Bang, bang, bang...What I am listening to as I type! The boys got a new work bench today at a consignment sale and have been playing with it ever since we got home! I debated on not tackling the sale with both boys, but a $15 work bench (with a few tools) plus $5 Sperry's made it worth it to me!

The boys visited their school earlier this week and seemed to love it. I was impressed with it myself. They seem to be very organized. The boys have folders that go home daily with their calendar attached as to what they will learn each week. I realize this is how "big" school operates, but this is MDO, so impressed me! I had hoped to get to work there as I did last year, but they are full, so i volunteered to sub, help with parties, field trips, box tops...and so you guessed, EVERYTHING! They each got new backpacks this year. I found them at our local downtown market. So they will have a piece of Augusta with them! I am looking forward to them starting this week and just the month of September in general. We have a full calendar of activities and hopefully a weekend getaway! PLUS, only one month until their birthdays. (SAVE THE DATE OF NOVEMBER 3RD FOR A PARTY!)

Baby Nolan made it here Thursday, healthy and precious as can be! He was 6 pounds and 8 ounces. A sweet bundle of joy and we can't wait to meet him!

Friday was our first day of sunshine in a while, so I decided to work in the flowerbeds a bit. Let's just say out-of-shape is an understatement for the soreness I have been dealing with this weekend. But they are properly edged and look much better. Basically plants were thrown in the ground and sand put over them. Weird to me, so I decided to change! Mark was here for the finishing touches yesterday. He's been working a lot with several back to back 24 hour calls. Therefore, the boys and I have had a lot of togetherness! We made birdseed feeders out of cookie cutters one afternoon and baked a yummy cake another. Pinterest has great ideas, but I wish I had a place to take all of the food I cook rather than in my stomach! ;)  Oh, and I have to brag on Mark (I'm sure he wouldn't approve, but I am proud!) he scored the 2nd highest in his class on his post test that he took a few weeks ago. That plus a few nice comments just assures us that he made the right decision with choosing this field!

I hope every one weathered the storm ok. Prayers were surely being said and I was glued to the weather channel several days. I said I missed my calling because I love the weather! Now, if it would get cooler real fast, that would be awesome!!

Wanted to share one last thing from church this morning that tugged on my heart.

"Hands that healed nations, stretched out on a tree
And took the nails for me

'Living He loved me, dying He saved me
And buried He carried my sins far away
Rising He justified freely forever
One day He's coming, oh, glorious day!"

I can picture him there on the cross and it gives me chills to think he did this for us and our sins are all forgiven and gone if we ask. I find great JOY in this and knowing that millions of people pray daily asking, seeking, praising and yet he hears my one prayer and treats it with the utmost respect. I'll stop with my religious thoughts, but I have to express them somehow! I guess you are the lucky reader! 

 Singing about eating a cupcake at Pops'!

Same outfit just in a different year, tear!

Headed to their orientation at school.

Mr. Nolan Reid

Loves when he and daddy match, so Mark had to change!

I can only put them in these when Mark doesn't go to church with us!!

And the tool set that is providing hours of play!