My 3 Boys and Me

Thankful

2012-01-16T07:44:00.000-08:00

I am slowly catching up to speed over here after some crazy days. But as I was looking back at our pictures from when I last blogged I forgot we had such a fun trip to Alabmaba and Divot got to have one last final trip to the lake and he swam, and fetched and played. I was so glad he got to be there with us!

We spent a little over a week in Alabama this year for Thanksgiving and took about a bagillion pictures. Here are a few!

On Tuesday we went into Montgomery and went to the zoo with cousins and friends

Cousins!!! So happy to be together

This was Hunter's favorite animal there. Which was funny because he did not move at all. I am not even sure he was real. Not really but it was just funny

One of the oddest animals I know...the Anteater

One of the cutest!

Uhg...spiders and snakes don't bother me, but frogs.....EWWWW AND UHHHGGGG!!!! And this particular one eats other frogs and small animals. I could not be more disgusted!

And these guys are part of the reason I have a love/hate relationship with zoos...I know that a lot of zoos are protecting the population of certain animals, but I also know that they don't belong in a cage. These poor guys were just pacing back and forth, back and forth by the cage. Trying to figure out how to get out of there!

Hunter and Drake sure love their little cousin...I was actually quite surprised at how well they took to him! They loved looking at him and playing with him! (but how could you not, right?)

Monkeys...

And more Monkeys!

Kyle's favorite animal

Wednesday: Cousins arrived at the lake and lots of fun, craziness, loudness and excitement happened that day and the rest of the week!

Kyle, the boys and I went on a hike while we were waiting for everyone to arrive. It was a nice morning and we got to walk with the doggies which was fun.

Kyle and baby Jason...or Lord Helmet and Kyle called him with Drake's hat on

That cute baby! I could love on him all day!

Drakey LOVED his baby cousin. He wanted to hold him all the time. For being the tough guy that he is, he was surprisingly gentle with his little cousin.

Sheesh, I look old and tired and hate this picture of myself, but Jason and Drake are so cute and Drakey looks so happy that he held his cousin

On Wednesday Kyle was doing a little fishing with his sweet doggy and buddy, Divot...

And the boys did a little digging...boys and their dirt!

Christopher got the award for being the dirtiest! And boy did he have fun doing it!

After the craziness of the day, dinner and baths and before bedtime and gift opening, Kyle enforced his "Cleanup Inspection Routine" with the kiddos. We do this at home and he makes them clean the playroom and then has the boys line up against the wall with their hands behind their back and walks to different sections of the room and will say "CHECK!" when he approves that it is clean enough. They boys think it is fun and hilarious and it actually works too! Drake is now the best cleaner and does it in an organized way. He makes sure certain things go in certain spots (I think I might have rubbed off on him a little too much in that regard)

After it was done and everything was clean and put away in its proper place, they all did a hand stack and I think they said "Christmas presents!" but I cannot quite remember

Wednesday night all the cousins got to open Christmas presents from each other! They took turns starting with the oldest and it went pretty smoothly I might say

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Christopher went first and everyone is always excited to see what the other person got.

Hunter is the game and puzzle master so he was so excited to get a new game!!! Which I certainly don't mind playing with him because I loved this game growing up!

And then Drakey opened up his cash register which he loooves to play with because he loooves to play in the kitchen and said: "This is JUST what we needed for our house!" That sweet guy

And then Hunty and Drakey got to open their shark!!!!! If you have not seen one of these yet, you MUST google it, and I will try and get some videos of the boys flying it around. It is a huge helium shark that you can fly around the house. Don't know how much better it gets than that (well other than a cash register and Guess Who!!!)
Needless to say the boys loved their wonderful presents from their aunts and uncles!

Sophie got her Hello Kitty boots and was so excited..in case you cannot tell!

And then she opened a bag full of Hello Kitty goodies and I think Drake was just as curious and excited about what she got as she was. He is going to be such a good husband one day:)

I love the fact that Sophie has on her ear muffs while opening the rest of her gifts.

And Hunter helping Uncle Trey open Jason's presents. He is easy. The present doesn't have to be for him...he just likes opening them!

A little bit of the joy after gifts were opened
( please notice Drake back over with Sophie wearing her Hello Kitty ear muffs)
But overall Drake was more excited about his cash register that Christopher and Sophie gave him rather than Hello Kitty. When he opened it he said "This is exactly what i needed at my house!"

And then he was finally distracted by Uncle Trey and Jason reading a new book. Sweet boys!

Jason and his new tool box. He looks like a pro already! What a cute baby I could just squeeze him!

Anne Morgan excited about her new goodies too! Look at the concentration...

Thanksgiving morning: The kiddos ALL love looking at and loving on their baby cousin Jason

The boys went into the shop with Pop for a while and worked on some projects while the feast was being prepared

I am not sure how I did not get a picture of the beautiful meal that Grammie prepared. It was wonderful and delicious and I am hoping someone grabbed a few pictures of it!

Later that day all the kiddos went outside...

and Sophie ended up the muddiest!!!!

Friday, Kyle and I went in to Montgomery while the boys stayed back with cousins, Aunt B and Grammie and Pop.

They bobed for hanging donuts hanging in th air...too funny!

And then when we got back they had a fire going so we roatsed marshmellows and s'mores. Yummy!!!

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Bella and her usual way of showing D love

Saturday morning: The new tank Kyle and Pop built in the workshop. They love to go in there and invent cool things! It even shoots out bottle rockets!

Pop running after lighting the bottle rocket for blast off!

Saturday: The Iron Bowl Game!

Then Kyle left to go to the Iron Bowl and Grammie, Pop and the boys and I went to Catherine's and to the horse stables. It was a gorgeous day and gorgeous scenenry

Going to see some of the horses...they were just GORGEOUS!!!!!

AND they were friendly and sweet! What a treat to get to pet them

New Year, new changes...the loss of a Best Friend

2012-01-02T07:23:00.000-08:00

We have had a crazy December. Lots of good, and some bad. I will begin with the first major change in our life and then next post go on from there.

This first change has rocked my world more than anything else, and I am forever changed.

We lost our sweet Divot on December 7th.

This has been one of the most painful experiences of my life and every single day I still miss him desparately.

