Life with the Aytes

Christmas 2011 Part 2

2012-01-22T07:12:00.011-05:00

After church we came home and the kids quickly changed back into their pj's. Everyone wanted to be very comfortable for the "opening of presents and eating" that was about to commence :) Madison put on her new penguin robe.

We had a quick brunch of homemade biscuits and ham before Hope, Chris and Quinn arrived. She is such a cutie!

The massive amount of presents, it was ridiculous and we had even cut back from last year! They wouldn't all fit around the tree!

Madison behind her pile of presents!

Pops got a new laptop since his had finally died and Matt had not been able to revive it.

Taylor got a pretty new clock for her room makeover scheduled for this spring!

Hope and I bought Nana and Pops a large canvas of the grandkids...it must have been a hit because Nana cried!

Madison got squinkies!

And Matt surprised me with a gift....the knife set from Pampered Chef!

Madison

2012-01-13T17:10:00.003-05:00

Lately Madison has been both driving me crazy and cracking me up! She is still my little side-kick! I very rarely get out of the house without her. Most times I don't mind but sometimes I wish I could get out and run errands without her. If I do get out without her it is after numerous hugs, kisses and "I love you's". Also she has to wave to me from the deck when I leave. She says some of the funniest things and today was no exception. I knew I needed to write them down before I forget.

On the way home from school she said "mom, we talked about this little brown boy today. did you know brown people had to drink out of a different water fountain than white people a long time ago. that wasn't fair was it mom?" I told her I didn't think it was fair either, that God made all colors of people and that we shouldn't treat people different b/c of the way they look.

We had a few stops to make after I picked her up from school. While at the Dollar Tree she asked if we could go to Menchie's. I told her not today because I wasn't feeling to great (I have a cold). Once we got in the car she informed me that one of her nose's was runny but the other one was stuffy! Last time I checked she only has 1 nose so I think she probably meant nostril :) LOL I thought it was so cute though and want to remember the cute things she says.

Christmas Morning 2011

2012-01-04T10:03:00.007-05:00

Christmas fell on a Sunday this year which made things a little more interesting. We normally have Christmas with my sister and her family before Christmas since they are normally with her husband's family. This year they were doing Christmas with his family before Christmas so would be back home for Christmas here. We ended up having Christmas with my whole family on Christmas night. We got up and the kids were able to see what Santa brought and open their stockings before we got ready for church. The kids were happy with that (though Caleb really wanted to open all his presents) and agreed to wait until after church when Hope, Chris and Quinn would then come over and we open all the gifts as well as have dinner.

The tree and gifts before the kids came in

Caleb checking out his new Spiderman blanket and lego set that Santa left

Checking out their stocking loot

This kids after church

Madison got a new robe from Santa...it had penguins on it!

Somehow we got not one picture of Taylor looking at her presents from Santa...new paints and brushes as well as 10 new canvas's! She was so happy :)

UT Men's Basketball Game

2011-12-27T12:06:00.009-05:00

The Tuesday before Christmas Caleb had the opportunity to be a ball boy for the UT Men's basketball game. They should be called towel boys instead b/c they never actually touch a ball anymore. Caleb had a great time. We had to be at Thompson Bolin Arena at 5:30 and the game didn't tip off until 7:00. He was able to meet the team and watch them warm-up and he got to meet Smokey! He even got a special shirt to wear though it was more like a dress on him. He was so excited! It was the first game I had ever been too. Matt and I had a really good time watching them play...at first we weren't doing so hot but finally took the lead with about 10 minutes left in the game and ended up winning! Caleb enjoyed all of it and asked if he could do it again! Hope and Chris attended the game too and Chris was able to get some good pictures too...I gotta get their memory card so I can download those pictures.

The team warming-up

Sitting down under the goal waiting to wipe the floor

Wiping up the sweat!

This was his favorite part...getting to use the mop!

Santa made an appearance sporting a beautiful orange suit (he needs to put on a few pounds though)!

Smokey

Santa at Creekside Nursery

2011-12-17T21:58:00.009-05:00

Each year we go and visit Santa at Creekside Nursery with the Tomlinson's however this year we went on Saturday with Quinn b/c we wanted to get a picture of all the kids. Madison and Quinn had matching outfits which Madison thought was great. This is always a really good experience and the kids love that Santa has his sleigh and reindeer with him! The owners go to church with us so we normally see lots of people from Laurel. The staff at the nursery serves cookies, hot chocolate and cider...this year they even had hot dogs!

Quinn wasn't the least bit scared

All the kids

Madison telling Santa what she wants

Caleb's turn...he asked for an ipad (insert my laughter) which was better than the baby brother he wanted to ask for (I told him Santa doesn't bring babies or live animals)

And finally my Taylor (wonder how many more yrs she will sit on Santa's lap)

Quinn went home with us afterwards while her parents went to the UT Men's basketball game and dinner. The following picture Caleb took of Quinn clapping while we were riding home and he thought it was "blog worthy" :)

November 2011

2011-11-28T20:38:00.006-05:00

We have been so busy this month. Taylor's tennis matches are over with her team at school but she still has tennis 2 days a week. This is the 1st winter that we aren't taking a break but instead of Monday, Thursday and Saturday it will just be Thursday and Saturday. Caleb is still taking but is going to take a break for 3 months. Madison is looking forward to starting tennis in the spring.

Taylor and Madison are both in scouts now and are gearing up for cookie sales which start in January. This is early for this region...normally it is February. Caleb isn't involved in scouts this year. We haven't been able to find a good den for him...I am going to keep looking though as we think scouts is a good thing for the kids to be involved in.

We have been in enjoying the warm weather...I know the cold is coming. I remember last year this was how fall was and we had a pretty bad winter so I am preparing myself. There are so many leaves to rake but the rain has put a halt to it for the time being...just too wet!

Caleb missed the only 2 days of school they had the week of Thanksgiving. He said his throat hurt and turns out he had strep. He know will be seeing an ENT on Friday to talk about taking out his adenoids/tonsils. We knew this was probably going to happen eventually and probably should have been done before now but we had kinda hoped he would grow out of it. Hopefully we can get it scheduled for the week after Christmas so he won't have to miss school.

I have been using my camera on my phone to take lots of pictures and don't know how to load them to my computer. Madison finally lost her 1st tooth! She was so excited. Sadly, I have misplaced the tooth so the tooth fairy hasn't visited yet. We may have to put a note for the tooth fairy under the pillow but Madison really doesn't want to do that. Matt pulled it Thanksgiving morning and we put it in a bag and I figure with all the company coming that we have just put it somewhere safe...now if I can only remember where :)

We had 2 Thanksgiving dinners on Thursday. First with my family and then later that evening with all of Matt's family. It was fun...I didn't get any pictures on my camera except at Matt's family gathering. Quinn looked adorable as a turkey and if we are friends on fb then you saw the picture.

Don had the best shirt..."Does this suit make me look fat?"

We enjoyed playing cards all weekend and eating. Sunday after everyone was gone we put the tree up...well the tree and lights. The kids went to bed early so we weren't able to decorate it. The kids got homework done quickly so they could decorate it Monday evening. And this year I let them do it all. I didn't even go back and fix any ornaments after they went to bed. The presents are already spilling out from under the tree :)

My helpful elves...

Please ignore the lack of pj's on the last little elf...she has tons of cute pj sets but only wants to sleep in a t-shirt :(

How To Cook a Turkey by Madison Aytes

2011-11-22T21:44:00.002-05:00

First, I would go to the farm.

Then I will catch it with a net.

After that, I would take him home and put some ketchup on it.

I would put some sauce on it and some salad.

Then I would put him in the oven for six minutes on hot.

Then I'll eat him with a fork.

Side dishes...apples, green beans

Dessert...cake

She illustrated this with a wonderful picture of herself catching a turkey with a net :)

How To Cook a Turkey by Caleb Aytes

2011-11-19T12:50:00.002-05:00

I get my turkey at groger (he meant Kroger).

My turkey weighs 2 pounds.

You put the turkey in a pan.

My family doesn't stuff the turkey.

I'm not sure if my family puts spices on it (we put salt, pepper and butter).

I think you put in on 40 degrees.

I think you cook it for 50 minutes.

My dad carves it.

And that is how you cook a turkey.

November 2011

Madison's House

2011-11-12T20:37:00.004-05:00

Last week my sister came over and helped my parents rake leaves at our house. It is a never ending battle....I love the trees but the leaves drive me insane in the fall. The entire driveway was leaf free for about 30 minutes...2 days later it is completely covered again as is the deck and patio. We average about 10-15 bags of leaves bagged each week. Madison was home for part of the leaf raking so she was responsible for entertaining Quinn. Madison enjoyed strolling Quinn around the garage and driveway. Madison also enjoyed the beautiful weather and did some beautiful chalk drawings. She drew a picture of her house (with her bed) and a jumpoline (or trampoline as most people call it). We currently don't have a jumpoline but Madison is really wanting one...I am thinking birthday present next year if we can clear a spot in the backyard. Anyway she was very proud of her drawings and I was impressed too :)

Her house and jumpoline

A close-up of her house and the long blue thing is her bed

The jumpoline

Teacher in the making

2011-11-01T19:51:00.004-04:00

Last week I came home from work and my mom told me to be very quite and sneak upstairs and see what Madison was up too.

This is what I found....

Madison was busy teaching her animals/doll. This is the first time she has ever pretended to be a teacher. It was really cute and I was able to snap a picture before she heard me and turned around :)

Fall Break

2011-10-22T22:10:00.009-04:00

This is our 3rd year to go camping with Amy, Aaron and their girls over Fall Break. The kids look so forward to it (and so do the adults). This year Amy's 2 nieces came too...Taylor enjoyed having Kaleigh to visit with and the little ones loved having Kassey to play with! We had outgrown our old tent and recently purchased a new one and the kids were so excited to get to sleep in it. It is a breeze to put up (unlike the other one) and is huge. We can put 3 air mattress's on one side and the other side store our stuff and there is still tons of room to walk around. Caleb wants us to set it up on the deck and let him stay in it...he won't be saying that now that the temp is dropping :) LOL The kids and I went on Thursday night and met Amy, Aaron and the girls (Matt joined us on Friday after work).

We couldn't have asked for better weather...cool evenings and warm days. We enjoyed riding bikes, playing on the playground, hiking a trail, making s'mores, watching movies in the camper and playing card games.

Random Happenings!

2011-09-30T20:55:00.002-04:00

Things have been so busy here. We seem to spend more time in our car than at home. Tennis is keeping us busy...matches on Monday and practices on Thursdays and Saturdays. Caleb is still taking tennis as well though he only practices on Thursday and isn't playing on a team yet so no matches for him. Taylor also have Girl Scouts 2 Friday's a month and we just signed Madison up for Girl Scouts though we don't know any details (when they are meeting and where).

Madison is doing good in Kindergarten. She had a list of 15 sight words she had to learn by the end of the month. She also had a homework packet that had a page for every night as well as having to read/have read to her 20 books this month. If she read all 20 books, did all her homework pages and knew all 15 sight words she received a special treat. She worked really hard to learn her words by practicing every night. Her treat was lunch with her teacher.

She has been cracking us up with funny things. A few weeks ago she informed me that George Washington was the best president ever and really missed him! I couldn't help but laugh. On Fridays at her school they can buy ice cream. Friday is our day to go to Menchie's and get a treat after I pick her up. I told her when I picked her up that maybe we shouldn't go since she already had ice cream. She was quick to inform me that Menchie's wasn't ice cream it was yogurt! Pretty good reasoning...and we ended up at Menchie's :)

Tonight Taylor went shopping with Nana so I took Madison and Caleb to see The Zookeeper at the $2 theater. Really glad we didn't waste $50 at the theater this summer. It was ok but definitely not worth spending alot of money on.

Matt is gone this weekend...it is amazing how quickly drill weekends come up! Just a few more months and he will be off to CA.

Taylor has her first youth group function Saturday night. They are going to a Corn Maze. She is really excited and the weather is going to be perfect....no rain and cool temps! I am so excited for her!

Fall Get-away with The Tomlinson's

2011-09-28T22:15:00.023-04:00

Last weekend we were able to get away from the business of our lives and relax at The Wilderness with our best friends. Matt wasn't feeling great (his hip/back has bothering him). He enjoyed some of our weekend but just stayed in the room most of Sunday. Matt's parents also went with us which was great....we played cards until late at night. Also Matt's parents watched all 5 kids Saturday night and allowed us to go enjoy all you can eat shrimp at Red Lobster. This is an annual thing for us. Can't wait to go again before it ends in November.

