The Tafts

Crete's Christmas program

2009-12-18T19:12:00.001-08:00

Enjoy!

November VideoPalooza

2009-12-13T18:00:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since we posted, so here's a quick video recap of the last couple months.

Crete decorating the Christmas tree.

Crete at gymnastics at school, part 1.

Gymnastics part 2

Crete and "Mr. Botato Head"

Crete's 2nd 2nd birthday party

Crete the Penguin

Our little frat boy

2009-10-26T04:06:00.001-07:00

The family went to our friends Chris and Carrie's wedding a couple of weeks ago, and our photographer friend Lynette was doing the wedding photos (her website is here, and you should absolutely check her work out).

Lynette was kind enough to grab a couple of photos of Crete, and this was the one that turned out the best... Our little frat boy. Cocky smile, crazy hair, Carolina blue button up shirt and khakis... It was too cute.

The Wild Thing

2009-10-13T05:09:00.000-07:00

Here's Crete in his new Wild Things shirt this morning. It was too cute not to take a picture.
Notice how happy he looks. That's because he doesn't know he's going to the doctor for his 2-year checkup.

This kid loves baseball!

2009-10-12T15:50:00.000-07:00

First trip to school!

2009-09-03T06:15:00.001-07:00

Tennessee Trip, Part II

2009-08-15T12:19:00.001-07:00

After we visited the Nasville Zoo, we drove down to Taft, TN to visit Granny Taft. A farm is a very interesting place for a kid!

Checking out the tractor with Papa.

"Move out of my way, I'm backing her up!"

The classic Crete wave. "Hi Mama. Hi."

Time with Granny and Gaga. (Pronounced like Dada, but with a G. He can say Dada, or Daddy, or whatever he wants, but we think Gaga is sweet because it's what he said first, so we reinforce it.)

So sweet.

Crete loves a good helmet.

Thanks for the wonderful trip, Papa and Granny, and we'll see you soon!

Tennessee Summer '09

2009-08-15T11:51:00.000-07:00

We made a quick, but lovely, trip to Tennessee last weekend. Crete's Papa was ready when we arrived at his house with plenty of sports equipment for Crete to play with.

Crete thought his tee was good for hitting soccer balls as well as baseballs. Why not, right?

On Saturday, we visited the Nashville Zoo. It was a perfect size for a short trip and we all really liked seeing the animals. It was a really hot day, though, so Crete got tired of walking pretty quickly and had to be carried or strolled.

Crete picked the chimpanzee to ride on the carousel. He was excited at first.

And then he got a little nervous.

And the next time around he was in his Papa's arms.

Stopping to smell the roses.

Looking at the animals with Gaga.

Crete's favorites. The elephants.

Stay tuned for Part II of our trip to Tennessee!

Marbles

2009-07-18T13:03:00.000-07:00

Today we went to Marbles museum in Raleigh with our friends Holly, Jim, and Griffin. Crete is really into the Life and Science Museum lately, because he likes the animals, so we weren't sure if he would go for Marbles, but he did! Griffin was great at showing us all the best things to do there. We had a lot of fun and will definitely go back!

This kid has a thing for stepping on grates. It's kind of freaky to me.

Fireman Griffin. Pretty cute firefighter, huh?

Mailman Crete. I took a lot of pictures in his Postman attire because it made me think of Gramps. Those uniforms haven't changed all that much!

Behold, the King of Marbles.

Trains are always a hit.

This might have been Crete's favorite activity. Shocker, right? This kid doesn't like sports or anything.

And of course anything with balls is a hit, as well.

Handyman Crete

What a wonderful way to spend the morning. Thanks again, Holly, Jim, and Griffin.

Playing with the Girls

2009-07-17T18:33:00.001-07:00

New Baseball Attire

2009-07-17T18:28:00.000-07:00

Tonight, when we came in, Crete saw his new pool vest and decided that he wanted to put it on to play ball in. Maybe he thought it was his catcher's uniform?

Quite a get-up, huh?

Congratulations Gev!

2009-07-12T11:21:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy that you found your Prince. We had a wonderful time celebrating with you guys!

Beware of the Dinosaurs!

2009-07-12T11:10:00.001-07:00

The Durham Museum of Life and Science opened it's new Dinosaur exhibit to members this week, so we felt the need to go on the opening day. It was pretty crowded, but not as bad as we thought it might be. Anyway, it was worth it, because Crete really enjoyed it. I'm sure we will be back many times. Enjoy the brief trip back in time!