I will never understand how he was able to love us so unconditionally. A few days before Divot died, Kyle and I were at our small group church dinner and the verse we were focusing on John 12:31-34 and John 13:34, loving the way Jesus loves. Which is unconditional. As much as I strive for this amazing way to love, I fail to do it all the time. But all I could think about was the fact that this is the only way dogs KNOW how to love. Absolutely and totally unconditionally. Whether you have been gone 5 minutes or 5 days, or whether you gave them a treat or not, or wether you walked them or not...when they see you, they greet you with the most excitement and love you could experience. They do not hold grudges, they do not keep track of what you have done for them. They just love. What an amazing gift the Lord has given us in our dogs to experience that. And for me, it was no truer than in Divot. His tender eyes, soft ears, sweet spirit and tail that wagged constantly will never be forgotten. I love him and miss him so much. Christmas was not the same without him. He loved to swim, to run, to fetch, to go on walks, to lay right next to you wherever you were, to play. He was tender with the boys and his eyes were always filled with love. Each one of us has grieved in different ways and at different times. Even poor Bella does not even chew up her bones anymore. She misses him, and wonders where he is.

Divot's vet sent us a card a week after he died which I happened to get on my birthday with a quote from Eleanor Roosevelt that said:

"Many people will walk in

and out of your life,

but only

true friends

leave footprints

in your heart."

Below it was Divot's foorprint that they had taken I am assuming the day he died. It was the best and worst gift I could have received then, but I treasure it because it could not be more true.

We have thousands of pictures of this sweet doggy which the boys and I are going through now and putting in an album, which I think has been so helpful for Hunter. But more than showing you pictures, I would love to share with you an email a friend sent Kyle after we lost Divot. In it it had this quote:

I don't know if you have heard of the southern writer Lewis Grizzard, but he was a famous southern author from the state of Georgia. Former Univ. of Georgia Coach Vince Dooley who was a friend of Grizzard's, gave him a lab puppy as a gift a long time ago that Lewis named Catfish. Catfish made the paper many times as a subject matter for Lewis and his stories. the following is a short blurb that Lewis wrote about Catfish after he had passed away.

Grizzard, on Catfish:
---"Oh, that face and those eyes. What he could do to me with that face and those eyes. He would perch himself next to me on the sofa in the living room and look at me. And love and loyalty would pour out with that look, and as long as I had that, there was very little the human race could do to harm my self-esteem.

Good dogs don't love bad people.

He was smart. He was fun. And he loved to ride in cars. There were times he was all that I had. And now he has up and died. My own heart, or what is left of it, is breaking."

November: Pre-Thanksgiving

2011-11-28T18:18:00.000-08:00

A picture update of what we have done in November and end of October leading up to our week we have spent in Alabama for Thanksgiving (which now we have hundreds of pictures from!)...but LOTS of pictures and little commentary from the past month. Enjoy!

The funny part is what Drake fell asleep reading....he knows ALL his Alabama players names and positions. His Daddy is so proud. He also has told me several times that Auburn needs Cam Newton to come back.

My sweet boys. But their sweetness quickly turns into this...

And then typically always ends in crying

Well these are bad fuzzy pictures but they are from my phone and were actually part of a video. In Hunter's class they made "Me Vests" where they drew their family on the front and their house on the back. Hunter had pneumonia the week they were really working on them so he had just a small amount of time to get his done by the time he got back to school...and it is so cute in person. They put on their vests and paraded in the hallways singing songs in and out of the classrooms. We got to go with them to video tape it and it was just precious.

Halloween!

Captain Jack Sparrow and Batman (big shocker huh?)

Our camera died after going to my parents' neighborhood for some quick trick-or-treating. So I did not get any other pictures of the boys and their buddies they went trick or treating with. There were 6 other kiddos (an Iron Man, Captain America, Woody and 3 Smurfs which were all adorable but sadly I will just have to get copies from them!)

The boys have started sleeping together in Hunter's room and we always love to see what positions we will find them in. This was a good one (and yes Drake likes to sleep in undies and a t-shirt now)

My sweet husband celebrated another birthday on the 10th. We had a few celebrations for him and it is so fun now because the boys are so into holidays and birthdays. They love their daddy!

Grammie and Pop came into town and we went to Gentry's Farm. As usual had the best time with Grammie and Pop!

<**We went to 1 other pumpkin patch with some good friends of ours where they got to feed goats on this pully thing which was cute and then at Nonny's (my grandmother) place where she lives they had a fall festival with games, food, jumpies and tons of animals they could pet. I had a bunch of great pictures and the boys looove animals so much that they were such sweet pictures, but they were all on my phone and I cannot for the life of them get them to transfer. So frustrating but oh well!**>

I got to go on a field trip with Drake's class to Owl's Hill which is an Owl Sanctuary and working farm. It was a gorgeous day and the kiddos had fun.

The scenery was gorgeous with the pumpkin patch in the back and the colors of the trees, but of course I have no idea how to use our camera so my pictures does NOT do it justice. I need some darn camera lessons!

We put the boys in time out and this is what we found them doing when we were peeking around the corner...they look miserable don't they.

Belly Beans spot she sits at all day long...I love that girl!

We have so many deer in our neighborhood and let me tell you....they are fat! They are certainly well fed and it is a daily joy for the boys to spot some deer. This was a picture I took out of my car in the yard of a house 2 houses over on our way home one afternoon.

When Mommy and Daddy are away, the doggies will play...

2011-11-20T18:17:00.000-08:00

H is for Habitat for Humanity!

2011-11-08T06:28:00.000-08:00

Around our house "H" is usually for "Hunter," but this past month, it was for Habitat!
I am so proud of Kyle and have to brag on him for just a moment.
He was the co-chair for Habitat for Humanity at our church this year, and though it was a lot of time on his part, it was well worth it. The first weekend in October he was there all day Saturday and Sunday, and then the next 4 months he was there all day on Sundays...which means in 5 weeks he was home a total of 4 days. He worked so hard and they were so lucky to have him....and it could not have been for a more precious woman, Ms. Larry. She was there all day every day helping when the church was there, and had the most positive spirit and was so gracious and loving. It makes an important service feel even more worth it. It was already so rewarding for Kyle and our church, but Ms. Larry made it even more special.
The ribbon cutting and ceremony was this past Sunday and here are just a few pictures from it:

Ms. Larry threw her arm up in the air when Kyle handed her the keys....it was so precious

Kyle and his co-chair

Ms. Larry was so sweet to the boys every time we saw her. She just has the most precious spirit!

