The Yellow Belt

He did it! Daniel got his Yellow Belt in Karate today. He is so proud.

I believe he was a little worried, but the teachers are pretty good about not letting you test until you are ready.

We of course had to celebrate by going to IHOP and having Pancakes and Syrup!!

The Freeman Men

We took a trip to Virginia in November. We drove up the state following the Blue Ridge Parkway. I was surpised that the boys actually enjoyed the drive on the parkway, but that probably had a lot to do with us stopping frequently and letting them climb and run through the wilderness. Here's a shot of one of those stops where the boys found some boulders that they had to sit on. Lorrie snapped a few shots while we were exploring. You can view some more photos if you click on "The Virginia Trip" under links.

2006 Lightning Soccer

This was Daniel's second season of Soccer. Here he is posing with his coaches on the awards ceremony. Daniel was given the Diligence Award.. The ceremony was at the Carolina Wings restaurant in Irmo.

Gone Fishin!

Timothy, Daniel and I have found a new past time... You guessed it, we've been fishing. A couple of months ago, we bought a canoe to spend some time on the water and we've taken up fishing in it as well...

Timothy wants to go just about every evening, if we would let him, but Daniel's patience is not yet fully developed. If we don't catch a boat load in the first few minutes, he's ready to ride his bike or something else.

It gets so hot here that we dont' spend to much time out there, but we've grown to enjoy the late evenings and early mornings. So, if you call and don't get an answer, we're gone fishing!

Another view...

 

Easter 2006

This will be a good Easter to remember. Daniel was baptized at New Heights Baptist Church. Daniel prayed to receive Christ when he was 5 but we weren't sure he understood the significance of what he did. When the pastor mentioned that we would have a baptismal service on Easter, Daniel asked if he could be baptized. We let him talk to the Pastor who said that Daniel knew what he was asking for and agreed to baptize him.

A Visit from the Family

It sure was good to have Juanita, Nevadia and Jacob join us for the weekend. We had a good time visiting and catching up on the latest family news. It made me realize how much I miss seeing my family. We again talked about getting together for a family renunion. Oh, how I wish we would.

Soccer Time

Daniel had his first practice today and he was so excited. As you can tell by the picture, he also got his uniform (or costume as he calls it).

The Boys!

Here's a current picture of the boys... I took these pictures thinking I would try to create an elaborate Valentine's card for Lorrie from the boys. However, I never got it completed. So, we just printed off a small one from the computer. The shots above were taken for the project that never got completed..

Oh well, I couldn't get Timothy to smile much anyway...

Mr. Fashion!

Yes, just when I thought it was impossible to instill some sort of fashion into my two sons, Daniel steps forward and proves me wrong. Here he is, adorned with the latest styles....

As I sat at the computer trying to do some serious work, my youngest comes to me dressed as you see him about to go outside to play. But wait.... you may wonder what type of play would require such an attire. It seems that not only does Daniel have a touch of style, but he has a mind for safety. He instructed me that him and Timothy were shooting the "soft" air gun out back and that he was wearing this lovely attire to provide protection when shooting the gun.

Well... if you aren't familiar with a soft-air gun, it's a low powered instrument that shoots a plastic pellet. The gun is certainly not lethal and while the pellet does come out with some velocity, Daniel's coverings were probably a little "over kill" for target practice with plastic pellets. But, none the less, I was proud that he took such a cautious position. That was of course, until I found out the reason Daniel had dressed so cautiously.

It seems that Daniel wasn't shooting at targets..... Daniel was the target. Yes.... his big brother had talked him into standing in for a little practice!

p.s... The soft-air gun has been put in a safe place out of the reach of the boys!

The Big "40"

She made it... Lorrie celebrated her 40th birthday with friends and family @ the Lizard's Thicket in Irmo.

About 35 folks all total joined us to wish Lorrie a happy Birthday. We had a great time and I believe Lorrie was surprised. It was a lot of fun!

December Trip

It seems to come and go all too quickly!

We're back from our Annual December Trip to the Tennessee mountains and I wish I could have stayed another week. It's nice to get away and enjoy the company of my family without having to worry about the day to day issues.

I believe we all had a great time. We stayed at our home away from home, the Music Road Hotel in Pigeon Forge where the pictures above were made. It was mostly a time of relaxing, shopping, swimming and eating. The temperature was cold, but not too cold.

Timothy spent most of his time shopping for "Cowboy" boots and hat. Daniel added to his boots by purchasing a ten-gallon hat. Be sure to catch the picture above. You most likely will get a Christmas Card with the boys and their western attire.

We didn't spend as much time in Gatlinburg as we normally do, but we did get a chance to walk around and the boys enjoyed the standard "chocolate-caramel apple" treat. We did skip the foot long corn dogs and fudge this time, but we made up for it on all the other goodies.

We always have a good time in Pigeon Forge/Gatlinburg and wish all of our family could join us.

Maybe next year!

Timothy turns 12

It's hard to believe, but our son has officially become a "young man". Timothy turned 12 today and celebrated it with three of his friends, Nicholas, Chase and Matthew. Above are some picutres of the "cake and ice cream" event!

Happy Birthday Timothy!

Christmas Party

Lorrie and I went to our first Christmas party of the season tonight. It was the First Citizens party at the State Museum.

We had a nice time and Lorrie got to meet some of the folks I work with. Timothy and Daniel were at the church practicing for the children's musical which happens next Wednesday.

Daniel made this picture after we got home last night.

Lookout for the Electric Bill!

Well.... I had to do something with all those lights.

If you recall, last year, the boys convinced me to decorate the front of the house. So, we bought all these lights to decorate the shrubbery in the front yard. Unfortunately, we got rid of the shrubs in the summer and we didnt' have much to decorate. We improvised!

Yes, that is my palm tree on the right.

Where did Spring go?

As I sit here the first day of December, I'm wondering where did the Spring go? I don't recall having those brisk days that you felt like a million bucks and you wanted to spend the whole day outside.

I believe what we have here is a reason Columbia, SC is considered one of the hotest places in the South. We go from 90+ to 35 degrees.

I miss that about Atlanta, at least you would have a few days in the 70s....

Oh well, we're blessed, so I won't complain.

Getting OLD

Here I am posing with Timothy, Daniel and my birthday present. Lorrie and boys gave me an XM Radio for my car to help ease the pain of remembering that I'm 47 years old...