Updates

WOW! This is the first time that I have blogged since December of last year. I felt that it was time to take a break and refocus on some things that were going on. Well, here I am 8 months later. It sure is crazy how much a family can change in just 8 short months! Joshua is beginning the 8th grade this year. It's hard for me to believe that he will begin HIGH SCHOOL next year. Joshua will be attending BHP next year. His plans are to play soccer and run cross country. This year will be very bitter-sweet, because I have been his teacher since he was in kindergarten. We have all spent a lot of time together and I am very thankful for that. I wouldn't take anything for the years that I have homeschooled him. It's given us opportunities that we may not have had otherwise. I will cherish EVERY moment that we have together this year! He is beginning to work on his Eagle Scout and hopes to, at least be close to completing that in the spring so that he can join CASA (Clemson Anderson Soccer Association). He still loves Camp McCall and says that he wants to work there as soon as he's old enough. I am so proud of the "young man" that he is becoming. He has goals and a plan to reach those goals. I can see him allowing God to work in his life. Right now we are studying "Dare to be a Daniel" and are praying that he will be sold out, just as Daniel was. Ben is beginning the 6th grade...middle school! He is playing football for the Recreation Dept. After spending 2 summers at Clemson's football camp, we decided to let him play football. He had his first practice last night and did a great job! For the next 2 months, he will be juggling scouts and football...which will keep him (and us) very busy. Reagan is beginning the 3rd grade. She loves to cheer (and boy does she have the lungs for it). She attended cheerleading camp at Anderson University and BHP, where she won the award for "most spirit". She will be cheering for Ben's team. We enjoyed another summer of mother/daughter camp at Camp LaVida. She has informed me that next year she wants to go by herself...WHAT? Andrew will be THREE in September. For some reason, he seems to be growing faster than the others. He loves Reagan and loves to play. We are still potty training. He has been the hardest, but is beginng to "get it". He is very smart and very sweet. Jeff and I turned 40 this year and just celebrated our 17 year anniversary! We are still enjoying our camper that we bought last summer...great family time! Our entire family fell in love with Folly Beach this summer! We are hoping to make a trip to Alaska to visit my family before Joshua starts high school. We also hope to make a trip to Disney this year. We all love living in Belton. It's been a lot of fun re-connecting with old friends and making new. We also still love our church...Brookwood, and have enjoyed the many new friends that we have made there. Life is busy, but good. God has blessed our family!

I HATE to move...but LOVE that we're moving!

In just 2 short months, we have sold our house and are in the process of moving! It's hard to believe that our house sold that quickly...we thought that it would be at least spring before it sold. We are planning on closing this Friday and, hopefully, will be at least mostly moved out by then. Because we have nowhere else to go right now, we are moving into my sister's house until IT sells. I HATE to move! Especially with a 2 year old running all over the place!!
There's a small part of me that is sad, because we've lived in this house for over 6 years. I remember telling someone when we bought this house that it would be the last one. Reagan was about 1, so this is home to her. The boys barely remember living anywhere else and this is where Andrew came "home" from the hospital. This is the house where we literally "lost" my grandmama to alzheimers. A lot has changed since we moved into this house! We are active at Brookwood Church, which is an hour from where we are now and we have my grandmama's house. SO, we made the decision to move to Belton. Jeff will still be close to his job and we will be closer to church. God definately has confirmed this decision by allowing our house to sell so quickly. Houses just do not sell in 2 months in this day and time! Although I HATE to move and it IS a little sad; I Am excited about this new phase of our lives. I look forward to our children living where Jeff and I grew up. I look forward to re-connecting with "old" friends. I look forward to Reagan having some little girls to play with. I look forward to "fixing" grandmama's house. I look forward to "going home"! I LOVE that we're moving.

