Bless Our Nest

Mayfield's Field Trip

2011-11-21T20:50:00.012-05:00

In October, Brooks' K class took a great field trip to the Mayfield's Pumpkin Patch. It was such a neat place with all kinds of things for the kids to do. Jeff took a day off of school and I switched a day with my co-worker so that the entire family could go. We all had a great day together!

Brooks was so excited about riding a bus for the first time!

Yay!! Fun ride!

Mrs. Eddins K Class!

The KING of Kindergarten!!

Braden had a blast that day too!

The cow train was Brooks and Braden's favorite part!

Fun Family Times!

Destin 2011

2011-11-21T15:16:00.017-05:00

Well, I am playing Blog Catchup again!! Part of the reason I have not blogged is becasue I dreaded posting the 170+ vacation pics! So I made a deal with myself that I would post about 20 of my favorites!! We had a great time at the beach on Fall Break! We stayed in a different house with its own hot tub and pool. We also had a "carriage house" this time too which Papaw and Rue Rue enjoyed! This year my cousin Gwyn and her children, Ian and Allison went with us (along with my parents and Jeff's parents). We all had fun, especially the kiddos! Braden LOVED the beach. He was only 9 months old the last time we went so he was thrilled with the sand and water. Looking forward to another great time next year!!!

Brooks' Field Trip

2011-10-05T17:09:00.009-05:00

On a cool Friday in September Brooks' class took their first field trip. They had read a story that week about communities and the importance of all the jobs around the community. So they took a walking field trip around the Greenback community. They got to go to the community library, fire station, post office, bank, and drugstore. It is such a small community so all these places are located around the school. I attended the first half of the trip and Brooks had a ball! Getting ready to go!
My sweet boy!

That day was homecoming for the high school so the different classes decorated the halls to show their school spirit.

Brooks' class

Fun at the fire hall

We had a great day!

Braden is TWO!

2011-10-03T20:09:00.013-05:00

On August 18th our sweet "baby" turned two! It is sooooooo hard to believe! It seems like just yesterday that he was a tiny baby in my arms and now he is running the house.....just kidding! (He does try though!) We had a little celebration the night of his birthday with the family and then on Saturday we celebrated with some of our neighbors. Braden had a great time! Braden LOVED blowing out the candles!
He got puzzles, an Elmo toy, and his favorite toy.... Dinosaur Train!

LOOK!

Then on Saturday we had a Mickey Mouse celebration!

His cake turned out so cute....thanks to Walmart!

I LOVE THIS PICTURE! His face is just precious....that super cute Braden grin!

Party friends

Then we went out and had fun on the slip-n-slide and sprinkler!

Water balloons were a hit too!

Jeff and I got Braden a new riding toy! He is really enjoying it!

Our big TWO year old....riding into the sunset!

End of Summer Fun!

2011-10-03T18:14:00.004-05:00

The boys and neighbors enjoyed running through the sprinkler one night before bed. One of the GRAND things about summer! (Braden even broke out the Elmo undies for the event....maybe one day he will be able to wear underwear for more that just sprinkler fun!)

The Bird Boys go to SCHOOL!!

2011-10-03T15:08:00.009-05:00

On August 3rd Braden went to his first day of Mother's Day Out. He goes every Wednesday at a church nearby. In the Wednesdays that I work, Papaw and Rue Rue take him and the Wednesdays I am off, I drop him off, go to the gym, and run about 10 errands (literally) in 4 hours. He has had a rough start (switching of teachers and getting use to a new place), but I think that he is finally starting to get settled. Oh no! Don't say it is time for school already??
Brooks had not begun Kindergarten yet so he got to go with me to take Braden his first day!

Ready for school!

Playing....his favorite part!

On August 15th Brooks began Kindergarten! I know a lot of moms look forward to this day, but I would keep him home with me if I could! He is such a joy and I miss him the days that I am off! To say that Brooks LOVES school is an understatement.....he is in HEAVEN! He is doing well academically, but socially he is IN HIS ELEMENT! I am so glad that he LOVES school. I pray that he always will!

My BIG sweet Kindergartner!

I am so thankful that both Jeff and I are able to be at school with him. Jeff teaches 5th and 6th social studies and I am the part-time RTI teacher. We both go in during Brooks' lunchtime to say hello and occasionally you will see one (or both) of us loitering outside his classroom!

This is his WONDERFUL teacher, Mrs. Eddins! She is awesome! It is neat because Jeff has her son this year in 5th grade and she has Brooks....another thing I LOVE about a small school!

I had to snag a lunch picture!

Out the door after a GREAT first day!

Pickin' and Ridin'

2011-09-14T14:36:00.012-05:00

July was an absolute BLUR around here! After the 4th of July it just seems that summer was OVER! I flew to Ohio for my Thirty-One conference and then we spent a few days in Lebanon. When we got back we tried to fit in as many fun things as possible! One fun thing we did was go pick peaches at the Hamptons. Lisa keeps Braden for us on Mondays and Haley is a senior this year and an AWESOME babysitter too! They are the sweetest family with the sweetest peaches!

Braden calls Haley "Hay Hay!"

Yummy.......that called for a homemade peach cobbler!

Another fun thing we did was ride the train from Lebanon to Nashville. Braden LOVES trains (just like Brooks use to) and he had never ridden on one before so we took him and he really enjoyed it!

July 4, 2011

2011-09-01T15:14:00.019-05:00

I always look forward to the 4th of July! This year we got up and ate breakfast, worked out, went to the Greenback Parade. It was hotter than blue blazes (just like it has been ALL summer), but we still had fun! The boys got LOTS of candy and loved seeing all the horses, tractors, firetrucks, floats, etc. After that we went and bought some firecrackers and came home and took naps. Then we went to the 4th or 5th annual neighborhood cookout. We all cook LOTS of food, swim, play, eat, and then shoot firecrackers. It is such a fun and special family day!

Can you tell they are just a little HOT???

Braden got excited about the fireworks!

We decided that Braden was better off with a flashlight instead of a sparkler!

Dollywood Splash Country

2011-09-01T14:47:00.006-05:00

This year for Christmas Rue Rue and Papaw renewed our Dollywood passes for us and then we decided to upgrade to include Splash Country too! We ended up going 5 or 6 times the entire summer and LOVED it!! Braden was a little unsure of the place the first time so we left him with a babysitter the next few times and then we took him back last Saturday and he enjoyed it soooo much! We are already looking forward to going back next summer! (These pictures are from our first time there at the end of May. I did not take my camera much after that b/c I was afraid it would be stolen.)

More swimming!

2011-07-30T15:40:00.008-05:00

I think you can probably tell by these pictures that we are enjoying the pool this year! With it being so HOT, this is about the only way that we can be outside!

The Cousins Come to Visit!

2011-07-30T15:07:00.009-05:00

In June my brother's children came to stay with us for a few days. We played on the slip-n-slide, went swimming, played the Wii, went to VBS, and had LOTS of fun together! Brooks and Braden were in HEAVEN! They love being around Melia, Olivia, and Vance! Before church picture
Vance and Braden having a snack.

Slip-n-slide action

Wii time!

Silly cousins!

A great start to summer!

2011-07-29T16:04:00.011-05:00

We began the summer with visits from friends and swimming, swimming, and swimming. We have probably been swimming an average of 3 or 4 times every week. I think the boys are growing gills! The first time to the CourtSouth Beach.....it is affiliated with our Fitness Center.
The boys love it!

