Pompion (Pumpkin) Hill

Sunday, April 30, we went with the Townsends and Willises to Pompion Hill.

It was wonderful. Pompion Hill is an old chapel way up the Cooper River. Twice a year they have services out there. Boo and Jimmy had arrived early and saved us seats. Unfortunately, they were in the corner of the church farthest from the only open door. We chose to wait outside - just couldn't count on the boys keeping still and quiet through the whole service and without a readily accessible exit, we weren't willing to risk it. But the weather was gorgeous, so we didn't mind a bit being stuck outside. And luckily, the chapel is under renovation, so there was a huge sandpile for Davis to play on.

After the service, we went to Blessing Plantation and had a picnic. Boo had put together quite a spread. Reeves napped in the car through most of the picnic. We had a great spot right under a big oak tree. Once he woke up, we walked around a bit. We got to see May Fitzgerald for, much to my embarassment, the first time. She is just beautiful.

I can't wait to watch all these children grow up together. I couldn't believe it, but the bugs were not a problem at all. What a treat to have a day like that in late April. The whole day was just what you imagine when you think of a lazy, southern, spring afternoon. All that was missing were the hoop skirts and the top hats. There was, of course, plenty of seersucker!

Ebb Tide

On April 29, Reeves had his second boat ride. (I swear this is it for counting. We are not keeping track of how many boat rides he has! But for now, it's only two!) Anyway, we went to Rockville for dinner with the Townsends and Willises. Luckily, we got down there with just enough time to jump in the boat and ride past the club before the sun went down. It wasn't really that cold, but I didn't want the breeze to get in Reeves' ears, hence the arctic get up he's in. It was pretty funny because when I put him on the cooler seat, he had so many layers on that he couldn't move. Davis loved having him sit beside him.

That night we had london broil, hashbrown casserole, and salad for dinner. I only mention this for two reasons. One, it was delicious, and I should thank Boo again for having us. And two, because, as far as I can remember, this is the same meal we have had every time we have been to Ebb Tide. I hope this doesn't sound like a disparaging remark because it definitely isn't. I can't remember a time when the Townsends weren't a part of my life. Jodie and I grew up right across the street from each other and were best friends. Part of the person I am today is because of her, and vice versa. I can't even begin to count the number of nights I spent over at her house and she at mine, the hours we spent playing in each other's yards and on the block. As such, I (and my sisters) were as much a part of her family as she (and her brothers) were a part of mine. So much so that, Boo would even made me sit at her dining room table until I finished my green beans. It was like having two families. And it was great. We don't get to see Boo and Jimmy so much now. All our lives are so busy, J and V live in Port Royal. It's just hard to get together as much as we should. But having that dinner at Ebb Tide takes me back everytime to being a kid. To weekends spent at Rockville - in the boat and at the beach all day, running through the azealas, building a tree house. And then stumbling in around sunset, exhausted and sunburnt, taking the best shower ever, and sitting in the chairs at the counter (the same chairs that are still there), and being served a delicious dinner. Oh, it wasn't london broil and hashbrown casserole everytime, but it has been that in the past few years, and I love the consistency. It was weird, eating it this time, feeling like a kid again, but holding my own son in my lap, looking at my friend as she helps her own son with his dinner, already 7 months pregnant with her second. What a strange and wonderful thing.

What Day Is It?

Where does the time go? I have been telling myself that, although I am behind on updating, I'm not really that far behind. Umm, actually, yes. I am that far behind. It seems that if I can't get motivated to blog after I have put Reeves down, after Bryant and I have eaten dinner, after I have cleaned up from dinner and straightened up the house enough so that if there was an emergency in the middle of the night, and we had to go to the hospital, and someone had to come inside our house to pick something up the next day, I wouldn't be totally embarrassed for them to see the mess, but they would probably still have some clue as to the fine line we tread in living like civilized human beings as opposed to a sort of subspecies, recognizable as human in form, but markedly underdeveloped when it comes to any sort of organizational or purging skills, (a little digression?), but before I get in bed, then the blog just doesn't get updated. Not to mention the fact that I am sometimes able to play at least 3 games of Free Cell before my photos actually upload to the blog. Long story short, this post is just a promise to let you know that I am, even as we speak, composing new posts to my blog, and I will (pinky swear) work on it tonight, and these posts will have pictures. In the meantime, if you would like the silent movie version of what has been going on in the Bair household, just check out the photo site.

