Freeman Family Weekend

This past weekend was such a wonderful time for us. We drove up to Raleigh to visit my oldest brother Scott and his family. Scott and Rebecca have three children, Julia, Jason and Penelope. So needless to say, Brandon and Allyson had such a great time playing with their cousins.

On Saturday, Julia had a swim meet and she did such a great job, especially when she was competing against other children who were older than she was. Both Aimee and I were very proud of her and we hope that she continues to work hard and excel at swimming. I also noticed that Julia has been getting fantastic grades in school landing her either on the A honor roll or A/B honor roll each quarter. Woo hoo! That is so wonderful!

Jason (J-Dog) is a stud muffin! He and Brandon had such a enjoyable weekend being boys. They played video games and jumped on the trampoline even when it was cold outside. Boys will be boys! I am so glad they are so close in age and as I have a cousin who I grew up real close with, I can see this relationship doing just the same. They are two wonder-hand-ful boys! Can't you tell?





Penelope is A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E!!! I had to share this story with you all for the soul purpose of sharing back with Penelope when she gets older. We were driving home from the swim meet and I had some Spree hard candies that I love so much and was enjoying every bit of their sweet taste.

Sweet P, as we call her, had asked for some Sprees and I had shared a few here and there until she asked for ALL of them. I told her that I could not give her ALL of them, but that I would share a few.

Next thing I know, she laid a pen next to me on the center console. I said to her, "Is this a gift for me?" I looked through the rear view mirror to see a simple nod of the head and a smile on her face. Now, before I go any further with this story, you must know the pen read "Lifepoint" on it. Lifepoint is a church that we attend in Wilmington.

So...I said, "Thank you sweetheart, that was very kind of you." Before I could get my response out, she blurted, "Now can I have the Sprees?" Aimee and I busted out with laughter. I decided to ask Penelope where she got this gift for me and she stated that she found it in this seat.

Still laughing our butts off, I said to Penelope, "So, you found this pen in your seat, in my car, and gave it to me as a gift?" Penelope then said, "No, I found it in my house." Confused now, I said, "But you just told me you found it in the seat in my car"

"I lied" she said. LOL

Here is Miss Little "Sweet P"





The things kids do and say for candy these days are hilarious! And by the way, mean Uncle Adam has a hard time sharing ALL of his candy because he is spoiled. lol

Another reason we planned the trip to Raleigh as to cheer on our four fighters from Evolution Mixed Martial Arts.
For those who didn't know, I trained in Jiu Jitsu and MMA in Charlotte for a year before Kayleigh was born, took a year off, and then started training again. I competed in a grappling tournament a couple weeks before Kayleigh was born and you can see that my last post on that blog was that tournament. CLICK HERE to see that post and video.

Anyhow, after Kayleigh had went to Heaven, I made an effort to get back in to training and continue my quest to fight in the cage. When I chose Wilmington, I made sure there was a great camp to train at and I couldn't ask for a better team to be a part of. Team Evolution was brought to Wrightsville Beach from Hilo Hawaii by Jeremy Owens. Jeremy and a few other guys who trained in Hawaii under Renato "Charuto" Verissimo who is the Jiu Jitsu coach and teammate to the greatest 155lb fighter, BJ Penn (UFC Lightweight Champion of the World). I had the ultimate pleasure of meeting Charuto and trained with him at Evolution last week.

Now that I have been training hard for the past several months, I have been able to impress some of the current fighters enough to land an opportunity to fight in February at the Schwartz Center here in Wilmington, NC. It will be my first amateur fight, but my ultimate goal is to win 5 amateur fights to gain my pro status. You can view the website at Carolina Fight Promotions . So, I have to stay healthy and train hard over the next four months to pull out a victory.

Getting back on track...we went to Raleigh to cheer our fighters on. George, Grant, Simon and Jon were all fighting. George and Simon both pulled out a win and Grant lost by decision to the hometown kid. Everyone felt it should have gone Grant's way, but you just can't leave it up to the judges or stuff like that will happen. Jon, which is our 5-1 pro fighter, was injured in a last second submission attempt after the bell had rung by the other opponent. It was unfortunate that he was hurt and couldn't continue, but I heard that his knee will be fine and he will be fighting again soon.

We had a great time going to see the fights at the RBC Center in Raleigh where the Carolina Hurricanes play. It was a big venue, but excited me even more to know that I could be fighting there in the near future. With hard work and dedication, anything is possible. I know that I have a good team to train with who have been very successful.

