Our Blessed Family

Downtown Disney

2011-10-27T21:54:00.001-05:00

My Pirates!

Outside the Lego store

Digging for dino bones

Waiting for the boat

A picture with Mickey (well, kinda)

On the boat ride

Playing in the water

Our yearly photo with Buzz

Our trip to FL ends at my sister's house in Orlando, where we always take some time to do the "Disney" thing. Which for us means, Downtown Disney. The boys love it and always have a blast.

Big School for 2, please

2011-08-12T20:53:00.004-05:00

Where has the time gone? This is a big year for us .. Zack starts kindergarten and Nicholas is in the 2nd grade. We met our teachers and have now started big school. And mommy has a quiet house during the day.

Nicholas taking Zack's picture on the way to school

Zack taking Nicholas' picture on the way to school

Waiting to get out in carpool line

Their first couple days were good. Nicholas is in an all boy class this year and has a few friends from last year with him. Zack is doing well .. not quite as excited as Nicholas and doesn't like "nap time" .. it's boring!

Zack's New Glasses

2011-08-10T22:26:00.005-05:00

So, I have to put this down, otherwise I will forget it. And it is just too precious not to remember.

As you may know, Zack wears glasses for "lazy eye." His right eye turns outward. He has been wearing glasses for about 3 years now and does very well with them. At our last appointment 2 days ago, the dr. determined that he's not necessarily getting better (not worse either) so she decided to "shake things up a bit." Plus, his eyes are working at maximum capacity and with Zack starting kindergarten, we don't want him to be worn out from that kind of focusing all day long. She has changed (lowered) his prescription so that his eyes aren't working so hard to focus but added a prism to the lenses to help pull his eyes in. (I'm sorry if this doesn't make much sense .. it doesn't to me either). She did say that it may take a week or so for Zack to adjust to the new lenses since the prism "moves" the image Zack is looking at. Ok.

Tonight, Cheryl, a good friend who also works at our eye dr, called to say the new lenses were in and did we want her to bring them and change them out at church. Yes. So that's what we did. While Zack was in bible study, I got his glasses and Cheryl switched the lenses. I took them back to him and he put them on. I gave him a minute and we asked if they were ok. His first response was "Yes," but after a second pause, he said,

"No! I'm not ok! The floor has hills!"

With a smile, I said "it's ok, you'll be fine" (and since we were interrupting the bible class), we left. He kept the glasses on, and we peeked around the corner to watch him and what we saw was priceless. It was one of those times you wish you had a video camera. Zack literally looked at the floor for 5 minutes, sometimes pulling down his glasses to look over them and then through them again. At one point, he actually tried to touch the "hills" on the floor .. you know, like touching a 3D image. It was sooo funny. I was laughing so hard, I was crying, and also thinking, "What have I done to my son? His 1st day of kindergarten is tomorrow!"

We continued to watch him and he finally stopped looking at the floor. All was ok as we left and went to service. I really think he'll be fine since he was running in the parking lot. However, every time we asked if his glasses were ok, his response was, "the floor still has hills."

Our thought process is that tomorrow morning, with his eyes fully rested after sleep, the new lenses won't be so big of an adjustment. I also emailed his teacher to let her know, just in case the "hills" are still in the floor. Hopefully this won't make his 1st day of kindergarten traumatic. Although I doubt we will forget it anytime soon.

**********UPDATE********
On Thursday morning, when I asked how his glasses were, he immediately looked at the floor and said, "There are still bumps." (at least we've gone down from hills)

After school .. still bumps

After dinner .. the bumps are smaller

Friday .. the bumps are gone

Thank goodness!

Just Enjoying Family

2011-07-28T19:43:00.001-05:00

Grandpa and his grandkids

Aunt Trish is gonna get us!

Boys + Pool = Lots of fun!

2011-07-28T19:38:00.004-05:00

What's a trip to FL without some pool time?
And what's pool time without being thrown?

The Aquarium's Splash Pad

2011-07-28T19:34:00.002-05:00

... and here we are. After lunch, it was time to get wet. Unfortunately we didn't know this was there so we had no other clothes for the kids. But it was a very hot day (surprising, I know) and I did find a few towels/blankets in the back of the van for the ride home.

It was a pirate ship with cannons and guns and all sorts of other fun, wet stuff!

The Florida Aquarium

2011-07-28T19:29:00.002-05:00

This year we took a day to head west, to Tampa and The Florida Aquarium.

The boys at the BIG TANK!

With Grandma

Nicholas & Grandma watching the fish in the BIG TANK

The 4 Musketeers

And this was the end of our "indoor" play. Little did we know there was a splash pad, so after lunch that's where we headed ...

Vacation Time!!

2011-07-28T19:26:00.002-05:00

Here we are .. our annual trip to FL to visit our wonderful family.

Playing in the pool in the backyard!

Addisyn chilaxin' on the dock ...

... while the other 3 play in the "sand"

Swingin'

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-07-22T22:42:00.002-05:00

This year, Mother's Day was a little different. My parent's came down for the weekend so we could go to the Regions Charity Golf Classic at Shoal Creek. We went Fri and Sat with Mom and Dad, then on Sunday (Mother's Day) Todd and I took the boys. It really was a fun weekend. Nicholas LOVED it, Zack was ok.

Daddy and his boys (on the 17th hole)

Todd and I on the 14th tee

The boys on the 14th tee

Me and my boys on the 17th hole.

What a great Mother's Day weekend!

*Sorry for the quality of the pic's but they're from my cell phone.

Playin' with the boys (& girl)

2011-07-22T22:39:00.003-05:00

Here they are .. Sam, Nicholas, Mary Alice, Eli & Zack.

What a motley crew .. they have such a great time together (and don't like each other at all, can you tell?)

Zack's Graduation from Pre-School!

2011-07-22T22:30:00.002-05:00

This is Zack's last year of pre-school. He's graduating and moving onto Kindergarten in August. I was thrilled to be working at his school, his last year.

The kids put on a great program, entitled "Jesus Is..." Mrs Amy did a fabulous job and even today, 2 months after the program, Zack still recites his "ABC's of scripture" and goes around the house singing his songs.