This was the last weekend for the outdoor area to be open. We enjoyed spending lots of time in the Lazy River. The weather was predicted to be cool but ended up perfect! The evenings were cool which made the hot tub wonderful. Both Clara and Caleb had grown enough to get to ride some new stuff since we went last. Caleb was able to ride Stoem Chaser and Clara was able to ride the tube slides and Runaway Canyon. They both loved it!

Heading down to the waterpark

The fabulous Lazy River

The kids hiding behind one of the waterfalls

The kids had a blast on the waterslides!

Clara and Aaron letting the bucket of water dump on them

The kids loved playing here too!

Clara riding Runaway Canyon for the 1st time!

Clara and Aaron riding the tube slides

Love these sweet kids!

Madison Goes To Kindergarten!

2011-09-20T21:11:00.003-04:00

Well my baby girl has finally started Kindergarten. I knew this time was coming and thought I would handle it well especially with Madison being the 3rd child. I didn't do well....I cried before I even got her dropped off at her room on her 1st day :( Madison on the other hand was super excited! She was very disappointed that she only got to go 2 days for the 1st two weeks. She didn't think it was fair that Taylor and Caleb got to go while she had to stay home. She was thrilled when August 29th rolled around and she was going to be going everyday. She likes her teacher though was disappointed that she didn't get Ms Schaefer (Taylor's kindergarten teacher). We are extremely happy with Ms Joiner though! Madison is adjusting well....she is so tired in the evenings and that has made for some early bedtimes lately but overall is doing well. Last week she did inform me that "she wanted to go back to preschool b/c all she did was sit at her desk and work in Kindergarten and that it was no fun!The 1st full week of school I walked her to her room every day. Week 2 meant dropping the kids off in the drop-line and Caleb would be walking her to her room. She wasn't real thrilled with that idea but I thought it would be best to go ahead and start that or Madison would have me walking her to her class the rest of the school year :) Caleb was excited to be the big brother and be responsible for walking Madison to her class. Madison on her 1st full day of Kindergarten

Big Brother proud to be watching out for his little sister

Frustrated!

2011-09-18T21:38:00.000-04:00

I am getting more and more frustrated with each day! For some reason blogspot isn't letting my add pictures to my posts. I have written a few new posts but not published them b/c I have not been able to get the pictures to upload. I have tried everything...blogging at different times, updating to the new software (which I hate), etc. but nothing is working. I thought maybe it was a system problem but see that other people have been able to update. It is making me so mad! I was already really behind on my blogging and this is just making it worse!! Can anyone offer any suggestions or has anybody else had this problem?

Not in the mood to blog.....

2011-09-05T10:19:00.000-04:00

Lately I just haven't had the time or energy to blog. I am so far behind and after contemplating trying to catch up I decided not too. There were only a few things that happened that I didn't blog...the day we hiked to Laurel Falls which was lots of fun, Taylor's bridging ceremony, Madison's 1st day of Kindergarten and some miscellaeous things. I am going to blog about Madison's 1st day of Kindergarten but am going to let the rest go.

We have just been so busy. This is the 1st year since Taylor was born (not counting the years that I kept my friends kids since that didn't require me to get up and look presentable) that I am working full time outside my house...it is kicking my butt! Monday through Friday is just crazy.

Matt has been working lots of extra hours due to 1) two people quit and 2) someone got hurt. As nice as the extra money is it isn't too fun trying to do everything by myself. I have also decided that 5:30 AM is a horrible time to wake up! Hopefully things will calm down a little since parent meetings/open houses are now over so my evenings (aside from tennis/church/girl scouts) should be relatively calm. Maybe my blog won't feel so neglected anymore.

Last week was Madison's 1st full week of school and I walked her to her class every day but this week we will just be dropping her and Caleb (who has volunteered to walk her to her room each day) at the front of the school. This should make things a little quicker! And this will be Matt's job until he leaves in March (already dreading that).

Safety City

2011-08-21T22:09:00.000-04:00

Our Children's Ministry intern, Erica, and her sister Heidi coordinated a church day at Safety City a few weeks before school started. This is a really neat place...it is set up as a small version of Knoxville complete with some landmarks (SunSphere). The kids "drive" around the city obeying the rules of the road (stop lights/red lights). We had never been there as a family or as just a fun thing to do. Both Taylor and Caleb had been to this place on field trips through school. It was a really hot day even though we went pretty early. We meet quite a few families from church. The kids had a great time. I snapped a few pictures as the kids went by the covered pavilion that the mom's stayed under trying to stay cool.

Allison and Madison

Lauren stopped at a red light

Madison and Clara

Coy

Cooling off with the misters

1st Day of School

2011-08-15T21:34:00.000-04:00

Today was the 1st official day of school for us. Caleb gets up at 6:30 which is 30 minutes earlier than Taylor (she enjoys rubbing this in already) since he has to be at school 45 minutes earlier than her. This means I get up at 5:30! When my alarm went off this morning all I could think was "no....I am not ready for this"! It wasn't so bad though...got myself up and the coffee going and was able to get ready pretty easily. Caleb got up with no problem at all and was dressed and ready to go in about 20 minutes (he was too excited to eat)!

Here is my big boy on his 1st day of 3rd grade

Taylor actually went to school last Friday for a half day. I love that the new 6th graders get to go before all the 7th and 8th graders come. It gives them a chance to meet their teachers, find their classrooms and figure out lockers.

Here is my baby girl who is now a middle schooler

When they came home today they both were in the best moods...Caleb loves his teacher and Taylor is thrilled with her schedule which includes honors math, honors science, honors reading and advanced art! I had to ask what exactly a "honors" class is and Taylor proudly told me that means she is learning the skills they are teaching in 7th grade. She was so proud (and so are we)! I keep wondering how this kid got so smart :) LOL

Madison will not go until Friday and then it is just a half day and we won't even find out who her teacher is. Madison's school spends the 1st week staggering the kids and testing them. After this week they will place the kids in specific classes. Madison is really hoping she gets Mrs Schaefer (that is who Taylor had) and so am I! Meanwhile Madison will spend this week and next getting some one-on-one attention from her grandparents since I am in the classroom or workshops these next 2 weeks getting ready for my own kids who come on the 29th.

We are ready for a very busy school year and praying it will be a great one!

Random July Pictures

2011-08-13T10:30:00.000-04:00

Random moments in July!

Sweet friends

We enjoyed keeping Quinn quite a bit this month while Hope was going to the chiropractor. She slept alot but started smiling at us often.

My friend, Cindy, had her sweet baby girl Julia this month and we were excited to go and meet her. She is a doll with a head full of hair. I think she looks like her big brother Will. Madison and Taylor enjoyed getting to hold her while Caleb was more interested in playing with Will.

Mountain Get-away

2011-08-05T17:34:00.000-04:00

Matt's mom had booked the resort in the mountains for the week of July 4th and they ended up not being able to go so she offered it to us. We jumped at the chance. We invited the Tomlinson's to join us. We all got to be at there at the 1st of the week (the guys took off work so they could enjoy a few days of R&R). Then it was just me, Amy and the kids. We enjoyed playing at the water park and swimming...it was great since it was so hot!

Enjoying a pancake breakfast while sneaking in a little visit!

A few of the kids enjoyed being thrown in the air

Madison's 6th Birthday

2011-08-03T23:17:00.000-04:00

In June Madison celebrated her 6th birthday. This year we skipped the big party and just celebrated with family at home. I can't believe my baby is 6 yrs old, seems like we were just bring home this tiny little 5 lb baby girl and now my baby is going to Kindergarten. She is super excited and I am handling it pretty well.

Madison and Taylor

Handsome Caleb

Opening presents....Jessie, Woody and Bullseye, a pink scooter

Madison asked for a chocolate cake with chocolate icing

Enjoying the chocolate cake along with some Blue Bell vanilla ice cream

Madison really wanted to go to Build-a-Bear for her birthday so that is where we went a few days later. She was allowed to pick what ever she wanted which was the weiner dog and the hot dog costume. She also picked out a little pink bed for her new puppy, Fudge.

Ready to take Fudge home!

Random Pictures

2011-07-30T10:00:00.000-04:00

Here are some pictures from random happenings in June

Taylor before her 1st tennis match...she was so nervous!

We celebrated Father's Day at El Mezcal with my parents and Matt's.

One of the wonderful father's in my life!

Me and my dad (ignore my squinty eyes...I am still sensitive to bright light)

Matt and his dad

We tried Sweet CeCe's while the Nashville cousins were here visiting

We bought a groupon for our local Y (as did a few of other friends) and enjoyed going to the Y to swim almost daily...we ended up keeping our membership so the kids can swim year round and we can work out.

Caleb going down the slide

Sam jumping in while Will swims nearby

Madison finally allowed them to clean her teeth

Matt in his ABU's

The kids wearing one of his hats!

Farragut VBS

2011-07-28T19:21:00.000-04:00

This was Taylor's 1st year to not attend Farragut's VBS as a participant...she actually worked in the nursery as a helper. She really enjoyed it (mostly b/c she got to see Quinn every day). We love going to this VBS as it is always really good and some of their friends (Will and Sam) go as well! I didn't get any pictures of the inside decorations and I am really sorry b/c they were over the top! At the end of the week they always have a closing ceremony where the kids sing a few songs they have learned during the week and then a carnival with a bounce house, huge slide and junk food galore! It is every kids paradise! This year Amy, Aaron and their girls joined us for the closing ceremony.

Caleb enjoying a blue snow cone

Coy enjoying the playground

Madison and Clara

Sam stopped long enough for a quick picture...didn't get any of Will though

Edisto Island Beach Pictures

2011-07-23T08:40:00.000-04:00

Every since I knew we were going to be going to the beach I have been planning on doing some beach pictures. We haven't been to the beach since Madison was 2. We had planned on driving over to the beach and doing pictures when we went to Disney but it didn't happen. The kids were very cooperative...the only thing that would have made it better was if it hadn't been so windy and the fact that my eyes were still pretty sensitive to light from my surgery so when my sunglasses were off I squinted. But overall they turned out great.

Edisto Island Part 3

2011-07-19T22:31:00.000-04:00

Matt and his dad wanted to play some golf while we were there (I can't really blame them as the course at the resort was beautiful and I am not even a golfer). Nona, the kids and I enjoyed sleeping in a bit and having a relaxing breakfast before heading over to the pool overlooking the golf course. There were multiple pools to choose from and this one was by far our favorite! It was a huge pool and was 10 feet deep on one end so Taylor and Caleb were able to dive while Madison was able to enjoy the shallow end which was 3 feet. Caleb got really brave and was doing back-flips off the side of the pool...this made me so nervous since the only other times he has done back-flips was off the diving board down at UT's pool.

The setting was really nice. I wish I had taken more pictures. There were 3 ping pong tables under a covered area at the pool as well as a snack bar. There also was an alligator in the pond behind the pool (don't worry, there was a fence between the pond and pool so the alligator couldn't come over and try out that water). He didn't move much the whole day, only shifted his position a few times. There were all these turtles swimming around him and he wasn't even paying them attention.

After the guys got down with golf and came over to the pool we got out and headed back to our condo to get cleaned up. We had planned on driving over to Sullivan's Island right outside Charleston (which was about 45 minutes away) to enjoy dinner at our favorite resturant, Sullivan's! We love this place..very family friendly, wonderful food, great prices and the staff is great! It was a great way to end our day! We finished dinner with pieces of the best Key Lime Pie...Caleb even licked the plate clean! The resturant sells t-shirts with their name and logo on it so after dinner we picked out new t-shirts. Everyone got one but Matt and Nona...I forgot to get a picture of the kids and me in ours.

Edisto Island Part 2

2011-07-16T22:18:00.000-04:00

The 2nd day at the beach we headed over to the Atlantic side (one side of the island is on an inlet where there are no big waves and that is where we spent the 1st day). I was afraid Madison wouldn't like the big waves crashing in but she did pretty well...Caleb and Taylor loved it though and would go way out with Matt and Peepaw. Madison liked to stay where the water wouldn't knock her over. We had so much fun that day just playing in the water and sand and soaking up the sun!

Just letting the waves barely touch her

Taylor found a completely intact conch shell

This man was feeding bread to the seagulls from his hand

Everyone looking for conch shells

Madison running from the waves

I love this picture of Madison just sitting there watching the waves

Waiting for the waves

And the wave hits

Where are Caleb and Matt?

There they are..both fine!

Unsuspecting Matt and Peepaw get hit by an huge wave!