Another First

My First Boat Ride - I Love It!
OK, I know I have been woefully neglectful in posting any pics of Reeves, and there have been so many fun things happen in the past couple of weeks. First and foremost, we took Reeves on his first boat trip on April 23. It was a perfect day for boating. A beautiful Sunday afternoon. We headed over to the Daniel Island, picked up the Smiths, and put in at their neighborhood landing. What a treat! As long as I have been in these waters around Charleston, I had yet to be in the creek that "makes" Daniel Island an island. It was wonderful having Caroline and Stephen there to educate us on all the various points of interest, and particularly to have Stephen's expertise in the soundings through the small creek, given that it was low tide. Reeves took to the boat like a fish take to water. He loved it and was, perhaps unwisely, not afraid of anything. I do hope this is an indication of his love for the water and all things associated with it.

Reeves and Momma on the bow.

Reeves helping Daddy drive.

Sleepy Fordham

Fordham, rejuvenated after his nap, and Stephen dangling their feet. The water was surprisingly chilly!

Just about to go for our first trip under the new bridge.

Reeves was a very sleepy boy after such a great day in the boat. Thanks, Smiths, for going with us! We can't wait to do it again!!

Frances Moore Frampton

John Donne wrote, in "Meditation 17", "When one man dies, one chapter is not torn out of the book, but translated into a better language; and every chapter must be so translated." To me, this represents exactly the way Nana Frampton lived her life and precisely the legacy she leaves behind. Saturday morning, she passed away, and those of us who were lucky enough to know her lost a truly special person. She was a warm, loving soul, who brightened any room she entered. My sisters and I were very fortunate to have Nana and Papa Frampton live next door to us for a few years, and the Smith girls were kind enough to share their wonderful grandparents with us. Nana always had plenty of clothes for dress up, lots of great nooks and crannies for us us to hide in, and songs and music galore. Those years were some of the most formative for us and the adults we would become. I have cherished memories from that time in my life, and the Framptons hold center stage in many of them. How many children can say they had their cat's funeral led by a Reverend Doctor? Thanks to the Framptons, we can.

Nana's passing was not a sudden or unexpected occurrence. She was nearly 88 and had been ill for some time. But it still saddens me to know that I'll never hear her sweet voice again, or feel her hands touch my face as she focuses on trying to hear what I am saying by reading my lips. You see, Nana was greatly hearing impaired, but that did not stop her from making the most of what God gave her. And, while all her friends and family are better people for having had the opportunity to be a part of her circle, there are countless thousands of others whose lives have been enriched by who she was and the things she did in her life. Quoting from her obituary, "Drawing on her musical background and continuing education in children's music, Mrs. Frampton formed large children's choirs in Anderson and Orangeburg that utilized the most advanced techniques of the day. Throughout her ministry she also led Bible studies that were in great demand. Mrs. Frampton was a certified Laubach reading instructor, a trained Hospice volunteer and a staunch advocate for the hearing impaired. She was also an accomplished and published writer of poetry, fiction, and non-fiction. In her retirement years at The Presbyterian Home, she wrote a humorous monthly newsletter that raised several thousand dollars for resident aid."
While John Donne may have captured perfectly the impression Nana left, it seems she beat him to the punch. Rather than wait until she was gone to translate the lives of others into better and greater languages, Nana accomplished that while she was still here with us. She is certainly in a better place now. She is with Papa again, and I'm sure they are, together, making Heaven an even better place than it was before she got there. I know there are bands playing, and choirs singing, and the Framptons are leading all the angels in joyous celebration - just like they did in this world.

