The Philley Pham

The boys with Santa

2012-02-01T21:35:00.002-06:00

While we were in Destin over Thanksgiving we visited Santa at the Bass Pro Shops. Laney would have nothing to do with him. The boys, on the other hand, couldn't wait to climb in his lap and fill him in on what they wanted for Christmas. They sat up there quite a while since there wasn't a line, and sweet Luke couldn't resist Santa's buckle. His hand was on there the entire time. We have about 7 pictures between me and Christine, and Luke's holding on to that buckle in every shot.

candy land

2012-02-01T21:31:00.001-06:00

this was one SERIOUS game of candy land!

Am I Crazy!?!?

2012-02-01T21:23:00.003-06:00

I signed up for the Chicago Marathon today!

Yikes... There are several motivating factors; I may (or may not) share them some day. I'm mostly looking forward to an activity that Ron and I can enjoy together. He's running the marathon as well. Ok, I may not enjoy it, but you know what I mean...

In-depth training begins at the end of March. Please keep me in your prayers...seriously.
I took a picture of the computer screen congratulating me on registering. Just in case I never do a marathon again, I'll have this picture to remind me that at least the computer was glad I signed up. :)

a weekend in January

2012-01-29T20:35:00.005-06:00

January 6-9 were busy. Ron left the afternoon of the 5th to fly down to Tampa, Florida. He and 5 other guys were running in the Ragnar Relays from Miami to Key West. 199 miles. 6 guys. It took them just under 22 hours. They averaged 6:37 per mile! wow...

In the meantime, I had some plans to redecorate our bedroom and surprise him when he came home. What was to be a small project for my step-dad (installing new closet doors), we ran into a few snags and took two days to complete. The opening was 1 1/2 inches off, so he had to tear down the trim, pull out some boards to open the space up, hang the doors, buy new trim with new measurements, and install. He also put a new ceiling fan in for me. He was going to help me by fixing our bathroom ceiling which had started peeling, but that project also ended up being more extensive, so we decided to put that off for another day.

The fun thing about all this is that he found the original boards used to build the house. Looks like our home was built in June of '63.

I also decided to cut about 10 inches off of my hair. Ron found out about it, even though it was supposed to be a surprise, and asked for pictures. I like it because I can go straight or curly depending on my mood. Both pictures were taken on my phone. The first one was taken by me while I was driving the car in Hoover. Big mistake!

My birthday was coming up on Monday, and Chuy's was having a birthday bash for Elvis on Sunday. So me and the kiddos went to an early dinner before heading to Sunday night church. They love Chuy's because they get a push-pop after their meal.

We decided to go see Ron at the airport Monday morning. He was flying in and going straight to work. We wanted to get a quick visit in instead of having to wait until the end of the day. Laney took a rest on the bench.

The kids were overjoyed when they saw their Daddy. (I was too...)

Here's a picture of Ron and his teammates. I've watched a few videos of their weekend together. A couple of these guys are crazy!

We had a nice evening at home that night. I got to open my birthday gift, which was a wooden bowl made by a friend. I love it!

cleaning up

2012-01-29T20:26:00.002-06:00

it was time to clean up some Christmas decorations and laney wanted to help. I just love this picture because of her sweet face. i was standing on the ladder putting things in the attic; she was helping hand them to me.

iPhone images

2012-01-04T13:23:00.004-06:00

i guess i'll start off the new year with some pictures from my camera. here's laney, wearing her boots and loving them.

sam and luke went to the barber shop for hair cuts. (we love the characters at plaza barber shop in cahaba heights.)

sam is multi-tasking. he wanted me to send this pic to ron to show off his hair cut, mcdonalds toy, and the hot wheels car that the guys at the barber shop gave him. definitely our "type-a" boy. :)

mustaches from their kids' meal

manners? who needs 'em...

awww!! this girl LOVES her daddy.

we got home from church and she put on one of luke's shoes and one of sam's. she has her own style for sure.

2011-12-31T22:40:00.002-06:00

2011 was a good year. We experienced highs and lows. We watched our babies grow up right before our eyes. We got to spend more time with each other and our families. We discovered how enjoyable Birmingham can be...even if we still don't like the traffic. :)

Happy New Year!

Christmas morning

2011-12-31T22:19:00.004-06:00

I took a quick shot of the living room before the kids woke up. They trashed it pretty quickly.

They excitedly ran into the living room to see what Santa brought.

Each child only got about 3 presents, so it didn't take long to unwrap and start playing. Laney's wearing her new boots in this picture and playing with her new doodle pro. She doesn't have to borrow her brothers' doodlers any more.

She loves putting the light saber in your face and staring you down.

Luke was thrilled with his Star Wars gun and light saber.

Sam got a bike for Christmas. Since he couldn't ride it in the house, playing with stickers was his number 2 choice.

We enjoyed a nice Christmas together. Simple and low-key. After a traditional biscuit coffee cake breakfast, we got dressed and went to church.

Christmas with Pops and B

2011-12-31T21:31:00.006-06:00

Pops started out with a scavenger hunt.

After the kids found and opened a box, we read the next small chapter in a book leading us to find out what God wants for Christmas.

The kids eventually found a box with a mirror in it. They looked in to see what God wanted...He wants you! What a fun little adventure...

The kids took a ride on Pops' homemade scooter-thing.

Sam helped him by pushing...

Laney loved her new outfit!

Of course we sang happy birthday to Jesus.

The next five pictures are courtesy of my SIL...

ornament time

2011-12-31T20:43:00.005-06:00

my parents used to give us an ornament every year, to sum up the year so to speak...

ron and i are carrying on the tradition. laney's ornament is a sparkly and glittering high heel. she started playing "dress up" this year and has turned into a bit of a girly girl.

luke's ornament is a guitar that says "rock on". he's the life of the party and loves music.

sam's ornament is a man holding on to a carabiner. this represents the adventures that sam encountered this year. he went for a ride on a zip line, learned how to swim, rode his first water slide, and more.

i was given a sewing machine ornament, because i love to sew.

and ron was given tiny drums since he officially became a drummer this year after he accepted the role at church. he's showing off for the camera a bit...

Enterprise, Louisiana

2011-12-31T20:09:00.004-06:00

Rebekah and I went to Enterprise by way of Monroe. When you go through Monroe, you have to take the ferry across the river. We pulled up to the stop sign and waited for our turn to drive onto the ferry. After a few minutes, I turned off the car and started to walk down the drive to find out why it was taking so long...

Then I saw this sign...

Baba Dee lives 2 miles on the other side of the ferry. But when the ferry isn't operating, you have to back track and drive through the hills, which takes another hour! So after 2 1/2 hours of driving, thinking we were five minutes away, we had to get back in the car and drive for another hour. Not fun! But once we got there, we were greeted with kids playing in the beautiful sunshine.

Laney was eying the cake toppers...which turned out to be delicious...

The kids enjoyed sitting at their table sans adults!

I wish I had taken more pictures at Baba Dee's house. Hopefully I'll do better next year...

Christmas at the Philleys

2011-12-31T19:35:00.004-06:00

We went to the Philleys the weekend before Christmas. Baba Dee had Christmas in Enterprise on Saturday, so we sandwiched it in between some time in Clinton. Laney was ready to finally open some presents.

