OUR NEW HOME!!!!

Okay, so we moved out of my Parents house in July (That is our new house above) and I just have to share all that we have been doing...complete with before and after pics!! We are not quite finished, but we are getting close, only a few rooms left and some details to take care of and it will be like new...in some cases literally!!! So here are some pics of what it looked like when we got here...My Kitchen:
Emma Claire's Bedroom:
Isaac's Bedroom:
The kids bathroom:
My Dining Room: The Living Room:
For some bizarre reason the people who lived here before us thought that dirty pink paint and blindingly bright blue paint was the way to go through the WHOLE house...that was one of the first things to go!!! The previous tenants were also smokers, so the smell was HORRIBLE, but that is also long gone! As is the yellow running down the walls when we cleaned them...it is AMAZING what a little elbow grease can accomplish! We have completed what I lovingly refer to as the kids end of the house, so here are some after pics of those rooms. Including the "playroom" that is currently serving double duty as mine and Jamey's bedroom until we can get the actual bedroom finished too. My Kitchen:

Emma Claire's Bedroom:


Isaac's Bedroom (including his favorite part, the solar system):

The kids bathroom:
the Playroom:

My Dining Room:
and The Living Room (including my all time favorite...my reading corner):

I have to include this shot of the hallway because you can really see the hardwood floors my dad and Jamey put in...
The carpets in the house were awful and we are still waiting to get it together to get new carpet in the bedrooms, but at least they are livable. The "public" areas of the house not so much, so we put in floating floors and they look amazing. They completely change the look of the house and we LOVE them. That about covers it so far. I will be sure to update when we finish the rest of the work. The end of the house we haven't done has the most damage and will take the longest to complete, but we are anxious to continue in making this house our home!!! I can't wait to see how it all turns out...what about you???

WE'RE BAAACCCKK....Well, Sort of

Okay, so it has been a while. A long while since I have updated this blog. I have a reason of course...we moved!!! We finally got a house and moved in mid July...to a house that was a WRECK and needed a TON of work. Plus no internet...which is where the "sort of" part comes in. We still do not have internet, so I will not be updating as much as I used to, but I will TRY to do better than I have the past several months. I don't really know where to start to catch you all up on the very busy life of us Shumards, so I have decided that instead of try to catch you up I would just go from here. I will start 2010 with a whole new blog of our family and the fun that is to be had in this brand new decade. Just to quickly recap the past several months...We moved, Isaac started a new Preschool which he LOVES, I fell down the stairs and messed up my wrist and spent MONTHS trying to figure out what was wrong, Emma Claire is as feisty as ever and growing every day, Jamey is liking work and enjoying our new house, We had an AWESOME Thanksgiving in KY visiting family and a Wonderful Christmas celebrating the Birth of our Savior. So here we are caught up, sort of, and ready to head into the great unknown that is 2010. So hold on for the ride and I will try to keep you posted on what happens in our Story...

Family Fun Night #2

Screven had another Family Fun Night for the kids on Wednesday Night. Isaac got to go to this one and all the kids had a really great time. Emma Claire's first trip down the water slide ended with her falling off the end into a mud puddle created by said water...
it was hilarious though!! She got right up and ran back for more, mud on her face and all!!! Enjoy these pics from the rest of the night...

Now for a word of Explanation...

Some of you may have noticed that all of a sudden it took a while for my blog to be updated with the last of vacation. Well, here is the reason...
Yes my friends that would be a bright yellow cast on my RIGHT hand (making me completely useless for a few weeks). On sunday I was coming down the stairs holding Emma Claire and somehow managed to trip (probably over my own feet) and we were tumbling. We landed on the hardwood floors and Emma Claire flew out of my arms and landed on a pillow. She was not hurt at all, just a little scared. I on the other hand did not fair so well (I caught my entire body weight on my wrist). It was not until we got almost to church that my adrenaline calmed down enough for me to even feel the pain or notice the swelling, or the big lump that was forming on the side of my wrist....

