Working Saturday

This Saturday Drew decided he'd get working on building the steps down the bank in front of our house. He decided how he was going to do it, we went by MaMaw and Ernie's to see how they had done theirs, and then Drew was off to Lowe's (his favorite store). On our way home Evie told her daddy she wanted to help him and he said that would be great after her nap. We then came home, the girls went down, and Drew headed outside. As I was doing some work around the house, Drew called me to look at his first step...it was great. Then, I was asked to look at the second step which, again, looked wonderful. Drew worked his tail off and was able to get six steps done with the wood he had. He only lacks two or three steps but, needless to say, we are quite proud of him as he worked very hard and did a great job! Here are some pics from the day.

Drew working on the second step. What a stud! :)
Evie suited up to go help Daddy. She decided the gloves were too big and would get in the way of her hammering so she took them off. Good thinking!
Daddy showing Evie how to measure and letting her mark the spot where he needed to cut. She was very brave and stood at the back of the truck while he cut (covering her ears, of course).
Drew showed her how he drilled the holes and then put the bolts in. Evie topped it off with some hammering to make sure they were in there.
Once Mary Fran woke up she got in the game, too. They love their daddy and are only too willing to help him out!
Eves showing her little sister how to hammer. She initiated it and demonstrated the "hammering technique" to MF almost exactly as Drew had shown her several months ago.
It was then Mary Fran's turn to do some hammering. It was mostly of the dirt next to the step but you gotta start somewhere!
Evie helping Daddy again as he is digging into the bank.

Again, I can't say how proud we are of Drew! He has done a great job and has a really good plan on how to finish it. He was very patient with the girls and really let them help out. I know he'll probably be embarrassed but I just had to brag on him a little! :)

"Down to the River to Pray"

Yes, it's an interesting title but it seemed appropriate as that's what our Fellowship did today. We baptized, Jon, a student at ASU who began meeting with us around the first of the year. He gave his testimony today and I can only say it is so wonderful to hear how God has moved in his life. He came to know Christ on a trip to Haiti with his sister in December after he was asked to speak at a revival there unexpectedly (the missionary there knew his whole family). He has now answered God's call to be a full time missionary and will be returning to Haiti in August for a short time and then for at least a year in January. Jon's parents and grandparents came up and it was such a pleasure to meet them. This was also a special time for our Fellowship as we were not only able to participate in his baptism but also pray for him as he goes to Haiti. We went to one of our elder's, RD's, property where there is a great creek with a nice watering hole where Matthew joined Jon in the water. We then all enjoyed a picnic lunch and, as usual, the fellowship.
It was also a special time in our family as we were able to explain baptism and why we do it to Evie who had many questions. Of course, she nor Mary Fran fully grasped what we were saying but it was wonderful to lay the foundation and help them to see what a significant event this was. Here are a few pictures from this morning.

Here Jon is sharing his testimony with our whole group.
Our Fellowship and Jon's family praying for God's blessing and direction on his life.
In the river...
going under...
coming up!

We were all truly blessed today and are so thankful that the Lord answered our specific prayer that He would raise up young people, bring them into our Fellowship and then send them out onto the mission field.

Three Little Princesses

Several weeks ago Daphne had the great idea for them to eat at our house once a week and we would eat at theirs another. It's worked out great as we usually end up at each other's houses anyway and it is nice not to have to cook once a week especially during pregnancy. :) Anywho, Thursdays are the night over at Dustin and Daphne's and after a wonderful meal, the girls dressed up like princesses complete with perfume, make-up, dresses, shoes, and jewelry!

Aunt Daphne used her cosmetic know how to give the girls princess make-up.
Mary Fran getting eye shadow put on. She was only too willing!
Making their grand entrance to show Daddy and Uncle Dustin.
The three princesses all in a row.
What else do princesses do but dance and twirl around? Daddy tried to get a dance but Evie and Mary Fran were more interested in dancing for daddy as opposed to with him. What is Ward going to do? :)

The night was capped off with a princess bath to remove the make-up and then topped off with princess lotion (thanks, Aunt Daphne!). It was a wonderful night and then we went home to let the girls enjoy their princess dreams!

