The Adventures of Our Crazy Life

Project 365/015-365/021

2012-01-22T07:12:00.000-05:00

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Sunday

Sunday afternoon I happened to get on Facebook,and saw where our pastor had posted that Jim Bob Duggar would be speaking that night! I got really excited because Zoe,and I love their show 19 Kids and Counting. We were having a study on our role as a Christian,and politics. Jim Bob,and Michelle ( his wife) spoke about how they got involved in politics. Zoe was so excited to meet them. Four of their children came with them too. She made sure to get everyone’s autograph.

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Monday

Monday night I met with my Life group,and we jumped into the book of James. There is a lot I can learn from this book!

When I got home from bible study Corey had cooked dinner. He made HOMEMADE chicken and dumplings. He kneaded the dough,and everything! I was VERY impressed.

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Tuesday

All 3 kids did great on their report cards. Zoe is the only one who would let me take a picture.

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Wednesday

Noah drew a portrait of me. Please tell me I really don’t look like that..lol ;)

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Thursday

I decided to get back in the coupon game,and thanks to my friend,Summer I have a lot of coupons.

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Friday

Friday was awards day at Zoe,and Noah’s school. I had/have a lot of mommy guilt about not going:( I only work 4 hours a day,and that is from 8:30-12:30. I feel bad to take the whole day off to go to awards. But I made them a promise that I would go the next 9 weeks. We are so proud of all of our children!

We were getting ready to go out for dinner on Friday night when I came across a picture on Facebook. A friend that lives,and ministers in Uganda had posted it. It literally made me sick at my stomach.

This orphan child was found in Northern Uganda,and is VERY malnourished. I felt so guilty,and ashamed that we were about to go have dinner while this child has been starving. They sent a team for him,and he is now in a hospital where they are trying to save his life. All I could think is that this could have been our sweet Charlotte if the neighbors hadn’t have taken her in. My heart aches to go back to Uganda, and if God’s allows I will be going back in October.

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Saturday

My first week back in the coupon game,and I spent $45.00 at Publix. I don’t think I did too bad.

It’s never too late join in. Just visit Sara at Project 365.

Project 365/008-365/014

2012-01-15T20:44:00.000-05:00

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Sunday

Noah turned 11 on Sunday,and we celebrated with a small party at the grandparents.

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Monday

I was sooo excited to pick this package up! It had my new camera in in!

Noah had a check up with the orthodontist.

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Tuesday

My favorite snack of the week! These are so good!

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Wednesday

Kain got a Kindle for Christmas,and this has already happened to it! Thankfully, the people at Amazon were awesome,and sent us a brand new one!

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Thursday

We opened our last Christmas presents on Thursday with my friend,Melissa. We just haven’t had the time to get together,but better late than never. She ended up getting me a wireless printer! I was so excited!

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Friday

Friday we celebrated Rhonda’s birthday with a surprise dinner at Kanpai.

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On Saturday we celebrated sweet Tanner’s 1st birthday!

It’s hard to believe it’s been a year since we were about shocked to death with his arrival! See all along the doctors told my friend she was having a girl. So you can see why we were all surprised when she came out a he..lol.

You too can join in on the fun by visiting Sara!

Happy Birthday Noah!

2012-01-08T20:37:00.000-05:00

Happy 11th Birthday Noah!

We celebrated Noah’s birthday with a hunting theme. He loves to hunt,and anything that can happen outdoors. We invited a few of his friends home with us after church. We kept it really simple,and served pizza for lunch.

After everyone got stuffed full of pizza we did the cake! Of course we had to have a deer hunter cake:)

He was thinking of a wish.

When it was time to blow the candles out my 2 year old nephew decided he wanted to do it..lol.

So we had to have a re-do:)

Everyone was ready to head outside to shoot BB guns,and the bow. Of course Corey gave a safety lesson,and showed them how to handle everything. Most of them listened,and no one shot their eye out ;)

I guess Noah shoots better when his mouth is open.

Some practiced safety a little more than others.

This is how we do birthday parties in the south!

Project 365/001-365/007

2012-01-07T19:40:00.000-05:00

I decided to give this a try this year. I started last year,but didn’t do it very long. I am hoping this makes me use my camera more for my family. I seem to always photograph everyone else,and not my own family. It takes a lot to purposely pick up your camera,and take a photo. So I guess we will see what happens:)

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Sunday

After we got back from Nashville I wanted to get caught up on my blog. I still need to do one post about our trip.

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Monday

Monday none of us got out of our pajamas all day! The kids were out of school,and Corey was off from work so we watched movies all day long.

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Tuesday

Tuesday I tried a new recipe that Ms. Diane gave me, It was hash brown casserole,and it was good!

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Wednesday

Wednesday night all of our activities started back at church.

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Thursday

Zoe had cheer practice to get ready for the competition on Saturday.

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Friday

Even though all the Christmas stuff is finally put away Zoe insists on keeping her tree. She says it’s her nightlight.

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Saturday

Zoe competition in the Queen City Classic in Concord, NC. They came in 2nd place! Way to go Kitty Kats!

If you want to join in on the fun please visit Sara over at Project 365.

Happy New Year’s!

2012-01-01T00:09:00.000-05:00

We celebrated in our hotel room in Nashville! There we not a lot of family friendly options for NYE. So we had our own party. We had Chinese takeout for dinner,and saw two countdowns! We were going to do the countdown with New York,but we missed it by about 2 minutes. So we stayed up to countdown with Nashville.

Welcome to the Teen Years!

2011-12-30T14:57:00.000-05:00

Now I can officially say I am parent of a teenager! I know I say it all the time ,but it is hard to believe that Kain is now 13! We celebrated his birthday in Nashville. Kain wanted to eat at Hard Rock Café,and that is what we did.

I even let him order off the adult menu:)

Which ended up being way too much food!

Of course it wouldn’t be a birthday without a little embarrassment! The waitress asked Kain to walk in the middle of the place,and he was already dying! She then yelled to the WHOLE restaurant telling them it was his birthday and to wish him a Happy Birthday!

After dinner he wanted to go play laser tag. So we found a place,and everyone played while me ,and Jennifer rested.

Kain came in second place!

As for presents what do 13 year old boys want?

The number one thing he wanted was a Facebook page! So I set him one up. I do believe he posted a status saying he had the best birthday ever!