Here is a picture the school took and it was on the slideshow presentation. It's Zack and his best friend, Sam.

Zack, Emma, Sam (the 3 musketeers)

Me and my "baby" on his last day.

Happy Birthday ...

2011-07-22T22:22:00.003-05:00

... to the best Daddy in the world.
... to the most incredible husband ever.

We love you so and we can never express how much you mean to us. We are so excited and honored and blessed to be sharing our lives with you.

Happy Birthday!

This is a few months late .. his birthday was back in May. I'm sorry, Honey.

Chillin' with a new tv

2011-07-22T22:20:00.002-05:00

Well, we did it. We bought a new tv for our bedroom (and the old one still worked!). Of course, that's where the boys wanted to watch tv now ..

"Nic at Night"

2011-07-22T22:16:00.002-05:00

This year, our church put on "Nic at Night" for the spring musical. Nicholas was a Pharisee while Zack and the other "cherubs" were part of the audience and helped in some of the songs. Mrs Maizie and Mrs Amy did a great job with all of the children and it was, as always, a joy to watch.

Happy Easter!

2011-07-22T22:10:00.004-05:00

Happy Easter Pictures in the front yard :o)

Easter in TN with Grandma & Grandpa

Decorating eggs ...

Opening our "buckets" ...

And what's Easter in TN without boating and kayaking

We hope you all had a very blessed Easter!

Golf

2011-07-22T22:05:00.004-05:00

For Christmas, the boys got "real" golf clubs and it was finally warm enough for Todd to take Nicholas out to play. After a rocky start (Todd turned too sharp in the golf cart and threw Nicholas out ... oops!), they both had a great time. Nicholas' clubs may be a bit too big now, but we're sure he'll grow into them. He has inherited his daddy's and both of his grandpa's love of golf. Hmmmm .. a future career??

Airplanes

2011-05-26T22:58:00.004-05:00

One Sunday afternoon, some WWII planes flew in for a visit to the Shelby Co Airport. So, of course, where do you expect to find Todd and Nicholas?

Here is Nick, sitting in the cockpit of a private airplane (yes, he got permission). Look at the smile on his face. Future pilot???

Spring Break, Part III

2011-05-26T22:51:00.002-05:00

Our week was casual and fun. Just spending time together.

One afternoon, we headed out for lunch at The Depot and then to check out the waterfall.

We did discover a Wii game that all 3 liked to play .. a dance game Uncle Terry & Aunt Terri had given the boys for Christmas. What fun watching Nick, Zack and Alyssa (and sometimes Aunt Trish) dance away.

Spring Break, Part II

2011-05-26T22:35:00.006-05:00

2nd stop ... the Zoo!

We got there early (thank goodness) and had a great morning. Cause by the time we left (early afternoon), the parking lot was packed!

Todd and his baby sister

The train ride was pretty much 1st on the to-do list. And since we were early, we didn't have to wait. Thank you Todd for pushing us out so early. :o)

Trish, Addisyn, Alyssa

We HAD to sit in the caboose.

And don't forget to ring the bell on the way out.

We got to see the new elephant! We actually saw more than we wanted too and a bit we had to explain to the kiddo's. This is our PG picture :o)

Such cute munchkins!!

Almost lunch time and just after looking at all the snakes

Our final stop at the zoo .. the carousel.

We finished up our day with lunch at Davenport's Pizza. Someplace where all the kids would eat and our 1st time there. Yum Yummy!

Spring Break, Part I

2011-05-26T22:30:00.004-05:00

This year for spring break, we were very excited that Aunt Trish, Alyssa and Addisyn came up for a visit. It had been many years since they had made it up this way and since we didn't have a camper to go camping this year, this was the next best thing. And the kids (and adults) had a BLAST.

1st stop .. the park!

They all had so much fun running around. And we were blessed with such beautiful weather.

Just hanging out, playing outside at home was a common theme throughout the week.

And the rains came

2011-05-11T22:46:00.000-05:00

Old Town Helena
Buck Creek Park Waterfall

Standing in The Depot's parking lot, overlooking the waterfall after a particularly heavy rain.

A few weeks later, standing in the same spot.
This is what it's supposed to look like.

Bud's Best Cookies

2011-05-11T22:37:00.001-05:00

Zack's 2nd field trip of the year was to Bud's Best Cookies Factory. They are located just down the street from school and such a fun place for an outing.

After donning the oh-so-stylish hairnet, we all boarded the Bud's Best Train.

Zack and his best bud, Sam

The train tour goes through the entire factory, starting from making the dough all the way to shipping the cookies out on semi-trucks. We got to see it put onto conveyor belts, baked and packaged (where we then got a cup full of fresh-off-the-conveyor belt cookies).

Afterwards, they all got another bag of cookies (us mommies did too!) and a coloring book.

Emma, Sam & Zack
(Emma is a good friend this year. She was even Zack's girlfriend for awhile, but now she's Sam's. As long as they're all happy, I guess it's ok.)

Most of Zack's class

One sick little boy

2011-05-11T22:37:00.000-05:00

It Snowed. Again.

2011-05-11T22:26:00.000-05:00

While I really love the beauty of the snow, I live in Alabama. In the past 5 years, it has snowed twice. This winter, this was our 3rd snowfall. I'm over it. And, yes, I know this is nothing compared to the hammering that the north got. But I live in the south and really only want to see snow when I travel north in the winter.

On the plus side, snow in the south usually doesn't last long. Like it's probably gone by that afternoon.

Pictures taken at 7:45am (I know because they were taken after we dropped Nicholas off at school)

Pictures at 3:00pm (after the boys came home from school)

If I remember correctly, this snow actually stayed like this for a couple days, due to the extreme cold we were having. Very odd for us.

Thank goodness I don't have to worry about snow until next winter. Right now it's the rain and tornado's (but that's for future blogs).

Frank the Dragon

2011-05-11T22:10:00.000-05:00

One weekend, Nicholas brought home Frank, the dragon. We had to take him with us where ever we went and document what we did with him.