Wishing I had the video camera out here, because Crete was so cute roaring like a dinosaur.

Let Freedom Ring!

2009-07-05T19:10:00.000-07:00

Once again, we celebrated our July 4th holiday in Little Washington, NC with the Parker Family. We were a little apprehensive about keeping Crete reined in around the water, but he did great! As long as he has a bat and a ball to play with, he's pretty much entertained for the day. We also brought along his new golf set so he could share his toys with friends while he was there. We had so much fun, as always, and were glad we made the trip. As always, I took a lot of pictures, so this will be a bit of a long post. It's so hard to choose the best ones!

Playing baseball with Blake.

Working on his golf swing.

Working on the other kind of swing. (First time on a real one without the baby harness. His Daddy made sure he didn't fall.)

Playing with Kimberly

Just being cute on a hot day.

Much excitement when Graham caught a big flounder. Wish we could have been there to taste it! Uncle Alton helping to get it in.

Roy--proud daddy of the fisherman.

Crete staying right in the mix of it all.

Little Brody right after Kelley taught him to blow bubbles. Pretty excited!

Always with a bat.

Caleb

Lee and Antoine

Crete and Kelley Parker

Yes, I was there.

Crete with Kelly Godwin just before the fireworks.

Enjoying the flags and glowing bracelets from Kimberly.

Fireworks with Mama.

Fireworks with Berly.

Ending the fireworks, relaxing on Granddaddy Parker's lap. A perfect end to a wonderful day.
Thank you again, Parker Family!!!

In addition to baseball...

2009-06-30T13:21:00.000-07:00

Crete's other great loves are making messes, particularly while "feeding the dogs," and playing and listening to music. He truly loves all things music, which is exciting to us. We're hoping that he's walking in his Pop's footsteps. (In these pictures, however, he is walking in his cousins' Mason and Holden's hand-me-down boots, which he loves to clomp around in.)

Gev's Shower

2009-06-30T13:09:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy for Aimee. She's getting married in a couple of weeks. We gave her a shower this past Saturday and it was so good to see good friends, eat good food, and celebrate this happy time in Gev's life.

More of our Cutie Little Baseball Man

2009-06-30T13:02:00.001-07:00

Some pics from Will's baseball game in Shelby last week.

Practicing being a catcher. He also now practices being a "base runner."

Play Baseball?

2009-06-30T12:13:00.000-07:00

This is the perpetual question from Crete. It's usually the first thing out of his mouth when he wakes up in the morning and then we hear it about a hundred more times every day. He also asks to watch baseball on TV. He even prefers it to Elmo sometimes! He studies the players very hard and mimics their movements. It's pretty amazing, actually. And he has one mean pitching arm!
We took him to a Bull's game about a month ago. He loved it. Watched the game almost the entire time. We didn't realize how closely he was watching until he came home and changed his pitching stance and started checking his runners!!! He's a trip. He keeps us smiling all the time.

Heading into the park.

Chillin' in his shades like his Daddy.

First moments inside.

Precious.

Sporting his new ball cap!

Easter 09

2009-05-10T18:51:00.000-07:00

I was trying to get all the Easter pictures up, but as I was uploading it told me that I had exceeded my quota again. I will have to remove some more pics from my online picassa site before I can finish. That's more than I have energy for right now, so here is what I've already done. I'll try to get the rest up soon.

Crete was not all that gentle with the eggs. There were lots of cracks along the way.

Had to include a pic of the Championship Egg.

Camo-kid

Bubble mower from Betsy and Terry

Crete LOVED this! He couldn't figure out why they wouldn't do this indefinately.

The Easter Bunny brought one of his gifts a little early.

One of Crete's favorite activities -- playing with pet food.

Easter Loot

"Let the wild rumpus start!"

Mother's Day

2009-05-10T18:25:00.000-07:00

I haven't even gotten the Easter pictures up yet, but I figured I'd go ahead and post some from today. Now that Crete is asleep, I've realized that we didn't even take a picture together on Mother's Day. But that's alright. We can get one later. Crete (and Lee) gave me the perfect gift for Mother's Day--a new lens for my camera. You can get photos from much farther away. I've realized, though, that you need a much steadier arm than I have and so I think the next purchase will have to be a mono-pod or something similar. Here are some of the less blurry shots:

Future Soccer Star

We had hoped to pick strawberries yesterday, but when we got to the farm, they had been picked over. We were pretty bummed, but at least we were able to get some pre-picked ones. Crete basically at the whole carton over the course of two days.