Cheer Nationals @Opryland

2011-12-29T14:37:00.000-05:00

On December 29 & 30th Zoe had her very first cheer competition in Nashville, TN.We all went since everyone was out of school,and it would be Kain’s birthday while we were gone. Our friends the Glovers came with us,and we had a great time.The competition was held at the Gaylord Opryland Hotel. I would say it was a small town instead of a hotel. You could spend your whole vacation there IF you had enough money!

We got up extra early on Thursday so I would have plenty of time to do Zoe’s hair,and make up. I actually was pretty proud at how well her hair did. We ate breakfast, took a few pictures,and headed over on the shuttle. Corey stayed with our boys today while Jennifer went with me. I knew the boys would be so bored watching a bunch of cheerleaders. Then on Friday Corey went,and saw what all the fuss was about:) The girls did AWESOME!!! I was one proud mama!

Welcome to……

We had to be there about 2 hours before they perform. They practice during this time,and just hang out together.

The coaches were having a ugly sweater contest. I think Cade won…lol. Allie is the coach for the Kitty Kats (Zoe’s team),and Cade is Zoe’s tumbling coach.

Way to go KITTY KATS!!!

Kitty Kat showcase

2011-12-27T13:50:00.000-05:00

This year Zoe is on the Kitty Kat competition cheer team at Carolina.This is our first year in the cheer world. There is so much to learn,but Zoe is having a blast. She couldn’t even do a cartwheel when we started ( 6 months ago),and now she almost has her back hand spring! She has loved it so far,and we are just now getting into the competition season. Sometimes it can be a little overwhelming for mama ,but as long as she likes it we will stick with it. We leave tomorrow for Nashville to compete in the Opryland Cheer Nationals! Last week the gym did a showcase where family,and friends could come see the girls perform.Plus it gave the girls a chance to perform in front of a crowd. The girls did so good,and it got all of us excited about the upcoming competitions!

I am not too thrilled about the make up they have to wear,but I do know that the bright lights really make you look washed out.

We looked out,and all the girls were praying! No one told them to they just wanted too. Zoe said they each took turns praying out loud:)

Let’s go Kitty Kats!!

Christmas with the Brain

2011-12-27T13:25:00.001-05:00

Last night we had our “brain” get together. We picked Longhorn for dinner which was a HUGE mistake! We placed the to go order,and they told us 30 minutes. Well it was well over a hour before it was ready. Plus when we got it back to the house there was something wrong with almost all the food. R called ,and we are suppose to get a gift card,but we will see. Despite the food mishap we had a great time. We played the white elephant game,and ended up with some special gifts…lol. I got a very nice fleece blanket,a unique picture frame,and Corey got a FSU hat. We were having so much fun no one thought to take any pictures!

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T17:04:00.000-05:00

Day………

Merry Christmas Y’all!!!

I am feeling much better after well deserving nap. Corey,and I stayed up until 12:30 am on Christmas Eve/ Christmas morning. At 2:00 am Zoe came in my room saying her tooth was about to come out. Needless to say she never went back to sleep. She laid in our bed tossing,and turning. Finally the alarm clock went off at 4:30 so we could shower,and start breakfast before the in-laws came over. Santa wrapped all of our presents this year,but I am sure he won’t be doing that again!

The kids we so excited to start unwrapping everything. I love the excitement that they have waiting to see if they got that special gift. Zoe had hoped for a American Girl, Noah a bearded dragon ( yes a real one),and Kain wanted a Kindle. They had finished opening all the gifts,and Noah still didn’t have a bearded dragon. But wait….Santa had left a note in his stocking saying he had to leave one present upstairs:)

After a great morning we headed to church to celebrate our Savior’s birth! This was our first time going to church on Christmas,and it felt extra special. The kids got to go up with Pastor DJ,and give an offering to Lottie Moon. They also sang Happy Birthday Jesus! Before they gave the offering Zoe prayed in front of the WHOLE church. No fear in that girl,but mama felt like I was going to throw up..lol. we have had such a blessed Christmas,and have enjoyed spending it with family,and friends!

Well we actually made it through the Advent calendar. It was fun,and we did a lot of family things this Christmas. I am glad we stuck to it even on those long days when all we wanted to do was go to bed. We can look bad on some great memories. We will be doing it next year for sure!

A Reason to Celebrate

2011-12-24T23:21:00.001-05:00

Day…….

My friend, Jill, had this on her Facebook status ,and I wanted to share it.

“I love the anticipation and excitement of Christmas Eve. I wonder how our Father must have felt on the first Christmas Eve knowing the gift He was about to give the world.”

Before the kids went to bed we read out of the book of Luke. We read about the greatest gift we have,or could ever receive. I don’t want to get all caught up the material part of Christmas,and remember that Jesus is the greatest gift of all. I am so excited about going to church tomorrow. This will be the first time that our family has ever gone to church on Christmas. I know it will be a very special time.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Cookie Time

2011-12-23T23:04:00.000-05:00

Day……………

I love baking,or at least the idea of baking. It’s just I am not that good at it. I wish I was,but most of the time stuff burns. Well today we made cookies. I guess they didn’t turn out too bad because the kids were eating them up. The enjoying making them,and then tasting them:)

Snicker Doodle cookies,and Chocolate Chip cookies

Mobile Meals

2011-12-22T12:07:00.001-05:00

Day……….

During the Christmas season it is so easy for us to get all wrapped up in receiving rather than giving. So today we volunteered to deliver for Mobile Meals.

It was our first time,and I was little nervous about going to peoples homes. When we walked in first thing I noticed is that all of the volunteers were elderly. I mean if they can get out and do this everyday we should be able to make it through one day! The lady showed us how to pack our cooler. We were delivering 19 meals to 17 locations. That seemed like a lot to me. And the neighborhood we were going to was somewhere I have never been. It is not one of the nicer places in town. I will admit I was a little scared when I found out where we were going. Some one had donated poinsettias so we loaded those up too. When we got in the car we said a little prayer asking for God to use us as a blessing,and not to let my fear get in the way. Once we arrived in the apartment complex I never felt scared again. The kids loved knocking on the doors,and giving the sweet people their meal. The people loved seeing the kids too. It was definitely something we will be doing again.

Christmas take 2

2011-12-21T12:15:00.000-05:00

Day………

It is Christmas at my house today, well at least my side of the family. We were all excited to visit with my Aunt Mary since it has been almost 2 years since I had saw her. I cleaned all morning, wrapped presents,and cooked. We did a lot of appetizers,and desserts. My kind of dinner:) Too bad I didn’t take any pictures of it. We had a great time catching up,and bring with my aunt brought back memories of my childhood at Christmas. It also made me feel like my mom was here with us:)

Grab your skates

2011-12-20T13:48:00.000-05:00

Day………….