The Sky is Falling

Be careful what you do in public. CNN has cameras everywhere. We have CNN on in the background at work, and on any given day, there are at least 15 "Developing Story"s and "Just In"s. And they have footage of each one! It's not just some talking head reading a prompter. It is actual video of the event - blown plane wheel, car chase, school shooting, mall shooting, church shooting, church burning, wildfire, you name it. If it's sensational, they're covering it. And, hopefully, it will go on all day. For example, if something is wrong with an airplane in the air, they will cover it non-stop until the plane lands. We have seen quite a few of these recently, and the plane has always landed safely. And even though we don't have the sound on, you can almost hear the cries of disappointment from the comentators when it doesn't go crashing off the runway in a ball of flames. Oh well, maybe next time! It is just terrible. What kind of society looks forward to bad news they way we do? Something's wrong there. No matter what the story, it is presented in such a way that if something's not done immediately, we could all die. This Avian Flu pandemic has them all excited. And when the earthquake hit near Fiji yesterday, they were like Pavlovian dogs waiting for the tsunami. Again, just like with the planes, you could feel the wind come out of their sails when nothing happened. There's no real purpose to this post - just to vent....and to let you know that I haven't forgotten that I do have a blog. I will get caught up here shortly. I promise!

Springtime is Finally Here - and After Only 2 Years

About 4 years ago, Bryant first experimented with growing a beard. He had been on a long weekend, guys camping trip near Helen, GA. He of course had not shaved, and when he got back, I was sick as a dog, so there was no urgent prompting from me to get him to shave. He decided to let it grow. For those of you who have never experienced first hand, the growth of a full beard, it is an interesting few weeks. Now, Bryant and I knew nothing about beards, so we just figured all you did was let them grow. But something just wasn't right. He would ask me how it looked, and while at some times, I thought it looked OK, for the most part, he just looked like a hungover guy who hadn't been able to get home to his razor for a while. Neither of us could figure it out. Then I went to Memphis on business. Bryant was coming up a couple of days later. He wanted to shave the beard off because he was convinced that in post 9-11 airports, he may just look suspicious enough to be dragged away and questioned. Well, he didn't shave it, but when he walked off that plane in Memphis, he looked like a new man. He had shaved his neck! That was it! That is what keeps a bearded man from looking like a marinated Grizzly Adams! So, long story short, the beard stayed. This was in October. That spring, he shaved it off, and things remained that way until the following October. The beard reappeared. No big deal, we could live through another winter with a beard, after all, Bryant was a beard grooming professional by now. But spring arrived. Easter came and went. We celebrated Memorial Day, July 4, Labor Day, and the beard was there - through everything! It never left, never hibernated, never went north for the summer. That was in 2004.
Fast forward to today, last night actually. We have dinner with the Smiths, Egelstons, and Halfords. Spencer has always been Bryant's Beard Buddy. Difference being that Spencer shaves his off in the spring. Well, something clicked. Maybe it was the warm weather, maybe it was seeing Spencer's clean shaven face, maybe it was the Miller Lite. Who knows, but the clippers came out last night, and the razor and shaving cream appeared this morning. It's official, Bryant no longer has a beard! Reeves didn't recognize him at first, but then he heard his voice, and all was well. Likewise, Preston didn't recognize him either. "Mommy, whose that man?" Oh, Bryant has not had a beard the whole time Preston's been alive, but he has for all of the years he would remember.
Anyway, shaving the beard is actually kind of fun because you can do it in increments. Bryant let me take pictures of each stage last night.

Last Picture of the Bearded Bair

Goatee - Hhhmmm, Not so Much

Still Bad From the Side

My Name is Earl

There He Is!