Early in June we also had a visit from Mrs. Elizabeth and Reagan. We played, went to Chic-fil-a , the park, and then came home to eat ice cream. Reagan is about 8 months older than Braden and they got pretty chummy!

First Swim of the Summer

2011-07-29T14:03:00.004-05:00

At the end of May we had our first swim of the summer at our neighbor's pool. Brooks picked right up with his great swimming skills and Braden, we quickly learned, is a water dog.Braden is not wanting to stop for a picture.
BIG swimmer!

Brave boy.....now he jumps in without us even in the pool!

"I Try"

2011-07-29T13:43:00.003-05:00

This summer Braden has begun to "try" the potty. I was going to wait a few more months, but he goes into the bathroom and says, "I try." So we will put him on the potty. He sits there and grunts, but that is about it! One time he was successful, but we quickly learned that it was a fluke! We have discovered his main reason for "trying" is toilet paper. He LOVES to throw toilet paper into the commode. Now when he sits down we take the paper off the roll.....he doesn't sit very long that way! I think we will have a while before he is potty trained, but I am just glad that he is interested!

Happy Birthday, Grandma Bon.

2011-07-29T07:33:00.009-05:00

In May we had a fun time of celebrating Grandma Bon's Birthday. Jeff's Aunt and Uncle and cousins from GA all came in and we had a fun time at our house partying! We love when we can all get together! The Birthday girl!
Braden wants a try at the hat!

Silly (muddy) boy!

All the kids having fun.

The wild man

Let's eat cake and ice cream!

Yummy!

Preschool Graduation

2011-07-29T06:18:00.013-05:00

In May Brooks graduated from Stepping Stones Preschool. This preschool is at our church, Maryville Church of Christ, and it is WONDERFUL! Brooks looked forward to going to school everyday, he went Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, and learned so much from the teachers there! We are so thankful for such a great beginning to his education. Our big graduate!
Getting ready for the walk!

All the fam was in attendance!

Walking in.....VERY serious

Walking across the stage....my camera does not take great photos from far away!

Proud parents!

Brooks and his best pal, Lydia!

Brooks could not wait to throw his hat....like a REAL graduate!

Emily and I and our babies....hard to believe that she kept Brooks at 9 months when I went back to part-time teaching.

Brooks and his buddy, Sam.

Grammie and Papa and Brooks.....not sure why we don't have a picture of Rue Rue and Papaw too??

A blessed family!

We had to celebrate with a little graduation party!

Kindergarten Registration

2011-07-27T21:02:00.002-05:00

On April 29th we registered Brooks for Kindergarten. I still CANNOT believe that he is ready for school! I have BEGGED him to go to preschool for ONE MORE year (even though he is TOTALLY ready for K) and he says, "No, I want to go the school with you and daddy!" I am so thankful that I will be at school with him part of the week and then knowing Jeff is always there if he needs anything is wonderful. I am just sad that he is old enough to go! BOO HOO!

A Spring Full of Tornadoes!

2011-07-27T15:33:00.004-05:00

Growing up in Middle TN I was pretty accustomed to tornado warnings. Thankfully, we never really had any scary ones, but it was just warnings that we had several times every spring. I laughed A LOT when I moved to East TN because everyone up here panics when there is a tornado watch. After this spring I think I will be a little more worrisome when I hear the warnings too! The following are pictures from a tornado that hit the small town of Greenback, where we teach. (Part of the tornado touchdown about 10 minutes from our house.) Jeff was out of school the following day because there were so many power lines down. We drove down to school later the next morning and took these pictures.

We had several other tornadoes touch down close to our house a few weeks later. We spent almost 6 hours one night in our neighbor's basement and then went home. About an hour later another one hit and we hurriedly got the kids up and got into our bathtub. That was one of the scariest moments. It hit a transformer outside our neighborhood and we saw all kinds of weird colors coming through the windows which was so spooky because it was about 10pm and the electricity was out! I thought the Lord was coming back! After it hit all the neighbors met outside to assess the damage and then we learned there was another one on the way, so about 10 of us headed back to our neighbor's basement! We stayed there until about midnight! (There was no school the next day.) We were without power for about 24 hours and without phone service for 8 days! Now Brooks thinks that every time it thunders that there is a tornado coming!

Easter 2011

2011-07-27T15:10:00.007-05:00

The Easter Bunny hopped by our house early Easter morning. He knew that the boys rarely get new toys so he brought them several things this year. Our old basketball goal had seen its day, so he brought one that went higher and the boys have enjoyed it so much!

Brooks got up first and we let him go on and see all that the Easter Bunny brought........
LOVE that BED HEAD!

Let the shooting begin!

Braden got up a little later and LOVED all his new things too.

He begins shooting too!

All dressed up for church. I did not get the BEST pictures this year, but they were handsome...take my word for it!

Our sweeties!

Easter Egg Hunt X 5!!!!!!

2011-07-27T13:42:00.022-05:00

This Easter we got LOTS of practice hunting Easter eggs! The boys participated in 5 egg hunts! Each one was fun and I enjoyed filling all those eggs ( I really did!) Braden was old enough to find the eggs this year and he was a pro by the last hunt! The only problem was he enjoyed hunting eggs out of other kids' baskets the best!!!!!!!

Brooks' Easter party at preschool.

Braden watching the party from the preschool clubhouse.

On the way to hunt....it was raining that day so they had to hunt eggs in the gym:(

Big bunnies...I mean buds...Brooks and Sam

Our next hunt was at a retirement center. Our church's Mommy group went to visit the older residents and hoped to brighten their day. Instead, they had an egg hunt for the kids, games, food, and they made our day! The kids had a blast!

Braden was getting good at finding them!

Eating after the hunt!

Braden and Brooks playing a game.

Hunt #3 was with the kids from church. It was at the park and the rain waited until we were done hunting! YAY!

Braden hunting out of Riley's basket!

Easting lunch....and yes Braden is wearing Brooks' old bib. The 2nd just doesn't get as many cute monogrammed gifts!

Egg Hunt #4 - Our neighborhood!

(Braden is a PRO by now!)

We are so blessed to live in such a great neighborhood! The kids love playing with each other so much!

Counting the loot!

The LAST hunt was at family picnic the afternoon before Easter. Brooks, Braden, Ray, and Katlyn had so much fun together.

Brooks getting some air!

Sweet, sweet Katlyn!

Yum, Yum!

After all that hunting Braden had to rest!

Around the House

2011-07-26T21:19:00.007-05:00

We love to be at home! We go and do fun things, but I Brooks wants to stay at home most of the time! Here are some miscellaneous pictures from this spring. Braden enjoyed picking most of my spring flowers.
Braden organized our silverware drawer.

One of the best things about warm weather is Popsicles!

And the Popsicle mustache!

Lounging and watch TV

Getting all that mud and dirt off from all the outside activities!

All dressed up and ready for church! Aren't they handsome???

Brooks' Spring Program

2011-07-26T14:48:00.006-05:00

In April Brooks' preschool class put on a spring show. They sang some really cute songs and Brooks enjoyed being "on stage" with his friends! Singing the bunny song

Braden really enjoyed the show!

Brooks and his best friend from class, Sam.

Brooks and Lydia....they were in different classes, but seem to always find their way back to each other! HA!