Outdoor ice skating in the south is really unheard of. So when I saw the advertisement for Ice on Main I knew we had to go. We tried a couple of weeks ago,and when we got there it was closed:( One of the machines that keeps the ice cold had broke. So we had decided to go ,and give it a try today. Of course 2 hours before we were going to leave it started raining. The kids were really looking forward to ice skating. We still headed to Greenville so we could eat at Smoke on the Water for my birthday.

Cornbread:)

Good southern food!

On your birthday you can pick which dessert you want for….FREE!

Jack Daniels Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie= heavenly!

So after dinner we still had to decide what we were going to do. I had posted something on Facebook,and someone told me about the Bilo center. They normally have hockey there this time of year, but they also had public skating. So that is where we were headed. The kids had a BLAST! They are already wanting to go back.

Gift Exchange

2011-12-19T13:29:00.000-05:00

Day……

This year we decided to let the kids draw names to see who they would buy a Christmas present for.

Kain drew Noah.

Noah drew Zoe.

Zoe drew Kain.

They spent a lot of time deciding what to buy one another within their budget. I think they all chose very well. They also wrapped each gift themselves.

Can’t believe that in a few days it will be Christmas!

I FINALLY wrapped a few presents!

Christmas Gathering #1

2011-12-18T09:42:00.000-05:00

Day………..

After church we went to Granny ,and Papa’s for the annual Morgan ( Corey’s mothers side) Christmas party. This is one of my favorite gatherings to go to. Everyone within 6 hours driving distance tries to come,and it’s nice seeing people you haven’t saw in a year. We all eat,and then get ready for the Chinese exchange gift game. Sometimes this crowd can get a little rowdy…lol. It is a great time with the family,and it is a yearly tradition we have never missed!

The kids with granny,and Papa

A few of the great grand's, and 1 great-great grand

Saturday

2011-12-17T09:35:00.000-05:00

Day…………

Saturday was a busy day. Zoe had cheer from 9-12,and my nephews party was at 1:00. We got through both of those,and headed home. We had planned on going to the Kidzmas event at the library. As soon as we walked in our front door, Noah, threw up! He was not feeling well at all. Not sure what was wrong with him,but he went to bed. So we ended up staying home,and watching movies. Glad we did because I heard from a few people how crazy the line was to get in.

Lunch Date

2011-12-16T21:18:00.001-05:00

Day…….

I am officially on Christmas break!

The kids only had a half day of school,and Zoe had her class Christmas party.

One happy girl that she has 2 weeks off from school!

Noah had PJ day at school. Corey took him yesterday to pick out new pajamas and he got Scooby Doo:) I am very surprised he wanted to wear them to school,but I guess it was the “cool” thing to do. Some of his friends (boys) wore Hello Kitty pj’s!

Today was a lunch date with mom,and I let them pick the place. They picked Bronco’s, our favorite Mexican restaurant.

What’s for Dinner?

2011-12-15T21:08:00.000-05:00

Day………

Tonight was another super busy evening with cheer,and wrestling. We let the kids pick where they wanted to eat. We spared no expensive and told them to pick anywhere. Here is what they chose….

They are so easy to please:)

Noah wanted Subway ,and the other two wanted pizza.

Elf

2011-12-14T20:56:00.001-05:00

Day……

Tonight was a much needed night at home. I have never watched the movie Elf because I really don’t care for Will Farrell. But my kids have wanted to watch it so I gave it. Even though I didn’t find it a bit funny, I loved hearing the rest of them laugh. We have been so busy I was just happy to be at home for one night.

Gingerbread Mess

2011-12-13T17:22:00.000-05:00

Day…..

Today’s agenda was to build a gingerbread house. We have done this before,and everything has always went smooth. I normally buy the kit at Ingles ( grocery store),but I was in Michael’s (craft store) the other day and picked one up. I mean a gingerbread kit is the same,right? Nope, not at all!

Gingerbread house = EPIC FAIL!

The icing is horrible! It will not hold anything together,and kept sliding off. We gave up,and threw it in the trash. I will be going to Ingles tomorrow,and I hope they have a kit left.

We did end up doing something after all. We joined our friends for the Spartanburg Christmas parade. When I was little we would go every year. It use to be the day after Thanksgiving at 9:00am. Well when I was grown,and would rather shop on Black Friday I stopped going to the parade. A few years back they changed it to a evening parade,and made it during the week in December. My kid have never been,and the weather was really good so we went.

Yes, that makes 3 parades in 4 days:)

Snicker Doodle is keeping us entertained:)

S’mores…

2011-12-12T21:23:00.001-05:00

Yes please!

Day………..

We made a campfire,and ate s’mores. Even with our busy evening we still managed to have a little treat. One thing I am really liking about the Advent calendar is that it makes us do fun family things. Any other night I would have just said forget it,and not bothered to do the s’mores. We didn’t get home until 8:00 from cheer,and we were tired. But now I am glad we did it:) Plus the kids know what we are suppose to do,and they would not let us back out.

Um, I think her stick is a little long..lol. The sticks we normally use are in the camper down at the in-laws.

Just look what Snicker Doodle did last night!

Happy Anniversary!

2011-12-12T06:41:00.001-05:00

When I woke up this morning Corey had my favorite candy,and a card sitting on my laptop. I LOVE getting cards. I don’t care if I get nothing ,but I want the card..lol. I love how Corey doesn’t grab the first card that says Happy Anniversary ,but he reads each one until he finds the perfect one for that year. I wanted to share a little of what the card said because it seemed so fitting for this year.

How wonderful it has been

to travel life’s road with you.

There have been

shadows,and sunshine,

twists,and turns,

and obstacles we’ve overcome.

We haven’t always know

where we are going,and sometimes we’ve even wanted to give up.

But I’m so glad we never have.

Because, always

it has been an adventure,

traveling life’s path together.

Happy 13th Anniversary Corey!

There is no one I would rather be with during this adventure:)

Woodruff Christmas Parade

2011-12-11T19:08:00.001-05:00

Day….

Today we went to the Woodruff Christmas parade with our friends. It’s another fun,small town parade where you get lots of candy,and maybe a few other things:) The kids were ready with their bags to catch some sweet treats.

Zoe got this given to her by someone in the parade.

Carriages,and Lights

2011-12-10T19:28:00.000-05:00

Day….