Cake time!!!

Where does the time go?!

2011-10-18T19:44:00.000-07:00

So, I got in posts of the boys birthdays (thankfully!), but I realized I left out some vital events that have happened the past few months! Here is a SUPER QUICK synopsis of a few events I want to remember!

Some sweet dance moves my boys have learned from watching SYTYCD with me over the summer

Getting to meet our new sweet nephew, Jason, who we fell in love with instantly

The boys first day of school

Drake is starting in the 4s this year and he has the same teachers Hunter had. (We were keeping our fingers crossed because we LOVED Hunter's teachers...all though I have heard incredible things about all of the 4s teachers) Anyways, I was just blown away at how much Hunter had learned and how many new things he tried. I didn't want to leave parent's night because I just love hearing about all the things they do in class. From learning to greet people with a smile and look them in the eye and call them by name; to knowing a bee is made up of a thorax, abdomen and head; to eating new foods like quinoa, leeks, kale and other things I have never even eaten, to writing all the letters of the alphabet and writing sentences; to learning to add and subtract; to being aware of recycling and I could go on and on. Point is, it is an amazing class and I know Drake will do great!

And I cannot believe this is Hunter's last year of pre-school! He is so big and I feel like he was just born! The best quote I have ever heard when you have children is

"The days are long, but the years are short."

And I couldn't agree more. I am certain I will be a mess when he goes off to Kindergarten!

This was our attempt at getting a good picture on his first day of school...which you can see how many times it took me to get a decent one. And I didn't really get a decent one(the many faces of Hunter!)

And then I mistakenly told Hunter he did not have to smile so big. And this is what I got...

Then this is the best we got!

But regardless, Hunter loves school so much and just thrives there. I have no doubt he will be more than ready for Kindergarten, in fact I feel like he is in Kindergarten. They are using the "Reading Without Tears" program and he already sounds out almost any word and picks words out of books and reads them to me. We will pass a work on a sign like "lake" and he will tell me it has a silent "e" on the end. I am sure it is the norm but being my first child I am just so amazed.

A Visit from good friends

Some of our best friends, the Handeys, came and stayed with us for 5 days and it went way too fast. Their little boy Dillon is just so darn cute and the 3 boys got along great the whole time!

This was us having dinner in the dark because the electricity went out

Hunter's Interests

Hunter is the sweetest child to animals and I can tell he has the love for animals in him the way I do. He loves to pet them, feed them, take care of them. He doesn't walk by either Divot or Bella (or any dog or cat for that matter) without petting him or her. I would be shocked if he is not a vet or some type of wildlife specialist one day.

Hunter has also adopted a love for chess....and he is actually really good! I have no idea how to play it myself and he tells me what moves I can make.

Soccer Season

I cannot believe another whole season of soccer has gone by and I did not post one picture. This is Hunter's 4th soccer season and by far the best season yet. He moved up to the 5&6 year old league even though he was still 4 for over half of it. But all of his buddies from school are older. But this league they split up the boys and girls, whereas the 3&4 year old league is co-ed. They also go from 5 players to 7 players and there is a goalie now. Which means the games are pretty low scoring, but Hunter even scored a goal in his last game and each game got better and better. He did NOT want the season to end and is excited about playing again!

Getting to play goalie

Hunter loved being a part of the "Red Fireballs" this season. And 10 out of the 12 kiddos on the the team were 5 so they will be back together next season!!

Drake's team also happened to be red, but he is obviously in the 3&4 year old league. But Drake just loves sports of all kinds and he just dominated. He kicked in a ton of goals, and then would run back and stop the other team from scoring. I don't mean to brag, but I tell you, that child can play him some soccer! EXCEPT for of course the weekend that Grammie and Pop came in town to watch the boys play and Hunter had pneumonia the weekend they were here so he couldn't play, and Drake didnt start that game and as he watched the other team score from the sidelines, he then proceeded to cry and refuse to play the rest of the game. I felt so bad for Grammie and Pop! But hopefully there will be many more chances to see the boys in action!

The "Red Lightning"

Captain Drake is 4!!!

2011-10-05T06:41:00.000-07:00

Well, poor guy his birthday was over 2 weeks ago, but since then, Hunter has had a virus and then pneumonia, and we have barely been home! Between soccer games, birthday parties, funerals, weddings, fundraisers and more we are slightly crazed over here! But we are so proud of our sweet, smart, funny, athletic, and laid back (except when he whines) little guy. He is such a joy and we are all so lucky to have him in out life. He is my baby that loves to:

"Nuggle" with his daddy (and mommy when daddy is not there);

Asks for a "tennis shoes" when his nose is running and needs a tissue;

Will watch a full football game, ice hockey game, baseball game or whatever sport is on (aside from golf) and not only that but when the boys get to watch TV, Hunter of course wants to watch cartoon and Drake asks to watch any game that is recorded on the DVR.

Is actually an incredible athlete himself

Loves to read books and loves to "read" them to you too

Loves to dress up, play in the kitchen and play house

Loves to wear sports jerseys

Loves to do art

Is getting pretty good at writing (thanks to school and watching his brother who can write full sentences now.)

Will wear just about anything I get out for him in the morning (unlike his brother)

Loves animals

Says "Happy Birshday," "Urrplane," (so sometimes I call him Nelly) "Cubers" (for covers),

"Coach Savan" (Coach Saban), "Can you Pawes the TV?" and much much more that we love too much to correct him on.

ANYWAYS....

The morning of his birthday, which was September 21st.

Donut birthday tower (per his request)!

I actually just love this picture of Hunter's bed head and pretending to blow out the candles

Blowing out the candles!

Just some typical silliness

Getting to open a present early (yes he is standing on the table...no I did not put him up there)

When we got to school that day, they have steps 1-3:

1. hang up your bag, 2. wash your hands, 3. read the morning message...

and this was the message that morning! His teachers made a book out of his classmates birthday wishes for him, which he pulled out of his bag and we currently read daily... still.

This is a picture with some of his friends from class. And I am sure a ding-bat. I read to his class too and then forgot to take a picture of them!!!!! grrrrr!!!!

THEN on Thursday, when Grammie and Pop came to town!!! The boys were so excited and Pop had made this AWESOME treasure chest which held the boys birthday presents inside. What a cool treat!!!! Drake's birthday party was Pirate Themed so Pop knew it would be a HUGE hit!

presents inside...

