The Halloween Celebrations Keep On Coming and Coming!

Tyson has been a really busy boy this week. Today he had is Halloween party at pre-school! I was able to capture one or two great pics of him with his classmates. This is just a sneak peak to the MOUNDS of pictures I am sure we will have after tomorrow evening! Enjoy. Oh, by the way, the little girl in the Ariel costume, her name is Avery. She told her mommy the other day, "Tyson is my boyfriend!" Mommy exclaimed, "Oh really?" And Avery responded, "Yeah, but I think he also likes Piper!" The ONLY other little girl in his class. Where is this two-timing coming from? Not my man. He knows better :)

We wish you all a very Happy and SAFE Halloween! Brush those sugar bugs out of those teeth before going to bed tomorrow night.

"Oops" Gets Fixed & Accessorized!

As you may recall, Tyson was able to visit, for the first time, "Build-A-Bear" in Myrtle Beach, back in June. It was there that he created his friend, "Oops". Unfortunately, Oops' sound died. So, mommy and Ty ventured out to the Valley View Mall yesterday (where a new "Build-A-Bear" just opened) to get him fixed. For those of you who didn't know, your child's friend can be dismantled and fixed at anytime. I was so happy to hear that. Tyson watched intently as Oops was cut opened, the filling was removed, and the new sound was inserted into his body. We purchased a new accessory for him. Tyson chose a skateboard. How appropriate for my daredevil of a son!

Epperly Elite Gymnastics

Tyson, Piper, and Avery started Gymnastics class on Monday. It's the first class that I have enrolled Ty in where I was unable to participate with him. He's a big boy now :( I was a little sad about that, but my dear friend Jill reminded me about the two babies on the way and how I should have plenty of opportunity to accompany them at their extra cirricular activities!

I hope Ty really enjoys this sport and learns a lot. After all, nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.

Fall Is Here...

On Saturday, we visited the Sinkland Farmland pumpkin patch with the Sheilor family. What a blast we had! This is our second time visiting this pumpkin patch. Tyson remembered it from last year and made sure he didn't miss a trick. From the petting zoo, to face painting, to a miniature horse ride, to a hay ride, to picking out our very own pumpkin, to eating a yummy snack from the baked good sale, Tyson did it ALL! Afterwards, we enjoyed a yummy lunch at Chick-Fil-A in Christiansburg with our great friends and family in Christ, Jeremey, Tabby, James, and "Juda". Enjoy this video clip of Tyson and James as they went for a miniature horse ride. It was quite comical in my opinion.

Fall is such a fantastic time of year! I hope everyone is finding some great ways to get out and make some fall family memories together. If you've never been to this pumpkin patch and are local, I highly recommend it.

A Visit from "Butterscotch"!

Tyson is really enjoying pre-school at First United Methodist. I just love the curriculum and it amazes me at how much he is learning. He has even taught me a few things, no lie. I know, I just made myself look unintelligent, didn't I?

Each class day, Tyson has "circle time" where he and his classmates say the Pledge of Allegiance, count out the day, observe the weather, learn the days of the week, say a prayer, listen to a Bible story, and determine who the helper for the day is.

Of course, every student looks forward to snack time, which is always Ty's favorite time of the day, I am sure. Before snack, Ms. Becky takes this opportunity to teach them the proper way to wash their hands, take car of their trash and use proper table manners. Most importantly, they learn a memory verse and say their blessing.

Other class time activities include the learning centers, music time, Chapel, and group sharing time. Group sharing time is also another one of Ty's favorite. This is when he and his classmates gather together to have "show and tell".

The Yellow Bears have a special mascot named Butterscotch. He has become a part of Ty's life. He goes home with a different child each week and is returned on Tuesdays. Tyson received him last Thursday. Tyson is responsible for taking good care of Butterscotch. At the end of the weekend we (Ty and I) are responsible for filling in a notebook to record all the things that we did during Butterscotch's visit. At the end of the school year, we will get a copy of ALL of Butterscotch's adventures as a keepsake. Attached is a picture of Butterscotch buckled up in the car. For the most part, we took him everywhere and we always put safety first.

The last night Butterscotch spent the night, Tyson was really sad. I don't think he realized how much he loved him until it was time for him to leave. They always say, "You never realize what you've got until it's gone!" And in this case, for Tyson, it certainly was true.

A Little Football Fun!

Darren, Tyson, and I decided to go to one of Ashton's football games, two Mondays back. As soon as I pulled into the parking lot, I got chill bumps, filled with excitement for the day Tyson plays football. Darren and I sat with Rob, Jill, Nick (our pastor), and Gretchen while Tyson played with the younger kids. It was Ashton's game where Tyson met his first true love... Cami (our pastor's daugher.) Ashton's team won!!!! Yeah!!!!! After the game, John-John (our Pastor's son) and Ashton showed Ty how to stand like the real football players do. It was impossible to capture Ty doing it, but it was a cute picture of Ashy and John-John.