Our sweet bunny!

Baseball Begins

2011-07-26T14:19:00.007-05:00

In April, Brooks began his second season of baseball. This year they got 3 pitches and then if they could not hit it then they got three tries off the tee. Brooks played at the pitcher's mound again and did a great job. The coaches could not believe that he was a young 5 year old (many on his team were 6 and some even turned 7 during the season.) He LOVES baseball and we think this is going to be "his sport." He is great about knowing where to throw the ball, judging the ball's distance, hitting (a mother can go on and on...HA). I really enjoyed the games......or what I saw of them. (Braden would always want to play in the nearby creek.) Jeff helped coach and I told him that I was going to coach next year so that I could actually watch a game! HA! This season I quickly figured out that I was a "yelling" mom! I guess the coaching gene is in me from my father who coached all those years, but I found myself trying to coach Brooks from the sidelines! I am going to have to work on that before next season!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

February and March Madness!

2011-07-26T07:57:00.015-05:00

The following are the happenings around our house and in our lives this past February and March. Enjoying some brotherly love before bed.

Watching a little Mickey Mouse.

Bedtime Bible time

In late February I took Brooks for his 5 year checkup and Braden for his 18 month checkup. I am so thankful that both boys were deemed healthy and no one had to get shots!!

After the doctor's appointment we went to feed the ducks and had some playtime!

Weeeeeee!

Brooks enjoyed shooting his BB gun at Papa and Grammie's.

Probably the biggest milestone of the month was Brooks learning to ride his bike without training wheels! He came in one Sunday afternoon and asked if Jeff would take his training wheels off. Jeff took them off and practiced with him in the yard for about 30 minutes. Within an hour or two he was riding solo on the street! He was so proud and we were VERY proud of him too!

Ready set ride!

You can tell this is a Sunday afternoon, because he is in his Sunday socks and crocs! HA!

so proud!

Braden helping around the house!

He went that way!

Braden looking for our next door neighbor, Lainee!

Just Braden........January Fun

2011-07-26T07:26:00.005-05:00

Braden is so fun......I guess the best way to describe him is CONSTANT. He is constantly moving, rarely sitting for more than a minute (literally), constantly getting into things, and constantly getting cuter by the day! He sure added excitement to our lives.....we adore him! Painting

Climbing

Eating

Sneaking snacks

Brooks Turns FIVE!!!!!!!!!

2011-07-26T07:01:00.008-05:00

On January 27, Brooks had a BIG birthday! So hard to believe that my baby is 5!!! He is such a joy and a wonderful boy! We had a swim party this year at our fitness center. It was a nice change for the kids to be able to swim while it is freezing cold outside! Brooks had a great time!

First at bat

2011-04-16T07:29:00.000-05:00

This is a video I took of Brooks' first at bat for the Giants. Deep flyball to 1st!

Basball Time in Tennessee

2011-04-16T07:26:00.000-05:00

It is that time of year that we love the most....baseball time! This year Brooks is playing for the Maryville Giants. So far he is having a great time and had been making new friends. Brooks is back on the pitcher's mound and loves it, because that is where all the action is!

UT vs Vandy

2011-04-09T14:47:00.009-05:00

A couple of weeks before Brooks' birthday we took him to the UT/Vandy game. We had a lot of fun and it ended up being a great game! It was ESPN's game of the day...which made it even more exciting! Brooks and I did a lot of cheering and jumping up and down when UT won!

BIG BIG SNOW

2011-02-23T21:54:00.015-05:00

On January 10th we got a BIG snow.....7 inches! We were out of school for an entire week and had a blast! I don't ever remember seeing that much snow at one time....the snow was was up to the middle of Braden's calf! We sledded for 3 days, had several snowed in dinners with the neighbors, drank A LOT of hot chocolate, and enjoyed time together!

The first morning....it is still snowing!

Of course Braden wants to eat it!
Snowball fight!

Sledding fun! Climbing the big snow hill in our neighborhood.

The perfect hill!

After about an hour we had to get the SUV out for Braden. He just got TOO cold so we drove it to the top of the hill and took turns sitting with him and keeping warm!

Fun with neighbors

Brooks could have stayed out there ALL day!

One, two, three....GO!

More neighbors

Braden liked being pulled up the hill. Cousin Ray Ray came over one afternoon to sled too.

It was one awesome memory-filled week!

Christmas with Grammie and Papa (final Christmas post)

2011-01-16T21:35:00.014-05:00

After Christmas breakfast at Memomma's we all came back to Grammie and Papa's and took a nap. (Did I mention that Braden usually gets up about 4:30 or 5 when we are there?) After our naps we opened gifts with Grammie and Papa. We missed my brother, Keith, and his family, but they could not come "home" this Christmas because Keith was on call.

Jeff got a new Braves hat.

Papa (and Grammie) got Brooks his first BB gun. (They asked us if it would be ok before they bought it!) The gun HAS to be left at their house and of course he cannot use it without Papa or Daddy with him. Boy did Brooks think he was BIG stuff!

Braden got a singing animal (I can't think of the real name of it!)

Papa was excited about giving Brooks the gun. He even made a shooting target for them to use.

Mom opening her gifts.....she was having fun......I promise. (She just doesn't like to smile for pictures for some reason!)

Papa checking out the new "grandchildren" calendar that we made for them on Snapfish.

Braden also got a new riding toy.

After the presents Brooks enjoyed some shooting practice.

Christmas at Memomma's

2011-01-16T21:00:00.008-05:00

Ever since I can remember we have had Christmas morning breakfast at Memomma's house. My grandmother is amazing, at 92 years old she is still hosting us and it is one of my favorite times during Christmas! This year everyone brought a breakfast food so that Memomma did not have to cook and it all came together wonderfully! We had the BEST time....as always!

Getting everything together

Dad and Uncle Kai are in charge of eggs

My sweet Allison got an American Girl Doll

Yum Yum
After breakfast the opening of presents begins!

Memomma opening some of her gifts.

Santa Came!!

2011-01-12T19:15:00.018-05:00

Santa found us at Grammie and Papa's again this year! He was quite good to both the boys! Brooks' main gift was a bike and Braden's was a new red "coope."

Coming down the stairs

Grammie waiting with her camera

What all did I get?

Playing with his new hot wheel track

Braden could not decide whether to ride in his car, play the piano, or hammer his new block toy!

The car is a HIT!

Hmmmm....what is in here?

He stayed in that car for a LONG time!

Trying out Brooks' new Wii game on the new beanbag.

Brooks trying out his new bike....we had a white Christmas!
A little cold for a bike ride!

Getting Ready for Santa

2011-01-12T17:57:00.006-05:00

Well, Christmas Eve we were at Grammie and Papa's and getting ready for Santa to come the next morning. We made some cookies, put out some reindeer food, and went to bed....just hoping he would come!

"Making" cookies

Braden eating a doughnut....he got hungry just thinking about Santa's long journey

putting cookies in the oven

Putting out the food for the reindeer

Cookies came out perfect....now time for BED!

Christmas Lights

2011-01-12T14:49:00.010-05:00

The night we got to my parents (Dec. 23rd) we went to see the the Bannard Christmas lights! There are over 1,000,000 lights and it is even put to Christmas music. It is really something to see and the boys enjoyed getting out of their seats and looking at all the lights. It is ironic that this place has been feautured in numerous magazines and TV specials and it is about 3 or 4 miles from my parent's house.