Playing Wii with the boys

At basketball

At church

Overall, a low event weekend for us and Frank. Hope he had fun :o)

BRRRRRRR .....

2011-05-11T22:08:00.000-05:00

.... Baby, it's COLD outside!

This January (and to come, February) was very, very cold.

Ice storm -- kids have a "snow" day

Thank goodness Uncle Tommy made us these AWESOME and warm hats for our cold heads!

Golf

2011-05-11T22:00:00.000-05:00

The other sport we have taken up with is Golf, much to the delight of both Grandpa's.

Showing off the new clubs

Learning the proper way to hold the club

Our practice swing.

Since these were taken and recorded (yes, I know, 4 months ago) Nicholas has really taken an interest in golf. He and Zack love to "play golf" in the front yard. They literally walk around the front, picking different spots to "tee off" from and the "hole" is a spot next to our front steps by a decorative stone. They even get the girls to be their gallery and sometimes add in a third player.

Future blog's will also show scenes from the driving range and an actual golf tournament we all attended. Stay tuned :o)

2 on 1

2011-05-11T21:57:00.000-05:00

Here they all are, practicing their skills ...

Basketball

2011-05-11T21:45:00.000-05:00

2011 kicked off with basketball for us. Practices actually started in December, but games began in January. Both boys played in Upward again and had a great time!

Once again, we had a coach in our family. Zack's team, the "Lions," were coached by Coach Todd with Asst. Coach Wendi. Very scary :o)

Nicholas was on the "Hurricanes." I am so proud of how far Nicholas came in just eight weeks. He turned into a pretty good basketball player.

Go Knights!!

2011-02-05T22:21:00.003-06:00

On December 31, the UCF Golden Knights were in the Liberty Bowl. Since that is where Todd graduated from, we all got decked out in our "Knights" gear to cheer them on.

Congratulations Knights!!
10-6 victory over Georgia

SNOW!

2011-02-05T22:19:00.002-06:00

We got even more snow on December 26. And this time it stuck. Not a ton, but enough that Christmas was even more beautiful. The nice thing about AL snow .. it melts by that afternoon.

Wii

2011-02-05T22:16:00.003-06:00

This year, Santa gave us a Wii for Christmas. And we have been having A LOT of fun with it.

Here are pictures from the first day after setting it up ..

Grandma's got good form

Merry Christmas!

2011-02-05T22:06:00.004-06:00

Waiting to dig in. Zack isn't quite awake yet ..

Still waiting .. it wasn't actually that long .. just had to get everyone upstairs
(Look at all that loot!)

Almost time ..

GO!
And that's it until time to play with everything.

New Leapster games

Daddy's new helicopter .. we are still learning how to fly it (2 months later) .. it has very sensitive controls. However, it has provided a lot of laughter in our home.

Grandpa overseeing the Connect 4 games

Uncle Tommy's gift to Dad .. mini chocolate bottles filled with liquor. And they go down pretty easy, let me tell you. This was what was left at the end of Christmas Day.

P.S. ~ it SNOWED on Christmas Day. Not much stuck at our house, but just a little bit north of us it did. Still, for AL, this was huge .. to have a "white" Christmas.

Christmas Eve

2011-02-05T21:54:00.004-06:00

And here is how our day went ..

Grandma & Grandpa arrived the day before. Aunt Donna arrived around noon (she made good time driving up from FL .. left really early). My friend got sick, so we all watched her babies for a few hours so she could get some rest. Then Todd, the boys and I headed off to Christmas Eve service while Donna slept and Mom & Dad relaxed.

Just watching some tv (can you see a pattern in our house?)

Christ the King Cherub Choir

Cherub Choir with Grace Notes playing the bells

All dressed up.

And then we came home to hang with the family. I got the boys out of their church clothes and head in to change out of mine and this is what I find ..

My mom had got these for Todd quite some time ago (like maybe 7-8 years ago). He dug them out and put them on (and this was before a drink) and wore them all night.

Happy Christmas Eve!

Zack's Christmas Program

2011-02-05T21:45:00.003-06:00

Here is Zack and his class, singing their hearts out, at their Christmas Program. They sounded so good and looked adorable (as you can tell). By the way, the little girl Zack is standing next to is Emma, who was his girlfriend at the beginning of the year (they are together a lot on Tues/Thurs since both her mom and I work at the school and they are in the playroom together before and after school those days). Not sure what the status of their "relationship" is right now but Zack gets all shy in the morning going to see her. It's too cute to watch.

Zack and his best bud, Sam

**Unfortunately we don't have any pic's from Nicholas' school program since he (and Zack) came down with Type B Flu on his fun day. His teacher was very sweet and let the kids that were out (there were 6 in his class) do a gingerbread house the next Monday in school so they didn't feel left out.

Time to Make the Cookies

2011-02-05T21:41:00.003-06:00

This was our 1st day of cookies .. the ones that didn't require baking.
Our 2nd day of baking isn't documented with pictures.

The Proper Way to Watch TV

2011-02-05T21:40:00.002-06:00

Christmas Card 2010

2011-02-05T20:24:00.002-06:00

Santa!

2011-02-05T20:21:00.003-06:00

Our annual visit to see Santa at Bass Pro Shop.

*Please forgive these pictures, but we didn't realize the setting on my camera wasn't correct.

The rest of the weekend ..

2011-02-05T20:15:00.004-06:00

After a wonderful meal, we chilled and then started working on putting up the Christmas decorations.

The boys decorating the tree.

The next morning, we made homemade waffles for breakfast. Yummy!!

Grandpa and Nicholas discussing the proper way to make homemade waffles. It's a serious business in our family.

Just hangin' out ...

... and doing laundry ...

... and playing with the Christmas train.

Finally, some nice pictures of me, my mommy and my sister!

What a really great weekend!

Happy Turkey Day

2011-02-05T20:09:00.004-06:00

This year for Thanksgiving, we were the hosts. My parent's came down from TN and my sister flew up from FL.

Here we are getting ready to take a family picture .. setting up the camera on the tripod.

Still working on the settings.