We had so much fun tonight with our friends! We went to Fountain Inn for a carriage ride to see the Christmas lights. There were so many of us we had to split into 2 carriages.

After the carriage ride we headed to an Italian restaurant in Simpsonville for some great food! While there we decided to go see the house in Mauldin that is decorated. It has been on the news before,and since we were so close we had to go.

I love when all 23 of us get together. Yes, it is crazy,and insane when the kids out number the parents. But I love it:)

Boiling Springs Parade

2011-12-10T11:30:00.000-05:00

One of the,and maybe only advantage to living on Hwy 9 is we can sit in the driveway to watch the parade. We haven’t been able to watch it the last couple of years. The kids normally have choir practice the morning of the parade. I was excited to be able to watch it this year. Kain was marched in it with the band. I got a little teary eyed when he came by. It made me feel so old,and that time was just flying by. The band did an awesome job! Some family,and friends came to watch the parade with us. The kids got a lot of candy,and had a great time.

Happy Birthday Zoe!

2011-12-10T08:05:00.000-05:00

It is hard to believe that our youngest is now 8 years old! Time surely has flown by,and she is a blessing to all of us! She decided instead of having a party she wanted a spa day. I took Zoe to get her hair cut,and curled. After that I took her,and Haley to get a mani/pedi. It was her very first one,and she LOVED it.

Thanks,Ms. Summer for doing my hair.

After getting pampered we headed home for a family birthday dinner. Instead of a cake she wanted cupcakes. I decided to make them myself,and I think they turned out pretty good.

Zoe asked for chicken,rice,and cheese casserole for dinner. Corey ended up cooking while I was out,and it was so good!

Present time!

Thanks Grandma,and Pop for the cheer bag!!! It is going to come in handy at competitions!

Um,can you tell she was a little excited to get a MP3 player?Plus it is pink!

The happy birthday girl!

We love you so much Zoe!

Ice Cream Sundaes

2011-12-09T12:41:00.000-05:00

Day …..

Ice Cream Sundaes were on our list for tonight! Everyone was excited because this family loves some ice cream. We had a few toppings that the kids like. I like just plain ole ice cream with a little chocolate syrup. The kids will put anything on theirs though.

Christmas Goodies

2011-12-08T21:17:00.001-05:00

Day……

One of my favorite things to do at Christmas is make yummy goodies. Tonight we dipped peanut butter filled Ritz crackers into white chocolate. Super easy ,but oh so good!

Camping Out & Christmas Lights

2011-12-07T19:43:00.001-05:00

Day….

{which actually happened on Day 7}

Tonight the kids are camping out under the Christmas tree. I saw this idea on a blog,and knew my kids would love to do this. They are always wanting to sleep in the living room.

These pictures are not the best. Maybe one day I will learn to use my camera in very low light.

Day….

I wasn’t sure we were going to be able to do tonight’s activity because of the rain. Visiting the Christmas House near Lake Bowen was on our list. It’s not a lot of fun looking at lights when it is pouring down rain. Thankfully the rain stopped,and we were able to go. We visit this house every year,and now it has became a very popular spot to go to. It is free,but they do accept donations.

Christmas Band Concert

2011-12-06T20:19:00.001-05:00

We interrupt this regularly scheduled Advent activity to bring you our real life! Yes, we will combining day 6,and 7 into one night which will be tomorrow. Because frankly I am tired,and so is the rest of the family.

Tonight we had to be in 2 places at once. Noah had wrestling practice that he couldn’t miss. Kain had his Winter Band Concert at BSMS. We called in Pop to take Noah,and the rest of us headed to the concert. They sounded soooo good! On Saturday he will play in the Boiling Springs parade. Of course I did not embarrass him by taking pictures at school. But I did get a few before we left,and he actually let me:) I think he is figuring out that if he just gives in, I will not make a big deal out of it.

Family Game Night

2011-12-05T20:56:00.000-05:00

Day…

Tonight we had family game night. All of our board games are in the camper which is at Corey’s parents house. I had planned on buying a new game this afternoon,but ended up at the doctor with Kain. He hurt his foot on Saturday afternoon,and it just kept getting worse. The end result was a bad sprain,and this…

So we ended up playing the Wii.

Can you guess what game we played?

So when I was uploading these pictures of Zoe the last one caught my eye. Do you see Noah on the far right? I busted out laughing! This is so him:)

If you see this blue shirt in numerous post it is because it is Kain’s favorite sleep shirt.

Snicker Doodle was being very mischievous last night. He decided the kids needed a new look:)

Family Movie Night

2011-12-04T19:17:00.000-05:00

Day….

Tonight we had family movie night. It is one of our family favorites.

The Polar Express

Corey,and I fixed hot cocoa,and baked cookies.

Snicker Doodle tried to get into the candy jar,but he fell in! He seems to be getting into something every night! So glad that is daddy’s job to keep up with the Elf.

Miracle Hill

2011-12-03T09:13:00.000-05:00

Day….

Today we went to serve breakfast at Miracle Hill. Even though we have to get up super early the kids LOVE going! The adults cook the food,and we let the kids serve it. My boys made me so proud this morning. They worked so hard the whole time we were there,and they even had a smile on their face:) Of course when we got home,and asked them to clean their rooms the complaining started.

Snicker Doodle decided he wanted a movie night. He invited a few of Zoe’s stuffed animals, and had popcorn.

Barnes and Noble

2011-12-02T19:28:00.000-05:00

Day…

Today was a trip to Barnes and Noble to pick out one book each.

My kids REALLY like going there,and could spend a few hours looking at books.

After a lot of thought they each decided on a book.

Zoe got one of my childhood favorites! I hope she loves this series as much as I did.

Kain got the new Wimpy Kid book.

Noah is into puppets lately so he got a book showing how to make your own.

Snicker Doodle tried to hide from the kids this morning. They looked everywhere,and then they finally found him.

He was taking a piggy back ride on our angel.

Christmas Books

2011-12-01T20:57:00.000-05:00

Day….

As I said yesterday we had to do something different because of our afterschool activities.

I did something simple tonight since we got home so late.

We read Christmas books,and got a sweet treat:)

They kids loved reading the books,and they even wanted to take turns reading to all of us.

I caved. Those that know me well, know that most of the time I cave to peer pressure.

I was tired of hearing all about the cute,and funny things everyone else was doing.

I had to get in on the action.

Someone came to our house today.

Yes, it was the Elf on the Shelf.