Frosty was there

Along with Santa!

Christmas at Home

2011-01-12T14:27:00.007-05:00

Before heading to Grammie and Papa's for Christmas we had Christmas at our house. Brooks got a computer game, a butterfly garden, and a movie and Braden got a helicopter, remote control car, and a movie. Jeff got me a new robe, a necklace, and a bracelet. I had gotten him the Colts tickets and a couple of sweaters and running gear.

Alphie the Elf made one more appearance before we left!

Christmas with Papaw and Rue Rue

2010-12-22T18:15:00.013-05:00

Last night we celebrated Christmas with Papaw and Rue Rue. Rue Rue cooked a great dinner and we had fun being together. Of course, Brooks and Ray were VERY anxious for us to finish eating so we could OPEN PRESENTS!!! (I remember being the exact same way when I was little.) All 3 grandsons got these awesome Pottery Barn bean bags. (Brooks has laid on his all morning and Braden has LOVED climbing on his.) Brooks also got a Wii game, Foosball game, books, and lots more things I can't remember! Braden got lots of BALLS. That is his favorite toy and word so they were perfect! He also got a HUGE dog from Ray Ray that he loves to kiss and a great riding toy! Jeff got lots of nice things...including a great jacket and Visa gift card and I got a personalized recipe book, a cool initial cup and a PANDORA bracelet!! We had a great time and it was great to kick the Christmas season off with such special people!

Can you see the excitement on their faces??? Brooks' eyes look like they are about to pop out of his head!

Before the chaos

Three sweet little heads

We tried several times to get a "grandsons" pictures...these were the best!

Daddy fixing one of the beanbags.

Braden loving on his new ball.

Rue Rue and Papaw help us so much by keeping Braden on Tuesdays and every other Wednesdays (and picking Brooks up from preschool some days too) and they will never take a dime of "grandsitting" money. We wanted to do something special for Christmas to thank them so we got them a new TV for their bedroom.

The boys LOVED the boxes that the beanbags came in. Again it is true....Of all the toys that they got, they loved playing in the boxes the MOST!

Papaw's boys

After we got home we let the boys watch a few minutes of TV while we unloaded our loot from the van......I am thinking that they LOVED the beanbags!

The Holiday Express

2010-12-22T16:19:00.008-05:00

Last Friday night we took the boys to see the Holiday Train Express at the UT Gardens. This is our 4th year to see the train exhibit and it gets better every year. The boys LOVED all the neat scenes, trains, and especially the yummy hot chocolate that they served outside. We really enjoy this annual event.

A Christmas Surprise

2010-12-22T08:33:00.008-05:00

On December 9th I gave Jeff an early Christmas surprise. I bought tickets to the Colts/Titans game! He had mentioned a few times over the last several years that he had never been to a NFL game and he would like to go sometime. Since he really likes the Colts, I got a great idea back in the fall of surprising him with tickets. When I looked up the game I was a little disappointed that it was on a Thursday, but decided that would make an even better surprise....Jeff missing a day of school! So I arranged for Papaw and Rue Rue to keep the boys, bought tickets, arranged for Jeff to have a sub, packed our bags, switched his bus duty, and bought the tickets....all without Jeff knowing! Am I sneaky or what??? I think I even surprised myself! We had a great time together....It was nice to have some adult time and I was shocked at how much I enjoyed the game too! It was REALLY cold that night, but we had so many layers on that we hardly noticed!

The closest we could get to Peyton!

Excited

All bundled up!

It was a GOOD game!

Jeff was VERY excited to touch one of his wrestling idols.....Ric Flair! He was the 12th Titan.

A Yummy Field Trip

2010-12-21T22:42:00.007-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I had the PRIVILEGE of taking Brooks on his field trip....it was to the cookie company!!! The kids were shown how the cookies were made and then they got to decorate their own cookie. After that Brooks and I did a little Christmas shopping and then I had to head back to school. We had fun together....so hard to believe that he will be a kindergartner next year:(

Some of his friends......these children are in 3 different classes, but Brooks knows a lot of them from class and extended care.
All ears when it comes to cookies!

My big boy

Showing the kids around

A little prep work

The yummy result!

Widows Christmas Lunch

2010-12-14T12:39:00.004-05:00

A couple of Sundays ago we had a widow/widowers luncheon at our church. A lot of the young families made a few dishes and we had such a wonderful dinner with some very special people in our congregation. After lunch the children sang some of their favorite Christmas songs.

The Santa Train

2010-12-13T22:42:00.010-05:00

On December 3rd we drove to Chatanooga to meet our good friends, The Jennings, and to ride the Polar Express! My good friend, Elizabeth, told us about this great train ride several months ago so we bought our tickets early and couldn't wait to go and experience one of our FAVORITE books! However, Braden got really sick after Thanksgiving with a upper respitory infection and then a virus on top of that. WE debated taking him because he seemed to be better that day, but Rue Rue and Papaw said that they would keep him. (I am glad that they did becasue he ended up running a 103+ fever that night!) We really missed having Braden with us, but the 3 of us had fun traveling to the North Pole with some great friends! We are hoping to go back next year.....maybe even venturing up to Bryson City and trying out their Polar Express! It is a neat Christmas experience!

All Aboard!

Ready to ride

Our family (minus Braden)

Elizabeth and Reagan

Getting close to the North Pole All the kids got to go to the microphone and tell what they wanted Santa to bring them.

It's Santa!

My sweet Brooksie!

We LOVE spening time with Elizabeth and her family (I am not sure why Justin is not in these pics!) Reagan is getting tired by this point:(

Thanksgiving - Part 2

2010-12-13T22:23:00.009-05:00

We drove to Lebanon the day before Thanksgiving to have Thanksgiving with my family. My brother and his family came in and we also celebrated Christmas with them because they will not get to come back for a while. Grammie fixed a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving dinner and we had a great time just being together!

Braden cuddling with Grammie and Papa

The kids enjoyed playing the Wii

Braden and Vance "enjoyed" arguing!

"Christmas" morning....when the kids opened their gifts.

It was a pillow pet Christmas!

Grammie and Papa's grands In this picture Braden had just hit Vance on the top of the head with a glass ornament...."Ouch" Vance said!

We had a great time!

Thanksgiving - Part 1

2010-12-13T21:37:00.012-05:00

We celebrated the Sunday before Thanksgiving with the Birds. Rue Rue cooked most of the great dinner and I brought a few sides and Leah brought a couple of desserts. Everything was YUMMY!

Braden hanging out with the cooks.

The men being men
Braden and Aunt Leah

Brooks and Ray Ray....not quite sure what they were playing!

Braden LOVED the food...SHOCKER!

Some went around for seconds!

After dinner we tried to get a few family shots. Here is Grandma Bon with her great-grandsons. Braden threw a ball the entire time....the only way he would actually sit.

What a great-looking family!

Rue Rue and Papaw with their THREE handsome grandsons.

The Bird side

(This isn't really a Thanksgiving picture, but I took it soon after, when Braden discovered the phone. He constantly says, "Hellwo." Notice he is using a remote!

