Long Hollow 4th of July

I finally got around to blogging. My computer is so slow sometimes I just don't feel like turning it on. So, if you ever send me an email and I don't respond right away....now you know why. Anywho... here some pictures from the 4th . We headed over to the church around 7pm for some play time. I forgot to bring the kids a bathing suit and change of clothes so it was all I could do to keep Luke from getting on the wet slides...This year they had lots of cars for folks to look at. This is our good friend/neighbors car. (Jerry and Sherry Holman). He drag races for fun...
My kids with Sherry and Jerry's granddaughter, Jillian:
We didn't make it in time to ride the ponies but we did make it for a train ride:
Here is Luke sitting with Ron gazing at the fireworks. Even though they only lasted 10 minutes the kids had a blast. We headed home and played with some sparklers and shot off some of our own fireworks.
Hope everyone had a great 4th!

A Day at the Lake

After being home for only 2 days, I jumped in the car again for another road trip. Me and the kids headed to Georgia to visit my parents and my sister and her family. We spent Saturday at Lake Lanier . The lake is so low, there are lots of sandy "beach " areas. We anchored out on her big boat and took the ski boat along for fun. Look what Anna learned to do:Yes, Luke is actually sleeping in this picture: (with cousin Alec, age 11)
Before falling asleep on the ski boat this is what Luke was doing:
It was a beautiful day to be out on the lake so we got tons of sun. After all this waterplay, we headed back to my moms house and crashed. So fun!

Wilmington, NC

Last week we headed to the east coast to visit Ron's brother and his family. It took 12 hours to drive there and surprisingly the kids were great. They watched movies, listen to books on CD, played travel games and colored. They were very excited each time we crossed a state line so at this rest stop we snapped a picture:We stayed 3 days and had a great visit and stayed busy. We spent the first day relaxing in the pool (recovering from the day in the car). The next day Ron and his brother, Brian played golf while we took the kids to downtown Wilmington. We took a walk on the boardwalk and then played at the Children's museum. Here is Anna on the boardwalk:

Here is a shot of all the kiddos before going out to dinner: (Anna, Ben, Will and Luke)
We spent a day at Topsail Beach. The kids had a blast running all over the beach and into the waves. Anna really loved it. The smaller kids were a little timid at first, but by the end of the day they were all about it!
Here is a shot of Uncle Brian showing Anna how to fly a kite:
Even though it was a long drive, we had a great time and it was worth it! Thanks Brain and Carrie...can't wait to visit again!

Water Play

School is out and summer break is here! The kids are already excited about getting in the water whenever possible. Friday we spent the day at a friends house and it wasn't long until the kids were hot and wanting water play. They took turns playing gladiators while running through the sprinklers.
Sunday, we took our second trip to The Streets of Indian Lake fountains. This outdoor mall just recently opened and it is about 2 minutes from our house.

This time we just came in our swimsuits and brought towels, sunscreen and a change of clothes. It was great, especially since Ron watched the kids while I did a little shopping! :)

The CMT Show

My hubby has been working hard for 7 days on this show (well actually longer if you count the planning stage) and today is showday. Try and catch it tonight at 8/7c and see what he's been up to at "the Curb".

Easter

The kids were excited Sunday morning to find buckets of goodies waiting for them when they woke up. The most exciting item? Webkinz! The Easter bunny was thoughtful enough to bring 2 so that there wouldn't be fighting over just 1. Anna has already named hers "Sam" and Luke's is "Lulu". Next, Anna and I decorated eggs. This was a fun activity that I had not done since I was a kid. Anna really liked adding the tattoos. Here is a shot of the final products:
We dressed up in our Easter best and headed to Cheddars for lunch. The kids were good and for once I got this great picture of the 2 of them together!

Since we didn't have much luck this year with egg hunts (the MOPs egg hunt was rained out and the big ol' egg drop was a bust) we decided to hide eggs in the yard. Luke really got into it and Anna found the only money egg (it was worth $1).

A Visit to the Zoo

We took Luke to the zoo for the first time today. We haven't been since Anna was about 3. I have to say I'm impressed with the new additions. It is so much better since they have added the giraffes, alligators, lorakeets, and monkeys. Luke was excited to see all the animals but he got real excited when he saw the Anaconda in the Unseen World exhibit. He said "WOW! That's the biggest one!" When I told him it was an Anaconda, he started telling me interesting facts about the snake he has learned about on "Go Diego, Go!"
Here are a few pics from our day:

The family shot:The little man on daddy's shoulders:
The girls showing Luke some love:
The boys brushing a goat in the petting area:
Luckily we got there early and left at lunch time because it got really crowded. Afterwards, we headed to the nearest McD's to feed the kids and then headed home for naps. Thanks to Bobby and Karen for taking us as their guests! We might have to get a family membership soon!

Check out my Slide Show!

JAE Easter Egg Hunt

Anna's school, Jack Anderson Elementary had egg hunts for the kids today. Luke and I arrived early to "hide" the eggs. As you can see, we just scattered them across a large open field. The picture below is a shot of 2 of the classes lined up before the whistle blew. Here is Anna and Luke lined up. Luke is counting 1-2-3-Go!
Here is Anna pretending to hunt eggs for the sake of mom. I tried to get her during the actual hunt but it was chaos and I was too busy trying to keep up with Luke!
After the hunt, Luke and I hung out in the classroom. Luke got to join in on an art activity and he really got into it. Of course, he loves to draw...especially with chalk.
Hopefully I'll post more pictures this weekend. If not, Happy Easter everyone!
<"...It is true! The lord has risen..." Luke 24:34

Bummer!