Zoe came in from school and didn’t even notice him sitting on the mantel. I mean he was on a reindeer right in front of her face. Noah came home about 15 minutes later,and first thing said, “WE GOT A ELF!” Then Zoe got super excited.We read the story tonight,and had to name him. We all put names in a cup,and drew one out.

Dad voted for Chuckles

Mom voted for Jeffery

Kain voted for Snicker Doodle

Noah voted for Bob

Zoe voted for Sam

And the winner is………..

So we are all looking forward to the mischief Snicker Doodle is going to get into:)

It’s ready to go!

2011-11-30T22:01:00.001-05:00

Yay!!! Leigh was able to find her Advent calendar from last year,and she let me have it. It is sooo nice to have friends that are crafty:) The kids were getting excited when they saw me,and Corey hanging it up today. I have all the activities stuffed in each envelope ,but already made one slight change. Tomorrow we were going to to shopping for new Christmas PJ’s. Well, I forgot we have cheer,and wrestling which means we won’t be home until 8:00. So no PJ’s tomorrow,but I did replace it with something else.

Advent Calendar

2011-11-30T05:59:00.001-05:00

This year I am going to TRY to pull off an Advent calendar with activities. I started with a blank calendar,and added things that are already in our normal routine. Stuff like church events, band concerts, cheer,and wrestling practice. Well the calendar was pretty full before I started adding the fun stuff. Do you know how hard it is to come up with 25 things to do? Well it wasn’t the easiest thing I have ever done. As you all know I do not have a crafty bone in my body so I went to the store looking for an Advent calendar with pockets or those pull out drawers. I needed something to stick pieces of paper in. I found one at Target, it’s ok and was a lot cheaper than the one at Christian Supply. I ended up getting it,but I hope my crafty friend, Leigh, can pull something off for me:) I will gladly pay someone to be crafty for me! So here is a rough draft of the things my family will try to do. It may change a little depending on other Christmas get togethers.

new Christmas PJ’s
Barnes and Noble to get a new Christmas book
Miracle Hill to serve breakfast
family game night
watch Polar Express with hot cocoa/peppermint sticks
Lake Bowen Christmas Light
Camp out under Christmas tree
make white chocolate pretzels
homemade ice cream for Zoe’s birthday dinner
Boiling Springs parade December 10th at 10am ( Kain is marching in it)
carriage ride in Fountain Inn ( $7 for ages 10 and up, $ 5 for kids)
Woodruff parade December 11 @ 3:00
make a fire and roast marshmallows
make/decorate Gingerbread house
movie night- ELF with popcorn
Roper Mountain Christmas Lights
Lunch with mom
Kidzmas at Spartanburg library ( December 17 5:00-8:00 FREE)
movie night- Miracle on 34th Street
make chex mix recipe I got from Leigh
Ice on Main ( $10 for adults, $8 for kids)
bake Christmas cookies and deliver them to great grandparents
swim center ( Friday or Saturday 3:30-5:30 $2.00 each)
read Christmas Story
bake Happy Birthday Jesus cake
Mobile Meals ( waiting to see if we can deliver meals one day while the kids are out)

Wow, that looks like a lot doesn’t it? Hopefully we will be able to do all of them. It’s just hard when wrestling practice is twice a week,and it isn’t over until 8pm. Plus throw in a few more days of photo sessions,3 birthdays,and our anniversary! With all of that stuff we sometimes forget to enjoy the season. I am hoping this will make us slow down,and enjoy family time. If anyone has any other suggestions for ways we can serve please share them with me. I did not come up with all of this on my own. I borrowed a couple from Summer M, and Leigh:)

To Christmas card or Not…

2011-11-28T22:50:00.001-05:00

That is the question. I really would love to have a card, but that would require a photo of all 3 of my children. Which would also require some what matching clothing. Not sure it is worth it. I guess we will have to wait and see.

Clemson vs. Carolina

2011-11-26T20:56:00.000-05:00

We have a house divided.

Noah is not alone because his dad pulls for Carolina too.

Final score Carolina 34 – Clemson 13.

Guess Noah, and Corey win again this year!

Turkey Bowl 2011

2011-11-26T20:50:00.000-05:00

Our youth group, yes it is still hard for me to believe my baby is old enough, has a yearly tradition of having a Turkey Bowl.It’s a great way to get the youth group together for some good ole football! Everyone comes the day after Thanksgiving ready to play,and afterwards they get their grub on with left overs. This is Kain’s first year,and he BEGGED us to take him. I would have liked to stay home,but we caved. I am glad we went after all. It was a great way to see how they all interact. I pray that this group becomes Kain’s second family,and that he grows closer to God through them. Kain was the shortest out there. He was matched up against a giant with a beard or at least that is what Noah said ;)

These pictures are from a distance because how embarrassing it is for 1. your mom to be the ONLY mom at the game, and 2. she brought a camera!

Kain is on the far right.

Kain is #11 ,but I am pretty sure you can pick him out:)

Hollywild Christmas

2011-11-25T20:53:00.000-05:00

Every year we go to Hollywild Animal Park to see the Christmas lights. I get soooo frustrated with my camera when I use it at night because I don’t know how! So I was only able to take a couple of pictures that look half way decent! It is beautiful there,and the kids LOVE going. There favorite park is hanging out all the windows including the sunroof to see the lights,and feed the animals.

We ended the evening with some hot cocoa, and nachos.

Thanksgiving Part 2

2011-11-25T20:45:00.000-05:00

Friday my family ( sister,brother,and their families) came over for Thanksgiving lunch. I cooked a turkey,ham, mac-n-cheese,green beans, mashed potatoes, gravy, pumpkin pie, brownies, and rolls. Oh it was sooo good! So good that I forgot to take any pictures of the food I worked so hard on.

After lunch we headed to the park to let everyone play.

I feel like such a bad aunt because the last time I saw this little girl she was 2 weeks old!

She is now 5 months old!

No nephews on this side of the family ;)

My nieces are only 3 months older than Noah. When they were little people thought they were triplets.

We all look a HOT mess!

My sister, Melody, with her family.

My brother, Wesley,with his family.

( I added the names of my siblings so that my friend who’s name starts with a R can remember :) She is always getting everyone’s siblings confused.)

This is one BIG wishbone!