The kids enjoyed seeing cousin Jackson. Sam loves his new camera.

Luke got a new guitar, which he loves.

Laney got a Barbie car.

The boys even got some running in... Sam's training for his marathon. He has to run 25.2 miles by January 26. He turns in his running chart and gets to run the last mile with other children at the Mercedes Marathon in February.

I love my boys!

iPhone images

2011-12-31T19:18:00.004-06:00

R.I.P: the dip. I've talked about it on here before...the road we live on has a dip. I grew up driving on the dip. Well, the county stopped maintaining the area about 7 months ago. As the road worsened and neighbors complained, they decided to close the dip if they got signatures from 80% of the homeowners. Well, they got the signatures needed and closed the road just before Christmas.

The kids and I took a walk down there to explore (now that there's no thru traffic to deal with).

It was quite fun! We even inched close to the drop off so that we could get a look at the waterfall.

The boys have enjoyed new Star Wars gear...

The one thing Laney wanted for Christmas was purple boots. I bought the wrong size. So after Christmas we went shopping and found her some fuchsia ones. She may not look excited in this picture, but she was thrilled to get them.

iPhone images

2011-12-21T17:00:00.002-06:00

I don't know which one of these pictures is cuter...

On a day when Laney Grace wasn't feeling so good.

Sam's Christmas party at school; this is his teacher.

Sam and Luke opted to climb into Santa's lap the other day at Brookwood Mall. Laney didn't want to see "the man" as she calls him.

Recent Christmas gift from Aunt Bekah and Uncle Big Mac. They went to Philadelphia last month.

Our little drummer...

She just stated "Bye y'all. I'm going to Memphis." Where do they come up with these things?

decorating

2011-12-03T22:08:00.004-06:00

we decorated our Christmas tree today. the kids got in to the spirit.

thanks to the self timer, we even got a family picture.

our last day

2011-12-03T21:37:00.004-06:00

a week after our vacation... i guess it's time i post about our last day in florida. we had a great time staying in san destin. it was warm enough to go to the beach every day, but not quite warm enough to get in the water.

as you can tell by laney's hair, it was very windy our last day there.

luke had fun chasing the sea gulls.

continuously chasing the sea gulls...

we visited the bass pro shop and had a quick visit with santa. luke rubbed his huge belt buckle the entire time. extremely funny! in this picture, sam is showing santa exactly what cars to get them for christmas. just like the ones on luke's shirt.

we went back to baytowne wharf that night for a nice seafood dinner.

then we told sam we'd let him go on the zip line. he was ecstatic.

shortly after that he became nervous.

i took a picture of him on the stairs. he was such a big boy! in case you want to see a better picture of it, check out my previous post 11/25. in the very last picture you'll see a tall tower. that's one side of the zip line. you ride across the water then get to ride back again. it's way up there!
thank you, philleys, for a great vacation.

11/25

2011-11-26T14:10:00.005-06:00

Friday was Ron's birthday. We gave him a personalized turkey shirt with the kids' handprints for it's feathers. He shocked me and wore it all day...in public. He's a serious dad to do something like that. Love it!

He requested that we eat breakfast at "Another Broken Egg". Laney was posing for pictures.

Yesterday was also the first day that she has ever let me paint her nails. She chose OPI's "You Don't Know Jaques" as her first color. 5 minutes later she wanted hot pink. So she has hot pink on top of brown; it's lovely.

None of the kids napped yesterday. And they were tired of being in the condo. So I ventured off alone with them and we found "Baytowne Wharf". It was a quaint little area with a carousel, zip line, playground, shops, restaurants, and more. We're hoping to go back tonight after the Iron Bowl.

black friday shopping

2011-11-26T14:02:00.002-06:00

christine and i went out about 10:30 thanksgiving night to hit wal mart before heading to kohl's for their midnight opening. here we are with our cups of coffee to keep us awake.

we didn't get pictures at wal mart. it was crazy. we got to kohl's around 11:40 and saw the line across the front of the store.

here we are taking a picture from where the line ended. after we turned the corner from the front of the store, the line continued down the side of the store then winded into the parking lot. crazy!
but, it was worth it. we got some awesome deals! i think i had enough fun to last me for a few years. so i'll probably avoid the next few black fridays.

vacation time

2011-11-24T20:22:00.008-06:00

we made our way down to the beach this morning. it was luke and laney's first time to ever see a beach. shortly after we stepped on to the beach, laney was bending down to touch the sand.

it was so fun watching them experience it for the first time. it's pretty amazing! i'm not a beach person, but i appreciate the vastness of it.

i got a great picture of ron and the kids. a sweet lady took my camera and was about to take a family picture for us...

...but instead she took a picture of luke right after he fell into the water

laney has the most dainty little hands. i got a kick out of how she carried the sand in her hand so that she could throw it in the water.

we went back to the beach this afternoon and came across a gentleman finishing up an extravagant sandcastle.

laney fell in the water this afternoon. i guess that means tomorrow will be sam's turn. so after we stripped her down she enjoyed playing in the sand with only a diaper on.

sam dressed for the water, so he didn't mind getting a little wet.

we made it back to the resort, got baths, and laney got a little bit of snuggle time with pappy.

then the kids watched some of "america's funniest videos" before going to bed and cracked up! good stuff...

family pictures

2011-11-24T13:44:00.004-06:00

My sister-in-law took some pics of us this past weekend for our Christmas cards. She just got her business license and is doing photography part-time. Check out her website if you need a good photographer but don't want to pay an enormous amount...

She took some great photos. After looking through close to 300, I decided which ones to use for our cards this year.

I just liked these pics enough to add them on to this post. This little girl cracks me up...

...and melts my heart.

making bird feeders

2011-11-24T13:31:00.004-06:00

on our way over to the neighbor's house, laney decided to practice her balancing skills. i don't know why, i guess she was in the mood...

cannon and luke were on one side of the table

sam and ian were on the other

and laney had the end all to herself

we have three nice pinecone birdfeeders hanging outside our kitchen window. unfortunately they haven't attracted any birds yet. maybe soon...

Laney: attending her first party

2011-11-24T13:21:00.002-06:00

Laney went to her friend, Mariemma's 2nd birthday party this past weekend. It was her first. She appeared to be such a big girl as she walked in carrying her gift.

Although she had fun, she was very clingy. She wanted me right there with her the whole time.

Here's the birthday girl...

Laney ate the icing off of the top of her cupcake and she was done.

a second lost tooth...

2011-11-24T13:15:00.002-06:00

11/11/11...Sam lost his second tooth. He decided to let me have a tug at it while we were sitting down for lunch. It didn't take much pulling and it was out. He was giddy. And then he immediately instructed me as to what the "tooth fairy" needed to bring him. "Not money, Mom, but another toy..." I told him the tooth fairy doesn't take orders like Santa and he would probably get money...which he did. ☺

my musicians

2011-11-13T13:11:00.009-06:00

luke has all of a sudden become extremely attached to ron. he wants to do everything with him. they run together, ride bikes together, and play music together. it makes my heart so happy!

if you'll notice, he even has a capo on the neck of his guitar so he can be just like his daddy.

he has discovered that the cranks on our old windows serve as great microphones!

laney watched while he got all the attention and decided she wanted some of that attention for herself.