And lots of gold coins!!!

It was so nice to have Grammie and Pop in town. I ended up having to take Hunter back to the doctor that morning so it was a treat to have them there to help me get ready for the party.

And here is Pirate Pop

(this might be my favorite picture ever!)

When the kiddos arrived the got some pirate mustaches, only if they wanted of course. It was so cute!

The treasure chest as the center piece of course! And thanks to my mom who happened to have a TON of plastic beads and coins, PLUS Grammie had a bunch of gold coins in the chest too so it was truly a family effort!

The pirate cake (which of course I did not get a picture of without the lid off the top of the cake)

And the handsome pirate himself (you just may be seeing this again come Halloween!)

As the kiddos arrived we started with some pin the parrot on the pirate's shoulder, which occupied them well enough until everyone arrived.

Running to the first treasure hunt of gold coins, chocolate coins, plastic beads and diamond rings!

Coming back with some loot!

Then making an attempt to get a group picture (which was not very successful) while we waited for Captain Hook to arrive. We told them to say "aarrrgggh" and it was hilarious! They screamed for about 2 or 3 minutes straight.

And then...KYLE (I mean Captain Hook) MAKES THE BIRTHDAY ONCE AGAIN!!! He was so good and hilarious. Here is walked up to the kiddos with a "prisoner."

Drake is running away here because "Captain Hook" kept asking "Captain Drake" if he had stolen his booty. I honestly have no idea if Drake was scared or just being silly. But I do know that Drake still asks me if daddy, I mean Captain Hook, was joking when he asked him that. And I mean literally asks me as in today!

Giving the kiddos their first clue on the treasure hunt

There were 6 stops where they received prizes and then ended with at the cake table. It was fun, but possible a little long for 4 year olds....

The favors

Aaaand of course no family photo, and this was the best we got of the 3 of us. Pretty pathetic. And Drakey and I didn't even get one with Captain Hook! Oh well....I guess we are just glad we survived the party!

Chattaboogie and Go Braves!!!

2011-09-15T21:06:00.000-07:00

We had a last minute, whirlwind trip to Chattanooga (or Chattaboogie as we call it) to the Aquarium and to Atlanta for a Braves Game. We had so much fun just getting away and out of town just us and the boys. Other than visiting family, (which we obviously LOVE to do!!!) we had not been on a trip this year with the guys so a little get-a-way with them was long overdue.

From Otters to snakes, the boys had a blast!

Oh Daaady, look over here!!

Hunter reading us the sign, which when I say that I am kind of not kidding. He is sounding out words like a champ!!

Petting the Sturgeons

(and no we did not tell Hunty to roll up his sleeve...but apparently he was worried the water would reach his short sleeve)

And then some cute baby crocs

And not so cute snakes (which obviously this one was fake, but the rest in that room were not!)

And then we saw a scuba diver cleaning in the tank. Folks we could have called it a day here! The boys could have snagged a seat on a bench and sat there for hours.

But fortunately we found the world's largest turtle shell. I wanted to get a picture of the 3 guys in front of it but the only way Hunter was going to take that picture was if everyone got on the ground and pretended like they were a turtle...it didn't take my boys much convincing. What can I say, you need Batman? We got it! You need a turtle? We got it!! Just stay posted for next weekend, and you may see a pirate at Captain Drake's birthday party!

Weird fish, but cool picture

Drake's favorite spot in the world...

And getting a little scared after being in the dark for a while

But we finally left the "River Building" and entered the "Ocean Building"...and Hunter picked out a shark he has named "Sharpie" with some birthday money. He LOVES sharks!

And then on to the Sting-Rays!

Hunter was obsessed with petting them!

This one actually had a personality...I am NOT kidding! It got excited and would swim up the side near you and flap its edges/fins/not sure what sting-rays have...but we loved him!

Hunter told me that he pet the sting-rays 16 times! Oh yes he kept count!

And the SHARKS...what Hunter had been waiting for all day long!

But these do not look as nice as Sharpie...

Hunter kept trying to show the sharks in the aquarium Sharpie in hopes they would see him and come over I suppose. Needless to say it was sweet...and a little sad because it didn't work. Those RUDE sharks!

Me and Drakey looking at some fish...and relaxing

Then after the aquarium we got to get some ice cream!!!

And then to the playground

The next day we loaded up and went to a Braves game and had the perfect weather, with the perfect amount of time the game took, to the perfect size of a crowd. It felt loud but not too full.

Hunter checking out the girls behind us

Drake sprinted up the stairs to give Homer a High-5!

Something about Drake reminds me so much of my brother right here...

We watched some life size tools (literally people dressed up as tools) race and apparently I thought it was funnier than the boys did!

Drakey picked out a baseball bat with some of his birthday money

We were trying to get a picture of the 2 boys and Hunter didn't want to smile, and Drake just wanted to dance! (no he is not Karate chopping, he is dancing)

Batman Forever and FIVE!!!!!

2011-09-11T16:34:00.000-07:00

Well I am obviously way behind on my blogging lately and have a ton of pictures and events to catch up on from the summer, but I MUST blog first about Hunter, who is now 5!!!! I cannot believe WE HAVE A 5 YEAR OLD!!! He is officially not a baby, or a toddler...but is officially just a little boy!

He woke up very very early on Tuesday morning (earlier than normal) and the first words out of his mouth were:
"I'm 5!!!!!!!!!! I don't have to wear a shirt with my name on it to school today do I?"

Getting to open a little present before school...submarine Finn McMissile!

Then our wonderful friends Jeffery and Laura and Dillon who came in town on Friday had to leave Tuesday morning:( We were very sad they had to go but sweet Laura had gotten some gifties for the guys birthdays so they both got to open them before they left

Hunty playing his new game with Dillon (Laura knows Hunter well! He is the game and puzzle master!!!!)

Hunty's birthday blueberry breakfast cake...he wanted to start the day with ice cream but I had to tone that down a bit.

I got to read a story to Hunty's class for his birthday (they don't let you bring in food....which I LOVE!!!!!) and I couldn't resist getting a picture with the class. They are too cute!

Hunter made a crown at school and then after school we got to eat lunch at Lenny's (Hunter's favorite place to eat lunch) with Kyle...and Hunter was so excited to see him during the day!! A rare treat!!!