We survived another Thanksgiving with my family. Corey swears my sister got all of my moms traits…lol! I just laugh the whole time we are together to keep from crying…lol!! Don’t worry I do love them,and love spreading time with them……….in small doses:)

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T20:40:00.000-05:00

This year we did things a little different at my in-laws. We decided to get together for breakfast,and watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Everyone gathered at the in-laws around 8:30 with lots of yummy food. After everyone was stuffed we watched a little of the parade,and then headed outside. The weather was awesome today,and we took advantage of it. Corey raked a huge pile of leaves for the kids to jump in. The boys shot their bows,and we just had a nice time being together. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving round 2 when my family is coming to my house for lunch. I am cooking everything so hopefully it turns out well :)

I am so thankful for these 3 blessings.

I am thankful he let me take his picture,and for the young man he is growing to be.

I am thankful for his love of the outdoors,and his eagerness to learn.

I am thankful for her energy,and excitement for life.

I am thankful for fall,and the beautiful colors that it brings.

I am thankful for my nieces,nephews,and the fun times they have together.

I am thankful for my family. We are not the perfect family,but God has great plans for us.

I found the one whom my soul loves. ~ Songs of Solomon 3:4

Wrestling

2011-11-22T22:13:00.000-05:00

Noah started wrestling this past Tuesday. He was super excited,and couldn’t wait to show me his moves when he got home. Corey took him,and took this picture with his phone. Glad he though to at least get a picture:)

Beautiful You Portrait Party

2011-11-21T21:14:00.000-05:00

Remember me telling you about the fundraiser I went to on Saturday? Well Elaine posted last night,and I LOVE it!!! I have not really liked but one or two pictures I have ever taken,but I love this one. This defiantly isn’t my everyday mom look,but that’s what I like about it :)

Oh Christmas Tree…

2011-11-20T21:13:00.000-05:00

I have wanted to put our tree up since the beginning of November,but we haven’t had the time. We finally found some time last night,and the kids were excited to get it up. Their favorite part is looking at all of the ornaments,and remembering when we got them. We have tried to get one on every vacation so its nice remembering those times. We turned the Christmas music on to get us in the mood. We started unpacking and decorating the house. Every year we let the kids take turns putting our angel on the tree. We have had the same angel for 13 years,and it’s just a little tradition we have. It was Noah’s year to top the tree ,and he still gets excited about it. Christmas is my FAVORITE time of the year. Yes, it can be stressful when you think about all the material things,but I try not to. We get to celebrate our anniversary, our kids birthdays, and celebrate Jesus’ birthday! We don’t really have many family traditions the rest of the year,but we have quite a few in December. I am looking forward to each one of them.

Corey,and Noah setting up our village.

The nativity I got while in Uganda.

Too bad the kids didn’t have decent clothes on or this would have been my Christmas card picture.

The kids favorite part is hanging the ornaments.

Kain looks a little angry. I think it was because I was snapping away..lol!

Noah putting the angel on the tree:)

One of my favorite things to do is lay on the couch with everything turned off but my tree. It is so relaxing to me.

Thanksgiving with Granny,and Pa Pa

2011-11-20T21:10:00.000-05:00

We normally got to Corey’s grandparents on Thanksgiving,but with everyone scattered around we did it today. I love going to Granny,and Pa-Pa’s. I am closer to them than my own grandmother. I feel like I am going home when we visit which isn’t as often as it should be. When we all get together there are about 50-60 of us. I wasn’t able to stay but a few minutes because I had to go to work. Corey,and the kids stayed about all afternoon. The boys played football with their cousins, and Zoe hung out with the girls. Wish I could have stayed longer,but I am looking forward to Christmas down there. Of course they had the yummy traditional Thanksgiving food. My sweet husband made me a plate since I couldn’t eat before I left. My family never got together like Corey’s family so it is extra special to me.

Being in Front

2011-11-18T21:09:00.000-05:00

Everyone knows that I am not a fan of getting my picture taken. But I am all up for helping someone out even if it means getting in front of the camera. I have NEVER had a portrait by myself taken by a professional . I have only had my portrait taken 3 times…when we got married ( no individual ones), when Kain was a baby,and after we had Noah. I always have someone to block,and cover me.

My friend Elaine is an AWESOME photographer,and she was having a fundraiser to help someone go to Haiti. It was a Beautiful You Portrait Party. It sounded fun, she can work miracles with a camera,and it was helping someone go spread the gospel. I just had to do it since Elaine, and many many others have supported my trips. I had thought about canceling today,and just sending money because I was dreading getting in front of the camera. Then I got a text from Elaine saying she couldn’t wait to see me. So now I had to go!

When I arrived someone did my make up, and straightened my hair.We were told to wear a long sleeve black shirt,and it would basically be from the chest up. Then it was time to head downstairs to get shot ( it might as well been a gun the way I was feeling). I have never understood why people get so nervous when I take their pictures. Well I figured it out tonight! I thought I was going to throw up! I ended up having a blast,and I know she got an awesome shot! Now I have to wait to see the final result.

I am going to give Corey one of the pictures for our anniversary. Hope he likes it :)

Midnight Madness

2011-11-18T21:08:00.000-05:00

Yes, I was one of the crazy people at the theater last night to see Breaking Dawn Part 1.

I had to get up at 5:00 am this morning with only 2 hours of sleep.

Yes, it was worth it.

I am really really tired, and I am waiting for it to at least be 8:00 pm before I go to bed.

Yes, I will do it when the next one comes out.

Charlotte

2011-11-17T21:05:00.000-05:00

My family sponsors a little girl in Uganda named Charlotte. She is about 5 years old. We aren’t sure her age because her parents left her outside,and never came back. A neighbor saw her outside,and they took her in. Before October she was just a picture on a piece of paper. After getting to meet her, yes in Uganda, she is really apart of our family now. I can not describe the feeling I had when I first saw her. It was like seeing one of my own kids. She was very quite,but she knew I belonged to her:) Her guardians kept calling her mama. So someone in Africa calls me mama they same way my kids do. I was able to visit her home,and she where she was abandoned. Charlotte's favorite thing that I gave her was a photo album of our family. She just kept looking at each picture,and rubbing the pictures. Each of the kids had written her a note,and drew her a picture. When other kids tried to hold my hand she would say, “My Mzungu “! Mzungu means white person in Ugandan. I pray God takes me back to visit her again,and my dream would be to take the kids to meet her. For now through we will continue to pray for her,and write her letters. It still amazes me that God has allowed me to have a “daughter” all the way in Africa.

I love this girl! It makes my heart smile to see this picture.

This picture was taken almost a year ago. You can see how much she has grown. This is also the first picture we ever had of Charlotte.

One day I hope to have a picture of all of us together:)

This was in her home,and at first I felt bad because it was very small. After seeing other homes in the bush it made me feel better about her home,and conditions.