Reeves' First Easter

Almost a week overdue, I am finally blogging about my child's first Easter. Easter Bunny decided to take this year off and chose instead to have his cohort, Me, spend the money on his 10 month portrait. We were very lucky and were able to go with Preston to have a couple of shots of the two of them. We went to Portrait Innovations and, of course, gave in to the overwhelming urges and got one of the packages. How weak am I!? Oh well, at least I got the CD with the pics on it. It is like Sophie's Choice. You choose the one pose, and the rest of those darling pictures of your precious child are deleted, gone, clicked away, not even into purgatory, but all the way down to the seventh level, never to be seen again. Oh, the inhumanity! I have yet to be able to walk away with the one pose package, and to those of you who can do it, I salute you. Anyway, here are some of those pics. I wish instead of 5x7, 8x10, 3x5, and wallets (oh, and the poster size, which always goes on the fridge), they would come out with a wrapping paper option, because that is what we are going to have to endup doing with all of these leftover pictures. Lord knows, I can't throw them away!

So, back to Easter.... We went to the 11:00 church service. Reeves was good for about 15 minutes. - I am still a virgin nursery mom. I need to get there! - Then he decided to go ostiechthyse on me. I have a newfound respect for those fish mongers. Luckily, it was happy movements, but disruptive nonetheless. So this is how Reeves spent most of his first Easter church service.

We went to Morn and Casey's for Easter dinner. This was truly a milestone event because it marks the first time any major family holiday dinner has moved to a house belonging to one of our generation. Everything went great. The house and the yard looked wonderful. Despite the lack of sod in the backyard - who would have ever predicted the immigration march and subsequent strikes would have hit so close to home?

Our first family Easter picture.

Poor Leeze wasn't feeling very well, but she was still as charming as ever. She has learned two new faces.

Cold (imagine a bit of shaking going on here)

Mean (to which Morn always replies, "I've seen meaner." Leeze thinks this is hilarious.)

Reeves got a pretty good nap, despite Miller's best efforts to keep him awake - ie, slamming the front door with his foot! Haha! And as luck would have it, his nap fell during dinner. It was so nice to be able to truly enjoy the meal. Of course, the food was all too good, and we all ate way too much. We couldn't have asked for a better Easter, except to have had Reagan and Sarah there. They were truly missed.

After dinner, Miller and Lol had convinced us to walk/run the bridge. What a great idea, and I just happened to have the clothes in my car. I am so glad we did this. It felt so good to go to bed after some exercise rather than a gorgefest.

We missed Miller on the bridge. I can understand, walking with all those chicks - but Reeves was there. We'll get you next time!! And we still love you!

And you had to be tired from all that climbing! I could never do it - too scared of heights!

Hope you all had a wonderful Easter!

Now I Know

I bought this cute outfit for Reeves at Marshall's the other day. It was an 18 month, but when I looked at it, it looked pretty small, so I decided to bring it for Reeves to wear on Easter afternoon, after we took him out of his Sunday best. All went well. The outfit fit perfectly with a little room to grow. Also, it has two buttons at each shoulder, so it doesn't pull like outfits with only one at each. I was quite pleased with my purchase. Then I went to change his diaper. Apparently the reason I'd gotten it for such a steal was because the maker hadn't bothered to put any access between the legs for changing a diaper! Why waste time and money on snaps, just sew it together!! I had to completely disrobe the child to change his diaper. At this point, I am cursing the aforementioned buttons. Loved them when they only had to be dealt with once, not such a big fan now. Needless to say, this has taught me a valuable lesson - always check the crotches!

Girls' Night In

This is a belated post, but I wanted to mention what a great time we had at Nancy's BDP on Thursday night. It was a perfectly wonderful Girls' Night, although we missed CFS desperately. First of all, Super Mom kudos to Dorothy for being able to bring herself and Baby Anne out at nine days old! You are my hero. We shared wine and stories before dinner. In addition to having to listen to all of us go on and on about our babies, Top Story Award goes to Ann for her rendition of Urban Coon Hunting - Why it's better from your bedroom window. I think Jeff Foxworthy might need to borrow that. You might be a redneck if… You've ever stalked and killed a racoon from your bedroom window. Do you need a license for that? When is racoon season? I assume Ham was in his cammo pj's. The best was his disposal method. "Trash pickup is in two days. It won't be smelling that bad by then." I'm still laughing.
Thanks DuBose for a delightful dinner, organizing it all, and particularly for handling the clean up. All husbands can take good hints from this. Happy Birthday, Nancy!! Thanks for being born so that we could all come over Thursday night!!