The kids with Nona and Peepaw

The seagulls would come so close

This seagull had swallowed some fishing lure(we feed him some cheez-its to see if he could eat and he was able to)

Building sandcastles and burying Madison's legs

After spending the whole day at the beach we went back to our house and cleaned up and enjoyed a fabulous dinner at McConkey's Jungle Shack. They had the best fish tacos..could have eaten there every night!

After dinner we headed back to the beach to look for seashells and crabs

The kids saw this dead horseshoe crab and had to investigate. Right after Caleb flipped it over he ran! He was expecting an empty shell not for the crab's body to still be in. It was hilarous!

Edisto Island

2011-07-14T13:48:00.000-04:00

After our extended stay in Memphis we had a quick lay-over at home (just long enough to do some laundry and repack) before leaving for the beach. We all were looking so forward to spending a week doing nothing but relaxing. Normally, I would have our week jam-packed with things to do but even I just wanted to sit on the beach and be together as a family. We were so blessed that Matt's parents gave us this opportunity! We have vacationed with them before and had a wonderful time and this vacation didn't disappoint. The 1st day was spent just playing in the sand and surf. It was a perfect start to our beach vacation!

We got up really early to leave...the kids were so tired they fell asleep an hour into our drive.

Once there the kids were ready to hit the beach...I quickly snapped a picture of mine and matt's room before it was messed up.

love that huge garden tub!

Seeing the ocean for the 1st time in a few years!

The kids immediately started collecting shells and building sandcastles!

Me and Matt

Matt took this picture as the sun was going down...love it!

One Last Time

2011-07-12T10:33:00.000-04:00

Matt had his drill right after he came back from TX so he just stayed in Memphis for 2 weeks. After we spent some time as a family he was going to be occupied with drill for 4 days so the kids and I took my Grandmother to her house for a few days. She was really excited about getting to go home even if only for a few days....she really misses her home. We knew that it was only a matter of time before we had to sell the house (we actually had someone offer to buy it while we were there those 4 days and my grandmother ended up accepting his offer a few weeks later and now we are going to have to get the house cleaned out of furniture and belongings). I am really glad that we went since it is probably the last time my kids will go....they are going to stay here while we go down to get anything we want out of the house. We have so many memories at this house. I am very thankful that I took the time to go and visit my grandparents with my kids whenever possible b/c now my kids have wonderful memories too!

The kids enjoyed making mud pies one day

One last picture of the house and the 2 huge trees in the front yard

There is no tv at my grandmother's but luckily we can watch movies on the laptop

Madison napping...sure sign she is exhausted!

The Arcade, Mud Island and The Peabody

2011-07-09T20:37:00.001-04:00

On Wednesday we had a full day planned. Taylor and Caleb had spent the night with Jennifer and her kids. We planned on meeting them downtown for lunch and then some sight-seeing. We all headed downtown in 2 different vehicles (from 2 different locations). Matt, Madison and I spent about 45 minutes driving around downtown trying to locate Jennifer...they were on one end of downtown and we were on the other but couldn't figure out how to get to them. It was crazy...finally they ended up taking the trolley down to where Matt, Madison and I were. It was quite an eventful start to our day!

We ate lunch/breakfast at The Arcade which is the oldest resturant in Memphis. It was really neat.

They serve breakfast all day so half of us got breakfast and half of us had lunch...I had The Rainmaker which was a fabulous club sandwich. Caleb and Madison had fun Mickey Mouse Shaped pancakes.

After lunch we enjoyed a few fun hours on Mud Island. It hasn't changed at all! The end that has the "gulf of mexico" was pretty nasty still from flooding (that end of the island had been under water due to all the rain). The kids had so much fun "walking" down the Mississippi River.

Matt and I with the "M" bridge in the background

The girls

Caleb and Kyle...best buddies!

After Mud Island we went over to Kooky Kanuck and had skillet cookies! They were wonderful. We were so busy eating that I didn't remember to take a picture!

Afterwards we wandered over to The Peabody to see the ducks...this is a popular tourist attraction! The lobby was so crowded since the ducks were just about ready to head back to their house on the rooftop.

The duck's house

All the kids on the rooftop of The Peabody

A family picture

Pink Palace and Yougurt Mountain

2011-07-05T16:31:00.000-04:00

Tuesday while in Memphis we had planned on going to the Zoo and the Pink Palace. Both activities were going to be free...we loved the sound of that since the Memphis Zoo is expensive but is awesome! I had to take my Grandmother to the heart dr that morning for what I thought would be a quick visit but we ended up being their for 5 hrs so we weren't able to do everything we had planned. We figured the zoo would be very crowded that late and also very hot which might keep most of the animals inside so we decided to go to the Pink Palace. It was really cool to take our kids to a place that Matt and I grew up going too. I have many fond memories of going there. Things look pretty much the same...the cool circus exhibit doesn't perform whenever like it used to and the dinosaur that used to move and make noises doesn't anymore (the sign says he is too old and fragile which I think is ridiculous since it could be replaced). The kids had a great time though.

Looking at the circus display

Caleb and Kyle going through the country store

Taylor and Katlyn looking at a display

The kids in one of the rooms in the mansion

This mammoth has been there since I was little

Afterwards we went over to Yogurt Mountain. We had heard all about this place on Facebook and so we had to check it out....it is awesome! It was the first time the kids (and Matt and I) had been anywhere like this. They definitely set the bar high and we haven't found any in Knoxville that are as good.

Memphis Day 1

2011-06-30T08:22:00.000-04:00

Matt had to report for duty in Memphis when he got done with Basic Training for a few days and then he had drill the next weekend there. The kids and I had planned to go down and be with him once school was over but we had a small change in plans. Matt's return flight was accidently booked to Knoxville but he still had to report to Memphis Tuesday morning so Madison and I accompanied him to Memphis and the other 2 stayed here to finish school. My parents brought them to Memphis on Friday.

While in Memphis we had planned to do some fun things with one of my childhood friends, Jennifer. She happens to have 2 kids that are almost the same age as Taylor and Caleb. Our kids only see each other every now and then but they always pick right up and are the best of friends in just a matter of minutes! Our plans included going to the Memphis Zoo (something I really wanted to do b/c they have an awesome zoo), going to the Pink Palace (something I grew up doing) and exploring Mud Island! We also just planned on spending time hanging out at Luke's house (Jennifer's brother in law). And the kids got to attend the church I grew up and I was able to see lots of people I haven't seen in a long time.

Monday was Memorial Day and we spent the whole day at Luke's house and the kids enjoyed swimming, playing basketball and taking rides on the tractor while the adults enjoyed talking and eating!

Some of the boys playing basketball

Going for a tractor ride

Swimming

Caleb and Madison's 1st Plane Ride

2011-06-27T08:01:00.000-04:00

This post should have been before the San Antonio one but I forgot so I am posting it at the end. This was Caleb and Madison's 1st plane ride and they were so excited. The talked about it for weeks. In fact most times Madison wouldn't even mentioning that she was going to be seeing her dad she just talked about getting to ride in a plane. We flew out of Nashville on Southwest b/c they had the best deals and it was a wonderful experience. The kids all got new carry-on's before we left and we were armed with IPOD's, laptops, DS's and new coloring books! The kids were great though.

The Nashville airport before going through security

The kids had all gotten new carry-on's before the trip and were so excited about being responsible for their luggage. Taylor ended up having to help a little b/c Madison's carry-on was a little heavy for her since she was also carrying her backpack and I was lugging Madison's carseat with us as well as my luggage. I almost forgot the little detail of a seat for Madison for our rental car. Carseats or strollers don't count as baggage on southwest. Also we had "checked-in" and printed our boarding passes online so were able to save quite a bit of standing in line (that is the coolest feature and I will use it everytime). Security was a breeze to go through for me and the kids however Matt's mom and dad who were traveling with us both got patted down! The kids thought that was too funny :) The kids enjoyed watching the planes come and go while waiting for our flight. I didn't think to get any pictures of this though.

Finally we were ready to board. We got on and got a seat right on the wing. Taylor, Nona and Peepaw sat in front of Caleb, Madison and me. Caleb got to sit by the window going to TX and he loved it! They were so well behaved and everyone kept commenting on how good they were. They loved the in-flight snack.

The flight back was just as great. Madison got the window seat on the way home and we choose to sit at the back.

Nobody had to use the bathroom on the way down but Caleb had to go on the way home. He loved the tiny bathroom! I on the other hand was a little claustrophbic while in there. About 60 miles outside of Nashville we experience some turblence and had to buckle back up. The kids said it felt like a roller coaster (that wasn't what I was thinking). I love to fly but hate it when it is rough. Over all I couldn't have asked that the kids behave any better than they did. We all can't wait to fly again. Hopefully soon :)

Riverwalk

2011-06-21T10:38:00.000-04:00

Matt had an all day town pass on Saturday so his parents picked him up from the base and brought him to the resort. The kids were able to sleep in which was good since we had to get up so early both Thursday and Friday. When they woke up their dad was there....a very nice surprise!

We decided to spend the morning sight seeing before it got too hot since Matt was in full uniform (the cool spell we had the previous 2 days had ended). There were lots of other airmen out and about. Matt introduced us to a few of them. It was so funny to hear them called by their last names...Matt said he didn't even know most of their first names.

Our 1st stop was The Alamo (there are no pics of us in there b/c you aren't allowed to take pictures inside)

The next stop was The Riverwalk. We started on one end and walked down about halfway before finding the place to buy tickets to ride the boats down the Riverwalk.

These fountains were at one end of the Riverwalk..good picture op!

Cool sculpture made of glass bowls

The Riverwalk

The kids on our boat

Alfred, our boat guide...he was hilarious :)

A cool mosaic mural that was donated to the city years ago

A beautiful old church

This band was playing on one end of the Riverwalk

After our boat ride we enjoyed dinner at Chili's right there on the water. We all really enjoyed the day even with it being close to 100 degrees. I would love to go back sometime w/o the kids (or when they are older) and explore more of San Antonio. It is such a neat city full of history (and I am a history nerd)! We really enjoyed our 1st family outing in 9 weeks!

San Antonio Day 2

2011-06-18T22:17:00.001-04:00

Our 2nd day at Lackland was Matt's graduation ceremony and parade. It was such a neat thing to see all the flights march and all the guys/girls take the official pledge....it was very emotional. The parade grounds were surrounded by old planes...Caleb enjoyed looking at all of them. It was really hard to pick Matt out of the group again...this time he was in the middle instead of near the front.

All the flights at the beginning of the ceremony

Our friend Michelle was easy to spot b/c she was on the end

This is Matt's flight between the two flags

After the ceremony was over we again were allowed to "tap our Airmen out" and then they were allowed to take us to the barracks and show us around. The kids enjoyed seeing where Matt had lived (and ate and studied). The accommodations were sparse but boy were they clean. The kids thought it was so cool.

Matt's home for 9 weeks.

Matt's bed...it looked so uncomfortable

Everything was organized and had to be done a certain way...if not there were consequences

The shower...the kids couldn't believe it was just a room with 8 shower heads in the wall. Caleb said "you had to shower with a bunch of strangers!"

After touring the dorms Matt was released for a half day in town. We went back to our resort and enjoyed just hanging out. Matt enjoyed taking a real shower for the first time in 9 weeks...he said they were only given a short time to take a shower and that the water pressure and temp was pitiful. Matt asked for steak for dinner so we enjoyed a wonderful meal at Longhorn Steakhouse before dropping him back at the base for then evening. It was a wonderful day. I didn't get any pictures of our afternoon off base b/c I was busy enjoying spending time with Matt.

San Antonio Day 1

2011-06-09T07:46:00.000-04:00

Our 1st day in San Antonio was spent on base as Matt wasn't allowed to leave the base that day. We got up pretty early to attend the Airmen's Run...where all the flights run by in formation. Let me tell you it is really hard to pick out someone you know when they run by wearing the same outfit and having the same haircut as 50 other guys! Here is Matt's flight..they were wearing tan shirts. I couldn't find him but turns out Taylor picked him out (he is in the middle of the bunch of guys).

The kids waiting for daddy to run by

Matt's flight running by

There was lots of waiting time between activities....the kids did great having to wait. The weather was perfect too! It wasn't too hot and it actually clouded over and sprinkled for a few minutes..we didn't get wet though since we were under an awning.

Then it was time for the Coin Ceremony. This was great b/c we were actually able to see Matt really good. He was just the 3rd guy back in line. Seeing him for the 1st time in 8 1/2 weeks was very emotional. I didn't think it would affect me as much as it did. I just sat there with tears running down my face. The kids kept asking me what was wrong and I just kept saying "I'm happy" which made no sense to Madison and Caleb.