Praise the Lord!

LeeAnne's non-stress test and ultrasound went very well. Everything looks good with her and the doctors estimated her weight to be 7 lbs, 4 oz at this point. Therefore, with her coming earlier than 40 weeks she should be a really good size. Please continue to pray for Dustin and Daphne as these last 12 days have great potential to be filled with anxiety. They are a great testimony to the Lord's strength, grace, and faithfulness and our prayer is that he would continue to bless their lives.

Please Pray

Just a quick note to anyone reading asking for prayer for Dustin and Daphne (our brother and sister-in-laws). They had a son, Daniel, who was stillborn in January 2007. Daphne is now 35 1/2 weeks pregnant with a little girl, LeeAnne, and went in for a non-stress test yesterday like normal and had her appointment with the doctor. They had trouble getting LeeAnne to move much as she seemed to be asleep but she eventually cooperated and Daphne's doctor felt all was well. Needless to say, this was unnerving to Daphne. A little background...Daniel was born at 36 1/2 weeks and her signal that something was wrong was him not moving. They are scheduled to have a C-section on Wed, July 9th if the amniocentesis shows her lungs are developed (that's 12 days away). Needless to say, Daphne is quite aware at this point of LeeAnne's movements or lack thereof.
She called this morning saying that LeeAnne didn't move much during the night even when she woke up and drank some Dr. Pepper. She called the OB on call (same doctor that delivered Daniel) in her practice and asked if she could come in for another non-stress test. He told her to go on to the hospital and he'd check her out there so that if LeeAnne needed to be delivered, they could do it right away.
Please pray for peace for Dustin and especially Daphne. Also, please pray for wisdom for them and Dr. Shirley as they decide where to go from here whatever the non-stress test results. Lastly, please lift up little LeeAnne that the Lord would continue to protect her and bring her safely into this world. Thank you so much for interceding on their behalf and I'll keep you updated as we know.

Our Happenings

This week has been somewhat busy but good. Monday night Karen and Winston came over for dinner as Drew and Winston had some work to do. We had a nice dinner on the deck and then came inside for a little dancing. Evie showed off her dancing moves and then Mary Fran got in the mix. After that we all started shagging to the tunes of The Temptations.

Eves with Grandmama
Mary Fran with Granddaddy
Evie shagging with Daddy. You know we have to start them off right!
Of course, Evie and MF had to get together for a couple of numbers. It was too cute as they both went into their rooms and individually put on their "dancing shoes."
Tuesday we went over to the Greers again to get some eggs. When I told Evie we were going over there she asked, "Can we see the chicks, too?" The Greers said that was fine and we saw how much the chicks have grown. Mary Fran even got brave this time and got down to walk around in the coup. Evie and I learned what it feels like for a chicken to peck our toes as they liked our painted toes. :) Thankfully, Eves didn't get scared, she just laughed and moved away. Thanks again to the Greers for letting us have some "hands on learning!"

Sisters

A couple of weeks ago, the girls and I were sitting on the couch together. They were both on my lap and then Evie got off and sat next to me. She looked at me and said, "Mommy, I want Mary Fran to sit on my lap." I said, "OK, let's ask Mary Fran." Of course, Mary Fran said "yes" and there they sat for quite a while as I made lunch for us. It was such a precious moment.
I know I've said this before but we are really striving to create a home environment that encourages the girls to love and respect one another. Yes, they have there times of bickering but they really are to a minimum. Our desire is for them to think first of each other and not of themselves and as they learn and internalize that here, they will apply it outside our home.

"Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other, for love covers a multitude of sins." 1 Peter 4:8

Mrs. Olive

Mrs. Olive LaRoche is a very good friend of ours. She'll be 101 this September. Sound crazy? Maybe. Can I tell you that this woman has no health problems. She uses a cane to walk outside where the ground is a little uneven and just a few years ago had to get hearing aids but is perfectly fine otherwise. Mrs. Olive is one of our nearest and dearest friends.