WE DID IT!!! And, in my humble opinion, it turned out really good.

And this is Zack .. at the table .. fast asleep.

B'ham RR park

2011-02-05T19:50:00.003-06:00

On this beautiful November Saturday, we headed to downtown B'ham to drop off our birthday toys at Children's Hospital. Afterwards, we headed over to the new Railroad Park. My boys, the train loving children they are, thought they were in heaven. They LOVED it! And not the playing part, although that was fun, too. We played and walked the whole thing, all the while watching the many, many trains that came through.

Nicholas' Birthday Celebration!

2011-02-05T19:38:00.003-06:00

On November 18, Nicholas turned the big 7!

A train lamp!
He also got wall decals for his room.

"Happy Birthday to You!"

Just Hangin'

2011-02-05T19:36:00.003-06:00

Here we are, playing games with Gramma & Grampa. The boys taught them how to play Zingo!

Our 3 generation picture

Zack's Birthday Celebration

2011-02-05T19:33:00.003-06:00

On November 8, Zack turned the big 5!

A guitar!

A Buzz Lightyear gun!

"Happy Birthday to You!"

New wall decals

Golf - Alabama Style

2011-02-05T17:34:00.004-06:00

Not always having the time to go golfing, we Alabamian's find a way to fit it in. Go out to the grass by the driveway and hit it up to the road (that way, the ball rolls back down to you, instead of hitting it down the yard and having to walk down and then back .. we're thinking ya know).

Even got Grampa in on the action.

The "goalies" .. retrieving the ball from the road & neighbors yard, making sure it goes back down the hill

A Birthday Party for 2

2011-02-05T17:04:00.006-06:00

This year I gave the boys the option again to have separate birthday parties or one together. They opted to have one together. So, after some discussion, we decided to have it a Chick-fil-A. (By the way .. best party ever (cheapest too) ) We also decided that in lieu of presents this year, anyone wanting to bring a gift could bring an unwrapped toy to donate to Children's Hospital. I was so proud of my boys for agreeing to that. Nicholas even said he wants to do that every year (I won't hold him to it, though).

The day of the party

We got there early to grab some tables, so we had to have some yummy breakfast mini's to hold us over.

This year we went with Spiderman ~ cupcakes and a small cake from Sam's. The perfect amount.

Zack & Bennett

Nicholas & Eli

Nicholas, Gabe, Seth

Daddy, Gramma & Grampa having some lunch

Zack & Sam

Happy Birthday Boys. Until next year!

Waiting Patiently

2011-02-05T17:02:00.003-06:00

But I don't remember what for. Sorry. Probably cookies or pizza or ???

1st grade Zoo field trip

2011-02-05T16:56:00.003-06:00

In November, Nicholas' 1st grade class went on their zoo field trip. That Friday, Gramma and Grampa also happened to be visiting, so we all packed up and headed to the zoo (shhhh .. no siblings or other family allowed).

Gramma, Grampa & Zack checking out the fish and turtles (see Todd in the reflection taking the picture).

I was the chaperone with another mom and this was our crew:
Seth, Amelia, Ella, Gabriel, Nicholas

It was a beautiful day and we all had such a great time.

Like Father, Like Sons

2011-02-05T16:46:00.003-06:00

My boys were destined to love airplanes, of all kinds. My dad was a Navy pilot and my husband adores WWII and the aircraft flown then. Hence, my boys love airplanes.

Halloween weekend, our local airport hosted it's "Come and see the bombers" (that's not the real name, but I don't remember what it's called). So my dad, my hubby and my boys headed out to see the bombers and old aircraft. And had a blast. While my mom and I shopped. What a great Saturday.

And sometimes they do play nice together ...

2010-12-17T20:12:00.002-06:00

Halloween

2010-12-17T20:04:00.004-06:00

Time to carve the pumpkin ... Of course, this was after MUCH discussion and sample drawings as to what the face of the pumpkin should look like.

The green superhero and fireman

The beautiful mermaids came over for a visit ...

... and stayed for a picture with the Wicked Witch

The Wicked Witch with her favorite superhero's.

I feel so blessed that my boys get to experience the Wicked Witch. My mom did this every year growing up, that I can remember. That is the same wig and costume, new hat and makeup. Her cackle is the same and my boys LOVE it. Zack says it's funny. It's a tradition that I cannot keep, but am so happy my mom wants to still do it.

CtK Fall Festival

2010-12-17T19:56:00.004-06:00

The weekend before Halloween, our church held a Fall Festival. There was food and games and lots of fun. They even had pony rides.

Here's Zack, taking a break with his juice and chips. I was manning a game, so he just sat behind me. Nicholas was helping Ms Jen with her "fishing" game. I think he had more fun doing that than anything else.

After the festival was over, there was a short break before Trunk or Treat started up. The Wonderful Whatley's came to join us.

The munchkins all dressed and ready to go

Getting their loot

Such a great afternoon.

2010-12-17T19:42:00.005-06:00

Our last day there, we decided to go play downtown. We stopped for a picture outside the aquarium (we'll visit there our next trip) and then headed to lunch at Cheeburger Cheeburger. Yummy.

After lunch, we set out to explore and walked across the river where we found a cute park with water fountains the boys could play in. We hadn't brought a change of clothes, so we said to be careful and took off their shoes and socks.

So far so good. But then they were getting more adventurous, so I decided to take off their shirts. That way, the wouldn't be freezing later. Let the fun begin. They had such a blast playing in the water.

On our way out, we set up the camera timer and managed to get a "not too shabby" family picture. Of course, Zack fell off the edge right before which is why he is not smiling.

We walked back across the river on the pedestrian only bridge. And because we didn't want all that exercise to go to waste, we rewarded ourselves with a stop at the ice cream shop at the end of the bridge. Oh so yummy!

And, cause mommy was on a roll with the camera timer, we set it up again. Not good lighting here, but you get the point.

Back at the campground, what did the boys want to play with?? The car their meal came in at lunch. Of course, they also had fun burning it later in the bonfire.