Pickles

2011-11-11T14:12:00.001-06:00

Pickles is still here...and doing good. The kids love him. I like him okay... ☺

100 uses for Cetaphil

2011-11-11T14:03:00.003-06:00

Who would have thought that Cetaphil lotion could have been used to moisturize a brand new coat? Laney....that's who.The kids were playing in Luke's room while I put away a few groceries. They were singing and giggling and then it was quiet. After two or three minutes of silence, I went to see what was going on. Silence is never good with little ones. Luke was hanging out in his brand new coat; Laney decided to rub lotion on it/him. I asked him how in the world he thought it was a good idea. He said "But it was Waney's idea Mom..." Fortunately, the lotion came out very easily after a quick spin in the washer and dryer.

the moon

2011-11-11T14:00:00.001-06:00

i woke up this morning to see such a beautiful moon...

Vulcan 10K

2011-11-09T22:05:00.007-06:00

Ron did the Vulcan 10K this past weekend. It was nice for us to get to watch him as a family. He won his age group and came in 11th overall. Sam was ready to give him a five as he neared the finish.

While Ron changed clothes and cooled down, the kids checked out the fountain...

and threw acorns in the water...

About 30 minutes after the finish we began walking to where the fun run was to begin.

The boys were ready; check out the huge smiles on all of their faces.

I love how you can see Ron and Luke in the background as Sam comes in to the finish.

Luke was so proud of himself!

(Ron looked pretty proud too...)

Ron went up to get his medal and the boys joined him. Way to go, Ronzo!

End of the Season Soccer Party

2011-11-09T21:51:00.003-06:00

Sam and his buddies celebrated the season with pizza and some other munchies.

Coach handed each child a medal and told them how special they were to the team.

Then he called Luke and John David up there and told them how special they were. They practiced with their older brothers every Thursday night and felt like they were a part of the team. In case you can't tell, Luke was a little mad that he didn't get a medal.

Way to go, Bullets!

iPhone images

2011-11-09T21:42:00.002-06:00

Sam had to take a decorated turkey to school today. I got out my glue gun and various beeds, bells, buttons, etc and let him go to town...

We bought Laney her first pack of big-girl underwear. She wanted to put a pair on this morning. Then she grabbed Luke's hat from his Tow Mater halloween costume and asked me to take a picture for daddy. What a cutie!!

After a little shoe-shopping, she fell asleep in the carpool line.

Halloween

2011-11-01T15:52:00.007-05:00

So the kids woke up ready to dress in a little orange and black...

Sam was Power Ranger: Optimus Prime

Luke was Tow Mater

Laney was a fairy

Before trick-or-treating around the neighborhood, we went to Publix. They hand candy out at each department.

Then after dinner we met up with our neighbors and went trick-or-treating. I stayed home to greet the kids that came to our door. The grand total: 1. Our neighborhood is about 35% young families and 65% elderly. Not much trick-or-treating around here... But still a fun time!

last soccer game for the bullets

2011-11-01T14:49:00.009-05:00

Sam has finished his second attempt at soccer and it was a success. He got after the ball more, learned some more basics of the game, and even scored a goal in one game.

He's especially gotten close to a set of twins on the team. Here he is, handing Thomas a picture he colored for him. Thomas just kept on hugging him...

Thomas's twin Lucy is very social. She and Sam have been found on the sidelines many times in their own world, whether it be laughing or play-fighting.

At halftime, our assistant coach tried encouraging the team to hustle a little more. We only scored a couple of times, and one of those times included a goal we scored for the other team.

Laney loved the fact that we both had a place to warm up our hands!

And Luke enjoyed climbing the bleachers.

I never get tired of seeing him smile from the side; that extra tooth of his is just another thing that makes him so special!

Going through the parents' tunnel after the game is such a joy for the kids.

The team prayed after the game and then were off for snacks.

The bullets: Lucy, Nolan, Thomas, Matthew, Sam, Ella, Tucker, and JC with Coach Ellerbee

iPhone images

2011-11-01T14:42:00.003-05:00

pigtails are the cutest!

whenever i'm busy fixing breakfast and can't hold laney, she walks up to luke and says "lukey, will you hold me?" this happens almost daily.

another daily occurrence? her looks!

an afternoon at the park

2011-10-23T14:42:00.002-05:00

we invited some of sam's friends out to veteran's park to have a belated birthday party. laney quickly dug in to the cake and ice cream.

only a few children were able to come, but the ones that were there had fun playing together.

an afternoon at the cabin

2011-10-21T14:12:00.006-05:00

Ron's sister's father-in-law has a little cabin tucked away in the woods. After early church on Sunday, we drove out to "somewhere Southeast of Clanton" for a picnic lunch and other outdoor activities. We parked our cars just off the main road and road Thorne's trailer to the cabin.

Sam and Luke sat on the 4-wheeler for part of the ride.

We pulled up to the quaint cabin with a little pond in the background. It was so cute... until I was reminded a little later on that there was no running water. The outhouse consisted of a 5-gallon paint bucket. Good thing we were only there for the afternoon.

The hammock was so great that Ron and I are convinced we need one.

Laney was trying to find the perfect spot to eat lunch. Every few minutes she would put her Capri Sun in her mouth and chomp down to hold on to it while she picked up her plate and moved to a new place.

Sam took a short nap.

As did Ron. I don't know how safe it is to rest with a loaded gun in your hands. I'll just assume the safety was on...

Luke tried talking us in to letting him drive the 4-wheeler all by himself.

All the kids got a ride on Pop's tractor.

It was a fun adventure. After about three hours of roughing it, we packed up and made the trip back home. The kids are ready to go back again!

iPhone images

2011-10-19T15:24:00.004-05:00

my stupid dog did this to me. he ran outside to catch a squirrel, and since i was holding his leash it flung my hand into the door frame. now it's several shades of blue and purple.

sam and i went to get his glasses adjusted again. this is beginning to be a monthly occurrence because he and his friends play so rough. we sat on the stairs at the doctor's office, eating our costco pizza slice and hot dog, while waiting for suzie to finish her lunch so she could get his glasses fit just right.
yesterday was the fall festival at briarwood. on a side note, if you listened to rick and bubba yesterday you probably heard them bad mouth the fall festival throughout the show. his kids go to the same school as mine so i identified with what they were saying. it was totally cracking me up!
sam and luke got their hair painted. sam went with red and blue while luke just stuck with green.
we had a really fun time. i was surprised at how obedient they were! they stayed right by me the whole time and made sure to ask permission before running off to do something. (that almost never happens by the way... the Lord answered my prayers for sure...)
i bought laney a pair of furry crocs on clearance about 9 months ago. now that it's getting cold i pulled them out for her to wear. they are just a bit too big, but she loves them and can keep them on without tripping over them. awesome!