Update

Last weekend, we had our 20th (well 21st, but whose counting) high school reunion. We went up on Friday and camped at Sadler's Creek State Park on Hartwell Lake. That is a great place to camp! That night, we had a terrible storm come through...not fun being in a pop up during a storm, but we all survived. On Saturday, the weather was PERFECT. Everything went GREAT...we all had a good time catching up. It was so nice seeing everyone! We camped until Sunday and then came home. We hope to go back to Sadler's Creek again.
Our second week of school went well. It's still an adjustment, but the kids are enjoying it. K12 is an awsome curriculum! This Saturday, we are going to take the boys to Florida for the Gators game. We are excited about that. It will be a lot of fun! The following weekend, we are going to camp with Jeff's aunt and Uncle (and our adopted family) at Dreher Island. We are enjoying our camper sooooo much. It makes for great family time.
We've had several people look at our house. A couple came tonight...could be the ones! I'll be so glad when we get it sold. It's hard trying to keep a house ready for people to look at with 4 kids.
Check back for updates on house, Tebow, and camping! :)

Three Days...

3 days of school down...overall, going pretty well with the new curriculum/school!

3 days until the High School Reunion...excited about seeing old friends and catching up!

3 people...a couple and his sister came to look at our house tonight. They seemed very interested!

I am ONE exhausted mama with too much going on (like most mamas)! When the reunion is over and we get the house sold, hopefully things will settle down some...but I doubt it!

Happenings in the Neipp Home

On Friday, August 7th, Jeff and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary. We dated four years before we were married, so it's been 20 years! WOW!! Now, here we are 4 kids later. We had a great time. Joshua and Ben went to spend the night with friends (thanks, Susan) and Jeff's mama came and stayed with Reagan and Andrew (thanks, Mimi). We went to Greenville and spent the night. It was a nice, QUIET, trip! August 8th would have been my grandmama's 90th birthday. I missed her so much that day and thought a lot about the special memories we were able to make with her last year. She was a very special person and will always be missed!

Next weekend (Aug. 22), we will be attending my high school reunion. I've done all of the planning (the joys of being Senior Class President), so I must admit that, although I'm excited to see people, part of me will be glad when it's over. We are going up to Sadler's Creek State Park in Anderson on Friday and spend the weekend. The reunion is at the Pavillion on the lake. I think that it is going to be a lot of fun. My kids are excited to meet my friends from high school.

Monday (Aug. 17), we begin our new school. We are going to try a SC Virtual Charter School this year. It will all be done online here at home. I'm a little nervous about this new venture, so stay tuned for details!

Camping

On Friday, we went up to Table Rock to camp (for the first time in our pop up). We were invited by some families from Brookwood. Jeff and the kids met two of the families on the family mission trip that they went on this summer. We were so excited that they invited us! There were 2 other families (for a total of 5) who we did not know. Between the 5 families, there were 16 children. What was amazing is that, out of that number, Reagan STILL did not have a little girl her age to play with. She did meet some other little girls from another campsite to play with, and they had fun together. We went hiking, swimming, and rock sliding, but mostly, we all just "hung out". It was so nice to be able to get to know these families better. They were all so welcoming to us and all of the kids played well together. Yet, just another reason to love Brookwood! I hope that this weekend was the start of some friendships that will last a long time.

It's TOO quiet

I never thought that I would say this, but my house has been TOO quiet this weekend! Joshua and Jeff have been camping and whitewater rafting with Boy Scouts. Reagan and Ben went camping at Oconee State Park with my daddy and Becky. Friday night, I got a babysitter and went out with some friends. We went to Chili's to eat and then to see The Proposal. It was SOOO good! Sandra Bullock is my favorite actress. I have loved every movie she has ever been in, even the one or two that have been viewed as "a flop". We had a great time! Yesterday was totally Andrew/mama time. We got up and went out to Emerald Farm. He saw the goats (or cows as he called them), fed the cat-sized catfish, played with Thomas, and rode the train. It was a beautiful morning to be outside. After lunch and a nap, we played in the yard, went to Wal-Mart (just to look), and then went to the park. Last night, I talked to two of my best friends from middle/high school. It was like we have never lost 20 years...it was nice! Our reunion is coming up in about 5 weeks. I have slowed down on the planning, but will pick it back up after next week, when I have all the money in. It's been a good weekend, but I'm ready (and I think Andrew is to) for everyone to come home. The bad thing is that we will wash and repack everything to head to Camp McCall in the morning! Hope the boys have fun next week.