This is the home Charlotte’s parents rented,and it is also where they left her.

One of the hardest things I have ever had to do was leave her. I know God has great plans for her, but it was just so hard. All I could think was how hard her life was,and how easy my kids have it. But I just kept thinking of Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." I trust my God,and I know He always keeps his promises.

Donuts with Dad

2011-11-16T21:04:00.000-05:00

This is Noah’s last year for Donuts with Dad because next year he will be in middle school. So Corey made sure to attend. He normally has to be at work at 6:00 am ,but he is going in late today. Noah is so excited when his Dad can come to school. With his crazy work hours it makes it difficult to attend stuff that happens during the day. After they eat their donuts they will head to the gym to play Knock Out ( basketball game). I know Corey treasures these times too.

The Teen Years

2011-11-15T21:03:00.000-05:00

Lately my soon to be teenager is just grumpy,and most of the time unpleasant to be around. I know this is a phase that will last a couple of years..lol. I know there is a sweet boy somewhere down inside there.It’s just hard to see right now:) Every once in a while I get a glimpse of the young man he is becoming.

Once they are in middle school it is hard to really keep up with what they are doing unless they tell you. Well Kain doesn’t really volunteer a lot of information about anything that goes on. I usually find out through a messaging system his school has or another parent tells me. Well this morning on the way to school he mentioned something about reading to a kid. Kain is not the best reader,and until this year he hasn’t enjoyed reading at all. Thankfully his awesome ELA teacher, Mrs. Brackett, has gotten him into reading,and he actually likes it! Well when he mentioned reading to a kid I thought it was kind of odd. I asked him who he read too,and he said he volunteered to go read in the special ed room every Monday. His “buddy” loves reading about Nascar so that is what Kain reads to him. He said that his friend would be upset if he found out Kain really didn’t like Nascar so he just pretends to like it. He would NEVER be that nice to his brother or sister,but that’s OK. I love that he looks forward to going every Monday to visit his friend,and I am sure his “buddy” loves to see him too.

My heart was so full this morning I almost cried ,but that would have been the end of him telling anything! Just when I think he isn’t getting anything from us, or at church he surprises his mama. I love that boy!

Taco Soup

2011-11-14T21:01:00.000-05:00

I am always looking for quick,and easy meals for my family. I do not enjoy cooking so if it was up to me we would eat out every night. My family would prefer to eat at home, and plus it cost so much for a family of 5 to eat out. So if I can find some thing to throw in the crock pot I am one happy mama. My friend, Summer, told me about a recipe for taco soup. She had found it at Crockin' Girls along with a ton of other great recipes. It was a hit with my family,and it will definitely be on our list of future meals.

I browned the meat before I left for work,and dumped it all in the crockpot. Since nothing really had to cook just heat up, I put it on warm all day. When I got home it was nice,and hot. Hope you enjoy!

1 can light red kidney beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can black beans

1 can great northern beans

1 can diced tomatoes with garlic

1 can rotel tomatoes

1 can corn

1 lb ground beef

1 envelope taco seasoning

1 envelope ranch dressing mix

fritos for topping

shredded cheese for topping

Brown and drain meat, add all ingredients except Fritos and cheese (DO NOT drain any cans except black beans....you don't have to drain black beans but if you don't your soup will turn dark and not as pretty!) and cook until hot. I top with Fritos and shredded cheese. Easiest recipe ever and it makes a LOT of soup!

We left out the black beans,and corn. We also topped it with sour cream.

A New Look

2011-11-13T21:19:00.000-05:00

I have spent a better part of the evening trying to get a new look on my blog. I really need the “PC for Dummies” book. I have no clue what I am doing,and about crashed my laptop in the process. I am hoping with all the work I have put in tonight that it will motivate me to blog. Yea, it probably won’t, but I have to think positive. I am not sure when I think I am going to have time to blog.

I am either running my kids around the world, working at the ELC, or shooting families ( with my camera). I am so thankful for all the business I get,but sometimes this mama is just plain tired! I feel like I haven’t stopped since well forever. I spent all summer raising money to go to Uganda. Which was live changing..Praise the Lord! I haven’t stopped since I got back either.

I am counting down until December 3. Why December 3rd? Because that is my LAST photo shoot….of this year anyway.

The kids are staying busy with cheer, wrestling,and band. I am trying to prepare myself for the crazy cheer schedule that is about to start. We will be traveling at least once a month starting in December. I am not sure who in their right mind thought having a cheer competition 4 days after Christmas was a great idea. Oh,and did I mention it is in NASHVILLE!! And during Kain’s birthday! So while I am exhausted from all the photo sessions, I am also very thankful that it is bringing in some money.

I have decided that blogging everyday is just not realistic, so I am going to try for at least once a week. But don’t hold me too it!

Halloween

2011-10-31T22:20:00.000-04:00

This Halloween was a little sad for this mama. Only 1 of my children dressed up ,and that was Zoe. Kain didn’t dress up last year, and Noah joined him this year. Of course they still walked around to get candy. Every year our church does Trunk or Treat,and we had a trunk this year. Corey was excited to decorate the car,and I had to remind him it couldn’t be too scary. Zoe was a ballerina,and looked very beautiful. The kids enjoy handing out the candy,and seeing all the costumes. I think they said over 1500 went through the line. We still left with way too much candy.

We get there early enough to tailgate..lol.

Pumpkins and More

2011-10-23T22:16:00.000-04:00

One Sunday after church we headed to Hendersonville, North Carolina. We started going up there a few years ago to Grandads -Apples-N-Such to get our pumpkins. We were almost too late because there were only a few ( compared to earlier in the month) pumpkins left. Each of the kids were able to find the perfect one. We also tried a few different apples while we were there. We normally get apple cider,but no one was in the mood for it. This is one of our family’s favorite places to go.

Zoe found the apple she wanted,and the guys filled a bag up. They were REALLY good!

After we stocked up on pumpkins,and apples we headed to Chimney Rock. We walked around the River Walk,and climbed on rocks. It was just a nice relaxing afternoon.

This is one of my all time favorite pictures of myself,and Zoe. Corey is getting to be a great photographer:)

We ended the afternoon getting ice cream,and looking in all of the shops.

Sweet Letter

2011-09-30T17:21:00.000-04:00

Dear Charlotte,

My name is Kain,and I am 12 years old. I love to watch football,and Clemson is my favorite team. They are very good. My favorite color is blue. I love to go to church. I was in the choir,but decided to go to bible study to grow stronger in my faith. When you grow up you should do that too. You should try to get in the African choir since you love to sing. It would be fun because you get to travel,and you could see me. I am very short for my age,but I am in the 7th grade. I am so proud that we are sponsoring you.