The instructors getting the coins set up for the ceremony

Flight 357 marching in (again Matt was in the middle so it was hard to get a pic)

Matt is the the 3rd guy back in the middle row

After the ceremony we were allowed to "tap Matt out". The guys had to stand there at attention until there family member came up to them. I didn't think I could get to Matt fast enough. The kids were so glad to see him...Taylor and Caleb both cried. Even Matt had tears in his eyes :) It was wonderful to wrap my arms around him (though there was lots less of him to hug).

Our 1st family picture in 9 weeks

There was lots of hugging!

We enjoyed just having lunch with him on base at Burger King (a first for him since he had gotten there) and then walking around. We also got to meet some of the other guys in his flight.

Walking around the base...the kids wouldn't let go of his hands!

Are we home yet?

2011-06-06T06:34:00.000-04:00

I haven't spent more than 48 hrs at my house since May 18th! Our life has been a whirl-wind over the last few weeks. After spending a few days in San Antonio for Matt's graduation (post to come) I rushed home to do a little laundry and re-pack a family of 5 for a 2 1/2 week trip to Memphis. That wasn't what I had planned on doing though.

While in TX for graduation Matt informed me that his flight had been booked wrong...he was supposed to fly into Memphis for out-processing since his unit is stationed (which means all his paper work has to be done from there) there however the person booking the flights just looked at his hometown and booked him to there. I was excited I would get to greet him at the airport but not excited that we had to get him to Memphis by 8 AM Tuesday (about 15 hrs after he arrived in Knoxville). He tried to get an extension on his orders but wasn't able to. Did I mention the older 2 still had a day and 1/2 of school as well as tennis lessons. Oh yeah, and my almost 90 yr old Grandmother was going to be going with us to Memphis b/c she had a couple of dr appointments. Luckily, I have the best parents...they offered to let me, Matt and Madison go on to Memphis Monday evening and bring the other 2 kids and my Grandmother down on Friday. We had planned on being there for about a week originally though and did plan to see some childhood friends there and enjoy doing some fun things (more posts to come on that as well).

It was lots of fun though. Now we are back home for about 24 hrs to do more laundry, re-pack for the beach, love on Quinn and squeeze in an eye dr appointment and Bunko for me before leaving for the beach. I can't wait to relax and do nothing for 5 glorious days!

Then we come home to a whirl-wind of VBS, tennis and swim lessons! I am very glad to have Matt home for awhile to help out though...it is wonderful to be a family of 5 again :)

Mother's Day 2011

2011-05-14T08:17:00.001-04:00

I had a wonderful Mother's Day. The kids were really good to me (and for me)! They were very sweet to cooperate with my picture taking and Taylor and Caleb even took over the camera for a few shots :) And after church we enjoyed lunch at our favorite mexican place (that we haven't been too since Matt left) and then the kids allowed me to go shopping for some new shorts since I couldn't keep any of my old ones up :) Boy, is that a good feeling!

My reason for existing

Me and my big girl who is almost as tall as me!

Me and my sweet boy!

Me and my baby girl!

2 beautiful mom's....we are going to miss my Grandmother when she goes back to Memphis

3 generatioins

Baby Quinn even made an appearance at our house where the kids fought over who got to hold her while I took a picture. This one was the best of the 3 takes.

And I had to include this one....Caleb was holding her and she pooped! It was so loud and he got very tickled! He did ask me to take her and change her though and then he wanted to hold her again. And all 3 kids wanted to watch her get her diaper changed...who would have though poop would be so fascinating! It was hilarious :)

Caleb's Birthday Party

2011-05-10T21:44:00.000-04:00

Last weekend Caleb turned 8! I don't know where the last 8 yrs have gone...my baby boy is turning into such a man :)

He wanted to have a slumber party and invited 4 little boys (2 from school and 2 from church). 4 of them were able to come...that was a perfect number of boys. They were so good. They enjoyed playing outside until it was dark....I looked out at one point and saw 2 boys hiding in the flower beds with their light sabers :) I didn't ask them any questions as I didn't want to give away their hiding spot. After a gourmet meal of pizza and cookie cake the boys moved on to opening presents! Caleb got some money and 2 lego sets. He was very happy! Th boys got on their pj's and enjoyed some popcorn while watching Star Wars. I finally got everyone settled down around 11:30. I had to come in a couple of times and finally at midnight I "laid down the law" and said no more talking. They were asleep in minutes.

The next morning they had another gourmet meal....donuts and chocolate milk :) The boys then got dressed and headed outside to play some more before parents started arriving.

Caleb told me after everyone left that it was the best birthday ever! I was so glad since I was afraid he would be disappointed since Matt isn't here.

Taylor's 11th Birthday

2011-05-06T19:59:00.000-04:00

Easter Sunday also happened to be Taylor's actual birthday. We had celebrated with her friends a week before and had planned on celebrating with Amy and Aaron and their girls on Friday night but due to my complication with Lasik we had to reschedule it (and we still haven't celebrated it with them).

We had Aunt Hope, Uncle Chris, Kym, Dorian and their girls over for Easter Dinner. I baked Taylor a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting (her favorite) and we just celebrated very low key. We will celebrate again once Matt is home.

Taylor blowing out her candles

My baby girl quickly becoming a young lady

Then it was on to presents

And the most important item a tween can have...her very own phone!

Baby Quinn

2011-05-03T20:28:00.000-04:00

Monday evening Quinn made her much anticipated debut! Hope went in Sunday evening for an induction. By Monday afternoon she hadn't made much progress (5 cm) and due to her age (she isn't even that old) they weren't going to let her try for long. The decided to just go ahead and do a c-section. Quinn was born at 8:24 pm weighing in at 7 lbs 14 oz and measuring 20 1/2 inches long. She has a head of black hair and chubby little cheeks! The kids were very disappointed that they weren't going to get to see her until after school the next day. Taylor was especially sad as Aunt Hope had promised she would be the first to hold Quinn after her and Chris. It actually didn't seem like she had been born since we couldn't see her right away. This afternoon when the kids got out of school we headed up to the hospital. We were praying that they would let Madison in (the rules say no one under 8 unless a sibling) b/c we knew it wasn't going to be pretty if she couldn't see Quinn. Chris came out and acted like Madison was the big sister...yeah, we are sneaky like that :)

The kids were in love! They weren't ready to leave 2 hours later. Taylor actually said "I am going to spend the night".

Caleb and Quinn

Taylor and Quinn

Madison and Quinn

This is the only picture of me...I look so bad right now due to the horrible acne I have after taking steroids for a week and my eyes still look a little rough. I will just have to wait for a picture with Quinn until I am looking a little more alive :) However this is the 1st picture I have had taken of me since I lost 25 lbs and I am pleased with how "skinny" I look :)

Easter 2011

2011-04-30T22:30:00.000-04:00

My poor blog...it has been neglected! I have taken lots of pics and have lots going on just no time to post. So now it is time to catch up! First off....Easter which was also Taylor's 11th birthday.

The Easter Bunny loot!

The kids before church...the pics aren't that great but I couldn't see really well (more on that in another post) but at least I got a few.

Taylor caught the Easter Bunny!

My sweet boy!

My baby girl!

The kids with their Great-Grandmother

The kids with Nana and Grandmother

My mom and my Grandmother...we love having her here with us!

Madison's New Do!

2011-04-21T09:56:00.000-04:00

Madison has been asking to get her hair cut like Taylor (who is currently growing hers out but Madison doesn't realize this). I allowed it to be cut into a cute little bob but that wasn't good enough for her so when we went for in for a trim I told our hairstylist to just cut it off! I am so sorry I waited so long as it is adorable and so easy to deal with! The crazy bed head is a thing of the past :) Sure does make getting ready in the mornings a whole lot easier!

Side view

Back view

Taylor's 11th Birthday Party

2011-04-16T21:25:00.000-04:00

This year since Matt was going to be gone for Taylor's birthday I wanted to do something low key. Also Taylor had a couple of big ticket items on her wish list so we made her choose between a big party and the things on her wish list. She opted to have a slumber party (don't know why they are called this as there wasn't much slumbering going on)!

Friday night 6 of her friends arrived. They proceeded to spend the next few hours laughing and doing a few crafts. After a gourmet dinner of pizza and birthday cookie cake we moved on to opening presents and doing more crafts. I didn't get many pictures and I am sorry that I didn't I just was busy trying to get everything else done.

Finally at 1 AM I was able to get all 7 girls to sleep so that I could go to sleep as well.

Here are a few of the pictures I did manage to get

Everyone enjoying some pizza

Taylor blowing out her candles :)

Life goes on....

2011-04-05T20:26:00.000-04:00

Things have been busy since Matt left and I pushed blogging to the back burner. I just haven't had the motivation to blog. The first week and a half I didn't sleep much. It was really weird to sleep in our bed alone. Don't get me wrong, I have slept w/o Matt before but I always talked with him before going to bed or at least knew that he was fine. That wasn't the case this time. By the end of the 1st week I was so exhausted that I would go to sleep but couldn't stay asleep. It made for one grouchy momma! After talking to Matt this past Saturday I have been sleeping good...not great but good and I will take that.

It was so good to hear his voice! I actually cried through most of the conversation. I had a bunch of questions to ask him but totally forgot them when I heard his voice :) He is doing well. Missing us like crazy, he said. His TI is super strict and his squadron has some people in it who have gotten in trouble and the whole squadron gets punished. In fact they lost their phone privileges the week before. He said it is the most intense thing he has ever done. During our 15 minute phone call I could hear his TI yell out the time countdown. Let me tell you, it is really hard to talk with someone yelling "10 minutes", "5 minutes" and "time's up" in the background.

I received a package in the mail this week with all the info about graduation. Our 5 days there are going to be packed! They are going to be so much fun though.

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week at my preschool. We are showered with special treats everyday. Breakfast was brought in the last 2 days. Not sure what is in store for tomorrow and Thursday. Friday we are being treated to lunch at this nice resturant called Abuleos. The kids are supposed to bring a specific treat in each week....Monday/Tuesday was make a card for your teacher, Wednesday/Thursday is bring a sweet treat for each teacher. Madison made cute little treat bags for tomorrow and Thursday she is bring them each a Diet Coke with a cute tag that says "thanks for being a cool teacher". Tomorrow's treats say "thanks for being such a sweet teacher".

The kids are still doing well. Caleb and Madison enjoyed talking to Matt however Taylor wasn't here so hopefully he will call this weekend so she can talk to him.

We are planning bday parties for the oldest 2 in our spare time...my big girl will be 11 in 2 1/2 weeks! Not sure how that happened. And just 13 days later my baby boy will turn 8. They both decided to have slumber parties...hope I don't regret that decision :) I do have a few weeks between them to recover!

Madison's Artwork

2011-03-28T15:39:00.000-04:00

The last few months Madison has done some of the cutest art at school. I can't keep every piece so I take a picture of the things Madison makes and then put them on a cd each year. Here are some of my favorites that have come home recently.

Fun drawings

Spring Break 2011

2011-03-22T21:14:00.000-04:00

We enjoyed spending spring break at my Grandmother's house. Matt had to drill the first weekend of spring break so he dropped us off at my Grandmother's and went on to Memphis for the weekend. It was cold and rainy for the first few days and Madison broke out in hives our 2nd day there. After a quick trip to the ER b/c one of her arms was so covered in hives that it swelled up double it's normal size and also she had a lot of hives around her mouth and eyes. After a prescription for Prednisone and some benadryl we went back home. The next few days we spend inside b/c it was still cold and Madison felt horrible. Wednesday and Thursday we were able to get outside and do some yard work as well as play around some. We made 2 trips down to the creek for the kids to splash around. They had a blast!

Having so much fun!

Caleb and Taylor helping Madison cross the creek

Caleb and Taylor were very brave....they walked all around the creek

Madison stayed pretty close to Matt and I for the most part

One last picture with Daddy before he leaves for TX

I think I am going to hang my kids by their feet to sleep!

2011-03-09T22:03:00.001-05:00

I couldn't resist taking pictures of Caleb and Madison's hair when they woke up one morning. I do not realize how they get it so wild! I mean, are they standing on their heads? Swimming around in circles? Someone help me out...what are my kids doing during the night?

Caleb's isn't too hard to deal with...a brush and the squirt bottle and he is good to go!

Madison's on the other hand is harder to deal with (though easier now that it is short).

