Fireworks!!

Chris and I took the kids to see the fireworks in Blue Ridge on the 4th of July. They were so excited to go! You know how sometimes you have this little voice in the back of your mind saying "Bad Idea! Bad Idea!" For some reason I never listen to this little voice. Brayden and I are the only ones who actually watched the fireworks. Emma and Jessica totally freaked out! Chris had to take them out of the crowd of people, sit on the ground behind a car with on kid on each side and bury their heads in his lap. They were petrified! Brayden and I stayed and watched, but he kept telling me he was ready to go home. He wanted to see them but was scared at the same time.

The good news is I took tons of pictures. I was going to take the tripod, but when I saw how far I was going to have to walk I decided to leave it in the car. I figured I wouldn't get any good shots, so I was surprised to get these. I'm sure if I'd used the tripod I'd have gotten some super great shots, but since the kids freaked on us I'm glad I didn't have the extra baggage. I told Chris that next year I'm going alone!

Summer Fun!

We haven't had much going on this summer. It seems to be flying by though! The kids have played outside on the new swingset, and in their little pool, which they love. The days are so hot though that they ususally end up inside. Dress up is a favorite for them. Here's Emma ready to go shopping:Great-Grandma was here for 2 weeks visiting. The kids love it when she comes. While she was here we attempted to get a picture of her with all the great-grandkids, but it didn't work out so well. I used my PNS for these pictures, which explains the focus. Plus, the kids wouldn't cooperate. Oh well, I suppose they'll do.
And here's all the grandkids. I really should have taken one of Mama and Daddy with the grandkids, but for some reason it never crossed my mind. I thought this one turned out ok. Please excuse the dirty feet!

We're planning a trip to Chattanooga sometime, next month we hope. Jessica has been begging us to take her to the Aquarium. They have a neat butterfly exhibit that she just loves. We're planning to make a weekend trip out of it and probably take them to the Children's Adventure Discovery Museum, too.

Jessica goes back to school on August 6th, and she's very excited about Kindergarden. We can't wait to find out who her teacher is, and go shopping for all her supplies! Funny though, all she cares about is finding a rainbow dress to wear on her first day back. My little prissy!

More Wedding Pictures

Joe and Crystal Walker's Wedding

I had the pleasure of doing the wedding pictures for Michael's sister's wedding. I thought I'd post a few on here.

The BrideThe Bride with all her Flower Girls and Ring BearerThe Bride and her brother Michael, who also gave her away.The Bride and her BridesmaidsThe Groom

Our New Swing Set

It took Chris all weekend to get it done, but he finally got the swingset put together. And the kids absolutely LOVE it! I got some pictures, but they're not very good. It's extremely difficult to get pictures of swinging kids! And Brayden was asleep so he's not in them.

Where have you been?

So, it's been way too long since I last posted! All it takes is a little break, get out of the habit, and suddenly months have passed. I'll try to do better. I know you all just LOVE all my ranting and raving!! Ok, ok, so it's the kids that bring you back. I'm just glad you're here!

What's been going on in our lives over the past 5 months? I guess I should start where I left off!

Brayden had his 3rd birthday!

We finally got moved into our new house. It's been a long time coming, and we're so thrilled. It's amazing how quickly it became "home". There are so many trees I have a hard time getting good pictures. This is the front taken from down the driveway.

This is a close up of the front porch. You can't really tell from the picture, but the porch is so high I can easily walk under it without having to duck.This is the back of the house.

The kids are loving their new bedrooms. Brayden has his own room, and since he's just like his Daddy it's always organized. He has his own big bed, which he's finally decided he likes sleeping in. It took us a full three years, but we finally got the little clinger out of our bed. Yay me!

Jessica and Emma are enjoying their girly room. Unlike their brother however, they refuse to keep it clean. Jessica is very excited to be sleeping on the top of the bunk bed, and although I was a bit worried it seems to be working out ok.

Easter!

Jessica had her 5th birthday!

Jessica finished Pre-K last week, and all she talks about is Kindergarden. She's so excited. She's learned to write her first and last name, and she does a great job counting and recognizing her letters and numbers. It's amazing to see how she's changed since she started in school. Leaving her friends, and especially her teacher, has been very difficult for her. I keep noticing her get very quite at different times during the day. When I ask what's wrong she tells me she misses Ms. Sherry. I think she'll be one of those teachers that Jessica will remember years from now as being a very special influence on her. This is Jessica with Ms. Sherry.

I think that's the highlights. Hopefully I can do better keeping you all up-to-date. Our summer is going to be pretty uneventful, but if the rain will stop we'll be spending alot of time outside. We're in the process right now of getting a nice swingset for the kids. Chris and I spent several hours last weekend clearing out a spot for it amongst the Mountain Laurel. Now we just have to pick up the set and get it put together. Hopefully by the end of this weekend the kids will have a swingset to play on. Jessica is very excited about getting a slide, and Brayden and Emma want nothing more than to swing the day away.

Evening with Santa

Mama and Daddy's church hosted an Evening with Santa, and I did the pictures for them. It was so fun watching the kids interact with Santa in such a laid back environment. They were able to just sit and talk with him as long as they wanted. Really cute story...Santa is actually a member of their church, and on Sunday we saw him and Brayden got all excited because "Santa came to church!" I thought it was funny that he still associated him as Santa even without the red suit.