After lunch we met up with about 10 other little boys to get ice cream at Sweet Cece's which was sheer chaos. I was sweating so much and was too busy corralling wild boys that the thought of getting a camera out did not even cross my mind! But needless to say he had a full day of fun.

Then for dinner Hunter requested Roma's pizza and grapes so after a delicious supper we opened more gifts!

More Games!!!! We will be set for a while:)

Opening a Remote Control Monster Truck...I think he was a little excited. His 2 requests were that and the T-Rex Pillow Pet "so that his dog Pillow Pet will have a friend."

Cake time and the birthday crown he made at school

THEN, it was time for the BIRTHDAY PARTY!!!!!

It was a superhero themed party (of course) but mostly just Batman, Hunter's favorite

The Favors

The table where they could color or decorate their scavenger hunt bags

Cupcakes...with the bluest frosting and won't ever come off!!!!

Bugles

Lemonade with mint

Friends arriving

Busy working on their bags

The first game we played was "Stomp the Bad Guy" where they had to pop balloons that we filled with either a blue guy or a red guy. The blue guys were good guys and the red guys are bad guys. If you popped a balloon with a bad guy you got a prize!

The prize was a super hero puzzle

A quick group picture and then the guest of honor arrived....BATMAN!!!!!!!
(and guess who got to be Batman?? You got it! KYLE!!! And I have to say, he made the party and was the best Batman ever!!!! Our kiddos still are asking if it was really Batman or daddy.)

Drake was the first to spot him and took off!

Needless to say the boys were beyond excited!!!! Batman read some riddles and led them to different parts of the yard on a scavenger hunt where they got a little prize at each stop.

The first stop they got a mask

The next stop they got Batman necklaces

Running to the next stop where they got rings, and then stickers and then candy...the final stop was to find Hunter who was back at the cupcake table. It was so fun and they all had a blast and were adorable running from place to place.

They found him!!!!

singing Happy Birthday

See what I mean about the blue cupcakes???

Ansley who is like a cousin to us. It was an "all boy party" requested by Hunter but Ansley is always an exception!

Sweet Bowen...I just love that little guy!

Needless to say it has been a busy week full of birthday fun and we get to do it all over again next week for Drake's 4th birthday!

Happy Birthday my sweet 5 YEAR OLD!!!!

The Windy City

2011-08-07T14:32:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went with my mom and sister in law, Elizabeth, to Chicago on a shopping trip. We had so much fun and stayed in a gorgeous apartment. We had a blast shopping, eating, and talking (till 2am none the less!) We had so much fun and already excited to do it again next summer.
I didn't want to haul my camera around with me, so I just used my phone. So the pictures are not the best, but them memories are!

Shortly after arriving we went to a little market and got some lunch and wine. A toast to the beginning of a great trip and an afternoon full of shopping

The best way we could get a picture of the 3 of us

After a few hours of shopping and walking we went to the top of Hancock Tower

***side note and good tip: instead of paying $25 a person to go to the top, just take the elevator up to Signature Restaurant (which is at the top anyways, look at the view from our table), buy a drink or food and get a view for free!!! I am not saying it is the best service or food you will get in Chicago, but it beats paying an arm and a leg to get to the top!***

One more good little nugget: the view from the ladies restroom is the BEST view in Chicago!!!!! SO make sure to use the potty while you are at Signature!

View from our apartment at sunset. It was amazing!!!

A few more views from the apartment

We went to Table fifty-two the first night there. I highly recommend it! This restaurant Elizabeth found. The chef is Oprah Winfrey's personal chef's restaurant which features southern cousine. It was D-I-V-I-N-E! I wanted to take a picture of everything we ate, but the table next to us was not find of us taking pictures so I decided to stop taking pictures and just enjoy my meal and the moment. You must try it if you go to Chicago!

The only successful picture I got of any of the food was the fried okra...oh my goodness....

The next day we had breakfast in the apartment and headed out to Michigan Avenue! Quick picture of mom and me while we took a little after noon break for a diet coke and a little food to tide us over until supper.

We then had reservations at Riccardo Trattoria which we were told was the best Italian Restaurant in Chicago...and it was perfect. I would also highly recommend it!!! It was very traditional, small and delicious! I did not take one picture while we were there and am so sad about it because it was exquisite. Our waiter was fabulous too. ( These were just some picture of the wonderful restaurant I found online to make it interesting:)

A few more views from our apartment

That night we were able to do our own little "fashion show" all though in lieu of putting our clothes and accessories on, we just laid them on the couch and it was so fun.

And then we ended the fabulous and all too quick trip with a champagne toast! All the laughs we had, all the fun we had and all the memories I will never forget. I had so much fun with you girls!!! I love you both so much! Cannot wait to do it again!!

Dum-Dumbs

2011-07-27T06:35:00.000-07:00

So this is a conversation I had with Hunter yesterday. I was trying to get him to take a picture with Christopher and Drake (Aunt B, Chrsitopher and Sophie are here this week and we are all having SO MUCH FUN with our cousins! Pictures to come from that later)

*******Let me remind you that this was a serious conversation. No one was trying to be funny or bad******

Me: If you boys smile for the camera I will give you a Dum-Dum
Hunter: Mommy you said a bad word
Me: No I didn't
Hunter: Yes you did you said "dumb dumb"
Me: No Hunty that is the name of the sucker
Hunter: Well then why don't they have a sucker called a "Damn it-Damn it?"

oh boy....

Going FOURTH

2011-07-21T12:52:00.000-07:00

Well, as usual it always takes me a long time to get a blog post done when we get home from the lake. I always have 5,000 pictures which makes it too hard to pick! But Kyle and I were able to go up the Friday before the 4th of July and he got to stay until Monday. The boys and I then stayed through the week and had a great time.

On the way to the lake I had to snap a picture of the rare moment when the boys were asleep.
I also LOATHE booster seats. The boys always look so uncomfortable when they do fall asleep and their heads flop around so much that I pile as many pillows as I can stuff underneath them. But I do love that sweet face.

I cannot believe how big this child is seeming to me. He is almost 5 and I cannot hardly remember a moment in my life without him.

No wasted time!! On the boat and back on the knee board and tubing! The boys are officially hooked. Hunter didn't stop smiling the whole time he was riding.