Well it was a disappointing first day of the NCAA tourney... however the Dawgs are headed home to hang some banners! What a great week for Georgia basketball!
Also, what about the BRUINS? Wow, what a game! So close! I don't usually pull for Duke to lose but tonight I really wanted the upset! Well, they are only losing one starting senior so look out for Belmont next year.

March Madness

Anyone else excited about the tournament? Needless to say we are stoked that the Dawgs were able to secure a spot after winning the SEC championship! This is my one of my favorite times of the year!

Luke's Big Boy Bed

I must say.... I love the convertible crib!

7 Random things about me

I was tagged a while back by Karen and Jennifer to list 7 things about myself. So, after putting way to much thought into it here is what I came up with:

1. I have never been west of the Mississippi River. I really like to travel it has just not been possible for me to do that often. On the positive side...we (me and Ron) are planning a trip to California this summer.

2. I'm left handed.

3. I love live music. We recently went to The Factory in Franklin, TN to see the taping of Sara Evans and Maroon 5 Crossroads for CMT. Can't wait for that to air....Next we are going to see Bon Jovi and Daughtry in April.

4. In my spare time, I love to scrapbook. I'm really not that creative but I just love the idea of preserving photos for generations to come.

5. I'm a nurse and can stand blood and guts. However, there is one thing that freaks me out....EYEBALLS. That's right, don't come to me with an eye injury people because I'll wig out.

6. I've been married 14 years this May to a wonderful man I met while in college. We worked at Walmart.

7. I can't stand clutter. I declutter my house at least twice a year. At out house we say "everything has it's place or it's trash".

Now it's my turn to tag some one. Tracy, Amy L., and Leslie...your it!

At last.... A Snow Day!

We were all so excited to finally have a snow day today. We bundled up and headed out for some playtime and of course for a photo shoot. The kids stayed out for about 15 minutes and then decided it was just too windy. Here they are all bundled up:Luke was cracking me up because for some reason he was 1. afraid to walk on the snow and 2. afraid of gloves (afraid to wear them and afraid for me to touch him with mine on).
Bailey has always loved the snow. Just before this he was rolling around in it like a puppy (he is almost 13) but I was slow on getting out there with the camera.
So, overall we didn't have a whole lot stick and the roads were clear but we got an extra day to stay home together!
The view from our back door: (Anna is standing next to the slide):

Precious Pic

After a long day... they are finally asleep! I went to move them to their beds and I just thought... "this is a kodak moment". Just thought I would share.

8 things about my Kids

A while back, I was tagged by Karen and Ashley to list 8 things about my kids. Sorry it took so long girls... here goes:

Anna:
1. Six years old and going on 18. She is a huge help to me especially when it involves Luke. We have just started assigning her chores and are now paying her an allowance.
2. Has been swimming year round since she was 3 and has already "competed" in a swim meet.
3. Loves her brother! She has taught him so much... alphabet, shapes, colors and even how to spell his name! She wants to be a teacher when she grows up.
4. Enjoys shopping with mommy especially at Ms. B's used bookstore. (Hence the need for an allowance).
5. Spends a lot of her time writing, drawing and coloring. Her latest creation was a dinosaur book that took her the whole evening to create, draw, color, write in and staple together.
6. Favorite sport to play is soccer.
7. Favorite cartoon is "Tom and Jerry".
8. Loves to go anywhere that sells Icees. She loves to mix all the colors together.

Luke:
1. Very polite 2 1/2 year old. He is good about saying thank you, please, and excuse me... hopefully that will continue.
2. Loves his big sister! If he can't find her, he will walk around the house saying "where Anna go?".
3. His happy place is My Gym. He asks to go there almost everyday.
4. Favorite cartoon is "Little Einsteins" and "Tom and Jerry".
5. Favorite pajamas... Little Einsteins.
6. Favorite toy.. pat pat rocket from the Little Einsteins.
7. Loves popsicles ( He even chooses them over chocolate).
8. Outgoing (the boy doesn't have a shy bone in his body) and loves to entertain.

One Word

This year instead of making a long list of new years resolutions that would after several weeks be long forgotten, I was encouraged to pick one word to focus on. After considering the areas in my life that I would like to work on or maybe even change I have chosen my one word... self control. The bible has much to say on this topic but here is the verse that has stayed with me:
"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "no"to ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self controlled, upright and Godly lives in this present age." Titus 2:11-12 (NIV).
This year I plan to focus on saying "no" to worldly things and use self control in many areas of my life that I want make changes (time management, finances, taking better care of my self ie. eating healthy and exercising). What is your word of 2008?

Pictures from Christmas Morning

Christmas morning was so much fun! Both kids were so excited to see what Santa had left for them. Here's Luke with his new tool bench:The one thing Anna really wanted this year was a gymnastics Barbie:
Grandma and Granddad got Luke this fantastic train table:
This year Luke really got into opening gifts. Anna could hardly stand it. She is so use to opening gifts for him. As you can see, he caught on...
I decided to surprise everyone with new shirts to wear on New Years Day. Luke was too busy with the tool bench and train table to be in a picture.
After all the gift opening, we jumped in the van and headed to my mom's house. We made it in record time (just under 4 hours and 30 minutes), probably had a lot to do with the fact that everything was closed so we didn't stop except for bathroom breaks. The kids were great in the car. It certainly helped that Santa brought new movies for each of them... how did he know?

Happy New Year

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! Happy New year and... GO DAWGS!

New Family Photo

It seems almost impossible to get a family picture these days. I think mostly because Luke is 2 1/2 and almost never sits still or looks at the camera. However, I have to admit that I'm usually the one with the camera and am rarely in pictures and I'm ok with that. Today, we went to Playhouse Disney LIVE! This was Luke first live show and he was very excited to see Mickey, The Einsteins, Darby and Pooh and of course Donald Duck. Thanks to our friend Mary at Municipal for taking this family photo and for our tickets!