The Digital Age

I fought it for so long, but I am now so glad I finally (a year and a half ago) did succumb to having a digital camera. I never think about it until it's time to get the prints. I just ordered prints last night for the first time since early February. It cost me about $20. I got roughly 125 prints. Cost-wise, it's not only less than developing 5 rolls of film, but I don't have to buy the film, and these are 125 prints that I actually want! I don't end up with 10 or 12 pictures per roll that I just can't bring myself to throw away, so they end up cluttering up the backs of closets. For better or worse, I am a true believer in taking a picture 4 or 5 or more times until you get the perfect shot.

Try...

Try...

Try...

Almost there...

Got it!

As you can imagine, with a film camera, this got quite expensive, particularly now, with a child. But no more! I love it.
I know you all are already well aware of all of this, but it still makes me so happy!

St. Simons Island

What a wonderful getaway! We had a great time in St. Simons. The weather was perfect. It was warm, but not hot, and the pool felt great. We stayed at the Grand, which is right on the beach. It was so nice to visit with the Martins, and it was particularly special to watch Reeves and Madelon play together. She is 4 months older than he is and is already walking, but luckily, he crawls fast enough to keep up with her! Knox and Riley, their two older boys, are perfect gentlemen, and they were such a great help with the little ones. If we work hard and are very lucky, Reeves will grow up to be like these two boys. They truly are a testament to good, consistent parenting. Becky had surprised us with an appointment at the Shooting School at Sea Island on Thursday afternoon. It was such fun. I had not picked up a shotgun in months, but it's like riding a bike. It comes back pretty quickly. We then had dinner at Blackwater Grill - a cajun restaurant which served the best shrimp and grits I have ever tasted. They were sinfully rich but worth every bite. Unlike beach vacations before kids, our late night partying consisted of a glass of wine and in bed by 11:30.
Friday morning, we woke, fed, dressed, lathered, and Becky and I were down at the pool with the kids by 9:45. Bryant and Bopper went and set the tent up on the beach and never returned. We took Reeves and Madelon to play on the beach, but sleepy time was nigh. Around 11:30, Becky and I took the little ones up for lunch and their naps, then we sat on the deck and had a beer and watched B&B relaxing on the beach. Luckily for us, they had to come up and make sammies for Knox and Riley. We jumped at this opportunity and left them in the condo to wait for the little ones to wake up. She and I headed for the big kids pool. What fun! After a while, we went for a walk on the beach. When we got back to the tent, the tide was coming up, but we had some time, so we decided to crack a couple of cold ones that B&B had so kindly left on the beach. It is great to be a guy! Every so often, we would look up to the deck of the condo and see B&B sitting up there, wondering, we were sure, when we would be coming home. What a life!
That night, we had sitters for the little ones and we and the boys went to dinner at The Lodge, which is on St. Simons, but is owned by Sea Island. What an amazing evening. We had drinks on the porch overlooking the golf course and the ocean. A bagpiper started playing. The sunset was gorgeous. We could not have asked for a more perfect setting. Dinner was equally stunning, and that evening, Becky and I forwent our glass of wine and headed straight for our beds. The guys stayed up for a bit longer, but they were basically done for as well.
Sadly, we had to leave on Saturday. We packed up and went to the 4th of May Café for lunch. It was delicious home cooking. We walked along the shops at the pier. Hit the toy shop pretty hard - a book, eggs, and an octopus. Got Reeves a SSI t-shirt. The kids played on the playground. Strolled through the artists' bazzar. And finally, reluctantly made our way back to the cars. It was such a perfect long weekend. Just the perfect amount of activity coupled with the equally perfect amount of rest. St. Simons has certainly made an impression on us, and it will forever be remembered as Reeves' first time on the beach. (Who knew that wouldn't be on Sullivan's?!) Thank you, Bopper and Becky, for having us!