Braden's Ear Surgery

2010-12-06T21:33:00.008-05:00

On November 1st Braden got tubes in his ears. He has battled MANY ear infections and we finally decided to have tubes. He did great during the surgery and we were very pleased with the hospital and the doctor. The only problem was that it took him about 7 -10 days to sleep through the night again! I don't know if it was the anesthesia or he was able to hear more of what was going on, but that part was the pits! We have also noticed that in the few weeks following the surgery, he has begun to say so many more words. Poor thing couldn't hear! I took him back for a followup last week and he made 100% on his hearing test! YAY!

Cutest patient ever!

Not happy about not being able to eat!
Walking around and waiting

The nurses became smitten with him!

Relieved after surgery...happy to have his baba!

Halloween 2010

2010-12-06T21:17:00.022-05:00

We celebrated Halloween for several days! First, Brooks had a Halloween party at school. He was Spiderman this year (it was a hand-me-down from cousin, Ian).
Partying with lots of great food!

Then they sang some cute songs for us!

Then we had the mother's group from church over to our house a couple of days before Halloween. We ate, did crafts, and played!

Doing our pumpkin craft.

I made hot dog mummies!
Outdoor painting

Then the next night we went to the Rudd's annual Halloween Party. We have gone for the last 3 years and always have LOTS of fun!

Braden was Mickey Mouse (a hand-me-down from Cousin Vance)!

The kids LOVED the bounce house!

More great food!

Lydia and Brooks

We get a group kid picture every year. It is always so funny....look at Braden, Lydia is trying to hold him but he looks bigger than her!

Braden tried to steal a kiss from Reese before leaving that night.....I wish he would at least close his mouth! Mr. Marc telling the kids a Halloween story.

Finally, on Halloween night we had to make lots of visits before church. One stop was at Grandma Bon's.....we got to meet up with Dinosaur Ray.

Truck-or-treating at church.

Brooks getting a treat from his teacher, Mrs. Tyra.

Spider Man and Batman (Dillon)

We met back up with Ray at Rue Rue and Papaw's ....Braden was given his first sucker...which he LOVED!

It was a great Halloween week!

Fall Outing

2010-11-20T22:38:00.005-05:00

A few weeks ago when the leaves were at their peak, we packed a lunch and the boys and headed to Bald River Falls. It is only about 45 minutes from our house, but we had never taken the boys. It was BEAUTIFUL!! The waterfall was amazing and Brooks was really wanting to hike to the top. It was hard to do much with Braden, but we did manage to hike down to the bottom and take a few pictures. We plan to go back when Braden is a little older and can run around on his own. We love our family outings!

Brooks' First Stitches

2010-11-20T22:29:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago Brooks took a BAD fall out in the street. He was running after a ball and tripped and hit his chin on the curb. It was REALLLLLLLLY deep and required stitches. So Rue Rue and Papaw came over and watched Braden while we ran Brooks up to the ER. 5 stitches later we were ready to come home. Brooks did awesome! They had to put him in a straight jacket so that he wouldn't move, but he was really calm! After it was over he got to get a milkshake for a reward....NEVER a dull moment around here!

I forgot to take pictures right after it happened, but this is his chin one week later when we went to get the stitches taken out.

Lemonade for Sale!!

2010-11-20T22:21:00.002-05:00

Brooks asked me several times this summer if he could have a lemonade stand. Every time he asked it just was not a good time so we kept putting it off. Finally, about a month ago, Brooks set up his first lemonade stand. His friends across the street helped him too and they all split the $! He had a great time and the next day he wanted to sell water! HA! Our next door neighbor, Mr. Darrell, coming over to buy some! I love our neighborhood!

Maple Lane Farms

2010-11-20T22:13:00.006-05:00

Brooks had his great Maple Lane Farms field trip last month. It was a beautiful day and this year daddy took off from school and took Brooks. He and Brooks had a great time together and brought home 2 AMAZING pumpkins! This was a great pumpkin!

Brooks and 3 of his best friends from class.

Of course Brooks and Lydia found each other and had to ride next to each other on the hayride.

Mass chaos......J/K fun with 3 and 4 year olds!

Fun at the circus

2010-11-20T22:04:00.008-05:00

Last month Jeff and Brooks headed to the circus. Braden and I decided to stay at home because Braden only sits for about 30 seconds at a time.....I knew we would all be better off if Braden waited until next year to go! Jeff and Brooks had a great time. This year they even rode a camel and went backstage to see the animals when it was over. They did not get home until about 11:00 and both were exhausted!

On the camel!

In the clown's bathtub!

Simply pooped!

Jeff said that Brooks was dying to get Braden a sword this year while they were at the circus.(Brooks got one last year) so this is a picture of them the next morning before church....Brooks was showing Braden how to use it!

Wrestle mania at the Bird House!

Our week at home

2010-10-11T21:36:00.012-05:00

After getting back from our long weekend at Grammie and Papa's house we enjoyed some time together. We went to our new Fitness Center several times, played at home, played at school, and went to a Fall Festival. We had a nice relaxing (well as much as you can relax while getting Braden out of everything) week!

Braden has now learned how to scoot objects up to chairs so that he can climb up onto them! Then he usually want to stand in them and wave his arms......he keeps us on our toes!

Playing on the playground at school

They look like caged animals here!

The boys LOVED the fall festival! They had some great rides and activities for children.

Watch out....he is driving!

The Greenbelt.....such a pretty area

Of course Brooks was drawn to the baseball area!

and the BIG slide!

Then he spotted one of the Knoxville TV anchors and had to go say hello....thankfully they were not on air!

Many Reasons for a Great Visit!

2010-10-11T21:19:00.014-05:00

Last week was our Fall Break. We usually go to Destin during that time, but after going to FL in June we decided to go back when Braden was a little older.....(He was into EVERYTHING, he DID NOT sleep, etc.) So we decided to go to the next best place....LEBANON! My 92 year-old grandmother had surgery on her thyroid a couple of weeks ago and I was really wanting to go check on her as well as visit Grammie, Papa and our other wonderful family!

Look at her! She looks great after surgery!

Another reason we went was to help my FAVORITE cousin celebrate her 42nd B-day! Doesn't she LOOK AWESOME???

I think that Brooks wishes that Ian

and Allison were his siblings! He LOVES playing with them!

Braden had fun playing with his favorite toy....BALLS!

And getting into everything at Aunt Fay and Uncle Kai's house!

I LOVE Allison's imagination and creativity. She had typed up these signs and had them hanging around the house so that she, Ian, and Brooks could play secret agents!

Then they got some exercise on Aunt Fay's treadmill!

Braden thought he was as big as the rest of them!

Back at Grammie's house we hung out, went to church, watched ball games, ate, and enjoyed being together!

In this picture Brooks was helping Grammie bake some delicious cookies!

Braden LOVES his Papa (and Papaw too). He would go around saying, "Papa" in the sweetest voice.

Ray Ray is THREE!

2010-10-11T20:45:00.005-05:00

It is hard to believe that Ray Ray turned 3 on September 12th! He is such a sweet boy and we enjoyed partying with him at Pump-it-Up! (I did not get many pictures of Ray Ray b/c Braden keeps me hopping and unable to do much other than chase him....also I took some pictures with Leah's camera!)

First in Flight

2010-09-17T10:02:00.011-05:00

Tuesday afternoon after school Brooks flew in an airplane for the first time. Papaw has his pilot's license and is a part owner in a plane so Papaw, Rue Rue, daddy, and Brooks flew around "town." I was a little nervous, but Brooks wasn't! He had an absolute ball and told EVERYONE at school that he was going flying! Thankfully, they had a safe and FUN trip!