Other than the swim meet and the fights, we all hung out and enjoyed our time together. One thing I am so thankful for is our family. We are truly lucky to have the love and support that we have. Thank you Lord for blessing me with such a wonderful family.

God Bless,

"Make A Wish"

Disney is such a memorable place for so many families and I know it is going to be such a memorable place for Abby too.

Abby Riggs is such a special little girl to our family. I had the pleasure of meeting and living with the Riggs Family for a week while I went out to Oklahoma for a job interview and this family has been such a blessing to us in so many ways.




"Arrrrrrr" ;) Even though Abby was so very sick, she made the whole hospital laugh so hard with her pirate immitation.

Abby has unfortunately been battling cancer for quite some time now and is currently at Disney World because of her granted "Make a Wish." I know that a lot of you have prayed for Abby along the way while times were tough and I wanted you all to rejoice with them as they live it up in Florida right now!



Brent has been capturing each day and you can see tons of photos. Go visit the Riggs Family blog and see how their trip is going by clicking: HERE

God Bless,

Butterfly Release Memorial

On Saturday, Levine Children's Hospital held the Butterfly Release Memorial for all the children from the NICU who went to Heaven this past year. It was a very beautiful memorial and we were able to celebrate the lives of all the children who fought so hard and left a mark on many hearts.

Every year, the NICU staff donates a brick to a special little angel and this year they had more than one. Kayleigh was one of those who received a special brick and it was already placed on the walkway at Frazier Park near downtown Charlotte, NC.

Tears were flowing as the gospel choir sang Amazing Grace and as poems were read aloud. When the butterflies took to the air and fluttered to the sky, all heads were raised with smiles that broke through all saddened faces and comfort surrounded our hearts.

Thank you so much to all the Levine Children's Hospital NICU doctors, nurses and staff who took care of our precious Kayleigh as well as all the other children. You certainly made this day a special one for all of us to remember.

God Bless you ALL!

10/7/09 - GUESS WHAT TODAY IS????

It's Our Anniversary!!! Woo hoo!

I love you beautiful!

MUAH!!!

New Kids in Town

I must admit that with the move and all that has taken place over the past two years, Ally and Bran have been amazing through it all! There are times where I am completely baffled they made it through with such strength. They nearly carried us through some of the hardest and saddest times with their amazing love, caring hearts and their hilarious sense of humor.

Many people might say that, "Oh...well they were effected, but they hide their feelings well." Have you met Brandon? Have you seen how openly emotional and sensitive this dude is? He is such a sweetheart that we would know in a split second if something has effected him. Just the other day, he started to ball with massive puppy dog tears because he didn't like the food Mommy made. It was not because the normally well-liked meal was distasteful, it was because he felt like he hurt Mommy's feelings for not liking it.

All I have to say is that if Brandon continues to maintain his masculinity along with his incredible sensitivity, he is going to be considered..."The Perfect Guy." So, if you want to find the right man for your daughter in about 10 or so years, you know where to find him. I must warn you though, I promise there will be a long waiting line because he is by far the coolest, sweetest and funniest guy I know.

Allyson also wears her heart on her sleeve, but she is more quiet to announce it to the world as Brandon does. I have had the pleasure to see both children grow for almost 6 years now and the changes have been tremendous, especially for Allyson. She has always looked so much like Aimee and when I look at Aimee's childhood photos, there is even more of a resemblance. Allyson is starting to find interest in shoes and shopping, but we have no idea where she got that from. Aimee has no shoe or shopping fetishes, so maybe she picked it up from her friends. I hope this phase doesn't last long, but from the looks of all the adults I know, I think we are in it for the long run.

Allyson is wonderful in so many ways, but aside from picking on her brother constantly and being unbelievably shy in public, she is the most nurturing child I know. When a baby is in the room, watch out!!! Ally instantly changes into Mommy mode, drops any sign of shyness, picks up the baby and doesn't plan on sharing with anyone. It is a sign that leaves me feeling comfortable knowing that Ally is going to make one wonderful Mom some day, just like her Mommy now.

With Brandon and Allyson making the change to a new city and a new school, we were worried about how they would feel with being new in town and we are happy to say they handled it far better than we ever could. They have met many new friends and seem to fit in quite well as the new kids in town. They were sad about leaving their friends in Charlotte, but they have adjusted incredibly well. I thought the teachers did an amazing job in helping them feel extra special on their first couple days which I think made all the difference in the world.