3 Weeks

2011-03-01T20:35:00.000-05:00

Our time with Matt is quickly slipping away. Three weeks from now he will be in his "new home" of San Antonio! We have 2 more weeks here before he has to report for drill in Memphis. We will be able to spend a few more days together between drill and him actually leaving. He will board a plane on Tuesday morning the 22nd. I won't be able to take him to the airport unfortunately as I have to get home to return to work and the kids. That is probably for the best though...not sure I would be able to make the 6 hr drive while crying. It is really hitting home now for me as well as the kids. We are trying to cram as many fun things in as possible over the next few weeks. We also have some loose ends to tie up....last minute things to get for Matt before he leaves as well as having a will draw up (should have been done years ago but we just never made it a priority and now we are having to). We are also trying to get a few things done around the house. The garage definitely needed some work before Matt left. LOL

I have been busy getting things done for our trip to TX for Matt's graduation in May. Both the girls were in need of new luggage (Taylor's duffel was falling apart b/c she uses it so much and it was time to move Madison to a bigger suitcase). They loved getting new luggage....very girly luggage I might add.

I also got our plane tickets booked....let me tell you that hurt my bank account but will be so worth it. We also got our rooms booked...we are staying on the Riverwalk which we have heard is so neat.

I knew this time was coming but it definitely isn't as easy as I thought it was going to be (not that I thought it was going to be that easy but I thought I would be able to handle it better than I am right now). I act like a pregnant person (no offense to my pregnant friends but you know what I mean w/ emotional roller coaster). I am going to miss Matt so much...we haven't been apart from each other for more than a week in 14 yrs. I know this will only be a small piece as his next time period for being gone is 4 months and I am not sure that we will be seeing him during that time.

The Wilderness

2011-02-21T20:30:00.000-05:00

This past weekend we met up with some of Matt's family for a weekend at The Wilderness. The kids were really excited as they love being with their cousins. It was a great chance for Matt to see his brother and sister before he leaves (which is 30 days). This year Caleb and Kelsey were tall enough to ride the tube slides by themselves as well as the big water slide, Storm Chaser! They were so excited. Madison and Shelby were big enough to body surf this time and Shelby was able to ride the tube slides as long as she was with an adult.Madison braved the wave pool for the first time and found she loved it! On Monday we spent a couple of hours at the water park and the crowd had thinned out considerably...we were able to ride a slide and then walk right back on. We were so glad we were able to spend the time with Matt's family and can't wait to go back again.

Shelby body surfing

Madison body surfing

Corey was surfing and fell....couldn't resist taking a picture!

Madison enjoying the wave pool...it was the first time for her!

Caleb loves Runaway Canyon

Saturday we had a 7 AM wake-up call in the form of the fire alarm going off. We had to leave the building and everything. Matt and I had 5 of the kids in our room so we rounded up their shoes and headed down. I grabbed my purse so I had car keys and we were able to sit in the car where it was warm until we were given the go ahead to go back to our room. Needless to say we hope this doesn't happen again :)

My Little Valentine!

2011-02-13T20:13:00.000-05:00

Madison had her Valentine's Day party at school on Friday since she doesn't have school on Monday. I was really hoping to get to attend but got called to sub (I have worked a 4 day work week the last 4 weeks..looking forward to this month's paycheck). I thought I might have a moment to run down there with my camera and grab a quick picture but sadly didn't :(

Here is my sweet girl working on her Valentine's Day cards

And here she is ready for her party...sporting a new tutu (this girl loves tutus)

And on another note...Madison was Superstar this past week. She was able to bring in her favorite toy (her American Girl doll), her favorite book (I am a Rainbow) and share her favorite snack (oreos) with the class. She was thrilled. She also was line leader for the whole week. Here she is headed to school one day this past week.

Weekend in Memphis

2011-02-10T21:54:00.000-05:00

Last weekend I joined Matt for his Drill Weekend in Memphis. I was excited about meeting a couple of his buddies that I haven't met before (they attended the same school as kids but when their school closed and Matt transferred to Harding they kinda lost touch and they reconnected a couple of years ago). I was also very excited about seeing one of my childhood friends, Jennifer! I haven't seen her in 2 years so we had lots of catching up to do...if I could just convince her to move up her!

We also took my Grandmother back to Memphis. She will be coming back up here in March and we miss her so much already!

Saturday evening Matt and I met John and Jennifer for dinner. We went to this great little place in Midtown that another friends of ours' (who happens to be John's sister) is the manager at. We enjoyed great food and the best company. It was great to catch up.

This isn't the best picture of us but at least we remembered to take a picture!

Sunday, I went to church where I grew up. It was great to see so many familiar faces.

Sunday evening Matt and I went to a Super Bowl Party hosted by one of his friends whom I had never met. We had a great time. Andy made lots of yummy food and I allowed myself to indulge (though I am working my butt of this week since I worked hard to lose 12 lbs over the last few weeks).

Monday morning we woke up to snow! I couldn't believe it. The last 2 times I have gone to Memphis (and I hadn't been there in 5 yrs up until Jan of this year) it has snowed. It better not snow when I take Matt to Memphis in March to leave for Basic or I will be staying there...I don't drive in the snow. We didn't think it would be a big deal until we got right outside Jackson. The interstate was horrible. We were going 30 mph and cars were only driving in 1 lane. We couldn't even see the other side of the interstate. Matt seriously considered pulling over and spending the night b/c the roads were so bad. It took us 2 hrs to drive 60 miles! I by us I mean Matt...I sat in the passenger seat with my eyes closed praying we wouldn't wreck.

This is what the drive looked like....look at the ice on the windshield!

And this is from my window..it looks blurry but that is the snow coming down. We were barely moving when I took this picture!

Another snow post!

2011-01-28T21:42:00.000-05:00

We have had our fair share of snow here in Knoxville this year...in fact, more snow than we have seen in our 11 yrs here. Right after we got back from Drill it snowed another big snow. My kids were so over the snow that they didn't ask to play in it once. Caleb and Madison did put on their rain boots and robes (you might be a redneck) and threw some moldy bread to the birds.

We, which really means me, collected snow and made snow cream..everyone liked it but Caleb!

He just wanted to eat the snow

The natives are restless!

2011-01-12T23:50:00.000-05:00

We have been stuck at home most of the last 3 days and I was so happy to hear that the kids would be going back to school tomorrow (an hour late but I will take it). Our county has 8 snow days and today we used #6. That means we only have 2 more days to last us 3 more months of winter...makes me a little nervous! I don't need any days tacked on at the end since we just found out this past weekend that Matt will be leaving for Basic Training on March 22 and will graduate on May 20th. This means me and the kids will miss the last day and 1/2 of school. Luckily we have great teachers/bosses who totally understand.

I have spent the day searching airlines for tickets. Southwest seems to be my best bet (they offer good rates and nonstop flights)...I need Matt to check about the military discount though before I book. The kids are super excited about flying...it will be Caleb and Madison's first time.

My wonder MIL has already booked their timeshare for the weekend....we were so lucky that their timeshare had a resort there and had openings. Apparently, May is "peak" season for San Antonio. We are hoping to squeeze in a few fun things while there. Matt's parents will be traveling with us while my parents will not b/c my sister will have just had her baby.

The kids are handling Matt leaving really well. I think that they are as relieved as I am to know when he is leaving and when he is coming back. They were really excited that he would be coming home between Basic and Tech school as they won't be going to visit him while he is in CA but were a little bummed that he wouldn't be here for their birthdays...he won't even be able to talk with them on their birthdays :(

We just barely made it home!

2011-01-10T21:30:00.000-05:00

This past weekend Matt and I headed off to Memphis...he had to report for drill and I was picking up my Grandmother to take her to her house for a couple of days. My Grandmother and I had a wonderful time visiting just the 2 of us. We took care of selling her car. We also had a chance to run by the cemetery and see my Grandfather's headstone which has been placed. It is a very pretty stone. I took a couple of picks since we don't get down there much but don't plan on posting them...just wanted to have them for me.

After carefully watching the weather we decided to go ahead and leave Memphis Sunday afternoon as soon as Matt was done with drill....it was a good thing. We left Memphis at 4:30 and the snow started about 6:00. We managed to get home and a couple of hours later the snow started. We are currently "snowed" in! The best part is my Grandmother is snowed in with us!!! We enjoyed doing nothing really today. The kids didn't even ask to play in the snow...I think they are tired of the snow plus our sled is at Nona's house. We did make some snow cream today....Caleb and Madison liked it while Taylor wasn't too impressed! Looks like we are in for more snow over the next few days...hoping it doesn't keep the kids home all week!

We were so happy to get Matt's leave date this weekend...he will be leaving for San Antonio, TX, on March 22. We are excited to have 2 more months of him home. We have a mini vacation planned in February and he will get to go with us. Also he will be here for the kids Spring Break. It does look like he will come home between Basic and Tech School. The kids and I will be going down for his graduation the end of May and they are excited that school will be out so maybe we can stay an extra day or two and sight-see :)

Winter Wonderland

2011-01-06T18:37:00.001-05:00

Yesterday we enjoyed one of the most beautiful snowfalls I have ever seen. It began snowing about 3:00 and just kept snowing. Sometimes the snowflakes would be huge. It snowed for about 4-5 hrs straight. Sometimes it would be snowing really hard and then would lighten up only to return to snowing hard. It was such a beautiful sight. And it totally caught me off guard. I didn't even know snow was in the forecast. I had been to work in my classroom that morning and then ran to a few stores and came out of Kroger to snow! Our church ended up canceling classes (though I had already decided not to go as our road was covered and for those who haven't seen our street we live at the top of a hill....not good when covered with snow). So we just sat inside watching the snow fall.

Taylor was praying it would stop b/c she was ready to go back to school and had a field trip on Friday that had been canceled and rescheduled due to the snow right before Christmas and has been canceled and rescheduled again due to this snow.

Caleb was praying it would keep snowing as he wasn't ready to have to get up early.

I was praying it would stop too (or at least not affect the roads) b/c Matt and I are leaving Friday morning for Memphis. He has drill and I am going to visit with my Grandmother who I haven't seen since my Granddaddy's funeral in October. I am going to take her to her house for a few days and then our plans are to go back to Memphis and pick Matt up and head back home Monday morning....bringing my Grandmother with us! She hasn't been here since I was pregnant with Taylor (11 yrs ago).

We ended up with 2 1/2 in of snow at our house and school was delayed an hour this morning and more snow is predicted for tonight (1-3 in). In fact snow is a possibility over the next few days here. As long as it stays off the roads I am ok with it b/c it was so beautiful! Snow is also in the forecast for Memphis Sunday night/Monday morning....praying it doesn't happen b/c I want to be able to come home Monday.

Here are some pictures of our backyard, front yard and side yards...it was beautiful! And this was only after about 2 hours.

Driving home..don't worry I was going really slow and there was nobody on the road but me

The view from our porch

Our backyard

Our walkway

Madison's New Hair-do

2011-01-03T22:18:00.000-05:00

Madison got her hair cut today! She has been so excited about it and counting down the days. She (and me too) had gotten so tired of the tangles. The longer her hair gets the more tangles and the girl is so tender headed. It was causing everyone a ton of grief. She was very adamant that it be cut like Taylor's. We compromised with a short bob but no "stacking" in the back...too much maintanence. I love it and so does she! She keeps "poofing it up" which is hilarious!

Madison before

Madison after

I know it looks a little crooked here but it is b/c her head was tilted

New Years

2011-01-02T20:26:00.000-05:00

For the past few years we have enjoyed spending New Years Eve at the Tomlinson's where we celebrate Christmas, December birthdays and New Years but sadly this year Matt had to work so we didn't go...just wouldn't have been the same without him! We decided to go over the next day and spend the night. We enjoyed eating sushi and hibachi followed by Amy and I getting a little shopping in without the kids (we hit up Joann's and Michael's and got some great deals on some Christmas stuff). The kids enjoyed opening presents when we got back before going to bed. Coy and Madison slept with Matt and I while Taylor and Caleb slept in the den and Clara slept with Amy and Aaron....needless to say this didn't result in much sleeping! Madison and Coy were the first ones asleep but the other 3 like to never went to sleep! Madison woke up 4 or 5 times. There wasn't much sleep going on in our room (well except for Coy who slept until 8:15...this is unheard of for her).

Madison got a playdough set

Coy got a cute singing puppy!

Caleb got Bop It

Coy playing with Clara's singing Penguin

Taylor got a cute purse and cross necklace

Amy, Aaron and Clara looking at their annual scrapbook album

Christmas Day 2010

2010-12-29T20:08:00.000-05:00

Christmas morning the kids slept until almost 9:00...I love my kids! Madison was the first one up and I made her wait to come into the living room until I woke up the other 2...I like everyone to see the Santa set-up at the same time. The kids loved Santas' gifts!