We should have started out without the jersey on because it was pretty messy by the time we thought to take it off.

A boy and his dog.

Yesterday was Kid's Day at the Farmer's Market and they gave out tomato plants. We bought a couple more and planted them in a container in the backyard. The thought was that Crete would help, but he was not a bit interested. There were balls to throw to the dogs after all.

Fro.

Hilton Head

2009-05-04T17:37:00.000-07:00

This post is way overdue because I've been overwhelmed with the number of pictures from which to choose. We went down to Hilton Head to visit the Petty's one weekend and had a great time. I guess the pictures explain better than words and since I have so many, I'll just get on with it.

Sharing goldfish.

Dad

Everybody

Crete thinking he's a big kid, running on the beach.

The Tweeds

The Pettys

Attempt at getting all three in one picture on the beach. Not so successful. :)

Blondies on the couch.

This is a decent one with all three. Nobody's looking, but...

I think this is the sweetest smile.

And could this picture of Holden be any cuter?

Mason

Crete and Grandmama

Sweet brothers.

Another attempt at getting all the boys together in one shot. (I love how Mason's "cheesing" for the camera.)

Wild man on the slide.

I wish we could have had more time. It seemed like such a quick weekend. But if we had, I probably would have had a million pictures and would never be able to choose which ones to post!

Crazy Eater

2009-04-14T16:10:00.000-07:00

This crazy kid ate so much--you can't even imagine. Two huge turkey meatballs, a big pile of pasta and a spoonful of peas. I let him have one of his Easter cookies after that, thinking that he wouldn't eat much of it. Surely he would be too full! But he ate a good 2/3's of it before giving the rest to Frodo! His stomach feels like it's about to pop!

Cherished Friends

2009-04-07T17:48:00.001-07:00

A few weeks ago, I had the chance to spend some time with some dear friends that I've known most of my life. It was so nice to have some time to catch up. Unfortunately, I had left my camera in the car and the lens kept fogging up when I brought it inside. So it's a little hazy, but still good, I think.

At some point, you just have to give in.

2009-04-07T17:40:00.001-07:00

Watching the Duke Game

2009-04-07T17:33:00.000-07:00

I just came across these pictures. I meant to post them right after the game, but forgot. We wanted to watch the game during dinner, so we ordered pizza and all ate in front of the T.V. Don't worry. It's not something that we do regularly. This was our one and only time so far.

Fun at the Museum

2009-04-06T08:47:00.000-07:00

We really love Durham's Life and Science Museum. We spent our Sunday afternoon there enjoying the outside loop and having a lot of fun. Here are a few pics from our afternoon.

Crete continues to love the balls in the little kid's play area inside the museum.

Lemur

Bear
(I, Emily, am terrified of bears, but it is really cool to be able to safely see them this close up)

Isn't this the life? Having Daddy pull you around the museum in your wagon on a beautiful spring day?

Yum. Ice Cream.
(We're so lucky that this kid will wear a hat. He really needs to grow some hair so that we won't have to worry quite as much!)

Busted Nose

2009-04-06T08:43:00.000-07:00

Saturday morning we went to the park to enjoy the nice weather. Not long after we got there, the sidewalk monster reached up and tripped Crete. This is what he looked like by Saturday afternoon. He took it all in stride, though.

Finally!!!!

2009-03-17T17:25:00.000-07:00

Spring Day

2009-03-07T13:56:00.000-08:00

On Monday we were enjoying a fun-filled snow day. Now here we are five days later in our shorts enjoying the warm spring day!

Snow Day

2009-03-02T09:37:00.000-08:00

For some reason, Crete wanted to wear his hat while he ate breakfast this morning. But it was a good day for it because after breakfast, we played in the snow!

Crete's snowsuit was too little, so we had to make do with what we had. And we didn't have boots, so we put Daddy's socks on over Crete's shoes and then put bags over those. It worked out just fine. No wet feet around here!

First time walking in the snow.

Just hanging out, watching the dogs run wild.

Crete decided that he really liked the snow. We wouldn't mind if it snowed more often. But not this year. Please, let warm weather be here soon!!!

Crete's first snow day

2009-03-02T05:51:00.000-08:00

Clowning

2009-02-24T17:41:00.000-08:00

Daddy always says I look like a clown in this outfit.

Just catching up on some reading.

It took a remarkably small amount of time to make this mess.

Relaxing with Daddy

A Visit with Papa and Granny

2009-02-24T13:08:00.000-08:00

We were lucky to have a visit from Crete's Papa and Granny last weekend. We always enjoy their visits and Crete had a lot of fun with them. We're just sorry they have to do so much driving to get here!