A Hump Day Chuckle

Let me preface this by saying that Bryant and I never eat breakfast at home during the week.
As I'm getting out of the shower this morning…
B - "Do you want breakfast this morning?"
Me(shocked) - "Sure."
B - "Cool. What are you going to make?"
Me - "Well, THAT's going on the blog!"
Guess what? No breakfast.

Anne Hanckel Lancaster

Well, I just got the news from Caroline, my new baby correspondent. Dorothy just gave birth to another baby girl - Anne Hanckel Lancaster. 6 pounds, 8 ounces - not sure of the length. And we all need to be super sweet to Doro because she did it au natural. She's amazing! How did you do that? Congratulations to all four Lancasters!! Gregg, just ask almost all of our dads for advice on how to deal with a house full of girls - Caroline, Nancy, me, Julia. You're in good company! Can't wait to meet little Anne!!

Beach Baby

We are going to St. Simons this weekend to visit with Reeves' godfather, Bopper, and his family (2 boys, 9 & 7, and a girl, 1). Reeves is very excited about the prospect of watching all these older children play. He knows he will be able to learn many new things and hopefully some cool tricks, like advanced drawer opening and getting out of a childproofed area. In anticipation of warm, sunny weather, we have raided the "bigger clothes" storage box. Sidebar - I can't believe he is big enough to wear these things! I remember buying them "for next summer", not even being able to fathom that this time would ever get here! Anyway, one of the things we found was Reeves first bathing suit. What fun! After he pretzelled up on me, I was finally able to get it on him, and off he went. Oh, what a big boy he is! Crawling around the whole house, checking himself out in the mirror. He is hot stuff! And he is ready for the pool. We took out a second mortgage and bought his dermatologist recommended sunscreen. It's actually pretty cool. It's Australian (about as authentically Australian as Foster's) - Blue Lizard - and the bottle turns blue when it is hit by UV rays - just in case you were wondering if perhaps today was the day that the sun decided not to emit its harmful rays, and you could get away with not coating up! Thank heavens for the UV ray detector bottle! Lord knows, we've been needing something like that! Anyway, Bryant and I are both desperately looking forward to some time away and 4 full days with Reeves. We're also super excited to visit with Bopper and Becky and the kids. We hate to miss all the fun here this weekend, but it's a sacrifice I'm willing to make!










FYI, there is a mirror on that wall. Reeves is checking himself out.

A Surprisingly Kid Friendly Restaurant

Friday night, we were lucky enough to have Julie and Troy bring Reeves to our house, saving us a trip out to pick him up. As we were all going to be walking the bridge the next day, we wanted to get a quick bite, and then go to bed. We loaded up in their Sequoia and took off to Caraba's. The wait was 90 minutes! I wouldn't even wait that long for table on a date night, much less with the kids! So we drove back down Rivers looking for someplace to eat. Everywhere was jam-packed. Wait a minute. What's this? TJ and Tommy's Guitar Bar looks empty. Haha. Yeah right, we're gonna go there. Guess what?? We've heard about it on the radio, and it couldn't be that smoky since no one is there. Let's check it out. We asked Preston what he thought about going to a guitar bar, to which he responded, "I love bars!" We pulled up in the parking lot and sent Bryant in to determine if it was kid friendly. He came out and waved us in. We were the only ones in there! They put us at a table in the room where they have the stage. Preston immediately ran to the stage and started singing and dancing. The waitress came over, and Julie and I realized why Troy and Bryant were so happy to be there. Their faces went green with envy when she leaned down and gave Preston a hug. Long story short, it was a great place to go at 6:00 for dinner because it was empty, Preston was entertained by entertaining us, Reeves loved watching Preston, and we loved that there was no one in there to be annoyed by anything our children did. I never would have guessed it.