Ethan's First Day Of School

Ethan began first grade on August 23rd. He has been pretty excited about it, but of course he didn't want summer to draw to a close. He seems to have a really good teacher and I hope he continues to like her. Surprisingly he didn't get in a class with any boys that I know, but he says he remembers a few boys from last year so that is good. He did, however, get in a class with Sara and Chloe, two of his good friends from church. He REALLY adores Sara (AKA his secret girlfriend) so he's pretty stoked to be in her class. He thinks it's the coolest thing to eat lunch in the cafeteria every single day! I am letting him buy hot lunch at school one day a week, and of course this week he chose pizza day. Here is to a great school year!

The Workbench

My dad is an engineer.

His dad was a mechanic and could fix anything. My mom's dad was also an engineer. My brother Matt is a jack of all trades and has his own handy man business. Dad's sister was probably an engineer in a past life because she is great with figuring things out and building stuff. Cody's dad has a great garage full of tools and he loves to tinker. My other brother Philip is almost finished with his degree in engineering as well. We call Cody's brother Lance the "Renaissance Man". So it's no surprise that one of my kids inherited the tinkering and building gene.

Ethan is destined to be a scientist of sorts. He has shown signs of having a very analytical mind since he was a baby, and it has for sure carried over into his childhood years. He is constantly going through the recycling bin look for things to build something out of, or he is taking string and rubber bands and twist ties out of the kitchen drawer. A while back I started an "Ethan's Invention Supplies" box that I keep in his room. I put stuff in there as I am through with it...things he can use to make other things out of. He can take things apart and put them back together, often times better than they originally were.

It's an understatment to say that my dad is excited to have a grandchild follow in his footsteps. Ethan is so much like my dad in personality and spirit that it's uncanny. A few weeks ago Dad asked me if he could build Ethan a workbench, and I said of course! So he got busy designing it, and he built as much as he could in pieces so he could transport it in the same trailer that he would be hauling the Newlyweds belongings up in. When dad got into town last week, he and Ethan began to finish up putting it together. And when it was all done, Ethan was beyond excited. On Monday the two of them went on a shopping spree to the hardware store and Gov loaded him up with all the tools he needed to get started. They were like two kids in a candy store!

For the last several days Ethan has been down there tinkering away in our unfinished basement. Today he had his buddy Tommy over for a "building meeting". Thanks Dad, for supplying Ethan with hours and hours and hours of useful entertainment. The workbench is something that he will love for years to come!!

Devin at 10 Months

This little guy turned 10 months old on Wednesday. I say this with every milestone, but time is flying by too fast. He is the most enjoyable baby! Here are some of the things he is doing at this age-

-He is extremely mobile. He crawls at the speed of light, and goes striaght into pulling himself up on ANYTHING (even flay walls). He then loves to let go and stand on his own for a few seconds. It's even more fun when people are cheering for him!

-He stays entertained forever by exploring the house on all fours. He does this funny little hand thing when he is exploring something, where he opens and closes his hand on the surface super fast. It kind of looks like he is scratching it. He loves to pull anything and everything off any surface he can reach. This evening he pulled a picture frame off onto his foot anf started yelping about it while holding his little footsie in the air. Poor guy.

-He loves mouths. If he is upset about anything, all I have to do is pick him up and show him the inside of my mouth. He is instantly calmed down and amazed.

-If I am sweeping the kitchen floor, he speed crawls over to the pile I am making of bread crumbs, cereal, lint, hair, etc...and he quickly grabs something (anything) and puts it in his mouth. He does this before I have time to stop him!

-Loading and unloading the dishwasher takes three times as long because he "helps" me so much :)

-He wears an 18 month shirt and a 12 month pants. He weighs right at 20 pounds. He doesn't wear shoes just yet, but he will soon because the weather is strating to cool down a bit :(

-He is obsessed with the top of the stairs. A few times I have not had the gate up and he scurried over to peek over the top step. Good thing I have always caught him when he does that!

He loves baby food! Except he hates anything with beef in it. He really likes the chicken and apple combo. Often times he throws a massive fit when I put him in his high chair because it reminds him that he is hungry...and I am not getting the food into him fast enough! He eats baby food about three times a day, and things like pieces of bread or fruit puffs two times a day. He either drinks a bottle or nurses in bteween solid food.

-He is finally sleeping in a real crib. He now goes down at nap time and bed time with out a fussm but it took a few days of being upset for him to finally be okay with it. It is such a joy being able to put him in his crib and have him go to sleep on his own! He is also sleeping most nights all the way through these days. There is a God!!

Wedding Video

I made this video for Leighann and Skylar's wedding. Their lives thus far are wrapped up in a short 13 minute story.

Leighann & Skylar's Wedding Part 2

After everyone was back home from the Temple, it was a rat race trying to get everyting ready for the huge BBQ at Mom and Dad's house that night. The newlyweds opted for a casual reception rather than your typical fancy type. Did I mention how hot it was out there? Mom was smart and rented a few industrial sized fans to keep the place cooled down. The food was absolutely amazing because Spring Creek BBQ never disappoints. There was Karaoke, dancing, a soft serve ice cream machine, and lots of great company. I didn't get to enjoy a whole lot of it because I was taking pictures most of the time, but I did manage to sing a little via karaoke. That was my kind of party!

Matt got a LOT of good practice in while he carried Devin around and even ate with him sitting in his lap. He and Kam are due with their first next month so practice is good. He is going to be a great daddy! Devin got passed around all night and was a good sport about it. He eneded up falling asleep on our friend Aleta.

If you know the McCorkle's, you know we are a crude and crass bunch. Nothing is off limits in our family. Some pervo surprised the happy couple with a love basket of all kinds of goodies for them to take on their honeymoon. And then while I was taking pictures of guests, Evelyn, Philip, and some friends sneaked off to decorate their get-a-way car. Let's just say that everyone that pased their car in the greater Fort Worth area would know exactly what they were up to that night. It was great seeing Leighann and Skylar's faces when they saw the car. The inside was even filled with stuff! Oh Leighann. So sorry you were born into this family!

It was a great night...an ending to a VERY busy two weeks of wedding preparations. And when we finally had a minute to relax and enjoy the company of friends and family who had arrived only a day before, it was time for our clan to pack up everything and hit the road the next morning. Real life back home was waiting for us.

Leighann & Skylar's Wedding Part 1

My baby sister got married on July 30th. It makes me feel kind of old because I can vividly recall the day my parents all gathered us together in the lving room to tell us Mom was having another baby. It was a Sunday afternoon. Now that baby is all grown up and married! She got off her mission in February of this year and was engaged to her long time boyfriend in April. We've known for years that these two would get married, and they finally did it. We are excited to have Skylar "officially" be part of the family!

Who gets married on the hottest day of the year in Texas?! These kids do. It was hot as blazes and by the time I finished pictures with them (I did all the photography for the wedding) the three of us were about to die of heat stroke. And being right at noon, the lighting was beyond horrible. Everyone else had long left but it took us at least an hour more to shoot pictures. Here are a few of them. They have such funny personalities and it shows in their pictures.