Sam's Birthday

2011-10-16T19:54:00.007-05:00

Our little guy turned 6 this past Tuesday. These six years have flown by! Freddie came in town a few days before his birthday to take him out to dinner. I took a picture of him in his Pappy's car right before they drove off. He felt so special.For breakfast, he asked for cinnamon critters. And so we rolled out some dough in cinnamon-sugar mix and gave him eyes with mini chocolate chips. Super easy...and Sam was happy.
I went to visit him at school and brought Snickerdoodles and Brownies for his classmates.
They sang "Happy Birthday" to him quite loudly.
These are his table mates...
And for lunch I told him he could pick to go wherever he wanted. He chose McDonald's. Next time I might say "Anywhere but McDonald's...".
Ron picked out his present. He decided he needed a gun. So this week has been full of target practice.
Happy Birthday, Sam! We love you...

mushroom cluster

2011-10-16T19:49:00.001-05:00

i don't know that i've ever seen these before now... and all of a sudden i'm seeing them everywhere. i've always thought the intricacy of a mushroom is so beautiful. the cluster is even more impressive.

iPhone images

2011-10-16T19:32:00.004-05:00

Laney was feeling a little under the weather and fell asleep while we were in the carpool laneWe woke up one morning to find a spotted thrasher at our doorstep. It must have flown into our back window; so me and the kids gave it a nice resting place. Sam and Luke even picked out some sticks so that we could make a cross.
My first blooms. Dave gave me some gladiola bulbs a while back and I've been anticipating this day. I don't know what colors they all are, but I thought it was fitting that the first bloom was purple since it is my favorite color.
Laney picked up the phone and I asked her what she was doing. She said "I'm calling daddy to say hey".
Out at dinner she showed us her unique way of eating fruit loops, using her crayon as a fork.

luke's first buzz cut

2011-10-10T22:14:00.005-05:00

when ron cut sam's hair last weekend luke was emphatic that he didn't want his cut. well, that changed when cousin kole walked into our house a few nights ago with really short hair. i guess peer pressure exists even at the young age of 3.

so we sat luke up on one of our bar stools and ron got to work.

he did great and got a kick out of seeing the hair as it came off.

and within 15 minutes, we had a bag full of beautiful blonde hair and a piece of laffy taffy as a treat. good job, lukey...

a lesson in running

2011-10-10T22:05:00.002-05:00

sam is doing his first race in february. it's a marathon. he has between now and the race day to log 25.2 miles. then on race day, he gets to run the last mile with all the other kids who have put in some hard work as well. ron tried to show him the difference between running and jogging, explaining you can't start too fast or you will wear yourself out.

and they're off! the jogged 1/2 mile. luke ran the whole way. sam said he was tired just a few minutes in and walked home by himself. he doesn't want to have anything to do with running now. that's not what ron wanted.
tomorrow is his birthday and he's been trying to guess what we got him. tonight before bed he said he just didn't want it to have anything to do with running.

Bagster

2011-10-09T13:32:00.004-05:00

I briefly mentioned that we are doing a minor basement renovation which includes pulling down all of our old ceiling tiles. This has left us with a lot of trash. We bought a bag from the Home Depot. You fill it up and Waste Management hauls it away for you. So I loaded it up last Friday while all the kids were at school, meticulously putting it in there like a puzzle, hoping we weren't going to exceed the 3,300 pound limit.

My OCD side loved the finished result. Neat and orderly.

And sure enough it made it into the truck without falling apart.

The trash is gone, but we still have a lot of work ahead of us. Any volunteers? :)

a little manicure

2011-10-05T21:03:00.004-05:00

Laney has been sick the past few days. So while the boys were at school I thought I'd take her for her first manicure. She has fun trying to decide between the pretty colors...She also had fun reaching for the pretty colors...
But when it was time to actually get her nails painted, she was not having fun. She cried so much that the nail tech simply got up and walked away. Oh well, maybe another day.

Briarwood Homecoming Parade

2011-10-02T20:50:00.003-05:00

The kids were dismissed from school early on Friday to prepare for homecoming traffic. After meeting Ron at the bottom of the hill for a quick snack at McDonalds, we made our way up to the parade. It was a beautiful day for it...

Luke's friend, Ken, gave the kids some yummy cookies to eat. They entertained me the whole time!
Check out Luke's dimple... oh my, what a cutie.

I still don't know whose chairs these were, but Luke and Laney made themselves comfortable.
Bela (Sam's carpool buddy), Ava and Leah met us up there.
Laney enjoyed waving at the "princesses".

K5 Zoo Trip

2011-09-30T15:59:00.006-05:00

Sam's class went to the zoo a few days ago. Parents and siblings were invited, so me and the little ones tagged along. They had Aubie and Big Al there for a little shindig, so we got a quick picture with our preferred mascot. (War Eagle!)Beautiful red tailed hawk.
Luke poked his head through the lion cut-out and said "Roar!"
After walking around the zoo, we went to the picnic tables for a little snack.
The yellow jackets crept in on the party and Sam and his buddy sat there frozen so as to avoid getting stung.

Huntsville

2011-09-30T15:39:00.003-05:00

While Ron was out of town last weekend, me and the kids made a day trip to Huntsville on Saturday. We met our friends for lunch at Rosie's and were thrilled to find the food just as delicious as we had remembered. We were also happy to find our friends just as special as we remembered! :)Laney and Kate got a picture together. They are just a couple of days apart, so it's always fun to see them at play.
We went to Denise's house for a little down time before heading home.
I had some tired kids on the ride home.
Next time we go, we'll make a weekend of it so we can spend more time there. Even though it was a quick trip, we had fun seeing old friends.

new show!!

2011-09-28T13:12:00.001-05:00

Rocket City Rednecks debuts tonight on the National Geographic Channel.

Since we once called Huntsville "home", this is one TV show I'm really looking forward to...

Sam's first loose tooth

2011-09-20T21:39:00.005-05:00

Sam's bottom tooth has been loose and we have tried to pull it over and over again.At first it wiggled.

Then he could push his tongue in between his teeth.
Then he could disgustingly push it out...

Then Ron brought out his tools and tried to scare Sam a bit...
As you can see Sam wasn't scared...
Sam cried right after this picture, so Ron quit trying to to pull the tooth. We sat down for dinner and I gave Sam an ice cream sandwich for a treat. While eating the ice cream he screamed "My tooth!". I ran over, excited to catch a glimpse, and asked him if I could see his tooth. His reply?... "It's in my tummy".
All that work and he swallowed his first tooth! And yes, he asked me to retrieve it the next day, if you know what I mean... ☺

S'mores

2011-09-20T21:28:00.002-05:00

fall soccer

2011-09-20T21:20:00.003-05:00

iPhone images

2011-09-20T21:12:00.003-05:00

my sweet luke...my funny laney...
i put a movie on for the kids. laney sat down as close as she could get to luke. he looked at her and said "mommy, i love laney".

new tees

2011-09-20T20:54:00.006-05:00

i ordered some new shirts from honey bee tees. the kids look just as adorable as i had hoped...

a little rain...

