Jacob is 9

Jacob celebrated his 9th birthday about a month ago (I know this is a really belated post but hey, I got busy).

We celebrated as a family this year and went to BounceU. Since his birthday was on a Thursday night we got lucky and there was no one else at the bounce house. It was great!! The kids got free reign of all the bounce houses and slides and we had a really fun time. Even Dusty and I climbed up those big slides and took our turn at acting young again.

We finished off the night eating out at Jack Astor's Restaurant. They have the best pan garlic bread and mini desert brownies.

Tooth Fairy

Emma has finally joined the ranks and welcomed the tooth fairy with open arms. She lost her first tooth!! She wouldn't let us touch it but let it fall out on its own while she was eating. And she was SUPER excited to have the tooth fairy visit (who wouldn't be?).

We have also since lost another tooth. This one she lost at school while eating her lunch. She looks so cute with her two missing teeth!

Prayers for Us

Without going in to too much detail, I would like to ask that any of you who read our blog pray for us. We have a strong, righteous desire and would like to ask that any of our friends or family who read this blog pray for us and for our desire to make a significant change in our lives. We know this is the right thing to do but need the Lord's help to do so. So as you consult with the Lord keep us in mind...

And don't worry, nothing is wrong. Nor will we tell you anything if you call us. Just pray for us!

With love,

Dusty and Sherrie

Basketball Roundup

We finished up basketball season a couple of weeks ago (hallelujah!) and I thought I would share a few pics...

Jacob (He is #1)


Alexis (She is #3)



And a couple pictures of Emma at the games...




And one last one of their biggest fans!

Charleston, SC

Dusty and I recently took a trip ALONE to Charleston, South Carolina. Dusty's mom, Kandy, came out to be with us for a couple weeks and we took the opportunity to get away. Dusty has been to Charleston many times; once back in 2005 to interview for a job and several times for his current job and he has always said that he wants to take me there. Downtown Charleston is beautiful. The history just envelopes you as you walk along the brick streets and see the beautiful buildings. We walked A LOT that weekend.

We took a 'Ghost Tour" of the cemeteries at night. We learned a lot about the history and the people that have lived there and we got to hear some cool ghost stories. We were going to take the 'jail tour' as well but didn't have time.

We also toured Boone Plantation, which was absolutely beautiful. There was so much to see there that it took us at least 4 hours to see everything. We were able to learn about the Gullah Geechee people who were the slaves of the land and learned about how they lived, played and survived. The slave quarters provided an in-depth view of what life was like for slaves. It amazes me how much was endured and how much culture is embedded in the walls of slave homes.












We toured the plantation house and were able to see beautiful antiques and architecture. Dusty now knows exactly what he wants his 'man cave' to look like. We only toured the lower level of the house because the upper levels are still used by the owner who lives there in the summer time. Can you imagine owning a property that you let people tour 364 days a year all the while living in the upstairs?

Below are pictures of a cool bridge in Charleston. It is BEAUTIFUL!!








We toured the USS Yorktown docked in Charleston Harbor. We saw lots of WWII fighters and bombers and learned a ton about the way they lived and worked on the ship. We climbed all over the battleship through the passageways exploring its history.









In Charleston they have an outdoor market where vendors come and sell crafts and such. I bought me another sweet grass basket. The baskets are made by local artists and are a form of art that has been passed down through the generations. We also bought some beautiful photographs of the Charleston area that we are going to get framed. We love the beauty of the area and the feel of it!

We made our way home via Myrtle Beach. It was getting dark by the time we got there and it was really cold. So we got out of the car, walked onto the beach, stood there for a few minutes, took a picture and went back to the car. Still beautiful though!




Our weekend 'get away' was just what we needed.

Thank you Kandy for staying with the kids for us.

Game Time

We are currently in the midst of basketball season for Alexis and Jacob. Now, I never played as a child nor do I know that much about the sport. But I find the whole experience to be very overwhelming and frustrating as a parent. It seems that right now at this age group it really is about the learning, or I would hope. I also feel like it is the luck of the draw on teams and coaches. We got the short end of the stick with Alexis' coach. I don't even know if I would call him a coach. He isn't teaching them. They are getting creamed by the other teams; they don't know that they should pass, they need to be defensive and get their arms up. I know, I know, there is so much I am probably saying wrong. But my point is, I don't want to be the parent that is screaming in the stands, nor will I ever be screaming at my child from the stands, but I DO want to scream over at the coach and say "pull your head out". Can I do that?

When we left the game yesterday Alexis said she didn't understand why her coach hadn't taught them what the other team knew. My response - "I don't know". I know as the kids get older that it gets more competitive but they need to be taught first, which is why we signed up for this. Dusty is going to work with her and help her with some things, but it just frustrates me. The coach only lets the girls warm up with 1 ball while the other team is on the other end of the court warming up with 3 balls. So basically our girls are just standing in line waiting for their turn to shoot the ball, when what they really need to be doing is warming up, moving around and actually shooting the ball. Good news is that I am not the only parent who feels this way. The people I was sitting next to whose daughter was on the other team had similar concerns about the program.

Jacob is also playing and because of his birth date he was put in an older division with 9 and 10 year old. Needless to say things have been a bit rough. But he has the biggest grin on his face every time he runs down the court and I love seeing him happy. He is learning that if you fall you get back up and you keep going and as Grandpa Burke would say to "walk it off".

So, I am going to remember that this is a learning experience and I am going to focus on continued motivation for my little ball players and enjoy seeing them have fun out there.

December 2010

December this year consisted of, of course, many things. We had a "snow" day here and spent the day inside building a homemade gingerbread house. We spent almost the entire day constructing and decorating it.







Jacob starred in his 3rd grade play, A Bugz Christmas, as the soldier beetle.






Alexis performed in the Children's Choir at the annual creche that our Stake holds. It is a wonderful event with over 300 nativities to view.





We had a relaxing Christmas and day after Christmas doing nothing. We technically had a white Christmas with the snow that arrived the night of the 25th.







We rounded out December with a trip to Charlotte, NC to visit with Josh, Kristi, Adam, Alyse and Ely who were passing through on their way home from Florida. We attended the 'First Night' celebration they have for the kids. We visited the NASCAR Hall of Fame, rang in the new year at 7PM with Ronald McDonald, got our faces painted and made crowns for the celebration.










2010 was a great year and we are looking forward to an even better 2011!