**Side note .. after exploring the mountain, we went Camping World and found a camper we felt would meet our needs for a longer time than our pop-up. So, after much discussion, a couple weeks after this trip, we put the pop-up on the market. And sold it in 2 days. Currently we are camper free, but plan to buy a new one during the camper shows in the next couple months. So this was our last pop-up adventure.

Hanging Out

2010-12-17T19:37:00.004-06:00

After playing on the mountain, we headed back to the campground where we could watch some football (and play it) and just hang out and relax.

Nicholas and I in a game of catch. Neither one of us can play well, but we had fun.

The boys getting the fire pit ready. Obviously having a serious discussion about this leaf.

Each night we had a bonfire and roasted marshmallow's. This was the boys favorite time of the day.

Chattanooga Camping

2010-12-17T19:27:00.005-06:00

Our final camping trip of 2010 was over the Columbus Day weekend in October. We headed back to our annual fall campground in Chattanooga.

This time we decided to go to Ruby Falls. The boys LOVED it! The whole cave and waterfall was right up their alley.

Our fearless leader

The Falls

Goofy Boys

After playing at Ruby Falls, we headed further up the mountain to Point Park. We had packed a lunch thinking we would eat in the park, but since that was not allowed, we just ate right outside. It was a beautiful fall day.

The boys at the cannons. They loved to pretend they were shooting them.

We got a nice lady to take a family picture.

A fun family day.

7 years!

2010-11-18T21:24:00.005-06:00

Nicholas:
November 18, 2003 4:01pm
6lbs 14oz 20.5 inches long

Today:
You weigh 44lbs and are 48 inches tall. You are in the 1st grade at CVES and LOVE school. You are a friend to everyone and a joy to your teachers. You enjoy everything about school and seem to have a good head for math.

You are finally venturing out and trying new foods. You recently discovered you like green pepper dipped in ranch. Your favorites include Macaroni & Cheese, hot dog's and pizza. You alternate between buying lunch at school or having me pack it for you.

You are more a night person and would prefer to sleep in. Trains always have been, and continue to be, your passion. You are the first person to give a hug or sit and cuddle on the couch. You are very tender-hearted and want to be a helper and to please others (although not always your parents :o) ). I hope that never changes about you.

Happy 7th Birthday Baby. You've taught your father and I how to be a mommy and daddy and still embrace us even when we make mistakes. We love you.

5 years!

2010-11-08T22:47:00.005-06:00

Zack:

November 8, 2005 5:20pm

7lbs 9oz 20.5 inches long

Today:
You weigh about 38lbs and are 42 inches tall. You wear glasses to strengthen your eye muscles, especially in your right eye. You are in pre-school at Valleydale Baptist and love it and have many friends, including a "girlfriend" named Emma.

Your favorite foods are chocolate pop parts (aka: Cookies 'n Cream Pop Tarts), chicken nuggets, french fries and straight noodles with butter. We're still working on getting you to try new foods. You love snacks and tv. You are always wanting to watch a movie or cartoons (you now can turn on the tv by yourself and turn the channel to Disney or Nick Jr). You love to play with cars, Buzz Lightyear and trains.

You are always on the go and are a morning person. You need a hug to get you going, but then you are off. You are so very independent and strong willed (so very much like me), and such a loving little boy.

Happy 5th birthday my Angel (and monster). You have turned our life upside down and we love you for it.

Getting behind again ...

2010-11-08T22:31:00.002-06:00

... but I promise to make some time to catch back up.

The month of October was a busy one for us. We started out the month with our final camping trip of the year, to Chattanooga, a fall favorite for us. (I have pictures that I will post soon.) The week we came home from that trip, Todd passed a kidney stone and I got a really nasty bug that kept me in bed for almost 3 days. We also decided to try to sell the camper as we found a larger one that is within our price range and truck towing ability. God deemed it a go and we sold the camper in 2 days. We are waiting to purchase a new camper until early spring and will keep you posted on that.

Next came the church fall festival & trunk or treat, followed by Halloween with the Wicked Witch visiting our house (aka: my mom ~ again, pictures to follow). In between all that, I was helping my girls at Majestees (www.majestees.com) get ready for their fall shows (B'ham Jr League and Christmas Village).

And now we are already 8 days into November with birthday's, visiting family, working at Christmas Village and holiday's coming up. So much going on and time getting away from me. I'm not sure how and I definitely don't know when, but I will get this blog updated again.

Beautiful Saturday

2010-10-02T18:51:00.003-05:00

Today was an absolutely beautiful day. So we headed out to the park.

Daddy spent a lot of time chasing the boys. He even went through the tunnel, but only once :o)

We also played with my camera timer and got a really nice family picture (at least I think so)

Riding our bikes while Mommy and Daddy walked. Had to get a little exercise in.

Noccalula Falls

2010-09-26T19:44:00.005-05:00

Saturday morning we headed out to see Noccalula Falls Park.

Unlimited train rides were included with our admission!

The petting zoo

Feeding the animals

Nicholas could've stayed here all day!

The falls. Unfortunately we are having a drought, so it was only a trickle, but it was still pretty to see. We opted not to hike down to it, but enjoyed it from above.

Sunday morning, around 2am, a front moved through with thunderstorms. (Thank goodness both boys slept through it.) Which meant everything was wet when we packed up to come home. Seems to be par for the course with us. Someday, I'll bring home a dry camper. Someday.

A quick weekend away

2010-09-26T19:37:00.004-05:00

We haven't used the camper in awhile, so we decided to do a quick weekend away. We left Friday around noon and headed up to Gadsden, AL where we had found a campground right on the Coosa River. What a gorgeous spot.

Our campsite

1st thing after setting up the camper .. Swimming!

Me and my boys!

Me and my hubby!

This was about 7:30am Saturday morning .. fishing. We were woken up around 6am with all the fishing boats hauling butt down the river.

Zack wanted to take pictures. Be thankful this is the only one I put in. His other 2 (close up's of his hand) make me dizzy to look at.

Labor Day

2010-09-26T19:33:00.003-05:00

With Mom and Dad only living 4 hours away, we now get to see them more often. Whoo Hoo!! So, for Labor Day weekend, they headed on down. We didn't do anything special except just hang out. Dad and Todd played golf, while Mom, the boys and I shopped (they were so excited about that, let me tell you).