Santa left a charging station with 2 more Wii remotes and 4 new games! Love how Santa "hid" the games on the tree...it took the kids a few minutes to find them :)

Santa was nice enough to set our remotes out to charge..even the 2 we already had

The tree with all the gifts!

Taylor's docking station for her Ipod

Caleb's art kit and sketch books

Madison's pillow pet and Leapster game

Mario Cart for the Wii....with 3 wheels so all 3 kids can play at the same time!

Caleb was so excited about his stuffed Wall-E

Taylor was excited about her Jessie doll too!

Madison got Squinkees (and I have stepped on them too many times already)!

We enjoyed breakfast with both sets of Grandparents. Then the kids spent the afternoon playing Mario Cart on the Wii. Dinner at our house that evening consisted of steaks, shrimp, baked potatoes and salad followed with pecan pie and cheesecake for dessert. Matt had to stand in the snow and grill our steaks! And to top it off right after he lit the grill and put the steaks on the grill went out! Luckily the 24 hr Walgreens 2 minutes from our house sells propane refills so Matt ran down and got one so we could finish our steaks...there is nothing like steak cooked on the grill!

There is only one word...dedication!

Christmas Eve with the Beavers

2010-12-27T22:15:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Christmas with Hope and Chris Christmas Eve morning. Matt had to work that afternoon and they wanted to get to Nashville before the bad weather that was predicted hit. We opened presents and then had brunch before going back and opening our stockings. We have a tradition where everyone buys a gift of no more than $10 for each person and then each person has 8 small gifts to open. It is so much fun! The kids were very happy with their gifts and so were the adults I believe. For the record, there are pictures of Hope and Chris but I am not allowed to post them b/c Hope got hot and took her sweater off and was just wearing a tank top :) They were there though.

Mario Cart for his DS

A remote controlled helicopter

Taylor got lots of new clothes

Madison got Jessie boots

Stars War for his DS

Madison's #1 requested gift was the American Girl doll Kit...she got it!

All Taylor wanted was her own laptop...she got it!

Stormy got a new sweater...she looks so cute!

December Craziness!

2010-12-22T09:27:00.000-05:00

I can't believe Christmas is in just a few days! I haven't finished my shopping yet and I have to get on that b/c we are having Christmas with my family on Friday morning.

Tonight we have our Candlelight Service and Nativity Play. All 3 kids have parts...Taylor is Gabrielle, Caleb is Joseph and Madison is an angel in the choir. Matt had joked that we should let Caleb watch Vince Vaughn's performance of Joseph in Four Christmas'...I don't! Last week during practice Caleb was leaning on the manger and I was just picturing the manger flipping over and baby Jesus flying through the air :) Praying that doesn't happen tonight.

The girls both have strep right now but aren't contagious anymore. We are praying that Caleb doesn't get it (or me).

Caleb had PJ day and they watched The Polar Express on Monday at school. Since I am room mom I got together popcorn and hot chocolate as a snack for them to have while watching the movie. Matt helped me and we had a fun morning with Caleb at school.

Matt and I (along with Amy and Aaron) spent last weekend in the mountains. We enjoyed doing absolutely nothing. We just sat around watching movies most of the time. We did venture over to the clubhouse and sat in the hot tub for awhile and then enjoyed playing some pool. We won 1st game and Amy and Aaron won the 2nd game. After checking out Sunday morning we enjoyed lunch at Olive Garden and then went to Dollywood. We enjoyed seeing a couple of shows and just walking around without kids. It was pretty cold though so we only stayed a few hours.

Amy telling Aaron to look at the camera...we were joking that we normally are saying "everyone smile" or "look at the camera" for most pictures :)

Matt and I looking puffy in our layers!

Now school is out for a few weeks and I am looking forward to sleeping in a little and just hanging out with the kids and Matt. We are still waiting on a date for Matt to leave for Basic. We had hoped to know before Christmas but the offices on Base are closed until Jan 5th so we will have to wait :( I am planning to go with Matt to Memphis for his drill next month and am looking forward to seeing the new base. I remember the Base out in Millington but they have moved out to the airport.

The Most Important Decision Taylor Will Ever Make

2010-12-14T22:02:00.000-05:00

On Sunday December 12, 2010, I watched as Matt baptized our first child! It was such an emotional decision but I held it together very well. There were so many sweet memories I don't ever want to forget. I cried as I watched Matt ask Taylor from opposites sides of the baptistry "if she was ready" and she proudly said "yes"! The tears fell more freely as I watched Taylor met her daddy in the middle of the baptistry. It was a moment that will rank right up there with the first time I saw Matt holding her after she was born. Watching him immerse her in the water and then bring her up a new child was one of the happiest moments I have ever had. We were so happy to have Mr Mike there to read some scriptures. He has always been there for Taylor to ask any questions. He gave her a Bible study to complete about 9 months ago when she asked again if she could be baptized. After completing it we knew Taylor was ready and doing this for the right reason. And we were thrilled to be able to have most of our family and our H2H family as well as a few other friends Taylor invited with us to share in the moment. I am so thankful that we had Aaron to take pictures. I am looking forward to making them into a scrapbook for Taylor. I am so proud of her for the decision she has made and look forward to watching her grow in her faith. It was so sweet, afterwards Taylor just kept saying "this is the best day ever" :) And she was right!

Getting congratulatory hugs

Christmas Photo Shoot #3

2010-12-11T22:24:00.000-05:00

Today we attempted to get a photo for our 2010 Christmas card for the 3rd time. My plan was if it didn't work this time then we weren't going to put out a Christmas card this year since we are only 2 weeks away from Christmas. Well, we were completely successful!!! I was so excited b/c I love doing our family Christmas card and was going to be really sad if we didn't do one. Matt was also able to snap a couple of shots of the kids individually as well as a cute shot of me and Caleb. Caleb snapped a picture of me and Matt. The picture of us isn't too bad except Caleb is shooting "up" at us so Matt and I both have double chins :) LOL

I am not going to post our Christmas card picture since most of you that read this will also be getting the card...don't want to spoil the surprise :)

Taylor

Caleb

Madison

Me and Caleb

Me and Matt (next time we take a picture together we plan to be 40 lbs lighter)

Christmas Brunch 2010

2010-12-07T21:24:00.000-05:00

Sunday our church had their annual Christmas Brunch with a special guest....Santa. The kids also sang some songs they had learned especially for the brunch (and also for our candlelight service next Wednesday). The kids singing were so cute! The kids also loved seeing "Santa" aka Aaron! They know our dear friend Aaron plays Santa at our church every year and they love knowing that no other kids know it is him...something about knowing something nobody else knows is very fulfilling to a child!

The kids singing!

Talking with Santa

My sweet babies!

The Aytes and Tomlinson kids!

Santa Pictures 2010

2010-12-05T22:21:00.000-05:00

Today was such a busy day and I am going to do 2 posts to cover it all. I am going to do the shorter post first b/c I am super tired and want to go crawl in my warm bed and drift off to sleep. We had our annual Christmas Brunch and visit with Santa at church (that post is to come later) and then we had the kids pictures made with Santa again at a local nursery which we have been doing for years. It was very important to go this year as it is the last year for this Santa to do this. He has moved to another place in Tennessee and is not going to be able to do it anymore. I love seeing the kids with him as he really looks the part! His sleigh is so cool and the live reindeer really are the icing on the cake!

The kids with Santa!

Madison telling Santa what she wants

Taylor telling Santa her wish list

Caleb's turn...love the excitement on his face!

The Aytes and Tomlinson kids

Cool reindeer

Getting to pet the reindeer

Caleb's "injury"

2010-12-01T15:05:00.000-05:00

Last night when Caleb got out of the shower we were playing around (lesson learned...don't play around in the bathroom). He was trying to hug me when he was soaking wet and I was trying to avoid him at all costs. He reached for me...I lunged away from him....his head connected with the pedistal sink :( I felt horrible. He fell to the ground, holding his head and crying and when I pulled his hands away there was a ton of blood. Luckily, I know head wounds bleed pretty bad no matter how small the wound so I was hoping it was a small wound. After calming him down....he kept saying "I don't want to go to the hospital and get stitches"...we cleaned the wound up and inspected it. It wasn't too bad....a dent with a gash and a blue knot already forming! Caleb and I were both relieved that no trip to the hospital for stitches was required :) And we learned our lesson....no playing in the bathroom especially when you are soaking wet!

Caleb's head "injury"

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-26T20:42:00.001-05:00

I had great plans to take lots of pictures of Thanksgiving this year since it was our first time to host here at the new house. Sadly, I didn't get very many as we were having too much fun talking and playing the Wii. Nona snapped a few but I didn't think to get them off her camera before she left.

The turkey before cooking (in case you are wondering the yellow stuff is melted butter)

The turkey after being cooked

Taylor and Kelsey playing the Wii

Caleb, Riley and Shelby watching Youtube videos

Friday afternoon Nona and I took all the kids to see Despicable Me at the $2 theater. It was such a cute movie! After wards we came back to the house and had pizza for dinner before all the kids went home with Nona....my house sure is quiet!

A sweet note from Caleb

2010-11-22T08:03:00.001-05:00

A few days ago Caleb brought me this "card" he had made for me. He didn't ask for any help with spelling anything. I am so proud of him (and flattered that he loves me so)! I love the words he picked to write me....so very sweet. I think their is truly a special bond between a mom and her son.

The cover (ignore the water on it, I accidentally sat it on some water on the table when taking a picture)

The inside

Thanksgiving Feast

2010-11-19T22:19:00.000-05:00

Today was Madison's Thanksgiving Feast at school. I originally planned on going but decided not too...it wasn't actually a party that they needed parents help at so I decided just to spend that time doing a little Christmas shopping/grocery shopping/birthday shopping! It was nice to take my time and look around at a couple of different stores. I haven't done that very much since I seem to be subbing alot at school so far. I was able to get some stocking stuffers as well as my grocery shopping done.

When I got back I was able to take a quick picture of 2 of the art projects they have done this month as well as a picture of Madison who was known as "Little Bear" today.

I love how Madison's teachers decorate the entrance to their room each month...I love the November theme with the trees made out of tracing each child (and adding a few extra arms/branches)

Love this turkey made out of pieces of tissue paper

Each child brought an old tie and they created this turkey with them

Madison aka Little Bear

Tis' The Season

2010-11-17T21:44:00.001-05:00

I love Christmas time. I love everything about it...the decorations, the cards that come in the mail, the parties, etc. It is the busiest time of the year and even though I spend so much time running around I still love it. I think though this might be the busiest year we have ever experienced though. Starting right after Thanksgiving we will constantly doing something. The 1st weekend in December will be the worst though as Matt will be away at Drill and my schedule looks like this...

Thursday night....My work Christmas party
Friday night.... Taylor will be marching in the Christmas Parade downtown with her GS troop
Saturday....Taylor has an all day hike
Sunday...Christmas Brunch at church
Sunday afternoon....annual Christmas pics with Santa and his reindeer and this is his last year to do this :(
Sunday night....H2H at our house

I am tired just typing it all

The next weekend is the Ladies Tea at church and our H2H Christmas party

Guess what I did....signed up to host a table at the Ladies Tea! Luckily we can decorate our table the night before and I do have another host...Amy T :)

The next weekend Matt and I will be stealing out of town for the weekend with Amy and Aaron to celebrate our birthdays and have a adult weekend before Matt leaves...this will be fun though. We are going to go to Dollywood Friday night so we can see a show and then plan on just sitting around Saturday and watching movies and playing board/card games :)

And somewhere in here I gotta finish my Christmas shopping!

On a happy note, I wrapped 5 presents today...wrapping presents makes me so happy :) And I got 8 pages in Amy's annual scrapbook...yeah me!

Kuddos to you if you made it to the end of this post!

Sweet Friends

2010-11-15T20:12:00.000-05:00

Caleb has been asking to have a friend over to awhile, specifically Will from church. So last week I arranged for Will to come over this afternoon. Today worked good for Cindy as she was having Bunco at her house so we also invited Sam to come over which made Madison happy. Caleb and Will spent most of their time in Caleb's room while Sam and Madison enjoyed bowling on the Wii (I wish I had gotten a picture of those 2 bowling).

Since the boys were going to be eating dinner with us I picked up the stuff to make individual pizzas. I couldn't help but grab the camera and take a picture of the 4 of them making their pizzas.

The finished pizzas (well before being cooked)...the 2 extra pizzas are Taylor's and her friend that was over.

I also quickly snapped this picture...the kids had finished their pizzas and Will and Sam decided to bowl a quick game on the Wii for Mike got their to pick them up.