2011-09-11T21:46:00.003-05:00

so you may have heard we had a little rain in these parts.

let me just second what my neighbor told me the other day, we're all having extreme weather fatigue around here. remember how a tree fell on our house during the april 27 tornado (and three other trees went down as well)? we finally almost got things back to normal and now our basement has flooded due to heavy rains. granted, it didn't flood as in 6 inches of water standing in the basement, but the carpet is soaked and water was coming out of the walls and floors as it filled the space.

we left for dinner and took a picture of the dip on our way out. (in case you're not familiar with my neighborhood, we have a huge dip on our street that is in between a small lake and the golf course. the dip often fills with water as the lake overflows due to heavy rains. i actually grew up using this street as a cut-thru. it's crazy that i live here. which reminds me, we've lived here over a year and are not at all itching to leave. we finally found our long-term home...and it feels good.
just an hour later, this is what the dip looked like as we pulled up from the other side. i've never seen it this full of water. and the homes on this side of the lake were definitely flooded. you couldn't even tell they had a back yard. the water was all the way up to their houses.

we got home and discovered water bubbling out of the ground in our garage. then we realized it was also happening in our basement. the electricity was out, so we couldn't do much about it.
a tree was down across acton road
and camp horner road
either way i went, i had to drive under a tree. oh well, it made for a little excitement. the kids loved it!!

it actually makes way for a new post. next month, look for "our basement - before and after". after considering extracting, drying, and cleaning the carpet downstairs, ron decided he'd rather pull it up. once you pull up the carpet, you then have to stain or paint the concrete below, paint the walls with waterproof paint, pull down the 1960's ceiling tiles, and maybe update the lighting while you're at it. so in a few weeks, we'll have a brand new basement. crazy!

random pics

2011-09-11T19:34:00.004-05:00

i took this picture at church last sunday. the kids love sitting by b and pops singing the music. i love that they have the opportunity to do this.we went to our first 3d movie as a family. we took the kids to see the smurfs and even laney kept those big 'ole 3d glasses on the whole time.
laney cuddling with b.
what's cuter than a little guy in boxers?

Sav-A-Life Shower

2011-09-06T12:21:00.004-05:00

Our Sunday School class threw a shower for a group of moms who have been attending birth classes at Sav-A-Life. We have been working on this for close to 9 months. Each month was assigned a specific baby item for us to donate, whether it be baby lotion, diapers, pacifiers, etc.

The party finally happened on Tuesday as we welcomed 7 girls to the Caroline House at Briarwood. It was a beautiful evening full of good food, decorating onesies, a blessing for the babies, and lots of gifts. I really hope these girls saw the love of Christ displayed...

Laney's First Haircut

2011-09-06T11:17:00.004-05:00

Laney got her first hair cut Saturday. She and Mr. Clay seemed to hit it off...

She sat there completely still the entire time. He was quite impressed.

She even let him style it a bit with his blowdryer.
What a big girl!

Fall Soccer

2011-09-02T20:54:00.004-05:00

Sam had his first practice for fall soccer last night. Coach Jason got them out there stretching and warming up. He was kind enough to invite younger siblings to join in on practice. Luke LOVED it.

Sam seemed to love it as well...

He's got a good game face.

Laney watched "the brothers" for a while...

...then decided it was just too much for her.
Yet another example of her cracking me up with her over-the-top personality.

Birmingham Zoo

2011-09-02T20:24:00.004-05:00

My neighbor invited us to the zoo this morning. She has a family pass, so we scooted in with her at no cost. That's definitely how I like to go to the zoo: free.

It was so hot and bright out there, I gave Laney her glasses to help keep the sun out of her eyes. She got tired of wearing them and found a good resting spot for them. Where does she come up with these things? :) She is ALWAYS cracking me up.

This weekend is the debut of the Royal Family. We got to see the lions and their five cubs up close as they lifted the gate and fed them some goat milk (that's what is in the spray bottle). Papa lion loved the stuff. The trainer tried giving some to the babies and he wouldn't have it. He growled like crazy and swatted his fist at his cubs. The mama called her babies over so that he could have it all to himself. They said lions are very territorial over food.

It was really amazing seeing such a powerful animal so close.

As I mentioned, it was hot. The kids stepped in front of the mist-blowing elephant for a little refresher. I honestly think the mist evaporated before it even reached the kids. This was the point when we decided it was time for a train ride around the zoo so that we could catch a little shade and cool breeze.

Such a fun morning. Thanks neighbors!!!

Pleasant Grove

2011-09-02T20:13:00.002-05:00

Pops has been working in Pleasant Grove for the past several weekends. We visited him a few weeks ago and the boys were surprised to see the devastation from the 4/27 storm. Dave is rebuilding a garage for a family whose insurance didn't cover the labor, only the supplies.

He texted me to say he would be working with some extra special equipment last Saturday. I was sick and just didn't feel up to going. So my sweet mom picked up the kids and drove them out to see...

If you look closely, you'll find Baby Doll and Buddy on the fork going for a ride. As I look at this picture, with Laney holding her arms up, I can only imagine she's saying "I want Baby" in her extra cute voice.

Dave used this piece of equipment to assemble some of the framing. Hopefully after next weekend he'll have this job wrapped up.

iPhone images

2011-08-30T14:49:00.002-05:00

i took the kids to krispy kreme one saturday morning. they were surprisingly good!at "back to school night" i found sam's artwork. he indicates he loves to read and can read all by himself. that's my boy. he's just like his daddy: loves to do well at things. not me. i was always happy with barely making it in school. and yes, he can read by himself. 5 years old and reads everything he sees. i hope his love for learning lasts...
this is gross, but it's a part of my life. looking in the rearview and finding laney sucking her toe happens more often than i would like...

laney's nightgown

2011-08-30T14:34:00.002-05:00

i made a new tinkerbell nightgown for laney and she loves it. i made a 3t so that she could wear it a while. well, it's huge. i had to make several adjustments to keep it from falling off of her shoulders. but we're all happy now that it fits...

oreo sandwich

2011-08-30T14:29:00.001-05:00

most people who eat the filling out of an oreo cookie follow that up by eating the cookies. not luke and laney. they decided they would fill theirs with cheese and ham so they could eat oreo sandwiches. that's just gross.

toys around here

2011-08-30T14:21:00.002-05:00

now that we have a puppy, toys don't last long around here. laney showed me a miniature barbie doll whose hand was eaten off.
by the next day, her other arm and foot were eaten off as well. poor thing...

interview with laney

2011-08-23T09:26:00.000-05:00

things i love about this vid:

how she says "philley"

how she says "yeah" short and sweet

how there is a distinction between new baby and old baby (we bought new baby last year in case we ever lost old baby. good thing, cause old baby has been lost for over a week.)

love how she sucks her thumb while playing with baby's tag between her fingers. she does this all the time.

McWane Center

2011-08-22T13:34:00.005-05:00

My neighbor and I took our kids to the McWane Center last week. I signed up for an annual membership while there, so I didn't feel bad that we only stayed two hours. The kids started getting grumpy, the parking meter was running low on time, and I was ready to go.

Water play is always a hit.

The kids were crazy about the zip line.

Laney started pulling stuff out of her diaper bag and this is what she ended up with...
Ian and Cannon.

Luke and Laney as well

2011-08-18T14:49:00.004-05:00

Not to be left out, Laney climbed up on the stool for a photo-op of her own.

I tried to get Luke in on the action but he had just woken up from his nap (as noted by his unruly hair) and he was in a pensive mood.

