That is a hard thing to do, write our "family story". So, here it goes.

Jami grew up here in Greenville, SC, went to Winthrop for college, and came back to Greenville to begin his career in graphic design/advertising/marketing.

I grew up in Greensboro, NC, went to Appalachian State University and Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing (in Charlotte) for college.

So, how did we meet??? We met in Charleston, SC at the Cooper River Bridge Run in 1996. Jami was in Charleston for the "bridge watch". He is NOT a runner. He was there with a friend from Greenville. I was there with some friends from ASU. It turned out that our friends knew each other and Jami and I hit it off right away and found we had many common interests (mountain biking and cats to name a couple). Jami also told me that night he wanted 10 kids one day!!!! I should have run the other way then, but I stuck around thankfully. We were married May 23, 1998!

I moved to Greenville once we were married and began working at GHS in the ICU as a RN. Jami worked in graphic design and then started his own business shortly after we were married. We knew we wanted a family, so we did not wait long to get started. After several miscarriages (all three around 6-7 weeks along), we successfully were pregnant with TWINS!! We had a good start on Jami's wish to have 10 kids. When the twins were 17 months old, we decided it was a great time to add to our family. So, when the twins were 24 months old, we added O! And, this made our family complete. After having 3 kids in 2 years, we decided that 10 may be a bit too many and decided to stop there. However, we do have a cat, dog, and fish that are part of our family as well.

We enjoy spending time together as a family, mostly outside. Jami and I both love the outdoors and have always loved the adventures that go along with that. Before kids, we spent our weekends mountain biking and backpacking/camping. We really want to pass our love for the outdoors to the kids. Many families bond during meals and talk about their days at that time. However, due to mealtimes being a bit chaotic at our home, we spend our family time outside after dinner in the evenings. Whether it is jumping on the trampoline as a family, soccer, baseball, bike rides, or walks around the neighborhood, we cherish these times together. I have found that these are the times that the kids open up and share with us.

Some other things we love as a family are visiting the mountains in the fall, hanging out in downtown Greenville, swimming at the neighborhood pool, or playing Blockus as a family. We are truly blessed as a family and I savor and cherish all the wonderful moments we have together.

I am blessed to be able to stay at home with our kids. In my "free" time I enjoy helping out in the library and lunchroom at their school. They are still at the age that when they see me at their school, they run up and give me a big hug and are so excited to see me (even though I just saw them an hour before). I LOVE this. Also, with my time I enjoy working out either at the gym or riding my bike/swimming/running. This makes me much more pleasant to be around, just ask Jami what happens when I don't get to workout for a while.

Jami enjoys spending time with us when he is not working. I love the way he is so passionate about spending time with the kids and truly loves it. He also enjoys to mountain bike when he gets a chance (I won't tell you how often this REALLY happens). Jami also love music and has revisited his love of drawing/painting lately.

EJ loves art. Whether it is drawing or painting, she loves it! She also loves music just like her daddy. Some other interests are animals and spending time with friends. She likes playing soccer as well and has played with her school team for the past 2 years.

N is very honest about what he loves, VIDEO GAMES!!!!! However, as much as he loves to play video games, he is really good about spending time outside every day, loves fishing and playing with EJ and O. N also plays soccer for the school team and loves encouraging his team mates. Other things N enjoys are anything star wars, bakugan, pokeman, and also riding his bike and skateboard.

O is fascinated with building and has been since I can remember. He had a hammer in his hand starting at the age of 18 months. In any spare time, we will find O in the garage with his screw driver, hammer, and nails being creative in making anything he can imagine. We have had ramps, platforms, and lemonade stands built for us by O. He also loves riding his bike with N.

We attend Grace Church in Greenville and are so thankful that we were led there several years ago. Our family has grown tremendously over past few years as we have been involved there at Grace. The Lord has worked in our lives in more ways than I could ever mention. It is not because of our church, rather because of the relationship we have formed with our Savior over this time. We have formed so many relationships with friends that we can be transparent about life with.

So...this is our family and I feel so blessed!!! What a wonderful and amazing journey we have been on and are continuing to live.

Oh yeah, and we have three spoiled rotten pets too.  Patch our  border collie and aussie mix.  Oliver the giant mom-eating maine coon. And Bug, N's beta fish.