Crete giving head-butts.

It's been a while

2009-02-21T15:58:00.000-08:00

It has been a while since we posted anything. We've had a pretty eventful couple of months. We went to Disney World and had a pretty good time despite the weather and sickness. We have lots of pictures, but no time to do a post that does them justice. Hopefully, we'll get some of them up soon, but for now, here are just a few from the past couple of weeks.

Enjoying the nice weather in his wagon on Super Bowl Sunday.

Looking like a big boy.

A little valentine's chocolate.

Showing off his Carolina gear on the day of the Duke game.

Daddy loves to dress me in my soccer gear.

Thanks

2009-01-19T06:25:00.000-08:00

Crete wants to send a big thank you to Sue, Phil, Ellie, and Abby for the fabulous Little People Garage. He has already had a great time playing with it, including the time he helped his Daddy put it together.

Cuddle Time with Maddie

Elmo

2009-01-10T16:47:00.000-08:00

Elmo is helping Crete feel better. Yes, Crete has the fever bug again. Not fun at all. Poor little bug.

Christmas 2008

2009-01-03T13:17:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned before, Crete was very sick over Christmas and we missed pretty much all of it because he didn't feel like being around people. This first picture was how we spent much of three full days. Poor little guy.

Lee and Crete did give me a very special and exciting gift that I am very excited about. A vacation!

We're going to Disney World! One of my favorite places ever.

When Crete eventually started to feel better, he got to enjoy some of his new toys.

This is Crete's "HO, HO, HO" face. He says it when he sees pictures of Santa.

Notice how skinny he looks. It'd be interesting to know how much weight he lost while he was sick.

Bye hugs from Raah. But we'll see her in a couple of weeks at Disney World!!!!

Farewell to Mulder

2009-01-02T13:50:00.000-08:00

He was a very good dog and we loved him very much.

Our little climber

2009-01-02T09:04:00.000-08:00

Dog door mischief

2009-01-02T08:51:00.000-08:00

2009-01-02T08:23:00.000-08:00

The problem with blogging when you can catch a few minutes is that some things aren't exactly in the order you want them to be. Anyway, some more pics. These are still from Thanksgiving. Our family is a little goofy and none of us can sing, but we used Daddy's studio to make a Christmas CD for the second year in a row. It is great fun to do, but horrible sounding. So when you are wondering why the headphones, that would be why.

Relaxing in his Christmas P.J.'s after breakfast. Note the oat bran on the chin.

I apologize for the way I look. This picture is pre-shower and contacts.

Crete likes to help Pop work out the music for our CD.

All of the vocal talent crammed into the studio aka Pop's office.

Taking a break from it all.

Visiting with Aunt Helen. Still in his Christmas P.J.'s.

We are so thankful for this quick visit we made to see Aunt Winnie. She passed away over the Christmas break. We will miss her.

Thrilled to be allowed to play with this ornament!

Four generations.

A visit with the Big Guy, himself.

2009-01-02T07:45:00.000-08:00

We haven't posted in quite a while. I apologize. We have had an eventful, but not easy holiday season. Thanksgiving was a wonderful time with family. As you will see from pictures, Crete and I went with with family to the mountains to get Christmas trees. We decided not to get one for ourselves this year because we did not have any time to enjoy it. We really missed it, though. Our Christmas visit to Shelby started off well, but Crete woke up with a fever Christmas Eve and it got quite high and persisted through the weekend. Christmas day was the worst and so we actually missed pretty much all of the festivities. Crete was too sick to see any of his gifts for a few days, even the ones from Santa. He was miserable and I was quite worried. Thankfully, he is much better now.
Sadly, we have had two deaths in the family since Christmas. My (Emily's) great Aunt Winnie passed away at 98 years of age. Lee's Aunt Janet passed away as well. We will miss both of them very much.
So, I don't have all that many pictures from Christmas, but I will post some of the ones since our last post. Hope you enjoy.

Crete with his Raah.

Trying to find the perfect trees.

Amy

Betsy

The snow suit was pretty entertaining to us, though probably not so much to Crete. He basically couldn't bend, as you can tell by this picture with Liz.

Finally getting out of the suit.

Bethany

The whole gang on the hay ride.

Will

Some more randoms. I'm on a roll.

2008-11-21T18:25:00.000-08:00

I think Crete looks like a big boy in these clothes.

This is from my parent's back porch. These pictures don't do justice to this view.