Grandpa and the boys supervising Daddy on the grill

Playing with trains

My mommy and me. We're always the ones behind the camera and I don't remember the last time we had a picture of just the two of us.

What's Missing??

2010-09-09T19:19:00.002-05:00

Last year for Pre-school

2010-09-09T19:12:00.004-05:00

Tuesday was the beginning of Zack's 2010-2011 4k school year. It was also the beginning of my last year for pre-school. Next year he will be in Kindergarten and in school full-time.

He was so very excited to start school. And he is loving Ms Teri, his teacher. He is in the elephant room and his BFF Sam is there with him. And, as of today, he also has a "girlfriend," Emma. It's shaping up to be an exciting year!

Banner Bearer

2010-08-29T20:39:00.004-05:00

Nicholas has finally reached the age required by church to help during the service. He has been wanting to do this for quite some time. This privilege is carrying one of the two banners up the aisle during the procession, assisting with the collection and then taking the banner back down the aisle at the end of service.

Last week we were told practice would be today. He worked with Ms. Kathi, and, lo and behold, he was asked to do it during the late service since they were short one person. He was sooooo excited. And he did FABULOUSLY! He carried the banner like a pro, was very concerned that it was facing the right way and sat up by the alter for the whole service following along (don't worry .. Mommy and Daddy were sitting there in the front pew for our 2nd service of the day).

He is so proud of himself and so are we!

1st Grade!

2010-08-14T16:05:00.003-05:00

Our 1st day of 1st grade picture

(and yes, I know he's wearing the same shirt he wore for his 1st day of kindergarten picture ~ he chose his outfit)

He wanted to do a "funny face"

Getting out of the van .. all ready to go!

He did have butterflies in his tummy, but had a great 1st day. He is getting soooo big.

Last Day of Summer Vacation

2010-08-14T15:55:00.004-05:00

The summer went by very quickly and now school is starting. We had gone bowling with our friends a couple days before school started and on the day before school, Nicholas asked if we could go again. Sure thing!

Daddy even took off work a couple hours early to join us.

Goofy kids! They did some sort of dance every time they threw the ball.

Nicholas had a phenomenal game .. his 2nd game he got 4 spares and a grand total of 109! I don't even bowl that well.

Golfing

2010-08-14T15:48:00.003-05:00

While Dad and Todd went golfing, Mom and I took the boys golfing too. We went to a small putt-putt course and had fun. We may not have played exactly by the rules, but at one point, all four of us, legitimately got a "Hole in One." Daddy and Grandpa couldn't say that!

Fall Creek Falls

2010-08-14T15:40:00.004-05:00

While we were there, we decided to go exploring. Mom found a waterfall, Fall Creek Falls, about an hour away. So we packed a lunch and headed out.

Crossing the swinging rope bridge (Dad had walked ahead to get this picture)

Hiking the 1 mile to the falls. There was an option to drive, but nope, not us, we hiked!

The Falls
We opted not to go down to the bottom of the falls since it was a 45 degree incline to get back up

Taking a break before hiking the 1 mile back

We saw a deer!

Final Summer Trip

2010-08-14T15:35:00.003-05:00

For our final summer trip, we headed back to Grandma & Grandpa with the trains, in TN.

Grandma & Nicholas going over the house plans ~ Nicholas was all about that and had to know where everything was going to be.

Standing where the house is going to be built

Happy Hour on the back deck

Watching movies in the bedroom ~ the whole weekend was either Lion King II or 101 Dalmatians

July Highlights

2010-08-14T15:12:00.004-05:00

VBS this year was AWESOME! We did Saddle Ridge Ranch and the kids had a blast. Here they are performing their songs during service

Our new toy .. a real racetrack

Nicholas swimming at Oak Mtn while waiting for his turn to go kayaking with Daddy

I need a ride!

End of Vacation

2010-08-14T14:55:00.004-05:00

More hanging out with Alyssa and Addisyn :o)

Aunt Donna has a roommate with a dog, Bella.

Zack, chillin', watching some cartoons

Nicholas LOVES Puff (the cat) and Bella

One day we met up with my good friend, Margaret, and her kids. We had lunch at the biggest McDonald's in the world. Oh my, it was HUGE!

After a fun week playing hard, we headed home. Again a peaceful ride for Mommy & Daddy.

Happy 4th of July

2010-08-14T14:36:00.006-05:00

On the 4th, we had an celebration at Trish's house. Todd's mom and I share that day as a birthday and later that week, Todd's parent's celebrated their 55th anniversary.

Trish with Addisyn

Grandma, Grandpa & Grandkids

Family 4th of July photo

My sister even came down for the party (and we bought matching tee shirts - on purpose!)

Zack, Alyssa, Addisyn, Nicholas

The party crew!

Doing fireworks in the rain

Back to Florida

2010-08-14T14:27:00.004-05:00

Ten short days after we returned from the beach, we headed back to Florida, this time to visit family for a week. So we hit the road, bright and early, in the new van, and off we went!

This was the most peaceful trip to Fl we have ever taken. The new van has a built in DVD player with headphones. The boys LOVED it. They listened to their movies while Todd and I listened to cd's and could have a conversation. Ahhhhh.....

Here they are fishing at Grandma & Grandpa's

Alyssa's 5th birthday party took place while we were visiting. It was held at a fun place with arcade games and a climbing tower. Nicholas, for some reason didn't like the tower and made it up part way (we had him take our pic on his way up, hopefully distracting him ~ didn't work)

Just hanging out with Alyssa and Addisyn

St George Island

2010-08-12T21:57:00.004-05:00

Our last day, we decided to explore St. George Island. We had a fun ride over a loooong bridge and made our 1st stop at the lighthouse. We all walked up the 92 steps but Zack refused to climb the ladder into the very top. So Daddy and I took turns with Nicholas up there.