Mrs. Olive and I got to know each other after my Grandmama's funeral. I had heard of Grandmama's very close friend for years but had never met her. When she passed away in October 2001, I finally got the chance to meet her. She was talking to my uncles outside of the church and I saw her from a ways away but knew instantly who she was. I introduced myself and we were friends instantly. At the time, I was on rotation in Beaufort but told her I'd call when my rotation was over and we'd have a visit. I did and the rest is history.

Unfortunately, in this day and age we're told that once someone gets to a certain age they are not "worth it" anymore. I am here to tell you it is not true. Mrs. Olive has brought so much joy and wisdom into not only my life but to Drew's and now to our children. She has a perspective that is priceless and has spoken many an encouraging and quite humorous word into my life. To learn from her and know her is a privilege beyond words. Thank you, Mrs. Olive, for your friendship.
Mrs. Olive's son and daughter-in-law own this beautiful horse named Dixie. On our way out, we took some corn cobs to her. Evie was all excited about it until she approached and then Evie decided to let Daddy feed Dixie. MF wanted to stay in the car. ;)

Beach Days

Last Wednesday, we loaded up after Drew got off work and headed down to Edisto Beach, SC. Edisto is located about an hour south of Charleston and, yes, is a small, family oriented beach. My dad grew up in Hollywood, SC (yes, there is such a place in SC) which is about 30 minutes from Edisto. He grew up going there, then we grew up going there, and now our kids will enjoy beautiful Edisto Beach. We went down to spend Father's Day weekend and a few extra days with Dad/PaPa and had a wonderful time. The weather couldn't have been any better with highs in the mid to upper 80's (quite cool for this time of year down there). There was a nice breeze which we were thankful for, as well. The guys played golf two afternoons and we enjoyed the pool one day and then the beach the other two. The girls also enjoyed wrestling Uncle Grayson and telling him where to go and what to do. ;) It was very relaxing, as usual, and did my heart quite good as I always feel I'm at home when I go to the Lowcountry. Here are a few snapshots of the weekend...

The girls with PaPa before heading out to the pool the first day there.
Here is Evie jumping off the ladder to her Daddy. After a few tries of this, she decided she wanted to do it all by herself and told Daddy to "Go over that way." Drew did decide to stay close by as it scared her a little when she jumped and went under water. Fearless as she is, though, she jumped to Daddy again before we left!
Mary Fran watching her big sister jump. Even though she's more cautious, she did jump from the side of the pool a couple of times to Mommy.
Building sand castles (or filling the bucket?) with Uncle Grayson. At first, both girls didn't want to put their feet on the sand which was unusual as they loved it last year. After some time, however, they both warmed up to the sand and the waves. We saw many a seagull, pelican diving for and catching fish, and even a large school of dolphin complete with a baby dolphin!
Mary Fran chillin' out on the beach chair before heading back for some lunch.

Like I said, we had a wonderful time being with family and soaking up some sun. We're looking forward to going back down for a shorter time in July for the Grayson Family Reunion (my dad's mom's family). Hope you enjoy these pictures and thanks again, Dad and Brenda, for a wonderful weekend!

Happy Father's Day, Drew!

Happy Father's Day to Drew...well, a day late! :) We've been at Edisto Beach since the middle of last week and got home about 8 last night, so the blogging has been nonexistent. We had a wonderful time and Drew was able to play golf with Dad and Grayson as well as watch the US Open 'til his heart was content. He told me this was a very relaxing trip and I am so glad as he has been more than busy at work recently. I am so thankful for Drew and the father he is. He gets up every morning and goes into work to provide a wonderful living for us. He also desires for me to stay home with our children and supports me in this role. Our children just love him and ask more than once during the day when Daddy is coming home. He takes time to play with them, teach them, read to them, change diapers, and be their "knight in shining armor!"
Yesterday I think he had a good Father's Day even though we had to drive 6 hours back home. We split the drive up so, thankfully, he was able to rest some. We had a wonderful brunch that Dad and Brenda treated us to and then went to visit our friend, Mrs.Olive, who will be 101 in September. It was a wonderful visit and then we headed back with the girls and Drew asleep quite soon after leaving. :) Thankfully, we arrived home in time for Drew to see the end of regular play from the Open with Tiger's dramatic putt to force a playoff today. Bless his heart, he unloaded the car at the commercials so I could get started on the unpacking.
We Petrey girls (and soon to be boy) are very grateful for and proud of our Daddy and want him to know how special he is!