Pop showing Crete the creek.

Ride'em cowboy.

He got his clothes messy and had no spares, so...

It's good to enjoy your work.

My beautiful boy.

Quick trip to the museum

2008-11-21T18:10:00.000-08:00

We took a spur of the moment trip to the museum a couple of weeks ago. Crete is getting to where he really enjoys going.

He loves to make music.

And look at the animals.

Even the grumpy looking pig.

Of course he really likes watching the balls.

And thinks he's a big boy on the play structure. Note the ball in his hand. It seems like this kid can find a ball to play with anywhere.

Let's Rewind A Bit

2008-11-21T17:10:00.000-08:00

So, yeah, it's taken over a month to get Crete's birthday pictures up here and they are all out of order, but I figure getting them up all mixed up is better than nothing, right?

With his Raah the day after his birthday.

On his potty his Grandmama gave him. Don't ask.

His birthday balloon from Mommy and Daddy.

With his chair from Mamaw and Papaw.

Uncle Jared gave him a cool soccer jersey.

Playing with his ball hopper from Mason and Holden and their mom and dad.

Opening gifts from Papa and Granny

On the way to the party. Not so happy at this point.

Hanging with Granny

With Grandmama and Pop

His fabulous birthday cake. Crete doesn't really know about Snoopy and Woodstock yet because he doesn't get to watch TV yet, but Crete loves dogs ("oofs") and birds ("birds") and his mommy and daddy love the Peanuts, so he got a really cool Snoopy and Woodstock cake.

His aunt Sharon made sure he got to eat at his party. Sometimes the host doesn't have much time b/c of social duties.

Crete's buddy Lilliana and her mommy, Bradey. (Crete's mommy's buddy.)

Simon playing with the balloon strings.

Abby

Julie and Jeremy

Ellie

Crete's very own Woodstock cake. Pumpkin with cream cheese icing.

He approved.

Christi, Hunter, and Nathan

Crete's cake after he had at it. Not too much damage.

Hanging out with his favorite girls.

With El.

With some of Daddy's family. Sadly, we don't have pictures of everyone.

It was a wonderful day. Thank you to all who helped us celebrate.

Look who's a big boy!

2008-11-14T04:34:00.000-08:00

Cutest penguin ever!

2008-11-03T12:21:00.000-08:00

A visit from Liz

2008-09-28T10:50:00.000-07:00

We were all happy to get a chance to visit with Liz this week. We were sad to see her go and hope she'll come back soon. Crete says thanks for taking care of him.

Tarheel Town!

2008-09-20T13:51:00.000-07:00

Today was a super-fun day. We went to Tarheel Town! We wished we could go to the game, but today just wasn't a good day. We would have had to take a chance on being able to get tickets, anyway.

We were so happy that Ellie could go with us. Crete gets so excited when he sees Ellie and Abby.

Waiting for the players to come and do the "Old Well Walk."

Meeting Rameses for the first time.

Too much fun!

Helping to cheer on a player.

Watching the cheerleaders.

Chancellor Thorpe. Coach Davis was right behind him, but sadly, we couldn't get a photo of him.

Polk Place. It's a happy place.

Experiencing the Pit.

Watching the Drum Corp.

Clapping for the Heels. Good kid.

Still More Catching Up

2008-09-20T13:20:00.000-07:00

We had a shower to celebrate the Golden's new baby girl who is on the way, so these next pics are from that happy occasion.

Nathan and Hunter

Simon

Jacob

Crete and Hunter. They are so cute in their plaids.

Lucas, the big-brother-to-be

Shanna, looking beautiful.

Tired and pouty Crete and Daddy

2008-09-20T12:44:00.000-07:00

I'm trying to honor my word and get the rest of my pictures up, but I just keep getting more and more and I don't have time to post. These next pics are from Jacob Hull's Baptism Celebration, from Simon's first birthday party and from a night at the Forrests. We so enjoyed spending time with our friends on all of these happy occasions.

Jacob Hull on the day of his Baptism.

With Mari, his Mommy.

Mary and Hannah at Simon's party.

Simon on his birthday.

Crete at Simon's party.

Jacob

Brent and Lucas

The Miller Family

Cutie Simon celebrating.

Gabe Hull

Life truly is good for Simon. His first birthday cake!

We were invited to a nice dinner at the Forrests house a couple of weeks ago. This is Marshall Forrest.

Lydia Hendren

Ava Forrest

Laura and Crete. I adore this picture.