I decided (after much debate and talking to 2 nurses, I am stubborn what can I say) to go have the thing xrayed. Jamey and I left church and headed to Doctors care. They xrayed my wrist but could not see anything because of the swelling, they decided to treat it as a sprain until the next day and gave me this to wear...
the next day another xray and a ct scan were normal, so off to the specialist I went. He took one look at it and said it was the tendons and ligaments, so I ended up with this...
I have to wear it for 3 weeks and then we will see if they are healed, if not there is probably more damage than first suspected (like a tear) adn we will have to discuss treatment options then!!! Fun for me!! The kids love it though, Isaac said it was horrible, simply horrible, but then he got to write his name on my cast and it wasn't so horrible anymore...
Not wanting to be outdone, Emma Claire came with a marker too. She left her "scribble Scrabble" as Isaac calls it, but that is okay with me....
This is the finished product...
I can just see all the kids at church now, I think I will end up with a lot more signatures once VBS starts, we will see!!! So that folks is why I have been so long without blogging vacation! I will keep you posted on the pain and healing of my poor little wrist!! Thanks for you patience, typing with one hand is not as easy as it looks!!!

Fourth of July Fun

Happy Birthday to America and My Momma!!! We started off the birthday of America with a trip to Home Depot for the children to build a Picnic Caddy...


They both did a great job and were so proud of themselves...


Then the kids spent some time playing in the pool with their Granddaddy and Luke...

We ended the day with a Party for Greer/Mum to celebrate her birthday. I wasn't able to make her a cake because I was on vacation, but we got her one anyway... The kids had a great time singing and helping blow out the candles...


I think overall it was a great birthday for my mom and we all had a great Fourth of July!! Never forget those who gave there lives for our freedom!! Happy Birthday America and Thank you to all those who serve and have served to maintain this great country!!!

Vacation Day 6

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We started off the day with a little shopping and then surprised the kids with dinner at Chuck E. Cheeses. Isaac calls it Chuck E Cheez its!!! They both had a great time playing games before and after we ate...



They also had fun riding the different rides that were there...



We also ate pizza...

and had fun drinking out of the kids straws, they made us look like mice...



Then it was time to cash in our tickets, 386 of them...

The kids had fun picking out their prizes and even more fun playing with the microphones that they chose...


it was a great end to a wonderful vacation and I am so bless to have the great family that I have! Until the next vacation...

Vacation Day 5

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On Day Four we took the kids to see Ice Age 3: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. It was a great movie and I recommend it to all parents!! The kids really enjoyed it, even Emma Claire. Well, she liked the parts she didn't sleep through anyway!! On day five, we took the kids to the Children's Museum of the Lowcountry. It is such a neat place and we all had a great time. We stared off in the Castle Room...




Then it was on to the Ball room. A giant room with a lot of golf balls and motion activities and learning exhibits...



Next up was the Water room. I thought this one would be the favorite, but the ball room won out in that contest! Isaac and Emma Claire enjoyed themselves, but weren't really too sure how to handle the crowd that was in this room...



After they finished with all of the water, they decided to do a little grocery shopping. It was pretty funny watching them pick out the different items. Isaac loved the fruits and veggies and Emma Claire was just grabbing random things. After they filled their carts, they were able to "check out" at the registers. It was really a neat place and I may send them the next time I need groceries...


We left the market and headed into the toddler play area for the kids to play and for us to have a little break. They had a great time playing with the toys and climbing on stuff...

Before we headed for home, the kids went to the Arts and Crafts room to make an American Flag in honor of the Fourth of July and a pirate ship in honor of the new exhibit "PIRATES" opening on July 7th...

And once again, only one child made it out of the Museum on his own two feet! Emma Claire faded fast and was asleep before we left...
We headed back to the house and ended up at Doctor's Care to find out why Emma Claire was running a fever. Other than telling us it was a bacterial infection, we have no idea what is wrong with her! It is hard to believe that we only have one day left of vacation. In some ways it has flown by and in others it has been a nice slow trip. One more day and another vacation blog to go, hopefully Emma Claire will fill well enough for one more adventure before we head back to Georgetown for the fourth!