It's a BOY!!!!

Well, today was the day and we found out we're adding a little testosterone to the Drew Petrey clan. We're so excited!!! The picture above is a profile shot with his head on the left and feet on the right. Everything looks great and we're still set to see him around the first part of October. We had already chosen names, so here's the announcement to all those who don't know...

Ward Stephen Petrey

Ward is Karen's (Drew's mom's) maiden name and Stephen is both Drew and Winston's middle name. Drew has said from the beginning that he would like our first son to have the middle name Stephen to carry on that tradition. We will call him Ward. We have found that Ward means "watchman" or "guard" and Stephen means "crown." He sure is a crown for our family and we can't wait to meet him! He is quite active, even more so than Evie and Mary Fran, and I always felt they were active "in the womb." Watch out world! :) We're not worried, though, as another active child will fit quite nicely into our personalities and our household.
Thank you for your continued prayers that our pregnancy would continue to go well and that little Ward would continue to develop as he's supposed to. Keep checking in for updates as well!

Family Time

This past Saturday we loaded up in Karen and Winston's Suburban and headed out. The Petrey Family has a reunion every year about this time and this was the weekend for it this year. Drew has told me that growing up they always went to Jellico, TN (4 hours from Boone) for an afternoon of visiting with family and that it was always wonderful. Jellico, TN is a small town where Grandad's parents retired to and they are now buried there. However, when Grandad's Parkinson's Disease progressed to the point that he could no longer make the trip, his brothers and sisters honored him by moving it to Elizabethton, TN which is much closer and he was able to continue to come. Grandad passed away this past September and Winston told his aunts and uncles to decide where and when the reunion would be now and they decided to move it back to Jellico.
Well, seeing as the trip is so long we decided to drive to Knoxville, spend the night in a hotel, and then go the short distance from there to Jellico Sunday. We had such a wonderful time! There is a park in Jellico that has covered picnic areas, nice playgrounds, and a large pond where many a duck and geese were frequenting. What was even more wonderful was that Drew was able to get a lot of questions answered about the Petrey genealogy. He has been working on his ancestry on that side of the family and it is so interesting! I'm going to get him to brief me on all of it and may even blog on it sometime. :)

Here are the girls riding on the luggage cart at checkout time. They thought it was great as well as staying in a hotel. It's like Drew said, "Don't you remember how much fun it was to stay in a hotel as a kid? These little shampoos, etc were great!" I was thinking, "I still think it's pretty neat." We were hoping to get to swim but got to the hotel too late Saturday night and had a thunderstorm visit Sunday morning. They did great nonetheless and really slept well. We were grateful.This is the headstone for Drew's great-grandparents, Charlie and Ada Petrey. The cemetery is really beautiful.
Here are Evie and her cousin Matthew (Drew's first cousin) feeding the ducks with their cousin Chris (Winston's first cousin). The ducks got really close and Evie even let one of them eat out of her hand! We had fun until the geese waddled over and we decided their "hissing" wasn't a good sign. :)
Mary Fran got in on the duck feeding action as well. Here she is with her Aunt Karen (Matthew's mom).
Evie and her buddy, cousin Ashley, on the slide. Yes, Evie is posed like that on purpose...her idea. ;)

We had a great time at the reunion seeing all of the family and even meeting some who we hadn't met before. Although it was a long trip, it was well worth it to keep up with family. Thanks to all who came and we're looking forward to next year!