a call from his 3rd shift leader at Sandvik informing him of a dangerous chemical leak (TiCl4) in his department.  This chemical released a thick, white smoke which caused the fire alarms to go off and the plant to be evacuated.  Since the fire dept was automatically notified and the event went over the 911 dispatch, the county HAZMAT team, EMS, police, and local news crews all showed up as well.  Ben, along with the Sandvik HAZMAT team, responded to the release in cooperation with the Oconee County HAZMAT team.  Ben was excited about going into work to respond to this emergency, despite my worries and concerns.  Ben "suited up" in a fully encapsulating chemical suit with SCBA (astronaut gear with air tank) along with others and stopped the leak, and made things safe again.  Fortunately, no one got hurt and only a little equipment was damaged.  Ben has been an officer on Sandvik's HAZMAT team for the last 5 years.  Fortunately, this is one of the few incidents he has had to respond to.

Easter 2011

full shot of her Easter outfit

 

looks just like Dada!

he looks so "GQ" here!