Cool pic that Daddy took

God's open door ~ two nights after we arrived, a new family pulled into the spot across from us. They also had 2 boys, one of them named Nicholas. From then on, 3 of the boys were inseparable (the youngest was 2, so he didn't play all the time). And we made friends that we are planning another camping trip with this fall.

Our last night on the beach, looking for crabs again.

Nicholas, Nicholas and Zack

Carrabelle, FL

2010-08-12T21:47:00.004-05:00

The next day we decided to explore Carrabelle, FL. That took us about a 1/2 hour and we were driving slow. We hit up the Dollar General and bought some goggles and sparklers for the boys. Then we decided to try a small "mom & pop" place for lunch. Not one of our greatest idea's, but it wasn't bad. By the way, Happy Father's Day to Todd! We love you Honey!

Here we are waiting for the afternoon storm to pass - coloring in the camper.

Time to hit the pool again.

Side note ~ Nicholas learned how to dog paddle about 2 years ago. He's never been great at putting his head in the water, but was starting to get better. However, the minute he put the goggles on, he became a completely different person. He was holding his breath under water and swimming the width of the pool. He was non-stop and doing a great job of swimming. We are so proud of him!

Back at the beach. Unfortunately there were some big bee's that would attack you (we realized later it might have been the big colorful umbrella we had) so we never stayed very long. But that's ok, because the boys take after me and prefer the pool.

Here we are with our sparklers!

Summertime Camping

2010-08-12T21:29:00.006-05:00

In the spring, we started planning this camping trip to the beach. We booked our site in Navarre, our favorite beach, and were soooo excited to go. However, BP had other plans for us. Due to the oil spill and the situation in the Gulf, we made a heartbreaking decision to cancel our Navarre trip. But, when God closes one door, he opens another (more on that later).

Todd and I spent a lot of time on the computer looking for somewhere else to take a camping trip. So many options were discussed and we finally found a campground in Carrabelle, FL. Where is that? Just outside of Mexico Beach, by St George's Island, on the far NE side of the panhandle. I was a little uneasy about it, especially when I found out the closest Walmart was 45 miles away, just outside Tallahassee. Oh my .. what have we gotten ourselves into?

It turns out .. a fabulous beach trip!

The beaches were beautiful and we were at an extremely nice campground (it even had complimentary computers to use!). The 1st day at the beach we found a ton of hermit crabs. Nicholas loved picking them up and was very patient in waiting for them to come out and walk on the beach. Zack, on the other hand, kept waving his in the air (that one he carried for an hour may still be in shock).

Nicholas even went fishing in the Gulf. And caught a fish!

Finally Tennessee!!

2010-07-24T13:04:00.006-05:00

Mom and Dad finally sold their home in Sarasota, FL and moved to Tennessee in the middle of May. To say we are excited about this would be an understatement. Now we are only 4.5 hrs away from them instead of 10.

Right after school got out, we headed up for our 1st of many trips to see them. They are currently living in a rental home while their new home is under construction.

Dad has found a model train place that the boys fell in love with, of course. They could (and did, I think) spend hours in there looking at all the trains. Thank goodness for mommy and grandma, that it is located in the mall nearby, so we could shop while the boys played.

Here they are on the back deck, watching for all the wildlife. Mom has up a multitude of feeders and a book to find out what birds are stopping by for dinner (or breakfast or lunch). Nicholas really enjoyed watching and looking for the birds, chipmunks and deer.

Grandpa and Grandma with the boys

While we were there, my aunt and uncle from FL were passing through. It was so great to see them as it had been a couple years. They travel in their motorhome with their babies. Nala Grace LOVES people and especially to give them kisses.

The boys with Aunt Nan and Uncle Tom

Happy Memorial Day

2010-07-24T12:56:00.004-05:00

This year, we got to spend Memorial Day with some of our best friends. We headed out to Alex's parent's place for a day of swimming, playing and all around fun.

2 trains in the water ..

...become 1 long train

Then after lunch and playing in the "family life center", it's time to ride the tractor!

What an awesome day with our 2nd family!

Budding Artist

2010-07-23T22:05:00.003-05:00

This year, Nicholas was chosen as one of the 34 students in the entire school to have his art work displayed in the Shelby County Art Show.

His picture was then framed and will hang in the school hallway until next spring.

CONGRATULATIONS NICHOLAS!!!

End of 2009-2010 school year

2010-07-23T21:55:00.004-05:00

May marked the end of another school year.

Here is about the only picture I have from Zack's end of year party. I was a co-room mom for the Seal class and had such a great time planning and being with Zack in his class.

Then we come to the end of Nicholas' year in Kindergarten. He learned so much and thoroughly enjoyed going to school. His award from Mrs Wilson was "Most Cheerful."

Some of his best classmates .. Gabe and Sadie

Nicholas with Mrs Wilson

Headed home, all decked out in his luau gear from Mrs Wilson.

Cute Boys

2010-07-23T21:49:00.001-05:00

Starting chores?

2010-07-23T21:43:00.002-05:00

One day while doing dishes, Zack came in and asked if he could do them. Sure thing! I'm sure it stems from the whole loving to play in water, but he asks everytime I do them.

Then, one Sunday right before Todd's cousin's arrived, I was running a little behind. So I told Nicholas to go vacuum the living room. "Really?!" Sure thing! And off he went and had a blast.

Here's to hoping this will continue for a long time to come. If not, I still have these pictures to show that they do know "HOW" to clean.

Staying Cool

2010-07-23T21:35:00.003-05:00

Summer started out hot, and has only gotten hotter.

The boys decided to play in the sprinkler while Daddy is watering the yard.

One hot afternoon, we met Jenny & V at IJump. We had such a good time (Jenny has more and better pictures ~ most of mine are of the backs of the kiddo's coming out of the slides), but here is one that came out. Nicholas and V decided to ride the go-carts. They LOVED it. Zack wanted to but was too small. So, instead, he threw the mother of all temper tantrums (I don't have a pic of that either. Slacker Mom).

And finally, the new ...

2010-07-23T21:30:00.003-05:00

... VAN!!

a 2010 Honda Odyssey

We are soooo excited!