Crete was trying to give Ava a kiss! Too cute!

Messy Eater

2008-09-15T18:24:00.000-07:00

Mmmmm. I love pasta!

Busy Times

2008-09-06T18:35:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since we've posted, but we have been very busy. Back to work, grandparent visits, parties, a trip to Tennessee--we've done all kinds of things. Here are some pictures from the past couple of weeks.

Mamaw came to visit from Romania and Crete was glad to see that she doesn't actually live in the computer. (He frequently talks to her using Skype.)

He showed Mamaw how big he has grown since she saw him in January.

Daddy was cutting Crete's fingernails and he was trying to be a sport, but he really doesn't like it at all.

This is Crete's buddy, Lillianna. They spend the day together twice a week.

Aren't they cute, crawling around together?

Lee's cousin Barclay was a hit with Crete. She shares her desserts!

Crete and Barclay

Crete with his cousin Reid.

With Uncle Phillip

It got a little sunny in the car while waiting for Daddy and Uncle Jared.

Pruney face.

Silly boy.

There are more pics to come, but for now, I'm going to bed.

Crete's daddy has a twin!

2008-08-20T08:02:00.000-07:00

Can you believe there are two people that good looking who play soccer?

Crete's First Trip to the Beach

2008-08-18T16:47:00.001-07:00

We went to the beach this weekend with the Breitfeld-Kreissman family. We had a wonderful time and it was a very relaxing couple of days before the rush of the new school year. It was Crete's first visit to the beach and we were eager to see how he would react to the sand and saltwater. He was super-curious in the beginning and overall liked it pretty well, I think. Anyway, here are some of my favorite pictures. There are a lot.

Swimming in the pool with Abby and Ellie

Our first trip down to the water.

Splashing around with Daddy.

Ellie

Abby

The back of Crete's cute little head.

Where did my feet go?

What is this stuff, anyway?

Ellie was so kind to prepare us dinner on Saturday night. Everything was delicious!

Crabby butt.

Thanks for feeding me, Ab.

Sandy little feet.
Beautiful Abby
Beautiful Ellie

They are always beautiful, but I just think they look stunning in these pictures.

I can't believe how grown they look in this picture.

Tired little beach boy.

One more

2008-08-14T14:10:00.000-07:00

I somehow missed this one in my last post. Crete with his Raah.

Some Non-baseball Pics from the Weekend

2008-08-14T13:38:00.000-07:00

Just kidding, there is some baseball thrown in. This was Crete and Pop warming up in the bullpen.

And here in this picture with his Grandmama, you can see his baseball outfit. He was an All-Star on Saturday as well.

Grandmama and Pop took him on his first train ride.

Not the best picture of the parents, but I thought Crete's face was cute.

Sweet picture of Crete with his Grandmama and Pop

And then we went on our first carousel ride. Crete didn't love it. He wanted off the horse halfway through. This picture is staged at the end.

Sunday's baseball attire courtesy of his Papa. Too cute.

A visit with Aunt Helen

Will's Championship!

2008-08-14T08:00:00.001-07:00

Well, I suppose it's not just Will's championship. He was one of the Shelby All-Star Little League team that won the State Championship. We went to Shelby to watch the tournament last weekend. It was a nail-biter but in the end, Will's team was triumphant. We got a little carried away taking pictures, so I'll try to pick a few of the best. If you want to see more, I'll try to put a link to our Picasa web album in a couple of days.

Will pitching. Boy that was nerve-racking. Pitcher is not his normal position, but he did great! We were so proud.

Yeah, #29! Will is a hitter! (I had to use that phrase for Bethany and Fereby's benefit.)

Runner on third.

High-fiving Dad from the dugout.

Another big hit! Will clearly did his part hitting the ball.

Waiting to congratulate a home-run hitter.

Cutie in the dugout.

Celebrating the win!!!!

Trophy Time

Champs

I had to include this one. Check out the ham over on the left.

For those of you who needed a Crete fix -- a picture with the Champion.
I'll add some additional pictures of Crete from the weekend when I get a chance. He doesn't think it's very fun to play by himself while Mommy blogs.

CONGRATULATIONS WILL AND THE SHELBY ALLSTARS!!!

Weekend in Tennessee

2008-07-28T07:46:00.001-07:00

We went to Tennessee this weekend to visit some of Lee's family. We were hungry after the flight, so we stopped at a Steak & Shake for a quick meal.

We got to meet Lee's cousin Jane's children for the first time. They were great kids and it was a special time for all of us. This is Aubree and Garrett. You'll see Tristan later in the post. (I hope I'm spelling these names correctly.)