Catch up Continued...November pics

I can't resist posting this. Emma isn't the worst child I've ever seen about taking naps (that award would go to Jessica), but she definately isn't easy. Imagine my surprise when I peeked in from the kitchen to check on the kids...you know that it's-too-quite-so-they're-up-to-no-good feeling, and found this:

Daddy's Birthday:

The kids wanted to make Daddy a birthday cake, and we had so much fun. And they were so proud of it!! And they definately enjoyed decorating it. Don't you just love how perfect the cars are placed...lol!

Hugs:

It's not every day you get a picture like this of these two. They spend more time fighting than any two kids I have EVER seen. So when I get a moment like this out of them I try to capture it forever!

Anyone still listening?

I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted. I'm such a slacker. Ok, a quick catch-up on pics, 'cause that's why I'm here...pictures. :)

Halloween:

Brayden was a monkey. He wore the same costume he wore last year. I was planning to get him a new one, but he saw this one and had a fit to wear it. Suits me! Those darn costumes are expensive!

Jessica was a ballarina. Poor thing was sick and didn't even feel like going trick-or-treating. All that candy had her feeling better though.

Emma was a cute little pumpkin fairy. She looked cute as a button, but she hated that costume.

Pumpkin Patch:

Here's the kids at the pumpkin patch. We got every year. They just love it. The tractor with the hay ride was pulling in and I couldn't get Brayden's or Emma's attention. They loved the hay ride too. It's fun, but I hate all the straw in my pants afterwards!


Ok, I'll be back with November's pics...

Oh Boy, was I right...

I absolutely cannot believe how sore I am today. I expected aches and pains, but not this! I can barely move my neck! And my pelvis is killing me! Like I did a million sit ups!

The good news is Chris was able to fix everything on the van, and we didn't have to spend any money on it so far. Two flat tires, the back bumper was falling off, the far back window was falling out, the driver's side door had to be adjusted.... I really tore it up!!

Crazy Day!!

Wow! It's amazing how much can happen in day. From the very beginning it was one of those days that seems to go on forever. You know, the one where you keep looking at the clock, and you swear it never moves. I really hate days like that! There was alot of anticipation today, so that didn't help.

Chris had a job interview today, and it went really well. They're supposed to call him on Monday. He's got the job, as long as they're willing to pay him what he asked for. We're all excited about this!! It won't mean more money, but it will mean more Daddy. It's closer, so he won't have to spend as much time on the road, and no overtime. Instead of getting home at 7:30 he'll get home around 5:00. Needless to say, this is the answer to a ton of prayers.

After Chris got home I decided I was going to go to town and meet with a group of women I scrapbook with. Well, I never made it. Instead I ended up in the ditch. It was raining and I was going down a hill, around a curve. The van just did a total 180, I hit the ditch sideways, went down the bank and back up again...backwards, and landed in someone's driveway...sideways. It scared the hell out of me, to say the least. I'm out in the middle of nowhere, shaken, in the pouring rain, and no signal on my cell phone. Then what do I do? I get in the truck with a total stranger and he takes me home. Luckily I wasn't hurt, but I am pretty sore. I can only imagine how I'll feel in the morning.

It's just NOT fair!!

First of all let me preface this by say that I am in no way, shape or form, growing old gracefully...nor willingly. I'm getting very close to my 30th birthday, and I'm determined to be a total grouch about it. So there! I said it! And if anyone sends me an Over the Hill card I'm going to hunt them down! Consider yourself forewarned...


So, what is it I'm whining about today? I decided to grow my hair out to donate to Locks of Love. You have to have at least 10" to cut off, and you can't color it. I haven't had hair that long since I was like 8 years old, and I didn't know what I was getting into! I want it cut so bad, and I have 4" left to grow! So if your hair grows 1/2" a month that means I'm in for a long wait! So anyway, I've been wearing it up like every single day. Straight from the shower to a pony on top of my head. I hate it! And it's getting so long now that it makes my head hurt because it's so heavy. Today I decided to straighten it, and leave it down. I mean, come one...who wants a headache? Well, I found....GRAY! And not just one strand, that I can handle. No, I've got a mess of it! And I can't even color it!! And as if that's not bad enough, where do you think it is? Not underneath where it won't be seen. Nope...it's right on top and falls right in line with my natural part. Waahhhh!! Do those kids really need my hair that bad? Someone remind me WHY I started this in the first place.

Ok, on to another topic. I think things are finally starting to settle down in my house. The kids seem to be feeling better, even if we are still dealing with snotty noses and ugly coughs. I'm praying that it's going to continue to get better.

The kids and I went to spend a few days with Donna last week, and we had a great time! We went to McDonald's and let them play on the playground for what seemed like forever. We did pudding painting, at Elizabeth's request, and they all had a blast painting and eating and then painting some more. And there's really nothing like being able to let the kids eat the mess!! Easy clean-up!! And the pictures turned out so pretty! I can't guarantee that they'll be something that I'll get to show them when they grow up, though. I'm expecting the mold to start growing any day now.


We also went to a pumpkin patch, which Emma slept right through, and then we painted the pumpkins. And let me tell you, Brayden is just like his Daddy. He was so serious, and so meticulous! Everything had to be just so. He really enjoys all things art.

And I took this picture of the gourds at the pumpkin patch. I thought it was really neat!

On our last day there we went to the fall festival, and of course, the kids all got their faces painted. Paint, paint everywhere! It didn't last long though. What is it with kids putting their hands all over their faces?