Merry Merry Christmas

Well, December has been very busy and has gone by way too fast. I can't believe Christmas has already come and gone. It seems like such a blur!

We had a wonderful Christmas! Our Christmas was filled with lots of fellowship with family and friends and way too much good food. We did something a little different this year and left town the day after Christmas for a week in the North Carolina mountains with friends. I wasn't sure how I was going to like leaving town, but I have to admit it was very nice and relaxing. The only thing I didn't like, was coming home and still having to UNdecorate my house.

Overall, we had a wonderfully "BLESSED" Christmas. I am so thankful I am able to celebrate Jesus' Birthday!!!

Holly Ball

AB has been doing Junior Cotillion and tonight they had their "HOLLY BALL". So sweet! All the girls were dressed up in pretty dresses and the boys looked so handsome in their jackets and ties. It was really nice watching our children act like well mannered southern ladies and gentlemen.

It's that time of year...WAR EAGLE!!!!!!!

Auburn football- there's nothing else like it. Gathering with family and friends for tailgating and then watching the Auburn Tigers play football in the stadium. The atmosphere is just amazing. We are so glad our friends from Orlando have come to help us kick off the season. This is their third Labor Day to spend in Auburn and I think we have almost brainwashed their children to be AU fans.

Birthday Weekend Celebration

We spent the weekend celebrating Wade's Birthday on Lake Martin with family. He said all he wanted was to spend time with family and play with his new toy- the boat. So off to Lake Martin we went. I wish I could say the house we stayed in was ours, but unfortunately it was just ours for the weekend. We found a wonderful house to rent on Auburn side of the Lake and it only took 35 minutes travel time. Perfect. The layout was great. There was enough space for my parents, Wade's parents, my brother, his wife, their 3 children and of course our family. Wade had a great time, but the children had a blast! They loved fishing on the dock, swinging in the "bed swing", swimming in the lake, tubing, riding in the boat and best of all, playing with cousins. It was a great weekend!

"Happy Birthday to me" says Wade

Wade has been looking at boats all summer and finally found the one he couldn't resist. He fell in love with this boat and decided it would be the perfect birthday present to "himself". We went this afternoon to pick it up and take it for a spin. Don't you think he looks like a natural? The children had a lot of fun checking it out and splashing around in the water too. I think we are going to have a lot of great "Family" memories on the lake in the years to come!!!

We finally lost it...

When Davis was about 14 months old, he decided it was time to figure out how to get out of the baby bed. After many trial runs, he finally decided jumping out face first was the easiest way. However, this did result in two loose front teeth. Davis lost the first front tooth in Kindergarten and now he has finally lost the other one. I love his snaggle-tooth smile!

Back to school blues

for me that is. My children were very excited today was the first day back to school. I, on the other hand, was a little sad. AB is starting sixth grade and frankly, that just scares me to death. Mainly because I have realized how fast time goes by and also how important it is to savor each and every day with my children. It feels like yesterday when I dropped her off for her first day of Mothers Day Out!Oh, those were the simple days, which I realize now. As if AB starting sixth grade was not enough to test my emotional stability, I also had to drop my "baby" off in his first grade class. WHEEW!!!! I realized D was not convinced this was really what he wanted to be doing when he wrapped his arms around my leg and begged me not to leave him. Just let me tell you, I was tempted to load him right back up in the car and take him with me. I left crying and asked everyone I saw in the hall to go check on him. I was relieved when I received a phone call an hour later from the asst. principal saying D was just fine and having a ball. Emotional rollercoaster, that's what I felt like I was on with AB and D. But then there was G. My sweet little G. She was amazing. She woke up, got dressed, ate breakfast, gave me a hug and kiss and walked right in to her classroom with a big smile on her face ready to conquer the world. God is good! He sprinkles down a little sunshine in the midst of what seems to be a storm.

Building LEGO fun!

Today we celebrated Davis' 7th Birthday with a LEGO party. It was a little boys dream! The children loved building lego houses, ships and especially race cars. My dad built a LEGO table so the children were able to walk right up and build away. After the children finished building the ultimate race car, they moved on to the Race Ramp where there was a friendly competition waiting. I loved watching the their smiling faces as they cheered their cars past the finish line. Davis thoroughly enjoyed spending the morning building LEGOs with his friends.

Happy Birthday Grace

Today we celebrated Grace's Birthday again. I say again because she turned 9 on July 21 and it seems we have celebrated every day since. Today I guess we made it official with her Tennis party. The girls had a great time playing a couple of matches and of course eating some cake too!

Happy Birthday my sweet Grace! I hope you have had a wonderful 9th birthday celebration.

Sail Away

We have had a blast sailing! Dan is the experienced sailor out of the bunch, so he was designated the captain of our little hobycat. The water is crystal clear and a beautiful vibrant blue. I'm not sure I have ever seen water that shade of blue. We probably didn't have good listening ears (as I tell my children often) because we kept the boat out a little longer than we were supposed to and went a little farther than the designated area. Oh well! It was just too relaxing to cut it short. Dan gave Wade a crash course in sailing and I think he may have caught the "sailing fever". Wade couldn't get enough and throughout the rest of the night, he kept using sailing terms for no reason. Just another reason for us to get a good laugh I guess!

Vacation at last!

Wade and I usually take the whole family when we travel, but we decided we needed a little time away for some R and R. The children were scheduled for Camp NoNa, a week of being spoiled by my parents, so Wade and I started exploring places to go. Dan and Aimee, friends from Orlando, heard about our adventure and signed up immediately. After much research, we decided our destination would be Turks and Caicos. We are staying at The Regent Palms resort for a week of fun in the sun and fellowship with great friends.

The resort is absolutely gorgeous! When we arrived, in our little purple car- more to be discussed about that later, we were greeted in an open reception area by a very friendly face offering us fresh squeezed juice. Ahhh, the relaxation has begun! One feature that drew us to this resort was the fact that there were less than 100 rooms. The overall quaint atmosphere is just what we were looking for.

Camp NoNa

It's Camp NoNa time!!! Each summer my parents get all the grandchildren for a week of fun! The children love it. They look forward to this week all year long. My parents plan all kinds of activities (i.e. fishing, driving golf carts, playing in the woods, campouts-or almost, tug-of-war, swimming in pools and creeks, boat rides, crafts, camp fires which include smores, and even field trips-this year is Fairhope, Daphne Island and Mobile). Wheew, lots of fun packed into one week. I just hope my parents can keep up with the energy level of 6 children under the age of 11. Good Luck NoNa and PaPaw. Annah, Grace and Davis obey and remember mom and dad love you very much!!

Well while the children are off at Camp, the parents are going off to play as well. Wade and I leave for Turks and Caicos tomorrow morning and will be meeting our friends the Mahers. We look forward to a quiet, relaxing week of island fun. Whoohoo!