Sam's first day of REAL kindergarten

2011-08-18T14:29:00.004-05:00

Sam started K5 yesterday and had a great first day. I saw a blog where the mom uses a small chalkboard to take a picture of her children's first day of school every year. So glad I saw this now instead of when the kids are in junior high. I'll actually have some fun pictures to look back on when they're leaving for college or getting married... whoa, that's a scary thought. ☺I offered to let him draw the K-5 on the board and he said "No thanks, 5 is kinda' hard to draw". He's a perfectionist, and very afraid of messing up. He never wants to fail. Our prayer for this little guy is that he'll use his gifts and talents for the Lord's glory rather than his own.
I love that he got silly and gave me a good 'ole smile. Every time I look at this picture I find myself smiling!
This is the only picture I have of him at school on his first day. His teacher is fresh out of school. I get the idea that she's still trying to figure things out. I'm not sure. I just got the feeling that I needed to drop him off and get out! Although she wasn't warm and welcoming, she must be good with the kids. Sam has only good things to say about her. I'm excited that he has a young teacher. I'm trying to embrace what she has to offer and not focus on the fact that she shakes hands like a limp noodle. Just keeping it real...

simon says and boot camp

2011-08-18T14:01:00.003-05:00

we babysat the neighbor's kids the other night so they could go on a date. they're babysitting ours this weekend to return the favor. i LOVE babysitting swaps!

our neighbor mivi was visiting as well. so we had 6 kids and ron entertained them by playing a game of simon says. i just sat back and laughed.

after simon says, he held a mini boot camp and led them in jumping jacks,
push-ups,
random stretching, and other activities.
so that's what your kids were doing, erin, while you were enjoying a nice evening at dodiyo's.

grapes and more grapes

2011-08-18T13:29:00.002-05:00

my kids' favorite thing to do at this point in time is stuff grapes in their cheeks and pretend to be chipmunks. laney says "i look like a chick-munk mommy".

slip-n-slide

2011-08-18T08:27:00.005-05:00

ron was able to take part in some slipping and sliding action outside with the kids the other day. i love these next three pictures; luke was following ron the whole way!

after sam chased everyone around with the water-shooter, ron got it from him and did some chasing of his own. fun times!

for sale!

2011-08-08T14:51:00.002-05:00

if you know of anyone who needs a crib and changing table, i'm selling mine. just leave me a comment or send me an email. $100 gets you a bed, mattress, and table.

barber shop visit

2011-08-08T14:41:00.002-05:00

i took the boys to get their hair cut at an old-fashioned barber shop. what a fun time! the barbers did such a good job cutting their hair. and the boys seemed to be intrigued by everything they saw.

they even got to pick out a brand new hot wheels car after they were done.

the taco truck

2011-08-08T14:15:00.002-05:00

ron has been talking about the taco truck for months. he goes at lunch time because it's not a great area of town. but, my curiosity got the best of me, so we took the kids for an early dinner a couple of weeks ago. it was very authentic.real mexican food, served by a real mexican. :)

he has a cooler on the side of the truck filled with pepsis and soft drinks with names i could read.
we got a few pepsis and passed them around. as you can tell, laney loved it!
i didn't get a picture of our dining experience. it was so hot that we couldn't just stand outside and eat. so we cranked up the A/C in the van, lowered the back seats, and sat together to eat. we passed around pepsi, tacos, and tostados. it was a nice food-sharing experience.

the truck is parked at the texaco on valley avenue in case you want to go. i LOVED their tortillas, but had an upset stomach for a good 18 hours after eating dinner. my take: eat at your own risk. :)

2011-08-08T14:02:00.002-05:00

i've been trying to attract humming birds for a few months now. i realized that ants were crawling up the pole and getting to the nectar within a few hours of placing the feeder out. luckily, my step dad is brilliant and he built a little blockade for the ants.

he attached the bottom of a plastic coke bottle upside down to a metal coat hanger. then he attached a lid from a milk jug under that. he filled in the holes and instructed me to fill the lid with oil. the ants would have to get around the coke bottle bottom first. if they made it around it without falling off, they'd have to get past the oil. needless to say, there are a bunch of dead ants floating in vegetable oil.
but there are just as many beautiful hummingbirds around this feeder almost hourly.
thanks for your ingenuity, dave!

yummy biscuits

2011-07-30T09:42:00.003-05:00

i made biscuits for the kids and let them try some toppings my dad used to make. white karo syrup mixed with butter and brown sugar mixed with butter. are you noticing a butter theme?luke surprisingly liked all of it.
laney liked licking the toppings off the biscuit.
...then asking me to spread more on

iPhone images

2011-07-30T07:20:00.005-05:00

We had a huge tree branch leaning over our playset from the storm and we were a little concerned it would fall and injure someone. So we had some guys out to cut it down. I left the kids on the back porch and stepped out in the backyard to take a picture of the climber.When I came back to the porch I found Laney like this...
Thanks to the Briarwood Peddler (a weekly flier members list items for sale) we got Laney a used princess tricycle and Dora kitchen. She's loved both of them!
I think the boys enjoy having their sis ride with them.
Sam had another cavity filled this week. He chose a fuzzy mustache for his prize.
I made a stache for the rest of us and took a pic. This is the only one that turned out. I was so focused on getting us all in the picture that I forgot to smile. And somehow Martha White muffin mix ended up in the picture. Laney is good at snatching things out of the pantry without me realizing.
She's still making her "stink eye" face... and trying to pull bows out of her hair.
We went to see B and Pops yesterday for a bit. Pops works out of town 4 days a week, so he gets plenty of hugs and kisses when he returns.

learning lesson...in progress

2011-07-30T07:07:00.002-05:00

we inherited a small section on the side of our house that had about 8 different kinds of plants, bushes, and flowers. i had grand plans of making it look pretty.i ended up with a nice slab of dirt after a week of hard work.
i wasn't the only one working hard. sam was my little helper, and learned some lessons along the way.

he decided one day that he wanted to tear up one of laney's bows. he thought it would be funny. well, i didn't laugh. i went and emptied out all three of the piggy banks he owned so that i would have the money to replace the item. he told me that wasn't fair. and so began our little lesson on money. ron thought he should work in the yard to earn his money back. over the course of a week, he earned $4. i wish i had pictures of him helping; he was so diligent in his work. quite sweaty with red cheeks, but determined to do what we asked of him.

after his hard work, we talked to him about tithing. he said it didn't sound like something he wanted to do (ha-ha. so funny). i told him it wasn't really an option. i tried to help him see that everything we have is because God has given it to us. so he counted out 40¢. then he asked if $3.60 was enough to buy a new car from "Cars 2". i then taught him about taxes. how he needed to have more money than what the item actually costs so that the government can get their cut. i retold this story to a friend and she died. "you can't teach him all of this at once" she said. oh well, i did. and i think he now understands how important it is to take care of things.

Another Pinata Moment

2011-07-26T14:33:00.005-05:00

We were invited over to the neighbor's house to help smash their newly-made pinata. Sam immediately started telling Ian about the cavity he just had filled. Our poor child has become accustomed to getting cavities filled. He has "soft teeth" according to the professionals...Everyone got a chance to hit it. Sam...
Luke...
even Laney...
The best part about destroying a pinata is getting all the candy!
For the moms, the best part is watching your children truly enjoy the simple things in life.

iPhone images

2011-07-26T14:23:00.003-05:00

Laney has decided she knows best what snacks to put in her diaper bag. She has tried filling it with all the contents from our pantry.Pickles got his first haircut. All they cut was his face and feet, because they didn't want to "traumatize" him. Oh please... he's a dog...