I am honestly the most jealous person in the world of the school that Bran and Ally are going to. Besides going on a couple field trips on their first two weeks of school, there is the Intracoastal Waterway that literally backs up to their school. They have a science class that takes them out on the school's personal dock to hop in to canoes to go fishing and crabbing. How cool is that??? I want to be a volunteer, where do I sign up??? This cool school rules!

With a cool new school and the beach practically in their backyard, the kids are stoked to be living here and I have seen more smiles on their faces than ever before. I feel this is not only the perfect place for Aimee and I, but for Allyson and Brandon too. We are seeing more and more each day why God has directed our family to Wrightsville Beach. You know where to find us if you ever need to get away to the beach.

God Bless,

10/4/09 - Fish Watch'n, Fish Eat'n and just plain Fish'n

After a hard working week, Aimee and I were able to take some time to ourselves and enjoy a few recommendations around Wrightsville Beach. Mike, (Ally and Bran's Dad), was able to find a job in Wilmington and also plans to grow his pressure washing business on the side. So...needless to say, we were kidless and we very much enjoyed some quality alone time. Woo hoo ;)

Since the kids took more field trips this past week than we ever did in one school year and the aquarium being one of those places, Aimee and I spilled out our inner kids and made a trip down to the NC Aquarium in Fort Fisher, NC. It was in such a beautiful location and the weather brought out the best in everything. With the beach in the background, shiny green trees passing you by and little yellow butterflies filling the air. It felt like a scene from a movie as you drove down this path that led to the aquarium. We knew we were in the right place for the start of a beautiful day. Can you pick out all the beautiful yellow butterflies?



Out of all the interesting things we saw, Aimee loved the Guitar Fish and Tree Frogs and my favorite was the alligators. I have seen many before but I think this was the first time I was able to be this close to them in their habitat. All the other aquariums or zoos would have them pretty far off. I enjoyed taking these photos as I am sure they didn't enjoy me taking these photos and they probably wanted to eat me and my camera.



They had an albino alligator too. This was really interesting to see.



Here is Aimee's favorite of the adorably, cute, colorful, (HIGHLY DEADLY POISONOUS) and sweet tree frogs.



This part of the day was SOOO cool! Aimee and I were in one of the rooms at the aquarium and this pleasant lady spoke to me and said, "This is one of our most beautiful attractions. Your gonna love living here" or something very very similar to that. All I knew is that when I said thank you and walked away, I thought to myself...How does she know that I live here? I headed over to tell Aimee and we immediately thought about Kayleigh's blog. We both went over together to say hello and clarify how this person knew we lived here and sure enough, Emily is one of Kayleigh's prayer warriors. Thank you so very much Emily for making our day extra special. If we happen to cross paths with any of you out there, please let us know because we love to meet those who prayed so hard for our sweet little Kayleigh.

Later that evening, we headed out to grab some dinner at this restaurant called the Oceanic. It is a beautiful restaurant that was built on a pier by the ocean. Aimee and I decided to sit outdoors on the pier and listen to the waves crash while we ate. It was a romantic setting as the sun was setting through our dinner experience. Although being on the east coast, we don't see the sun set over the water, but the moon was nearly full and it lit up the night. After we ate, we walked along the pier that was close to our home which was the perfect cap to a beautiful date. Ughhheeem, I mean pre-cap to an amazing evening :)

Here is a photo of the Oceanic:



In the morning or should I say early morning, we got up around 6:00Am and prepared ourselves for some fishing. We took to the pier, rented some rods, bought some shrimp and found a nice cozy place at the end of the pier with some die hards and showed'em how it's done. We caught an astonishing 3 fish in a total of 4 hours. I guess it could have been worse. Actually, it was a lot of fun and besides one of those three fish being a 1.5 foot dogfish shark, we were able to encounter about 20 dolphins who swam nearly 40 yards from the pier. It was truly an incredible site and next time I promise to have my camera. Yes, I know...when does that camera ever leave my side??? Well, today unfortunately. I am sure there will be more opportunities in the future to prove my fish stories :)

Here is what the pier near our house, called the Johnny Mercer Pier, looks like:



It was a wonderful and well needed weekend with my beautiful wife. I pray that you all have a blessed week and know that we are thinking and thanking all of you for the love and support you all continue to share with our family.

God Bless,