Vacation Day 3

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On day four of vacation 2009, we called some friends of ours, the Bowens, to make dinner plans. They in turn invited us to Whirlin Waters Splash Park for the day. We decided to join them. We all had a great day. The kids started out at the Tree House where a 1000 gallon bucket dumped water on the crowd every few minutes...

Jamey and the kids kept waiting for the bucket to drop, but I did it once and that was enough for me. It was kind of painful when the water hit you head on!!! They also had fun playing with Ian, Bella, and Connor, the Bowen Kids...



Of course they also had fun playing with their favorite playmates, each other. They were precious playing follow the leader...


Sometimes Isaac went to fast and Emma Claire couldn't find him, it was too cute. They both had a great day and really had a blast playing on different water things than they are used to. Isaac had fun running from one area to the other and Emma Claire enjoyed playing in the water the most...
Isaac kept going like the energizer bunny, but Emma Claire started to fade. We went on the lazy river and she didn't make it the second time around...

She was tuckered out, only later did we discover that she was also getting sick!!! A big thanks to the Bowens for inviting us, we had a great time and can't wait to do it again!!!

Vacation Day 2.5

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When we had all exhausted our energy at Cypress Gardens, we headed for a relaxing lunch and some indoor activities. The Charleston Museum was the perfect destination...
The kids really enjoyed the exhibits. Here are some of their favorites...



But they really enjoyed the interactive, hands on exhibits throughout the museum. They got to weave and make quilt patterns...

then we headed to their most favorite place in the WHOLE museum. The Kids Story exhibit. This was a completely interactive exhibit and they got to touch and feel and play!!! They each watched videos about pirates, and Peter Parker. Apparently, Peter Parker had his pants blown off by cannon fire. Isaac, Emma Claire, and Jamey enjoyed the videos...


They also enjoyed looking at objects under a microscope and with magnifying glasses...



Both made rubbings of pictures of museum artifacts, of course Isaac kept getting frustrated because the paper kept slipping, but he eventuall was able to finish...

And enjoyed raising the pirate flags...

Then their imaginations took over and they became detectives looking for clues! It was too cute...

After about an hour of the kids playing in Kid Story it was time to get going back to the house. But first they had to look down at the Whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling...


Then it was back to the house for a good night sleep!! Day Three was fast approaching and a whole lot of fun awaited the Shumards!!!

Vacation Day Two

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We awoke early the second day of Vacation to beat the heat! We headed out to Moncks Corner and Cypress Gardens...
We were on a mission to see Shrek! We had no luck there, but we did see an alligator or two!! The first stop was the butterfly house...
The butterflies were beautiful and EVERYWHERE. Caterpillars crawled all over the leaves, which explained the amount of butterflies...

There was also a duck, some gold fish, a bee hive and a bananna tree that were really cool...


Isaac wanted to know why they had banannas in the butterfly house! The attendant asked him what he did with bananas, and he said I eat them. She told him that is what the were there for!! It was hysterical!! After the butterfly house, we headed to the Swamparium. There were a lot of really cool animals in the aquarium, including one with hands...


Isaac enjoyed learning about the different animals in the tanks by reading the questions and answers on the wall...
Then it was on to the Alligators. These were behind a fence...


we then decided to take a boat ride in the swamp. We rowed our own boat and had a great time, but this time we saw an alligator that wasn't behind a fence...

We really were this close to it! We rowed right over where it was, of course it had gone under water by that time. The swamp was really beautiful, and we even got to row under bridges...


Emma Claire and Isaac kept us straight with the maps so that we didn't get lost...
After our boat ride we treated the kids to ice cream because we were all so hot...

Then it was time to head to our next destination, but that my friends is another blog!

Vacation Day One

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We arrived in Summerville and headed to the house to get settled in. After a day of unpacking and playing with toys...