Sam and the kids enjoyed colored waffles the other day. When Luke saw them he said "I love you Mom. You're a good lady. You make me smile." It honestly made my day!
The kids patiently waited to see Anne Madison and Avery head out for Camp Briarwood.
Laney enjoyed the computer games at the library.
Flock of Seagulls anyone?

some family time

2011-07-26T14:08:00.002-05:00

Jennifer and Kole met us up at Chick Fil A for breakfast one morning last week. We enjoyed the playground and some mini-chicken biscuits and hashbrowns. After breakfast, we went to see one of Roger Day's last performances at the Hoover Library.
We anxiously awaited the performance for over 30 minutes.

Laney was serenaded by one of Roger's sons...
The kids enjoyed some mosh-pit action.
And after about 4 songs, we were done. Little ones don't last long at these kinds of events. They had fun while there and took great naps once home.

our neighbor's birthday party

2011-07-18T19:41:00.004-05:00

little man next door turned 3 and had a water party. there were sprinklers, water guns, and water balloons. it was fun to watch. the husbands decided it takes a really long time to fill up water balloons considering how fast the kids destroy them. 10 minutes of work for about 20 seconds of fun. still worth it...

here's a picture of the kids asking for more water balloons and getting a response something like "what? they're already gone?!" ☺

a visit from Pappy

2011-07-18T19:36:00.001-05:00

Pappy spent the night with us last Wednesday and Laney sure enjoyed the visit...

Wilderness at the Smokies

2011-07-14T13:12:00.006-05:00

We vacationed with the Philleys in Sevierville at one of the Wyndham resorts. It was called Wilderness at the Smokies and we had a blast. There was an outdoor and indoor water park which included a lazy river, two wave pools, a toddler area, a kid area, and even four big time water slides/rides. We got their Saturday afternoon and settled the kids in for a quick dinner before hitting the water...

This is a picture of the slides from the outside. It was pretty cool; you get on and get off the slides from the indoor water park. So you're never going outside. Although you can still get sunburned (according to the signs), we were able to stay out of direct sunlight. The orange and white ride was a blast. You go through a tunnel for a bit then it drops you into this cone thing. You basically ride the walls going back and forth while on a raft with up to four people. Awesome! By the end of the week, Sam had ridden all slides but the orange one. This trip was a confidence-booster for him.

Laney sported her glasses on the car ride to Fuddruckers. Delicious burgers!

The kids loved sitting on the porch watching people go by. Or should I say "standing on the stairs". There wasn't a lot of sitting going on...

Ron had to go home a day early, so he got some good cuddle time in with the kids before leaving.

...and goodbye kisses

The little Philleys waved goodbye and were ready to go back to the water park 5 minutes later.

Later that evening we had a popcorn snack before bedtime. Laney grabbed Baba Dee's hand and said "Hold my hand, pwease"...

Laney's big girl bed

2011-07-13T21:25:00.002-05:00

Laney slept in a twin bed for the first time last night. I peeped my head in this morning and took a picture of her before she woke up.

At nap time, she didn't want to stay in bed. Luke kept coming out of his room too. So I grabbed one of Ron's stretch cords and attached it to both doorknobs. It didn't take long for them to feel the tension and realize they wouldn't be getting out of their room again.

After about 30 minutes, I took the cord off. I wanted them to be able to get out of their rooms if they needed to. I heard a slurping sound from Laney's room and wondered what was going on. I stuck my phone down under the crack in her door to get a picture. After I looked at my phone, I discovered she had fallen asleep on the floor by her door. She was sucking her thumb and had her baby in her other hand. Precious!

pump-it-up

2011-07-13T21:17:00.001-05:00

Luke sings "Just a Kiss"

2011-07-13T07:59:00.003-05:00

Luke likes most of the Lady Antebellum songs, but he especially likes their newest single. Here's a video of him singing along as he watches the music video to "Just a Kiss".

a visit from old friends

2011-07-12T21:10:00.002-05:00

i was SO thrilled to get to visit with one of my dear friends from huntsville last week. denise and i arranged a little play date last wednesday morning. last minute, we were able to eat dinner the night before with husbands as well. what a fun time! here's a picture of our six kids: sam and virginia are about 2 weeks apart in age. the middle kids are more like 9 months apart. then the youngest ones are 9 days apart. unlike me, denise is pregnant with their fourth! she'll do great; i just know it!
she spotted the babies reading together and it was such a sweet moment...
we had a good visit. i told her later in the day that it "did my heart good"... and it did...

the 4th

2011-07-10T15:40:00.006-05:00

we went to b and pops' house the afternoon of the 4th for some fun, fellowship, and food. laney cuddled with her cousins for a bit...

the cousins decorated the table before we arrived. they even personalized our spot with handmade name cards.

pops surprised the kids with a nice little ride. do you remember the plywood the kids rode around in our front yard? well, he souped it up a bit and put it on a platform with wheels and a steering system.

and to top it off, he put the canoe on top and let them decorate it so they could go on a parade of sorts...

we shot a few fireworks and they loved it.

then the parade began. pops pulled them around the entire neighborhood. they rotated singing "God bless america", "father abraham", and "Jesus loves me". it was just about the most adorable thing in the world. i even knocked on a few doors of some friends so they could wave and enjoy the show...
what a wonderful holiday! spent with wonderful family!!!

iPhone images

2011-07-06T13:23:00.005-05:00

Let me start by saying that it's not a good idea to drop your phone in coffee. But if you do, take the advice of your loved ones (in my case, my step-dad) and put it in a bag of rice for a day or two. It'll dry that sucker up in no time.

Somehow, I ended up with this screen shot of my phone. Since I'm sharing my phone images, I thought I'd throw this one in as well. This is what I get to look at every time I reach for my phone. Ron took it at the circus right after we moved to Birmingham. Love it!

The neighbors came over for some water play. They enjoyed cooling off with their Capri-Suns.

This girl is a riot. She woke up this particular morning and wanted to dress herself. After trying on several pairs of shoes, adding her "church necklace" (as she calls it), finding a lei to throw around her neck, and using a blue cloth as a belt, we were on our way to Five Guys.

This is definitely a low point for us; a certain brother might have accidentally (or purposefully) given her a shiner. Laney, you're a tough cookie...

Luke went to a friend's birthday party at the park. He enjoyed the cupcakes.

He also enjoyed being one of only a few boys there and getting lots of time with the ladies.

We went to see Cars 2 a couple of weeks ago. Although the movie was made well, I wouldn't suggest it for younger kids. Too much violence and adult humor for me... After the movie, Ron and I took the boys to eat at a Japanese steakhouse. Luke was in awe of the chef. Sam had been once before, but even he was entertained. Surprisingly, they ate a lot which made it a success in my eyes.

July 4th, installment one...

2011-07-04T21:50:00.003-05:00

We had a busy day today, taking in several activities. The first thing we did was head to Papa B's grave. It's been about 11 years since I was at my dad's gravesite. He's not there, so I don't feel a need to go. Praise the Lord that he was reunited with our Savior January 5, 1998 and is home in heaven.