Going Kayaking

2010-07-22T22:16:00.002-05:00

Todd really loves kayaking and recently purchased a new kayak. Here are the boys on it's maiden voyage at Oak Mtn State Park

The boys had a blast (even when we had to wait out a thunderstorm) and are very excited to go kayaking with Daddy.

The New ...

2010-07-22T22:11:00.003-05:00

...Plants in the front

...bedroom furniture

...bike for Zack

**Coming soon .. a new van

Happy Birthday Todd!!

2010-07-22T22:06:00.002-05:00

Time is flying by. So fast, that it is now 2.5 months after Todd's birthday that I am putting this on the blog. I'm sorry, Honey.

Happy Birthday to one great father and husband! You are the bestest!! I love you!!!

Here they are with our "diet" birthday cake. We went with chocolate chip cookies this year .. 2 for each of us.

We Like Sheep

2010-07-22T21:52:00.004-05:00

I am very so far behind, but here I go ..

Every year our church puts on a children's musical. This year was "We Like Sheep."

My sheep :o)

The rehearsal

The Cherub Choir

Waiting ...

Nicholas doing a great job

Zack, who "shut down" just before the performance. So he sat in Daddy's lap like this for the whole show. Oh well. He loved the rehearsal and still sings the songs today.

Maybe next year will be better.

Weight Update

2010-07-20T23:18:00.002-05:00

Well, it's been almost 3 months since I declared I would lose 20 lbs in 6 weeks.

That didn't happen.

I've only lost 10 lbs in the last 3 months, however, I have lost inches around my waist and my clothes are fitting much better. I don't know how much I've lost, since I didn't think to measure that beforehand. Another bonus I hadn't considered as I was painstakingly watching my weight not move lower, was that since it took me so long to lose this weight, I'm not putting it back on. Due to my insane schedule since summer started, I have not been exercising. I'm still trying to watch what I eat, but that's not always happening with vacations and such. Yet, I am maintaining my weight/figure.

So, I've realized it's not just the number on the scale. I'd still like to lose at least 10 more pounds, and I'll still work on that and let you know. But if not, I'm pretty happy with what I've done so far.

Family Portraits

2010-07-20T22:59:00.003-05:00

We finally did it. We have been talking about getting professional family portraits done for over a year. So, a good friend of mine, Jenny G, met us at Aldridge Gardens and took these fabulous pictures. Now, hopefully, in the next year, I'll get some ordered :o)

Pictures courtesy of Jenny G, A Moment Like This Photography

Thomas the Train 2010

2010-05-28T20:28:00.005-05:00

This year we made it back to see 'Thomas the Train.' We went on a Sunday afternoon and it was perfect. Not too many people and a glorious day.

Having fun exploring the trains

It's putt putt golf time! Their technique could use some help, so we'll have to get with daddy and the grandpa's for some lessons.

We don't actually ride Thomas, but the little steam train they have. The boys love any kind of train, so it's all ok with them.

With Sir Topem Hat

With Thomas

My Soccer Family

2010-05-28T20:25:00.003-05:00

Coach Todd with Zack (Mustang's) and Nicholas (Team Flash)

HodgePodge

2010-05-28T20:14:00.003-05:00

So, I am finally getting to update the blog. Here are a bunch of miscellaneous pictures from the past month.

For those of you who know my boys, they don't eat a lot and especially not vegetables. However, they recently discovered corn on the cob. Holy Cow .. they would eat it every night now (so we try to have it twice/week). Thank goodness we're starting to get some good things in them.

One Sunday afternoon, doing some planting in front. Daddy has removed all our box bushes and is replacing them with prettier bushes. I enjoy it when it's done and "supervise" the work :o)

One morning, Zack's class went back to the retirement home they visited in December to sing again for the residents.

My boys .. trying to get a nice picture for Mother's day cards for grandma's. Cute but not quite what I was aiming for. Oh well. This is us.

My Goal

2010-04-23T21:45:00.001-05:00

I am going to lose 20lbs by Father's Day!

I'll keep you posted as I go along :o)

Soccer for Zack

2010-04-23T21:36:00.002-05:00

This year, Zack is old enough to play soccer! We (and him) debated about going out for it, but his best friend, Sam, decided to play too, so it was settled. We asked and were able to have the boys on the same team and they LOVE it! They are the Mustang's and Sam's daddy is Coach Mark. Right now, Zack is just learning the game and, I think, just having fun running around on a team. He is learning though. The other day while he was playing by himself in his room with a small, soft soccer ball we have, I heard him say, "No hands in soccer!"

Zack and Sam

Practicing kicking the ball

1st game = rain out! (Zack's face is peeking out)

Rescheduled game

Team break (only part of the team was there this game)

Soccer for Nicholas

2010-04-23T21:28:00.004-05:00

This is Nicholas' 2nd time (or season) to play soccer. We took a year off, but are now back in it. And the difference this time is astounding! He his really getting into the game and being a bit more aggressive in going after the ball. However, his favorite thing to do is play goalie ~ which would be fine, if they had goalie's in this age bracket. None-the-less, he runs ahead of the pack if the ball is headed toward the other team's goal and tries to block any shots. He's doing a pretty good job of it, too.

Here they are taking a break. They all have their own buckets to sit on and in Upward sports they get stars after each game that they put on their buckets.

Uh oh. First game, he collides with another player. Takes a time out to recover and get a drink, but comes back into the game. Used to be that would've been the end. He's growing up.

Even though they don't keep score, Team Flash is having a really good season!

And, by the way, our coach is none other than .... DADDY!! Go Coach Todd!!

Soccer Time!

2010-04-23T21:27:00.002-05:00

Happy Easter

2010-04-23T21:09:00.005-05:00

The "before" Easter Baskets

Digging in .. Zack wasn't completely awake yet

Guess what they got?? Umbrella's!

All dressed up to go to church. My handsome young men!

Our nice family picture

After church, we met up with Michele, Alex and girls and drove out to Alex's parent's home for the day. We are so blessed to have been adopted into Meme and Papa's family.

Getting ready for an egg hunt

Having fun, riding around and around and around.

What a beautiful day!!