Finally.....Madison's test results

2010-11-13T21:09:00.000-05:00

On Friday we had to be at Madison's GI dr's office at 8:00 (not sure what I was thinking when I made that appointment) to get the results from her endoscopy and colonoscopy. Actually once we got there I was glad we were there so early b/c by being one of the 1st appointments we cut down the amount of time spent waiting both in the waiting room and in the exam room. I was really nervous about the biopsy's they had done. I was also so worried that they were going to tell me Madison had Celiac Disease. And I kept praying if she had to have an allergy please don't let it be milk as dairy is the 1 food group I can always count on her to eat from. Literally the girl will eat cereal and milk for breakfast and then lunch will consist of ham, cheese and yogurt and then ice scream for dessert most nights.

The 1st thing her wonderful Dr said when she came in the room was that she was thrilled with Madison's test results. I sighed a HUGE sigh of relief! Madison's biopsy's came back negative...the eroded spots in her colon are to the consistent diarrhea. Madison's dr then said that she had really thought Madison was going to come back with a list of food allergies but she was happy to tell me that Madison was only allergic to one.......MILK! Yep, the one thing I was hoping she wouldn't be allergic to is the one thing she is allergic too! We are so thankful that things weren't worse and after talking with her dr we are going to try and limit her intake of milk and see if that helps things. Madison is lucky in that her only symptom is tummy ache and diarrhea which I know doesn't sound good but her reaction to milk could be lots worse. We are hoping this means her allergy is not too severe and that limiting milk will help, and not having to completely remove milk from her diet. We can't afford for her to lose weight as she is right under 30 lbs now so I don't want to take out numerous foods she will eat but most of them contain milk.

We also got the test results from Madison's echo on Tuesday and I forgot to blog about it....her heart murmur is what they call an "innocent murmur" at this time. Her pediatrician will continue to monitor it in his office on a yearly basis and if there is any more change then we have another echo. We are thankful that the pediatric cardiologist believes Madison's dr can monitor and we are thankful to not be getting to know another department in Children's Hospital though I am sure they are super nice!

Thank you to everyone that prayed for Madison (and us) during this long process. It means so much to us and we can never thank you guys enough.

Sweet and Sassy!

2010-11-09T16:29:00.000-05:00

I wish I had half the wardrobe that Madison has! She has the cutest things and is really opinionated about her clothes right now...she always has to "look cute" as she says! She had been begging to wear this outfit for weeks and it was finally cold enough that she could. She was so excited and kept thanking me for allowing her to wear it. Love my sweet girl!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-04T16:55:00.000-04:00

The kids were really excited about Halloween. We always go to a Halloween Party at the Lain's house but this year it was moved to Hope and Chris' house. Madison was excited about "hopefully" seeing one of her school friends, Molly, who lives in Aunt Hope's neighborhood. The kids really didn't need anymore candy as they had already acquired a ton but off we went anyway!

Madison and Abby having a bite to eat before trick or treating

Taylor with the cake pops she and Aunt Hope made

Madison enjoying a cake pop! (look at those black teeth and lips)

A group shot

Getting some candy!

They loved getting to pick out which piece of candy they wanted!

Madison with her huge bag of candy...so heavy she had to carry it with both hands!

Taylor with her loot all neatly organized

Caleb with his candy stash also neatly organized!

Madison with her candy though not nearly as impressive as Caleb and Taylor's b/c she didn't do as much at Trunk or Treat b/c she wasn't feeling too hot :(

Trunk or Treats 2010

2010-10-28T21:56:00.000-04:00

We had our church Trunk or Treat on Wednesday night and then tonight was Trunk or Treat at Taylor and Caleb's school....the kids already have enough candy to last a year! I think they made numerous rounds in the parking lot at church :) We weren't sure Madison would get to go since her colonoscopy and endoscopy were that morning. We left the hospital at 4 pm and were at church by 6 pm! There was no way Madison was going to let the other 2 go w/o her and I was kinda glad she felt up to it since their costumes went together. I think they looked great and am so glad that we matched them up....might be the last time they will let me "choose" their costumes. We bought Caleb's, borrowed Madison's and made Taylor's. We couldn't find a "Wendy" costume anywhere but lucky for me my mom can sew and she whipped one up in 2 days....thanks Nana!

My sweet kids as Wendy, Peter Pan and Tinkerbell

Caleb loves this game so it was 1st on his to-do-list!

Madison playing a game

Taylor looked so cute as Wendy!

Madison made a great Tinkerbell

My sweet boy

Fall Break Camping

2010-10-25T16:41:00.000-04:00

We enjoyed Fall Break by camping for a few days and also enjoying a day at Dollywood. We love to get to camp any chance we can and with Matt leaving soon we won't be doing any camping until he gets back. This was the first time we have been this year and the weather was absolutely perfect. We had warm temps during the day and cool in the mornings and evenings. It only rained 1 night which was great since the forecast was calling for 2 days of rain....it is never fun to camp in the rain! Before we left my co-workers had gotten us some goodies....they usually do a meal for the family when there has been a death but since we were going to be gone they provided us with all kinds of foods for camping. Here is a picture of some of the goodies....the kids got into them before I got a picture....

Amy and Aaron trying to stay warm early one mmorning

We had a great campsite right by the playground and grassy areas where the kids could run around and play.

The kids enjoyed riding their bikes around the campground

We enjoyed playing baseball/softball....Madison's turn to hit!

Caleb's turn to hit

Then we moved on to kickball...Taylor's was 1st!

Aaron is always prepared for anything!

We ended each evening by roasting marshmallows and making s'mores!

It's Official!

2010-10-22T23:01:00.000-04:00

Today a new chapter in our life began....Matt's is officially enlisted in the Air National Guard. This has been a long 10 months! It has been emotionally exhausting. We still have to wait on a security clearance before he can go to Basic Training in San Antonio, TX. Looks like he will be leaving the 1st of January. After Basic (which is 9 weeks) he will attend Tech School. This is will be right there in San Antonio as well and is 10 weeks long (we think...not 100% certain). It is going to be a rough 5 months but with the help of our families and friends we will get through and our life will be better because of this decision. We are really excited about this new chapter...even the kids are excited!

Matt being sworn in

The congratulatory handshake

His recruiter was kind and took a picture of us...I look horrible!

Bonfire at Grandmother's

2010-10-18T15:09:00.000-04:00

The last night that we were at my Grandmother's we had a bonfire and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows. The kids were so excited. My Grandmother had a great time just watching everyone laugh and have a good time.

Savannah, Mary Hannah, Aunt Linda and Grandmother getting the fire ready

Madison and Mary Hannah

Savannah and Madison

Savannah and Mary Hannah

Taylor and Lydia

Caleb and Ryley loving on Buddy

The kids roasting marshmallows and hot dogs

My Grandmother with 7 of her 8 grandchildren!

Pawpaw Creek

2010-10-12T22:04:00.000-04:00

After my Granddaddy's funeral we enjoyed spending some time just hanging out and sharing memories. We also did a few fun things since we had 7 kids to entertain. They did a great job playing in the front yard (pictures of that to come later). On Friday we all walked down to Pawpaw Creek which is on my Grandparent's property. We have so many good memories of fishing and swimming down there. The kids enjoyed splashing around and catching baby frogs.

Madison getting a ride from Savannah

Madison and Mary Hannah

All the kids looking for frogs

Caleb and Ryley looking for frogs...they really hit it off!

Madison holding a frog Mary Hannah caught for her..look at that grin!

My mom and Grandmother

The fishing hole on Pawpaw Creek

My Granddaddy

2010-10-04T20:43:00.000-04:00

Early this morning my Granddaddy left this world for another home. Though it is a sad day for our family it is also a good day....he is no longer in pain, he is no longer miserable. He has spent the last few years in poor health and not able to walk. About 5 or 6 weeks ago he was no longer able to be cared for in his home. His worst fear was the nursing home and it was going to be his reality. He was miserable and so was my Grandmother. She hated having to put him in the nursing home. For about the last year he would constantly say that he wished God would just go ahead and take him b/c be had no life or at least not the life he wanted to have.

We were blessed to be able to spend a week with him and my Grandmother at their house the first of August. It is time I am so glad we had. My kids never had to see him in the nursing home...their memories will be good and for that I am grateful.

The kids took his passing really well. I don't think Madison fully understands while Caleb and Taylor do. Taylor took it the hardest. She is doing better this evening after a few talks, she got her tears out and so did I. I hope the visitation/funeral will go as well on Thursday. Tonight while tucking Taylor in bed she said she was going to miss Granddaddy and I told her that was ok that I was too. I told her we have to think about that he is happy and no longer in pain and she replied..."yeah, I guess he is riding his tractor around the clouds". I sure hope he is!

This is the last picture I have of him and the kids.

My mom with my Grandparents

Fall Decorating!

2010-10-02T09:00:00.001-04:00

I am loving the weather we have been having this past week! Summer is probably my favorite season b/c I love being in the pool, traveling with the kids, staying up later and sleeping in! But when it comes to decorating, I love fall! I love the colors and the textures that come with fall! I love crunchy leaves in all different colors. I love the acorns and hickory nuts that I can fill my vases with. I love fall fabrics though I never buy them...I just enjoy going to fabric stores and running my fingers through the fabrics. I love shopping for fall/winter clothes for the kids. The colors are fabulous, well at least for the girls! Lots of browns, oranges, reds in all kinds of prints in fabrics like suede and corduroy! It just screams fall. I love driving to the mountains and taking pictures. I love exploring some of the hiking trails. I love going to Dollywood b/c of all the beautiful decorations! I love driving up to Gatlinburg and getting Cherry or Strawberry Crepes at the Pancake Pantry!

I spent this week switching out kids clothes in their closets which means it will probably warm back up and be in the 90's for a few more weeks.

This morning the kids pulled on sweatshirts with their shorts to go play outside. I was able to enjoy my coffee alot more since it wasn't 100 degrees outside! I look forward to using our deck a lot more with the cooler weather....I see many Saturday mornings curled up out there with my coffee mug!

Yesterday we did some landscaping in the yard as it is finally bearable outside and we plan working on it some more today. We are working on sprucing up the stone path around the back of the house as well as working on the fort in the backyard. It is in serious need of maintenance :) It wasn't used for years so is a little rickety and needs some boards replaced. The kids haven't cared too much about it since it has been so hot! But they are asking to play on it now.

We are looking forward to Fall Break in a few weeks...no big plans though. This time last year we were anxiously awaiting our trip to Disney! This year we are heading to Memphis to see my Grandparents. My Grandfather is in a nursing home and not doing to well. Maybe we will have some big plans for Christmas Break or Spring Break.

Sorry this wasn't the most exciting post....kuddos if you made it to the end. Just wanted to get down what is going on in our lives right now. This is my scrapbook right now as I have no time to actually scrapbook!

Women of Faith

2010-09-28T21:42:00.000-04:00

This past weekend I was so thrilled to attend Women of Faith in Atlanta with about 30 other women from my church! I had not been going originally but a week before the event I received a phone call that someone had felt that I was supposed to go and had paid for my ticket and my room. I was beyond ecstatic! I counted down the days, knowing Thursday afternoon wasn't going to get here fast enough. We finally got on the road about 7:30 Thursday night! Once we got to Atlanta our roommates had already checked in so we just joined them in our room and sat up talking until we finally decided we had to go to bed or we weren't going to be able to enjoy the next day.

Friday we attended the pre-conference stuff which was beyond fabulous! I had a hard time deciding who was my favorite....I loved Patsi Clairmont and Andy Andrews! I don't even know how to describe it to you....you just have to go. Friday evening we were able to enjoy a short concert by Stephen Curtis Chapman and his 2 sons. We also heard MaryBeth Chapman talk about the loss of their daughter Maria. There wasn't a dry eye in the house.

Saturday was more wonderful talks by some great women and to top it off we got to hear Mandisa who was on American Idol a few years ago (she didn't win but is a fabulous singer). We also got to hear Anita Renfrow perform some of her hilarious retakes on songs. If you don't know who I am talking about head on over to youtube and look her up. (A Real) Love Story is my all-time favorite!

I was sad to see the conference come to an end. All ready very excited for next year! We ended our weekend by 24 of the 30 women having dinner together at Longhorns before getting on the road to head home.

Our preacher's wife has already purchased tickets for next year and I can't wait!

Taylor's newly painted bedroom furniture!