Getting ready to go!

Did they make him sit in the cargo part?

Brooks got to fly the plane for a few minutes!

Radioing in

This is our house and Braden and I are a speck in the yard.

Our house again

Then they flew over our school.

The football team was practicing for this Friday's game!

Then they flew towards the Smoky Mountains.

Brooks' First Run

2010-09-17T09:53:00.009-05:00

A few weeks ago Brooks ran in is first "race." Jeff was doing the Man Run to benefit prostate cancer and Brooks wanted to run too so Brooks, Braden, and I did the 1 mile fun run. I was so proud of Brooks. He ran the entire race! We had fun too!

Stretching

There he goes....I pushed Braden and ran beside (behind) him.

Thumbs up!

Drink break for Braden also

We got to see daddy run across the finishline!

Bedtime

2010-09-17T09:47:00.002-05:00

I really enjoy bedtime at our house. We try to settle down and watch a few minutes of TV together while drinking our milk and then do a little devotional. It is also CUDDLE TIME! (Do you like their matching pjs I got at Walmart...they were $2.)

New Bears

2010-09-03T11:00:00.002-05:00

Last Friday night we had to go to West Town Mall in Knoxville, to pick up our runners pack for the 5K we were doing on Saturday. We haven't been to that mall in about 2 or 3 years and Brooks LOVED looking at all the stores (he is sheltered I know). He saw a Build-a-Bear store and remembered making a bear there with Rue Rue a couple of years ago. We decided to let both boys make a bear while we were there. I did not have my camera at the time, but here are the finished bears. Braden's bear is named Chewy because he immediately began chewing on him (he thinks every object is food!) Brooks' bear is named Chipper because he is really into the Braves right now!

(Braden cracks me up in this outfit becasue Brooks wore it when he was 2 1/2! I kept looking it in the closet all summer thinking he is not even one yet, he can't wear it. So finally this Sunday I thought I might as well try it and guess what..... it is a 2T and .... he can wear it!)

Back to School

2010-09-03T10:48:00.010-05:00

Well, Brooks started back to school this week. He is in Mrs. Tyra and Mrs. Leigh Ann's 4 year old class. He goes to school Mon. - Wed. from 8-11:15 and then one or two days he stays in extended care until we get out of school. He LOVES it. He told me last night that he thinks that he is really suppose to go Mon.-Fri.....I said that he would next year! BOO! HOO!

This was meet the teacher day.....we go to church with both of them so we went so that he could see his classroom.

All the classes has these really cool reading lofts.

Braden enjoyed this center too.

Cool guitar

Braden crawling into the reading loft.

Brooks had to show Braden the playground before we left.

Big Preschooler!

This was on his first official day! He was so excited and he even stayed until I got out of school at 4:00.....he couldn't wait to go back!

His classroom

Brooks and his buddy, Sam. They have been buds since I babysat Sam at 4 months old!

Braden Turns ONE!

2010-09-02T11:14:00.012-05:00

On August 18th Braden turned 1 year old! This has been such an amazing year! Life with 2 children is busy, exhausting, and challenging....BUT OH SO MUCH FUN!!!! Braden has completed our family in so many ways. We love him to pieces!

Good morning, Birthday boy!

Brooks and I decided to take Braden to the park after Braden's morning nap. It was hotter than I thought it would be (it started out really cool that morning), but we still had fun! Braden enjoyed all the fun "rides."

After daddy got home from school we went out to eat and then to church. Then after church Rue Rue and Papaw came over and we had a cookie cake and sang to Braden again.

YUMMY!!!!!

Washing it down with some whole milk!!

Brooks trying out Braden's new toy from Papaw and Rue Rue.

Then Aunt Lynette called to say "Happy Birthday." Braden thought that was funny!

Papaw wishing him Happy Birthday.

Braden's Birthday Party

2010-08-29T20:07:00.023-05:00

The Saturday before Braden's Birthday we celebrated with family and friends! We invited 3 of his friends from his class at church, our neighbors, and family. Our theme (do you ever really have a theme with your 2nd child?) was balloons. Braden LOVES balloons so Brooks thought this would be a good idea and we agreed. We had a lot of fun and as usual Braden was in a great mood. So hard to believe that our baby boy is 1!!! He is such a blessing!

I do not have time to scrapbook, bur instead I do Birthday Books for the boys. We write down all the highlights from the party and the guests write down little messages and then I develop pictures from the party and put in the book.

Braden playing with Ray Ray and Caymen in Brooks' room.Watching the festivities.

Do I smell cake????

Brooks helping with Braden's cake.

Braden HATED this hat..... Brooks was taking it off earlier in the day and it snapped him so he did not want it anywhere near his head!

Looks interesting!

Cake.....Where have you been all my life???

Jeff and me with our messy cake boys.

Clean up

Braden's friend, Reese, loves to eat about as much as he does!

Our sweet neighbor, Brady.

What...there's more...presents!!!!!!

Brooks helped Braden open his gifts.

Papaw and Rue Rue with their boys

Brooks, Ray, and Braden

Cousin Meredith got a little birthday sqeeze in too!

Bye-bye Baseball

2010-08-27T21:14:00.006-05:00

Brooks' little baseball team had a little get-together a couple of weeks ago to get their trophies and say good-bye to each other. Brooks had such a great time playing this summer! He will definitely play next spring. He has even been "recruited" to play on another team in the Maryville....we will see...could we have the next Chipper Jones on our hands????? HA!

Fun Summer Pics

2010-08-27T20:57:00.010-05:00

Here are some random pictures that were taken this summer. Most are of Braden because he is into SO MUCH right now and because Brooks had solo reign on this blog for over 3 1/2 years! HA!
The summer seemed to just fly, but we have had so much fun together!

Braden's first time turned around in his car seat... this is the backup car seat....the better one is in the van. He loves being turned around!

Playing with brother's undies on his head!
This is Braden's favorite thing to do. He will crawl to Brooks' room and look to see if he mistakenly left his bathroom door open. You see he LOVES to crawl into the bathroom, climb up on the stool, and use Brooks' toothbrush! It is so funny, but we are afraid he will fall off the stool so we try to remind Brooks to close his bathroom door. If we ever have a hard time finding Braden we know to look in Brooks' bathroom.....he is usually in their brushing his teeth!

Brooks buttoned his shirt for church by himself...he was so proud....can you tell he skipped a button?

Brooks wanted to rock Braden one day....too sweet!

My sweet boys!

Playing with blocks!

Messy, Messy boy who LOVES to EAT!

Braden discovered my sock crate one day.... he played and played in it! I had to do a little picking up afterwards, but that was OK!

Happy Birthday, Rue Rue!

2010-08-22T21:21:00.010-05:00

A few weeks ago we went to the mountains to celebrate Rue Rue and Cousin Meredith's Birthday. We always go to Cades Cove to have their parties and it is always lots of fun for the boys.

Rue Rue and her boys

Braden laughing at Rue Rue

Fun at the campsite

Ray Ray and Brooks

The boys all love the hammock

Braden trying to take Katlyn's food

Braden taking some of Papaw's ice cream

Ray Ray and Braden

Brooks getting ready to take a dip in the river

Fun in the river

Saying Goodbye

2010-08-22T20:56:00.002-05:00

Well, a few weeks ago we said goodbye to a "member" of our family.....my first car! Yes, I have had this car since I was 16......that is half of my life!! It still ran great, but it was a little hard to fit a family of four in it when we were not in the SUV. So we traded it in for a mini-van and we LOVE it!