We decided to take the kids to Wasabi for dinner...
This is Isaac's favorite place to eat. He took a lot of care looking at the menu to pick out what he wanted to eat...
He decided on the Soup, Shrimp, and Rice!!! Isaac and Emma Claire both love the soup at Japanese Restaurants and ate not only theirs but Mine and Jamey's as well...

Isaac REALLY loves that soup!!! The chef was really cool, he bounced an egg on his spatula...
and made a volcano out of onions...
The kids really enjoyed the show, though Emma Claire did not like the noise. Both kids ate well, but really enjoyed drinking their "SMURF"s...

Notice the color in the straw, it is just Sprite, but they love it because it is blue. It was a great first day. Stay tuned for more Vacation logs!

Recent Videos that wouldn't upload to blogger...

A Boater's Paradise...

We spent Saturday out in the boat and on the Island. The kids had a great time. Emma Claire didn't like the boat ride out to the Island because of the wind, but once we got there she was great. Within a few minutes of being on the Island we found a reall cool "Shell"...
A Horseshoe Crab Shell. I have never seen one so big before. I have no idea what I will do with it, but I brought it home! Then the kids found a neat little pool of "salty" water, as Isaac said, to play in...

they had a great time. We moved over after a while to some calmer water and the kids got to play in the water and in the sand. Of course, they both got STUCK!!! Emma Claire deeper than Isaac, but the both got their feet buried because of the soft sand...

Emma Claire was all too eager to help her brother out of the sand! It was too cute, Emma Claire to the rescue!! The kids got hungry, so we gave them a picnic on the boat...


During the Picnic, Emma Claire and her Granddaddy took a little break and kicked back on the boat...
Isaac discovered the ladder on the boat and that started a whole new wave of play fo rhte kids, until I had to make them stop...

of course it was hard to keep them out of the boat, they kept coming back for more and more food. Boiled Peanuts mostly...

Before we left the Island, Isaac wanted to make a sand castle. We had left all of the sand buckets and stuff at home, so we improvised...

Isaac did a pretty good job of filling the bottle and covering it with sand to make a sand mountain!!! Then it was time to head back to the docks and home. Neither child made it all the way...

Too much Sand, Sun, Surf, and Salt will do that too you I guess! We had a great day and can't wait until the next time we go, maybe next time we will see more than one dolphin!!

As a Mom...I am WAY cool!!

We were messing around at Coastal Grand Mall the other day and the kids wanted to play in the fountain. I said NO since we were headed into the bookstore, but as soon as we finished in there I surprised them by letting them frolic and play the water fountain way!! They got SOAKED, but that was cool since we had clothes in the car. They had a blast and that is all that matters...

Crocodile Dock

Isaac attended Vacation Bible School at Herbert Methodist Church this week and had a great time!! There theme was "Crocodile Dock" set in the Bayou, it was really cute!! Thank you so much to all of the workers who made it possible, You all did a great job!!! On friday night the parents were invited to the closing time to see the children sing the songs and tell what they had learned all week. We got there a little early so ended up waiting, Emma Claire did great though... Of course when the kids came in she wanted to join them. Luckily Sydney and Emily Grace didn't mind having the "baby" tag along... Then all of the children sang a few songs and then got their certificates and a "candle" to show that they are God Sightings. Mrs. Jamie even gave Emma Claire a "candle" too... Then it was time to sing "This Little Light of Mine". This song was one of Isaac's favorites! After the program was over they announced who would get SLIMED!!! They had a running competition between the boys and the girls to see who could bring the most offering. The competition ended in a tie, or so they said, so 2 boys and 2 girls were getting slimed. Guess whose name was drawn??? You got it... ISAAC!!!! He was such a good sport, he did so good and was excited until the slime went down his face and into his mouth. Then he was done!! He got a little upset, but after a change of shirt and a wet cloth, he was good to go... He has laughed about it since. Isaac had a great time and was glad that he went every night!! Thanks again to the people of Herbert for making Crocodile Dock GREAT!!!