I got to share a few stories with my kids about their grandfather. That he was a funny man with a quirky sense of humor. And that he was a man who loved the Lord and loved his wife and family. And Sam read his tombstone and smiled from ear to ear when he saw his name. "That's where I got my name from, right Mommy?"

As we were leaving, my three kids and Stannon's three kids wanted a group-hug. Precious!

Tree Top Adventure

2011-07-04T21:37:00.003-05:00

We took the kids to Treetop Adventure on Saturday. Thanks to my bro and SIL, we were given three passes. That helped tons! Cause you can spend big bucks going to that place.

We walked in and instantly felt like it was Chuck E Cheese on steroids. It was nice! Laney found fun right away as she hopped on a seat and pretended to race cars.

Ron took both boys out on a Go Kart ride. Luke was first. He looks so tired and hot in this picture...

Luke and Laney watched Sam like a hawk while he was riding.

After trading our tickets in for some prizes we headed home. Luke and Laney both got a candy necklace and munched on them the whole way home. It was a fun adventure for sure!

Gulf Coast Triathlon

2011-07-04T21:30:00.002-05:00

I just came across these pictures... the triathlon Ron did on Mother's Day weekend. He looks serious!That's more like it. Both thumbs up ready to go.
He had a pretty good race; of course not as good as he would have liked. But most serious athletes are never really happy about their effort, always wanting to have done a little better. He has another race this coming weekend in Indiana. He's hoping he'll do good enough to qualify for the triathlon world championships this coming September. I'll keep y'all posted.

Fashion First

2011-07-04T20:59:00.002-05:00

So the boys thought it would be fun to mess up their closet a little. Earlier last week they removed a few things from the closet and I gave them a choice: do it again, and I temporarily put all their clothes away and make them wear whatever they have on their back for two days. I told them they needed to appreciate their belongings. I also let them know that I put a lot of time into keeping things (like their clothes) in order, and it would mean a lot to me if they would be respectful of that.

Well, they did it again on Friday. Big time! It took me an hour to get everything back on the shelves in proper order. So from Friday morning until church on Sunday morning they wore the same thing. Even after their bath, they put their dirty clothes back on and slept in them.
Unfortunately I didn't get quite what I wanted out of the experiment. Sam seemed disgusted at the thought of this, saying he hated the idea. But towards the end of our 48 hours he said "I enjoyed wearing these clothes over and over. I love this shirt". Oh well, I guess I'll come up with another idea if this happens again. Let's just pray it won't happen again...

Slip-N-Slide

2011-07-03T22:12:00.005-05:00

I introduced the kids to a slip-n-slide a week or two ago. They instantly were in love! Especially because it was "Cars 2" themed...

I wasn't sure why Pickles was hiding under the deck...

poor guy got wet somehow...

then a few minutes later I saw this...

then this...

then the dog running for cover.

Sam mastered the sliding part. (He also slipped a few times as well.) I love this picture! I love seeing Luke and Laney in the background watching and learning from their big brother.

Luke had fun too, as you can see.

And Laney Grace was cracking me up with her little pose in the kiddie pool. I can totally imagine her as a 17-year-old just hanging out and relaxing.

It was a fun afternoon. And with 97 degree weather, I kinda' wish I was out there slipping and sliding...

Camp Briarwood

2011-06-30T14:40:00.004-05:00

Sam went to Camp Briarwood last week. I have SO MANY fond memories of Camp Briarwood. Set in the beautiful scenery at Hargis Retreat in Chelsea, there's canoeing, bb guns, bow and arrows, crafts, swimming, and much more. I loved camp! Sam loved it too. Since we moved to Birmingham, it's been his favorite activity. He was on the red team...

The name tags aren't like the ones we used to have, but they'll do. I was SO looking forward to seeing Sam in one of those old school Camp Briarwood name tags. I guess "old" is the operative word. They don't even make them any more...

When the kids get back to the church, they run in the gym with their team and shout like crazy. This picture was taken on the first day. I should have taken one on the last day for comparison's sake; the change was drastic. Sam was a screaming fool... ☺

iPhone images

2011-06-21T16:16:00.004-05:00

I caught the tail end of Laney's nap the other day... sweet feet.
She discovered toothpicks. Loves them and showing her stink eye at the same time.

Loves showing other looks as well.

I didn't intend for this post to be about Laney, but looks like I've been taking a lot of pictures of her on my phone. She loves getting on Ron's shoulders during our walks and running her fingers through his hair.

Luke enjoyed watching Sam recite his Bible verse during the VBS closing ceremony.

Our roof has been fixed. Our dining room has been patched and repainted. Most everything is back to normal.

Laney'sBirthday Shirt

2011-06-20T09:29:00.002-05:00

It was a day late, but I finished Laney's birthday shirt. After cutting lots of strips, gathering them, and attaching them to the bodice, we have an adorable shirt that is quite snug. Whoops... She'll get to wear it once or twice at least. And I'll definitely make the next one with a little more wiggle room. Here's the tutorial from Sewing in No Man's Land in case you decide to make one. My recommendation is to add 4 inches instead of the 2 mentioned...

I asked her to stand still so I could take a picture. She surprised me and actually did it!

I don't know what she's doing exactly in the next picture. She was rubbing her hair and it made for a sweet pose

Then Ron took a picture of us together. Love it!

out on the deck

2011-06-20T09:23:00.002-05:00

for some reason, the boys were in the mood to take off some clothes. (probably because it's so stinkin' hot) they strapped on their boots and hung out on the deck. luke helped a bit with some sweeping while sam played with cars. both of these pictures were candid, my boys just doing their thing.

Laney is Two

2011-06-19T13:56:00.004-05:00

Our little Laney bug turned two on Friday. She seems to wake up every day with a little more spunk and a few more opinions than the day before. We love what she brings to our crazy household!

She couldn't blow out the candle from her cinnamon muffin, so Sam and Luke helped her out.

The boys insisted that she have a Barbie Doll, so they gave her one after naptime.

Friday was also Anne Madison's birthday, so we met up for a family dinner at O'Charley's.

The cousins gave Laney a diaper bag full of goodies for her baby doll. She loved it!

Ron and I gave her some mini-Tupperware items: the cake-taker, plates, cups, and old-fashioned pitcher. She served everyone mini-cupcakes using her new set. Luke even got in on the action...

Happy Birthday Laney... We love you!

VBS

2011-06-19T12:44:00.005-05:00

We had VBS the first week of June and it was too much fun!

Sam was registered since he is entering K5 in the fall. Luke and Laney were able to go since I was a volunteer. I was a money counter, along with my mom and a few other ladies. We counted $11, 848.61 for the week, which meant we purchased 1,184 mosquito nets for the children in Africa. Even Sam got excited about protecting the kids from malaria!

The kids met in the sanctuary every day for their own assembly. Some teenagers helped lead worship, they learned Bible verses, watched skits daily, and more.

When I was leaving the sanctuary, I noticed music coming from the chapel. I had no idea that Luke's age group was having their own worship service as well. As you can tell by the pictures, Luke was mesmerized by the music and musicians. He's watching the girls in every picture I took, even tapping his foot in one of the photos.

The decorations were great. (Big shout-out to Lauren Ervin!)

It was a great week and we all learned a lot. Thanks to all you VBS teachers!