Pickin' and Outside Fun

2010-08-22T20:47:00.007-05:00

A few weeks ago we went to pick peaches at Mrs. Lisa's Peach Orchard. She has GREAT peaches! Her son, Heath, helped Jeff and Brooks find the best peaches....we all enjoyed the peach cobbler when we got back home! (Brooks had to ear his rain boots b/c he was afraid it would be muddy.)

Then later that week we picked blueberries for the first time from our blueberry bushes.

We gave Braden this water table a few weeks before his birthday so he could enjoy it. He played with it about 5 minutes and then he began to go into explore mode. He loves to get down and dirty. I would be in REAL trouble if I minded dirt because these two boys of mine LOVE to have fun in the dirt!

And he is off!

Braden at 11 months

2010-07-30T16:56:00.007-05:00

Someone please tell me I am dreaming and my sweet "baby" is not going to be ONE next month!!!! This year has ABSOLUTELY flown by! I have enjoyed being at home with Braden (and Brooks) so much. I have decided to return to teaching part-time. Thirty-One is going Amazingly well, but I want to keep my tenure and retirement so I am going to attempt to teach part-time, run my Thirty-One business, and be the best mother and wife I can be.... pray for me! Anyway, I am kinda sad that I will be leaving Braden for 2/3 days a week, but he is going to be in the great hands of Rue Rue and Mrs. Lisa! (I am a little excited to be returning to an adult world... with little kids there too of course.)
At 11 months Braden is into TROUBLE! He loves the fireplace, the facet on the bathtub, the garbage can, turning the volume up on the receiver..... he has had many hand smacks and is learning the meaning of "NO!" He is pulling up to everything and he is going to be our climber! I think it will be a good month or so before he is walking though. Right now he can get anywhere he wants by doing a VERY fast crab crawl! He stills says, "mammamma" and "dadada" and lately he is saying, "bu" for either Brooks or Bubba. He is eating EVERYTHING and does not like to be spoon fed anymore. If I try to feed him yogurt or applesauce or anything with a spoon, he will eat it and then spit some of it back out on his tongue and then take his hand and rub it ALL over his face! Needless to say, he eats table food 99% of the time! He is still wearing 18-24 month clothes and is in size 4 diapers. His 8th tooth came in this month too! He now has the top 4 and the bottom 4! I think that this 1st Birthday coming up is going to be a hard day for Momma! I love this sweet boy so much!

Braden LOVES to crawl into our bathroom and turn on the tub. The other day Brooks said, "Braden, if you keep turning on the water and running our bill up, you will have to use some of your Birthday money to help pay the bill!" HA! Boy, Dave Ramsey would be proud!

We also call him Mr. Destructo

Climbing out now

He found the mop in the laundry room and crawled with it back into the kitchen! This is one of the reasons that my house looks like a tornado hit EVERYDAY!

Lebanon - July

2010-07-30T16:46:00.006-05:00

We traveled to Lebanon a couple of weeks ago to visit and go to a family reunion. I did not get many pictures because Braden was EVERYWHERE and we chased him the entire time while being re-introduced to long lost cousins.....

Here is Memoma and her namesake... Braden HUNTER

One of mom's cousins made this family tree cake. It was so neat, of course Brooks wanted the first piece!

We finally found a nursery so we contained Braden in there for a few minutes. Jeff found this Bible puppet and Braden loved it!

After the reunion we headed to Coles Ferry with the Jennings family. It cracks me up to see Brooks go off the board and swim at the place where I grew up and lifeguarded for so long! I LOVE it!

That slide has been there for AGES!!!!!!!!!! I am surprised that the state has not made them take it down!

Two silly (sweet) boys!

Ice Cream and Friends

2010-07-22T14:36:00.019-05:00

Our family took a field trip a couple of Fridays ago. We went to the Mayfield Dairy Plant and then to see our good friends, The Jennings. We began at Mayfields. We got to see how the milk plant works (the ice cream line was off that week:( We enjoyed it so much!Big cow!
My cow boys! HA!

Utterly funny!

Both of my boys LOVE milk! We go through 3 gallons a week right now. I know we will go to at least 4 when Braden stops nursing!

We all had to wear hair nets to tour the plant.

Yes, EVEN BRADEN had to wear one! He kept pulling it off so we had to hold his hands down.

Best part.... the ice cream at the end!

Then we headed to my "old" roommates house. We ate the most delicious hamburgers for lunch, played on this amazing pirate ship, swam, played, and hung out! It was a great afternoon!

Brooks fell in love with Reagan's play ship! It is so cool. I know she will enjoy it for years to come!

Braden enjoyed swinging.....even if the swing was pink!

Reagan and Brooks watching TV.

3 of the sweetest children in the world:)

Braden learned to climb.

Braden and Mr. Justin dressed alike.... apparently they both like cookies!

We tried to get a good picture with all the kids.... the is the best we could get.

Braden and Reagan are about 7 months apart.... I would let him go for an older woman!

Reagan enjoyed playing with Brooks more! I would let him go for a younger girl.... hey since they share a birthday, they would never forget that special day! HA!

We had a wonderful day!

Pool Sitting

2010-07-22T14:30:00.003-05:00

A couple of weeks ago our neighbors went on vacation and we had to horrible task of ....... pool sitting. We LOVED it! We swam almost everyday that they were gone and even once after dinner one night. We have told them that we would be glad to take on this responsibility again! Jeff and I would take turns with taking Brooks during Braden's nap time, then we would eat lunch and take Braden swimming.
Brooks has turned into our little fish.

He would swim EVERYDAY if he could.

A Family Filled Fourth

2010-07-11T21:38:00.025-05:00

We had a terrific 4th of July holiday weekend. My brother and his family came to spend the weekend with us. We always have fun with them and the kids all get along so well. Maybe it can be a yearly trip!!!

After they got here on Friday we went to the mountains and drove around Cades Cove and had a picnic.
The kids kept wanting to go on a hike.... hence the backpacks!

Braden and Aunt Cryste

One of the great mountain views during our drive

Playing in the river after the picnic

After we ate we drove to a place called Look Rock. It is about a .5 mile (paved) walk up to this big lookout tower. This was the "hike" that we did because it was paved and we could push Braden in the stroller and because it was getting dark. We got there about 2 minutes before the sun went down. Isn't this a great view??

The view from the other side of the tower.

Our family after the hike.

The Berry bunch

The whole gang

The next day we got up and went to The Lost Sea. It is an underground cave with a huge lake. It was really neat!

It was about 50 degrees down there so we took jackets.

Some of the neat cave pictures

The boat ride

Cave fun

Our family minus Braden (Rue Rue stayed at home with him.)

Then on Sunday afternoon after church we celebrated the 4th of July. We went to our next door neighbor's house and cooked out, swam, played, and shot fireworks. It was a really fun day!

Braden and his red cheeks. He is REALLY hot natured and sweats like his daddy!

Some pool time

Some chowing down time

Fireworks time

Happy 4th of July!

The kids loved the sparklers, tanks, and snakes!

After the fireworks the kids came in and wanted to watch the Macy's 4th of July Fireworks too. We had a WONDERFUL weekend!