Playing with the cousins.

These cuties with Lee and Crete are Lee's cousin Michelle's boys, Ben and Joshua. They were a lot of fun.

Crete and Michelle.

Tired Baby

Can you tell the sun's in our eyes?

Taft Boys

Enjoying the pool with Family

Here's sweet Tristan

Playing on Granny's bed with Aubree and Uncle Butch. Crete really liked Aubree.

This is Ike. Ike really likes to eat.

We tried really hard to get a good picture of the four of them, but this was about the best we could do. We had a great weekend, though, and we loved getting to see everyone.

"Mama"

2008-07-21T07:49:00.000-07:00

This was a wonderful weekend. We went to Shelby and had a great time visiting with family. The trip was too short, though. The weekends just fly by. This was a big weekend for Crete in particular. Saturday morning he was playing with his Pop and out of the blue, he said "mama." He has said it multiple times since. I am thrilled, but I'm wondering how much he really gets the association between me and the word. I'll take whatever I can get, though!

Playing with Pop in the pool.

Naked boy relaxing with with Mom after a long day swimming.

Crazy Uncle Eric.

Nothing in Particular

2008-07-13T18:21:00.000-07:00

This kid could stay in the water all day!

We went to the mall yesterday and had dinner with Dave, Erin, and Simon at Panera. During dinner, I handed Crete a tough piece of bread to gnaw on. He held on to that thing for at least an hour before he finally threw it down. He was a gummy, bready mess, but he loved it! I'm going to have to buy him some whole wheat bagels or something.

We thought he was so cute in Will's sailor suit that we wanted to share a couple of pictures.

Giant arm!!!

Crete goes for a swing

2008-07-08T19:10:00.001-07:00

Independence Day

2008-07-07T18:31:00.000-07:00

We spent the 4th in Washington, NC with the Parker family. They live on the water, but we weren't sure that Crete was ready to go out on a boat yet. His Daddy bought him a blow-up pool so that he could enjoy the water too.

Check the hat. He keeps it on, though, so we wear it.

Crete and Daddy hanging out in the water by the water.

He tried to swim, but we didn't have the water deep enough.

Crete was dressed in his finest red, white, and blue, so we pushed him in the neighborhood parade. Next year we're going all out and decorating his stroller.

Other parade participants.

Pam and Gracie.

The cutest baby in the parade.

Granddaddy Parker--the Grand Marshal.

First time ever seen in shorts, I think.

Pam and Crete. By the way, we did bring some cute outfits for Crete, but somehow he just ended up in the white onesie. It was a hot day.

Crete and Antoine

Crete with Granddaddy Parker. We wish Crete could have met Grandma Parker.

Crete and Kelley

Thank you Kimberly, for sharing your family with us. It was a great time, as always.

Watching the fireworks.

Crete was not scared at all, just tired by the end of the day.
Thank you Parker Family!

The American Tobacco Campus

2008-07-04T10:33:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Emily, Crete, Abby, and Ellie went to the American Tobacco Campus to meet Lee for lunch. Crete enjoyed watching the water.

After lunch, we took a short walk around the campus.

We took pictures with the beautiful flowers. If you look closely, you'll see that Crete has sneaked a handful and tried to take them with him. We were glad that the bicycle security guy riding by didn't see our little thief in action.

Isn't this a good-looking bunch?

It was pretty hot, so after our walk we went into Lee's office to cool down with a game of air hockey.

A great time was had by all.

Happy Birthday Betsy!!!

2008-06-30T16:56:00.000-07:00

Crete in his room

2008-06-29T20:04:00.000-07:00

Some Summer Fun

2008-06-22T14:16:00.000-07:00

Celebrating Kelly and Wes's engagement with good friends.

Crete in all of his pool gear.

Hanging in the float his uncle Terry bought him.

Crazy kid with a swim diaper on his head!

Little Blue Eyes.

Crete's videopalooza

2008-06-04T20:47:00.000-07:00

Here are some quick video updates on Crete's last few weeks.

All the cool kids wear their pants on their heads!

2008-05-31T21:20:00.001-07:00

Old Friends and Their Little Ones

2008-05-12T16:09:00.000-07:00

I was thrilled to get to see my old gang from church. I love them all.

Mother's Day Weekend

2008-05-12T15:53:00.001-07:00

We had a wonderful weekend in Shelby. We visited with family and got to see old friends and thier little ones. We are so blessed!