I just love D's face

Then the sleepiness on the boat sets in for this little guy

And so does the wind blown hair when we get off...

My children are also obsessed with playing games, especially Hunter, and right now especially Checkers. And Hunter is actually really really good and I actually have to try and think hard when I play him. Drake likes to play a lot too, and learns a lot from his big brother.

And then this HUGE STORM sets in. I mean within seconds a screen blows in and drenches the porch we were playing checkers on. It knocks trees over, and limbs were all over the ground.

As soon as it is over thought the clean up crew gets to working!!!

And then lots of fishing while Kyle was there too....

Kyle's fish...

Then Hunter catches his FIRST FISH!!!! A CATFISH.
Reeling it in...

Pulling it out of the water...

TA DAAAAAAAA!!!!!!

And a lot of reading on the porch too...my favorite!

The boys with Grammie and Pop

And then Daddy had to go home on Monday, which made us all very sad....but Pop had something fun planned for us! He made a bean bag toss game and came up with all different ways to have to toss the bags: while the board was rocking on a chair, while we were rocking in the swing, from sitting on the table, from behind a chair and several other silly ways.

And then the next day Christopher, Sophie, Aunt B and Uncle B came!
They got there just in time to see the men come back to finish cutting the trees. It really was something to see! You see the guy in orange at the top of the tree? I don't think there is any amount of money you could pay me to do that!!!

Fun in the fort!

Some tubing...up first was Grammie and Sophie

Then Christopher and Hunter. I didn't have the zoom lens on so the pictures of anyone out in the water are not very good. But they were excited to ride together!

Then Me and Drakey

I love this picture. I mean who can stay so serious when someone is laughing inches from your face! Only Hunty. Uncle B being silly, and Hunty being serious (shockingly this depicts pretty well how they were that day)

Oh good, there is a little smile (and he looks 12 in this picture...I could just cry...stop growing!)

The Hunter Bieber Experience

Pop and Christopher

Aaaaaaand this is the cast of Kids Gone Wild (don't worry, there is no flashing, but I do have to warn you that there is a lot of outdoor potty-ing)

Playing Pink-a-licious with silly Sophie

And I am not sure what happened from here on out. But this is possibly my favorite picture of the trip!

??????

At first I couldn't remember why I took this picture and then I remembered that Hunter learned to whistle!! And he is pretty good!

The last Hoo-Rah of our trip at the lake, and the last stunt to Kids Gone Wild....skinny dipping

The fun trip ended with sweet little Anne Morgan's Birthday party which we were so excited to go to.
It was at the Splash Park in Auburn and was so much fun!!!

This was the collison that I lucked out at getting on the camera! I couldn't have planned it if I had tried.

And all Hunter wanted to do was eat the ADORABLE cupcakes that Aunt Jenny made....he asked and he asked and he asked and he asked.

The ONLY picture of the 5 cousins that I got

It was such a fun trip!!!!

BRACE yourself

2011-06-26T10:57:00.000-07:00

Well, I jinxed myself...literally last weekend I was just bragging about how I cannot believe that we have 2 boys about to turn 4 and 5 and we have never had stitches or a broken bone. And sure enough, this week, Hunter fractured his collar bone. The good thing is that it is a quick healing time and you really cannot do to much for a collar bone. He just has to wear this brace that I call his Diego brace because he looks like he is wearing a backpack all the time. But he has been such a great sport about it!

He did it at his second day of camp this week and could not go back, but we went together on Friday for lunch and to tie dye his t-shirt and they had made him this.

He of course ate every piece of candy that afternoon

GREAT to be at the lake!

2011-06-23T13:22:00.000-07:00

We went to Alabama this past weekend for Kyle's grandmother's 90th birthday. All of her great grandchildren (she has 7 and 1 on the way) call her Great and I hope I look as good as she does when I am 90! She is such a wonderful lady that I have learned so much about. She exemplifies hospitality and love and spends so much time praying for her family. She is an excellent role model and I am so lucky I joined the Armstrong family and got to know this incredible lady.

Happy Birthday Great!!!

It was a whirlwind of a weekend but we sure fit in a ton!!!! And we were so sad to go home but we are already looking forward to going back in a few weeks.

Boys digging as usual

Drakey in the fort that Pop made

D swimming....a constant for him at the lake. He jumps into the water as soon as we get there whether it is 1pm or 1am, he runs straight for the lake and pretty much doesn't get out until we leave

The boys went fishing a bunch this time. They really seem to enjoy it and Kyle even caught a fish this time!

Lots of floating...and when they do it drives Divot crazy! He circles around them like a life guard every time.

So, Hunter takes advantage of D being in the water and rides him back in to shore

D jumping off the pier for his ball. I love this picture and will always think of Divot when I am at the lake

My boys in the water

Taking a break inside and the only reason I have this picture on here is for well 2 reasons:
1. If you will notice Hunter only has on underwear. The child would go around naked, or in jammies or just undies for the rest of his life if I would let him.
2. He was helping Drake write letters and Grammie said she could hear him say, "Excellent Drake!" after he would write a letter. I have to document that because as much as they fight and wrestle, they really do love each other and love to be together. Don't get me wrong, they still have their moments, but I am seeing more and more of how they love each other and many more of the sweet moments.

Hunter and Pop flying the air plane from the fort.

And the skiing begins! We took I think just short of about 500 pictures of just skiing so I tried to condense it to one of everyone. We have been excited to when the boys were old enough to start getting to knee board, ski, whatever! And I think they are going to love it just like Kyle did!

Pop took us for ice cream after we all skied, which of course made Drake a very happy boy

No one will ever love the lake like sweet D!!!

Memorial Day...the Pool is Open!

2011-05-30T21:04:00.000-07:00

Well we spent our first Memorial Day in Nashville since we have been married. We always go to the lake and we were so sad because we love it there and missed Grammie and Pop and cousins so badly, but we have been so busy that we needed a little down time. So we decided to stay home and have a little impromptu Memorial Day Pool Party at our house...and we had the best day! The new house has a pool (which is NOT something we were looking for in a new home, but is wonderful and a little terrifying at the same time) but it was so relaxing and enjoyable!

The boys helped make the decorations. Nothing fancy but they LOVED coloring and cutting their own stars (well Drake needed a little help cutting them out at the corners) and we talked about why we were celebrating. Hunter and Drake are so proud to tell you that we are "honoring the military, especially the ones that died."
My children are now obsessed with making stars and Hunter asked me right before bed time if we could do it again tomorrow. If I had known they were going to enjoy it so much I would have had them making stars years ago!!! GEEEZ!