Camping in Cades Cove

2010-07-11T21:30:00.007-05:00

A couple of weeks ago Brooks and Jeff went camping with Papaw and Rue Rue in Cades Cove. They only spent one night because I had a show and Jeff had to come back and watch Braden, but they had LOTS of fun for the night that they were there. Jeff said that Brooks was out like a light and didn't wake up the entire night. I guess in a few years when Braden is older, we will be doing family camping weekends! Setting up the tent
Cooling off

Brooks and Rue Rue

Riding around Cades Cove

Cooking with Papaw

Smores for breakfast??? Only when Mommy isn't around!HA

My sweet boys called and checked on Braden and me that night!

Braden at 10 months

2010-06-25T21:29:00.007-05:00

Well, my baby is now 10 months old.....boohoo! He is so big, but the sweetest thing ever. Everyone comments on how happy he is and what a great smile that he has... of course I agree! His biggest accomplishment this month is pulling up. He is crawling and pulling up to EVERYTHING! If we can't find him I go to Brooks' room and almost always find him in there. He loves his ball goal! Poor baby had a rough week last week. He ran a high fever for 3 days and I took him to the doctor 3 times. They treated him for his ear infections (from 2 weeks ago) and thought he had a bacteria from that. He had to get 3 days of Ruceffin shots. However, he broke out with a bad rash on Friday so Jeff took him back to the doctor (yes, 4 times in 1 week!) and they diagnosed him with Roseola. He has felt so much better this week. He lost weight last week, but I am guessing he is about 23 1/2 pounds and still wearing 18 month clothes. He LOVES to crawl around after Brooks and sounds like he is saying, "Brrr." We are not sure if he is trying to say "Brooks" or " brother." They are so sweet together... hoping it will last!

My big boy

Just about ready to crawl out of the chair

Look what I can do!

I love this dimpled paci smile.... makes getting up at 5am worth it!

This is a common scene at our house. Braden LOVES to pull up to Brooks, especially if he is playing the wii. Braden already loves holding the wii remote. He is wanting to be like brother!

Summer Fun

2010-06-25T21:16:00.008-05:00

I cannot believe that next week is the last of June. The summer is FLYING by! We have been having lots of fun since we got back from Destin. Brooks is swimming like a fish. I am teaching him the American Crawl and I think he will be diving in a few weeks. The only thing about him learning to swim is that he wants to swim EVERY day!
Brooks' played his last wee-ball game on Monday night. He had his best hit of the season.... a triple and he almost caught his 2nd fly ball (it pop out of his glove before he could put his hand over it.) He had such a great season and we all enjoyed watching him play!

The pitcher

Getting batting pointers from Coach Greg

Made it to base

Brooks and the neighbors across the street have become BIG buddies. They play almost everyday. Here are a few of them trading silly bands.

Big jump

Playing at the pool with Lydia

Swimming makes you hungry!

Destin 2010

2010-06-19T10:11:00.030-05:00

We had a fun time on our beach vacation this year. We decided to go in the summer instead of October so that my brother's family could go too. (They can't go in the fall anymore b/c of the girls being in school.) We were scared that we were going to be invaded by tar, but thankfully we went 2 weeks before it hit the Destin area. The weather was HOT, but gorgeous EVERY day! My parents and Jeff's parents went too and we usually rent a BIG house in the awesome subdivision, but we had to settle on a smaller house in the same subdivision this year. Brooks, Melia, Olivia, and Vance enjoyed sleeping in bunk beds in the kid's room and everyone else had their own bedrooms too. Braden "slept" in out closet. I use the word "slept" loosely because he was up 3-5 times every night and woke up for good about 5am EVERY morning! He was battling a double ear infection and was just out of sorts. However, he was happy during the day (we weren't though!) We spent most of the day at the pool this year. The beach was so HOT and had lots of seaweed. Brooks learned to swim the second day we were there so he wanted to go to the pool to practice and play. We would usually come in and eat lunch and the kids would take naps and the adults would hang out by the small pool at our house. Then we would head out the the beach in the late afternoon when it wasn't as crowded and hot. Then each night one family was in charge of the meal. We only ate out one night out of 7! This saves us LOTS of money and we decided a long time ago that it isn't much fun to take 5 kids to a restaurant after a day of sun and swimming!

I forgot how hard it was to travel with a baby. Braden was great most of the day, but you had to watch him like a hawk because he was getting into EVERYTHING! We enjoyed our trip, but decided that we will stick to going to the beach in the fall. It is SO much cooler, cheaper, and less crowded. We are thankful for the wonderful time we got to spend with our families and the great memories that we made together! The front of our beach house...it was nice (5 bedrooms and 3 bath) but we were spoiled to the other house that we usually stay in. It has a lot more living space and the bedrooms are a lot bigger. However, it is about twice the price in the summer!
First look at the beach

First morning at the beach

Braden's first time in the ocean

Fun time with cousins

Our "small" pool.... thankfully the neighborhood had a large pool up the road that we swam in a lot.

Jeff, Keith, Papa, Rue Rue, and Papaw all went deep sea fishing one afternoon. My dad got very sick and almost had a heat stroke. Thankfully my brother was there to help him.

This was their catch. We had a great fish feast that night at our house.... Rue Rue fixed fried fish, hushpuppies, veggies, and dessert! YUM!

The kids listened for the ice cream truck each day. This was the one day that we let them get an ice cream treat.

Hot Papaw's of Destin

Domino night

Braden had fun watching the kids out on the deck.

One day we went to the amusement park. Brooks had a BLAST!

I had fun too!

All the kids got along so well.

We went to eat lunch at McGuire's after the amusement park. It is a really neat place! For good luck the customers would tape a dollar bill on the ceiling, wall, doors, etc. There was over $900,000 dollar bills hanging in that place. It was pretty cool!

Jeff and Brooks taping our dollar to the wall.

Enjoying popscicles at the neighborhood pool.

Loving the pool!

Beach pictures

Dad and Keith during their fishing adventure

Family Photo

Our family

Acting silly one night on the beach

My brother and sister-in-law

Papa feeds Braden a fudgecicle

Vance and Brooks flying a kite

Rue Rue and Papaw playing with Braden.

Beach Brothers

2010-06-18T16:22:00.004-05:00

My sweet beach boys. I cannot tell you in words how much I love these precious boys!

Brooks at the beach

2010-06-18T16:16:00.006-05:00

Brooks LOVED our vacation. He enjoyed the beach, but after learning to swim on Monday, he wanted to go to the pool a lot to work on his swimming skills. He was a little fish and I was SO proud. We had fun at the beach too, but the seaweed kept us from getting in it as much as we would have liked.Baywatch boy
Fun in the sand

Can you catch fish with a shovel?

Look at that boy dive!!

Look at that jump!

My sweet little fish!

Braden's 1st Beach Trip

2010-06-18T15:34:00.009-05:00

Braden LOVES water so we were not surprised that he really LOVED the beach. He kept crawling up to the water and splashing in it. Because of his ears we tried not to let him get too far in. First "dip"

I love it!

We bought a little pool for him to play in while we were in the big pool.

Hat men

I LOVE this picture! What a beach body!

Can you tell he LOVES it?

He crawled everywhere on the beach.

A man that lives in our neighborhood at the beach made this car for the kids.

Mmmmmmmmm, sand!