Love your brother,

Kain

P.S. Our family loves you!! Bye!

It’s been a very long time.

2011-06-02T14:09:00.001-04:00

Wow, I can’t believe how long it’s been since I have even signed into Blogger. Life has been so busy, and my poor blog got REALLY neglected. So much as gone on that there is NO way I could ever get caught up. So I am going to start fresh and try to keep up with it.

School ended last week and our busy summer has started. I am leaving next Friday on a mission trip to Venezuela and did I mention I have NEVER flown? It is going to be a grand adventure with God right beside me! I can’t wait to see how HE is going to use me to glorify His kingdom! So if you get a chance could you just say a little prayer for the people of Caracas, Venezuela and for the team leaving my church?

Of course there can’t be a post without a picture:) So here is a photo from Memorial Day. We spent the day at Pisgah National Forest. This is at Looking Glass Falls.

Baseball

2011-05-27T23:17:00.000-04:00

Both boys played ball this year,but this is the only picture I took of either of them. So I guess Kain got lucky.Noah had a great coach, Mr. Jamie, too bad Kain’s wasn’t too good. Both boys had fun so that is all that matters.

Running Club

2011-02-23T18:50:00.000-05:00

Noah was very excited to bring home the trophy this week for running club! He looks forward to the club every week,and runs his best! He is running a mile! I think that is pretty good. Way to go Noah!

Muffins for Mom

2011-02-22T20:55:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago the elementary school had their annual Muffins for Mom. I am so happy that they do this first thing in the morning (starting at 7am) so that all moms have the chance to go. It was kind of bittersweet because this is Noah’s last year at this school,and probably his last Muffins for Mom. I love being able to share these special days with them.

Noah turned 10 …..a month ago

2011-02-16T07:56:00.001-05:00

I have come to terms with the fact that I may never get this blog caught up. Life has been so crazy lately that my blog hasn’t even crossed my mind. I have missed seeing what is going on in your guys lives though.

In January Noah celebrated a milestone birthday, he is now double digits! He chose to celebrate with a few friends at Frankie’s Fun Park,and then dinner at Johnny Rockets. Zoe stayed with the grandparents since it was boys only. They drove go-carts, played laser tags,and of course played some games. It really was a great birthday!

Celebrating Kain

2011-01-03T07:00:00.000-05:00

For Kain’s birthday he chose to eat at Bronco’s, a local Mexican restaurant . Yes, the same one that Zoe chose. I guess you can tell our family loves some Mexican food. He actually let me take some pictures of him without too much of a fuss. And I took a lot while I could

You can tell he was NOT enjoying us singing to him!

The grandparents got him this card that made noises, and REALLY embarrassed him! It’s funny how at this age little things are SO embarrassing to him.

He and Noah will be getting their birthday presents from us in 2 weeks when we travel to Atlanta for the Monster Jam truck show!

Zoe is 7!!

2011-01-02T09:00:00.000-05:00

Two weeks ago our baby girl celebrated her 7th birthday! He daddy made her birthday muffins before he went to work ( which by the way is at 4:30 am), and woke her up singing Happy Birthday! To say she was happy is an understatement! She ADORES her daddy!

Noah made her a birthday card, I think it’s suppose to be a portrait of Zoe..lol.

That night we celebrated at a local Mexican restaurant which happens to be her favorite! I was really excited for her to get her birthday present from dad and mom!

We made her a card telling her what the present was!

She was going to see……JUSTIN BIEBER!!!!!

( all of the following photos were taken by phone at concert)

We had a great time at the concert!!!! I am sure it was a birthday she will never forget!

1-1-11

2011-01-01T19:26:00.003-05:00

It’s hard to believe another year has come and gone! We spent the evening with great friends, pizza,and a lot of laughs. I did take my camera,but when I went to take a picture of the kids it said “no memory card found”. Yep, I had left it in my computer so no New Year’s pics! Instead of doing resolutions this year I am setting a few goals.

1. Be more devoted in my quite time.

2. start eating healthy ,and exercising! I have got to lose some weight.

3. cut down on the eating out which will save us money and help with the healthy eating

4. unwrap our Dave Ramsey books and videos that we bought in October 2009. Yes we have had it that long and have been to scared to use it..lol!

5. get my house organized, I can never find anything!

6. take some photography classes

7. keep up with my blog and my bloggy friends!

8. Be more patient

What are some of you goals?

Merry Christmas!

2010-12-31T08:00:00.001-05:00

I think this was probably the best Christmas I have had in a long time. It wasn’t that we got better gifts, or anything like that. It was that I actually was in the Christmas spirit,and enjoyed spending this time with my family. It was so nice being surrounded by family. I hope you and your family had a blessed Christmas!

We LOVE getting together at Granny and Papa’s( Corey’s grandparents) for the Christmas Party. I think there were about 60 of us this year. It is a great way to kick off the holidays!

Below are some of the great grand kids. I think 11 were missing.

*small town Christmas parade with great friends*

“Back to the Manger” was performed by our children’s choir at church. Zoe sang a solo,and was WONDERFUL! Noah was in the “boy band” ,and did a great job too! I am so proud of all of the kids for spreading the true meaning of CHRISTmas!

We spent Christmas Eve with the Cotheran’s ,and had a grand time.

Christmas Eve night we opened our gifts at home,baked cookies for Santa, and most importantly we read Luke 2!

Christmas morning I woke up before everyone else,and was eager for the kids to wake up! After I had started breakfast we got them out of bed. I LOVE seeing their faces!

As soon as breakfast was over,and the grandparents had arrived the kids headed outside to shoot their bow,and bb gun.

Later that afternoon my side of the family came over for a late lunch. We were missing one of our nieces because she was sick.

Then that night we all had our FIRST WHITE CHRISTMAS!!!

My Oldest….

2010-12-30T06:00:00.000-05:00

is 12 today!!!! I can’t believe my little 7lb. 3 oz bundle of joy is now a moody pre-teen ,but I wouldn’t trade him for anything!

Happy Birthday, Kain!

We are so proud of the young man you are becoming! We love seeing how God is working in your life!

Wordless Wednesday~ Notice anything?

2010-12-29T07:00:00.001-05:00

for more Wordless Wednesday’s please visit 5 minutes for mom!