The boys took some intense swim lessons this past week and were so excited to be in the water. They are officially fishies!

Drake and his best buddy Davis

Hunter LOOOVES to go down the slide now! He can go down and swim to the ladder or the other side of the pool now which is so wonderful for me. Maston introduced him to going down the slide with his kick board and now he loves that even more. He probably went down 100 times yesterday.

This was a really cool Pirate Float equipped with a sword, steering wheel and gun that shoots out water from the pool that Hudson and Dylan brought. Lisa said she got it Target (as if I needed another fabulous reason to go there!)

Oh my goodness. 11 boys, 4 and under and this wasn't even all of them! There were 3 more boys (so 14 total) and only 2 girls. But they were all pretty cute and after we fed them some supper they were good sports and took a picture for us. We couldn't believe it

Some dads. I just love this picture. I think because for some reason it reminds me of college.

More sliding

Getting back out...

walking back to the slide...

And down again!

Maston showing us how they were taught to float in swim class. The instructor would have them jump off the diving board, come up and float on their backs and when he said it was time, the would flip over and swim to the side. And that was just after 1 week! Our swim instructor is so fabulous that if you live in Nashville and are looking for a good one call me!

Frank diving

Bella about to take her turn going down the slide with her kick-board

Oh Night Swimming. There is just nothing like it! I think all the children swam, changed clothes, changed back into their bathing suits and back out again about 5 times through out the day. Someone was constantly in and out of the pool. But it was perfect.

Sweet Drakey enjoying night swimming!

Some Mommas

And then they found a frog

Amidst all the food, family and fun, we remember all our troops who protect our freedom. Specifically the ones who have died in service. We honor you and do not take it for granted. We are thankful to God for all that you have done for this country.

Thank you Uncle B for serving in the Air Force! We are grateful for you and love you!

God Bless America!

You can run but you can't hide!!!!!!

2011-05-14T07:56:00.000-07:00

They're baaaaa-aaaaack!!!!!!!

The 13 year cicadas!!!!!!

The last time I remember these guys was 13 years ago, when I graduated from high school (did I admit I graduated 13 years ago? YIKES!) In our graduation video you cannot hear speakers, announcers or hardly anything. You just hear a constant hum that is louder than any microphone from the noise these little guys (or maybe not so little) put off. And the whole time in the video all you see is us girls picking the cicadas off our white dresses constantly. It is a memory I will never forget and it never dawned on me at the time the next time they would be here I would have a family. My boys are mesmarized and loooove these ciacdas. What a novelty they are to them!

We spotted our very first one on Mothers Day last Sunday

This is the shell the climb out of, so there are now HUNDREDS of these everywhere. On plants, walls, fences, trees, the ground. You name it, they are hatching and each day this week there are more and more and more!

It's hard to tell in this picture but on this one little plant there are about 20 shells. And the feet of the cicadas and the shells are sticky. They are like sticky bushes. It is crazy.

But speaking of Mothers Day last week, I just want to say Happy Mothers Day to everyone! Especially Grammie, I am so lucky to have such a wonderful and loving Mother in Law, and to Mimi/Mom, who is my best friend. Kyle and I are lucky to have such amazing women in our life!

Mothers Day was very nice...after church Kyle brought home some sandwiches from one of my favorite spots and we layed by the pool all day long. The boys were content all day and we had such a relaxing afternoon.
At School, the 4s preschool classes have a Mother Day Tea, which was just the sweetest. They made hats for all the moms, and once all the moms had arrived they brought us into the classroom, sang 3 songs (which I of course cried all the way through) and served us a plate of food, that the kids all made themselves.

This was the present all the kiddos had made us for Mothers day. They had wrapped them themselves and i wish I had a picture of that!

The Kiddos fixing our plates. They served us mommies first and then went back and made their own plates.

Hunty bringing me my plate of food....it was so yummy!

The children actually made all the food in the classroom themselves. The teachers asked the children what they wanted to serve us for the tea and they came up with the menu themselves. (One of the teachers told us the one of the children mentioned they should serve us wine because that makes mommies happy, and though the teachers agreed, the suggested it might not be a good idea to do that at school:)
Menu:
Homemade hummus that they made that morning
Carrots and Pita Bread to dip in the hummus
Fruit skewers the children assembled
Pretzels they dipped in frosting and rolled it in sprinkles

It was such a sweet and fabulous program!!!!!

But one more thing...the morning after Mothers Day we found a frog in our swimming pool. Since then we have found 2 dead chipmunks, and 2 dead lizards (do they not see they are heading for a body of water? Do they fall out of the trees? I just don't know. But what I do know is that I can hardly take it. I only hope that with a lot of activity in the pool this summer the animals won't want to come so close!)
Anyways, the frog was fun for the guys.

Hunter getting the frog out with the "pooper scooper" there are lots of things wrong with this picture!

And last but definitely NOT least!!!! Divot is done with chemotherapy and doing FABULOUS!!!!!!!!

"Belles" and Bows

2011-05-02T16:08:00.000-07:00

What are you putting in my hair Mom?

Oh, a bow? Well thank you. While your at it, could you give me some lipstick too please?

Yes that was just what I needed to compliment my brown and black frock

I better rest. After all it is not easy to look this good!

My beautiful Bella-Girl!

My "Peeps"

2011-04-26T09:37:00.000-07:00

We had a great Easter weekend full of more egg hunts than we needed, a random puffy swollen red eye (not pink eye, but mystery eye that the dr. thought something got in Hunty's eye and infected it but now he is fine) and discussions of why Jesus died and came back to life which was confusing for my little boys. They know Jesus and will tell you they have Jesus in their heart, but the resurrection part is hard to grasp.
Maundy Thursday and Good Friday were especially difficult for them to understand. But I figure each year it will get a little easier for them.

Hunty and one of his best buddies Johnny

Enjoying popsicles to beat the heat on Saturday

Easter morning we woke up in time to see if the Easter bunny came before church

Hunting for eggs the bunny hid

See Hunty's eye? It was swollen almost shut!

And they found their baskets!

The bunny brought him Batman Crocs that he has been wanting, but bless his heart he could only see them with one eye.