I've got a few more minutes

2008-05-09T12:28:00.000-07:00

I had a few minutes...

2008-05-09T12:04:00.000-07:00

Hanging out with Sherri at Petco after washing the dogs.

Smiling boy.

Visiting with Liz.

Little Monkey!

Forgive us if you've already seen these pics on Facebook. Some people don't have access...

First meal/high chair pics

2008-04-14T18:32:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures of Crete having his first meal of rice cereal, and just hanging out in his big boy high chair.

Easter Videos

2008-04-11T21:33:00.000-07:00

Enjoy!

Some new pictures from March

2008-03-31T15:33:00.000-07:00

He is too cute in his bear hat and mittens. This is one of my favorite pics.

Enjoying the Exersaucer.

Hanging out with Dad in the ERGO.

The Bumbo seat.

Crete rolling over

2008-03-15T13:41:00.000-07:00

Crete early in the morning

2008-03-15T13:23:00.001-07:00

Crete's favorite toy

2008-03-15T13:02:00.000-07:00

Crete would like to thank Tricia, Mandy, Ben, and Lucas for his doggy. It has already received much love.

Squealing baby

2008-03-15T08:28:00.001-07:00

Catching up with videos

2008-03-15T08:14:00.000-07:00

Our little Mouseketeer

2008-02-09T15:30:00.000-08:00

Crete and his aunt Sharon thought they would try out the jeans, t-shirt and loafer look this week. We liked it very much.

Crete wants to thank the Bryant family for his cool Mickey gear!

Let's go Tar Heels!

2008-01-21T19:12:00.000-08:00

During the weekend for his baptism, Crete met 4 of his heroes -- Tyler Hansbrough, Bobby Frasor, Wes Miller and Marcus Ginyard of the UNC basketball team!!

Crete's baptism

2008-01-21T18:59:00.000-08:00

On January 6, Crete was baptized at Church of the Good Shepherd. Our good friend Nathan baptized Crete, and lots of family and friends were in town.

Special time with Papaw

2008-01-21T18:46:00.000-08:00

One of the highlights of our time at Christmas was a short trip to Tennessee to see Lee's Papaw. He had been in the hospital, so our visit wasn't nearly as long as we had wanted. But, it was really special to have everyone on that side of the family together.

Christmas with Family

2008-01-21T17:58:00.001-08:00

Crete had a big first Christmas. In addition to his first visit from Santa, Mamaw and Papaw came all the way over from Romania to see Crete! Here are a several pictures from the Holidays.

Mamaw the first time she ever held Crete

A couple of sleepy boys.

Babies in Romania wear crazy hats year-round. Here's what Crete would look like in Romania.

Who let this guy have our camera?

Where have you guys been?

2008-01-21T17:48:00.000-08:00

Sorry we haven't updated in a while. Santa, food poisoning, baptisms, snow.... not to mention laziness.

But you're about to get slammed with Crete-ness, so hang on.

Pitiful

2007-12-19T07:20:00.000-08:00

Crete got his first round of shots this morning. He was very brave, but says he does not want to go back to that place again. He only cried for a couple minutes and Mommy and Daddy were pretty sad too. But, he went to sleep soon after and is still sleeping peacefully. (Mommy is checking obsessively for signs of reactions.)

We took the kids to see Santa!!!

2007-12-16T10:37:00.000-08:00

December picture round up

2007-12-16T10:29:00.001-08:00

Here's more pics of the world's most adorable boy.

An early Christmas present

2007-12-13T10:45:00.001-08:00

Handsome Young Lads

2007-12-13T06:37:00.000-08:00

Will and D-Ray going to the Holly Ball. Don't they look nice?

Raah and Bethany Christmas Tree Hunting

2007-12-08T18:24:00.000-08:00

More Thanksgiving

2007-12-01T18:38:00.000-08:00

Lee left off a couple of good ones.

Thanksgiving Pictures

2007-11-30T06:28:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday Mamaw!!!

2007-11-18T20:05:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday in Romania!

Updated pics

2007-11-11T18:41:00.000-08:00

Here are a few more pictures from the last week or so:

First couple of weeks

2007-11-07T06:45:00.003-08:00

Here's several pictures from Crete's first couple weeks at home.

Happy Halloween!

2007-11-01T06:33:00.000-07:00

Crete at home

2007-10-23T19:59:00.001-07:00

Crete (and Mom and Dad) got home on Sunday afternoon, where he was warmly greeted by Maddie and Frodo.
Here are a few pics from his first few days at the house.