2010-09-20T21:14:00.000-04:00

Over the past week or so I have been working on spray painting Taylor's white wicker furniture a beautiful Rich Plum. At my sister's house Taylor has her own room (can you say spoiled) and my sister had painted a piece of wicker furniture this same color and it looked great so I decided to do all 3 of Taylor's pieces. It took many coats of paint and many trips to local Walmarts to purchase the paint. It must not be a very popular b/c I was only able to purchase 5 cans at one store and 3 at another. It wasn't enough to finish it....the white was really hard to cover, I had to spray both the outside and the inside of each drawer. While we were in Halls (the other side of Knoxville) for H2H I stopped in that Walmart and was able to snag 2 more cans :) Today I finished the nightstand. We got all 3 pieces back in her room this evening and it looks so good. The lighting wasn't the best so one of the pieces looks a little funny but in real life it looks great! Taylor is so pleased of her "new" furniture :) It looks great with her other furniture and her bedding! Her room definitely has that "tween" look to it!

The dresser

The nightstand

The headboard with her cute bedding!

Weekend at The Wilderness

2010-09-15T16:00:00.000-04:00

This past weekend we were able to enjoy going to The Wilderness Lodge again. This is one of the kids favorite places to go. We were excited b/c when we went in May the outside area wasn't open yet. This was the last weekend it was going to be open for the season so we jumped at the chance to go. We were happy to be able to take the Tomlinson's again as well as Amy's niece, Kaleigh! Taylor loves getting to hang out with Kaleigh whenever possible. The Lazy River outside was fabulous though a little chilly :)

The girls sporting puppy dog ears!

The lone "boy" of the group (unless you count Matt and Aaron)

Sweet Coy

Clara loved the wave pool

Taylor and Kaleigh loved the Lazy River

As did Aaron and Clara

And Caleb and Aaron

Madison and Coy enjoyed the slide in the kiddie area

Aaron reenacting a scene from Flashdance :)

All of us on the Lazy River

Coy "swimming"

Taylor and Kaleigh body surfing

Caleb, Madison, Clara and Coy posing for a cute picture!

We had a blast and can't wait to go back again!

Busy, Busy and Busy!

2010-09-09T20:42:00.001-04:00

We have been so busy since school started! I am ready for things to slow down a bit. I have been working 40 hr work weeks the past 3 weeks and am exhausted! I wasn't cut out for the work force! LOL 2 weeks of in-service/getting my room ready, subbing in the Fantastic 5's class 3 days, subbing in the 2's class 2 days and working my normal days has been rough. I am not sure how moms who work full-time and have a family do it! I haven't had time for blogging, barely have time for facebook. I fall into bed at night and am asleep in minutes!

We did enjoy the Labor Day Holiday Weekend though. We started off the weekend at Hope and Chris' lake house...sadly Matt didn't get to join us as he had a "thing" on Base that he was taking part in. We enjoyed playing lots of "Bananagrams" and just being lazy. We did head over to the marina and play on the rocks and playground. We had planned to go canoeing but since Matt didn't join us we ended up not (Hope and I briefly entertained the thought of putting all 3 kids in a canoe and taking them by ourselves while Chris watched football but quickly nixed that idea much to Taylor's disappointment). We promised her we would do it next time. Sadly I have no pictures of the weekend b/c I forgot my camera and the few pictures that got taken are on Hope's camera.

We got home late Sunday afternoon and had planned to go to Boomsday with the Aaron, Amy, Clara and Coy but ended up not b/c of how late it was. We did head over to their house where the kids enjoyed being pulled around the yard/field on the trailer. We also had our 1st bonfire of the season complete with hot dogs and s'mores for dessert! It was a great night for a bonfire. Monday was spent being lazy...the kids enjoyed playing outside in the gorgeous weather while Matt and Aaron did manly things like yard work and cutting down a bathroom door (which wouldn't close) and a bedroom door that dragged on the floor and was leaving a huge mark on our hardwood floors. Sadly I took no pictures of the manly work being done :(

All the kiddies enjoying a ride!

Taylor cooking her own dinner!

Enjoying the 1st bonfire of the season

My sweet little boy!

Our weeks are going to be pretty busy for awhile....Taylor has tennis on Thursdays and Girl Scouts on Fridays. We are trying to find Caleb something to do (tennis, karate, basketball) and Madison can't decide what she wants to do (gymnastics or ballet). Oh yeah, football season has started so I don't see much of Matt in the evenings....guess that is a preview of what my life will be like in a few months :) We are looking forward to a little R&R at The Wilderness this weekend though!

Madison's 1st Day of Pre-K

2010-08-31T21:19:00.000-04:00

Today was the much awaited "1st Day of Pre-K". Madison didn't think this day was ever going to come and some days neither did I :) She was so excited. She couldn't wait to see all the teachers. She was especially excited to see her teacher's from last year as well as Ms Carrie and Ms Lori who teach the young 2's. Madison absolutely loved them and would have stayed in their class if she had been able to.

Last night when I put Madison to sleep and told her she would be going to school today she got so excited that I thought she wasn't ever going to go to bed however she was asleep in less than 5 minutes! This morning when I woke her up she sat straight up and said "I have school today"! The girl was ready in record time and wanting to leave even though we still had 30 minutes before we had to leave. After eating a few bites of her asiago cheese bagel that Nana and Pops got her for her 1st day of school we were out the door and stopping to snap a few pictures!

She was so excited to get to school and couldn't hardly wait to go to her room. She made the rounds and said hello to all the teachers while I got my room set up and then it was time to head down to her room. Last year she was across the hall but this year she is in a different wing so I have to walk her down. When we got down there she promptly told me that I could leave! Good to know that she is going to miss me! When I picked her up she already had won over her teachers! They thought she was "precious"....their words not mine!

She was too excited to eat!

My big girl getting ready for Pre-K :(

Getting a picture taken with mom who looks rough from lack of sleep!

Walking into school....she was admiring the balloons decorating the school entrance!

Here she is practically running to her classroom!

Posing by the Pre-K entrance...loved how they decorated their entrance!

Reelfoot Lake

2010-08-27T08:31:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago when we were at my grandparents house Matt and I drove the kids up to Reelfoot Lake. Matt and I both went there lots of times as kids...me b/c my grandparents live about 5 miles from it so it was neat thing to do when we visited them and Matt grew up camping there with the Boy Scouts. The kids love going up there and I figured it might be the last time we went....little did I know that it would be the last time we went there while visiting my grandparents.

If you don't know anything about Reelfoot it is a lake created by an earthquake. I believe it was back in the 1800's. There is a neat story behind it having to do with the Indian chief's daughter. There is a neat wooden walkway at one spot that offers some neat sites/picture opportunities. We normally see tons of turtles and sometimes a snake or 2 (luckily no snakes this time just turtles). There is also an area that has an eagle habitat that houses eagles no longer able to live in the wild. I love the cypress trees with their funny roots.

The kids checking out an eagle

Walking on the boardwalk

Beautiful views of the lake...it is a huge lake!

The roots of the cypress trees, the lake was way down b/c of the lack of rain...I have seen the root systems complete under water some years.

A baby turtle sunbathing on a log

These flowers were blooming everywhere

My Grandparents

2010-08-23T21:22:00.001-04:00

Today has been a horrible day! It has been an emotional day! I have cried so many times throughout the day. A new page is being written in our lives. My grandparents are 90 and 89. A few years ago my grandfather's health started to decline. He has just continued to go downhill. We went down a few weeks ago and knew that it wouldn't be long before my grandmother was no longer able to care for them in their home. They did have some help coming in Monday through Friday from 8-3 but it just was wearing my grandmother out.

Last Wednesday my grandfather had a stroke and was taken to the hospital. He has lost the use of his right side and is not going to be able to come back home. Normally this wouldn't be a problem...you just place him in a nursing home. Well, there we run into 3 problems....1)my grandmother doesn't need to be in a nursing home, 2)my grandmother is no longer able to drive and 3)their house is in the middle of no where and I am not joking....they live 25 miles from town! So the problem is her being able to visit him daily if they stay where they are. We knew the day was coming when they were going to have to either move to Memphis where my aunt lives or here where my mom is. We prayed they would come here but sadly they decided to go to Memphis :( It broke my heart as we would love to have them here. My mom would love to be able to help her mom and both my sister and I would be here to help as well.

My grandfather doesn't want to go to a nursing home....he has begged my grandmother not to take him to one. It is breaking her heart to have to do this to him. It has hard for me to think of my grandfather as not being the hard working farmer that he was for so much of my life. I have so many wonderful memories of following him all over the farm whether it be out on the tractor looking at his crops or feeding the pigs. I am so glad that my children know their great grandparents...Taylor and Caleb more than Madison as Madison was just a baby when my grandfather got sick.

We are planning to go and see them Labor Day Weekend. It could be the last time we see them and sadly I didn't get a picture of him with the kids when we were down there. They are very sad about this too....Madison doesn't really know too much of what is going on but Taylor and Caleb do. They both have cried a few times this afternoon.

These pictures were taken back in April right after my grandmother came home from a brief hospital stay. She looks so tired here but still beautiful in my eyes :)

My beautiful grandmother with the kids

My grandmother and I back in April...please ignore my blotching face as I had been crying (I have always cried when we leave her)

My mom with her mother

1st Day of School

2010-08-17T20:29:00.000-04:00

Well we survived the first day of school! The kids were so easy to get up and they got ready in record time! In fact, we had 15 minutes before we had to leave to catch the bus so I used that time to take many pictures but I will only bore you with a few :)

Taylor on her 1st day of 5th grade! Next year I will be sending her to middle school :(

Caleb on his 1st day of 2nd grade! Not certain when that happened.

Sweet siblings!

Running to get on the bus....they love riding the bus. I was excited b/c last year we were the only ones at our stop and this year there are 6 other kids!

Getting off the bus in the afternoon...I love that it picks up on our street about 6 houses up from us.

We had Open House last night at CBE. The kids were really excited to see who their teachers were and where their classes were. Taylor was really hoping to see some old faces from when she was there before. We also were excited to see Taylor's kindergarten and first grade teachers. We really have missed seeing them! I was thrilled to see that Caleb had the same teacher that Taylor had for 2nd grade...Ms Hullander :) Taylor has her 1st male teacher this year. And guess what....his name is Matthew Ayres! How funny is it that! There is only 1 letter difference in her teacher's name and her dad's name! He seems really nice and looks like he is going to be a fun teacher. He has traveled all over the world and enjoys incorporating his travel experiences with his teaching. This will be right up Taylor's alley :) We are really looking forward to this school year.

Madison was really sad that she couldn't go yet...she doesn't start until August 31st...she is getting some quality daddy time!

Madison's 5th Birthday

2010-08-14T09:29:00.000-04:00

On August 3rd we finally celebrated Madison's birthday with a party at Jumpity Jump. She had been looking forward to this party since her 4th birthday :) We were so busy at the beginning of the summer and around her birthday with moving that we postponed it a few weeks. She had decided a few weeks before that she wanted an Ariel cake and we looked at a few stores but couldn't find one that we liked. Matt decided that he would just make one and got busy drawing up a plan. Madison enjoyed getting to invite some friends from school as well as our playgroup friends. Our playgroup friends have been getting together since the babies were born almost 5 years ago. Madison was so excited all day and couldn't wait until 4.

Madison before everyone got there

Tackling the climbing wall while wearing a tutu takes talent!

The birthday girl doing some bouncy

I thought this picture of Taylor and Allison was too cute

Taylor helping Coy go down the slide

Madison's Ariel cake

Trying to get a group shot of all 26 kids was interesting...this is the best one!

Madison being shy while everyone sang "Happy Birthday" to her

13th Anniversary!

2010-08-02T20:17:00.001-04:00

Today Matt and I celebrate 13 yrs of wedded bliss! Ok maybe wedded bliss isn't the correct term, it has been a roller coaster ride for most of the time but I wouldn't trade my passenger/sidekick/pilot for anything! Wedded bliss to me is something in a fairy tale not reality! We have experienced so many things in 13 yrs...the birth of 3 beautiful children, the deaths of Matt's grandmother and grandfather, the death of a close friend, 9 moves, graduating from college, numerous jobs, fun vacations. This morning when we woke up we both agreed we wouldn't trade any of our many experiences....they have made us the couple/people we are! I honestly can't remember what my life was like before Matt nor do I want to! I am thankful for a godly husband, who is a wonderful dad.

Sadly I can't show you how stunning we were on our wedding day as we got married before digital cameras and our scanner hasn't been hooked up since we moved 2 months ago...we will get to that eventually it just wasn't high on the to-do list!

Matt, I am so thankful that God placed you in my life. I am so thankful to have such a wonderful partner to spend my days with. I look forward to 67 more wonderful years seeing what God has in store for us! Thank you for making me your wife!

Taylor took this picture of us before we left for the movies

BTW, we saw "Salt" and it was awesome! So glad we picked it :)