Walking into church with a flower for the flower cross

Seeing Mimi and Da...we had given Hunty Benadryl for his eye by this point so he was a little out of it

Going to Mimi and Das after church for Easter lunch...and getting some "peas and carrots"

Making an attempt to take a good picture of the boys...not sure why we even try. But I suppose a good laugh is just as good

A quick visit to see Nonnie

Another hunt at Mimi and Da's house

Some yummy desserts

And then a little backyard brotherly love rivalry...

The Great Bambino and Pele live at my house...

2011-04-13T21:24:00.000-07:00

Drake is playing soccer this season and Hunter is playing baseball. They have each now had a few games and here are some pictures...I have to say, this makes having boys so worth it. It is pretty darn cute! Our Saturdays consist of (not in any particular order) Soccer, Birthday Party, Baseball
(meant to post this earlier but our cord to upload photos has been misplaced. So once again, very behind:(

I have to admit....Drake is AWESOME!!!! He has scored 8 out of the teams 10 goals in the past 2 games. He rocks the soccer field...thanks to an older brother for sure!

Kyle is the coach and he is so good and patient with the kiddos. They call it "herding cats"

Every time Drake would score a goal he would look around like he didn't know what had happened and then run to Kyle and give him a high five...just when someone's head ALWAYS popped in the picture right when I would take it. This was the best that I got.

This is Drake's best friend in the whole world, Davis. They are so happy to be on the same soccer team too!

Davis giving Drakey a hug after he scored a goal

Hunty and Da cheering Drakey on

The kiddos have to point to the goal they are suppose to kick it in before each play (if that tells you anything)

Good Sportsmanship!

Nothing like a good snack after the game!

Now get ready for the cutest uniforms you have ever seen....we are the Texas Rangers this season. We were keeping our finders crossed for the Cubs, but the Rangers have been awesome!

Hunty on the left

On Deck! And no words needed for the following...

Nothing like some donuts after an 8am game!!!!

If I tweeted....

2011-03-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

I would tweet what Hunty told me last night before bed. 2 things you need to know before reading his quote:
1. Snowy is the sea turtle he got in Chattanooga
2. Morning Meeting is what his class does at the beginning of each day where they greet each other, go over the day's agenda and usually talk about the letter of the week, etc.

Hunter:
"Mommy, I want to take Snowy to school tomorrow for our morning meeting and see if anyone has any comments or questions."

I went to bed laughing last night!

Chattaboogie

2011-03-26T20:33:00.000-07:00

Okay, so the blog is not back as much as I anticipated. But there are so many blog worthy moment lately that I am going to backtrack and the move forward in double time. (or at least I say:)

But in February we went to Chattanooga (Chattaboogie as we call it) with some very good friends of ours for a little weekend trip. We had such fun and it was so nice to get out of town and away from all the responsibilities I left behind in Nashville for 2 nights. Our friends, the Ballews, have twins, Minor and Maston, Hunter's age and then a little boy, Bowen, who is turning 2 this month. So that means, we had 5 boys 4 and under. If you have a boy then you can sympathize immediately!
But we started out leaving after the Daddys got off of work on Friday. Chattanooga is only 2 hours away (door to door) so we got there in time for dinner and had adjoining rooms so after we ate we put a movie on for the kiddos in one room and we hung out in the other. This is what we found...

I mean seriously? How adorable/unbelievable is that?? Those were some major sleepyheads!

But then next morning we were excited to get to the Aquarium (or Acreamium as Drake called it)

And the first stop was the sting rays...and we even got to feed them! Check out the boys faces and hands...

Sheer excitement and Fear!

Me feeding a sting ray, NOT a highlight of my life! (check out Hunty's face)

I love the boys faces here and the fact that Drake started grabbing the leg of the wrong man

Drakey Beiber

Then on to the Butterfly Garden which Hunty loved and STILL wants to go back to all the time. Drake on the other hand was terrified.

And next stop: the Penguins! As cute as they were, however, I couldn't help but think of the movie "Happy Feet" which made me instantly sad to be in there with them. But they boys of course loved them

A typical attempt at a picture of those silly boys!

But then...on to find the SHARKS!!!!!

Sweetly Looking...

Silly Fish Face with Mommy...

AHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! And then they were hooked! (no pun intended) Nothing will ever be as cool as the sharks.

And the boys sure kept looking for more sharks (and I love this picture of Lee with the boys crawling over him)

And even though we were officially out of the salt water and into the river water so the sharks were gone, it was even more fun to pet some fish!

Always fun to see alligators...

And the adorable turtles (I loved this pic)

And at the very end the boys each got to pick out one thing from the Aquarium store (under $10). Hunty picked out this cute sea turtle that he named "Snowy". Drakey picked out a plastic alligator - no name yet.

Next Stop - Ruby Falls...except the little brothers had fallen asleep. Oh boy this was a looooong cave tour!

Then the little guys woke up a little just in time for the 90 minute tour. And a typical silly expression from Hunty

Some views from our walk through the cave.

It would have been much more fun and kid friendly if we were not required to go through the cave on a tour....frequent and long stops to listen to stories is NOT what little boys are made of!

A Stalagmite

And THIS was what we ventured through the cave, carrying children, listening to whining and crying to find... (Que the cheesy music and light show)
Da da da taaaaaaaaa..a waterfall.

Note: the large letters leading up to the tiny letters in the waterfall depict exactly how we felt when we came to it.

Finally on our way back!

WE MADE IT!!!!!! Drakey was very very happy to be going back out of the cave and to some fresh air on the playground.

We ended the little trip to visit the Chattanooga Choo-Choo (another activity I may not recommend)

EXCEPT for the fact that it was the Dungeons and Dragons Convention that weekend so we saw some awesome characters! Sadly we did not get pictures of our favorites, but we did sneak some pictures of these crazy cats!

All in all it was great to get out of town!

Divot Update #1

2011-01-31T22:18:00.000-08:00

Well today sweet D had his first round of chemo. I dropped him off around 8:30 and then picked him up at 4:30. They had to run more X-rays just to make sure they still couldn't see any spreading throughout his chest and it was clear. At least to the human eye.
I'll back up real quick. Around September I felt a lump on his shoulder. But he has a ton of fatty lymphomas (I think that is what they are called) so I didn't think too much of it. But a month or so went by and it was not going away and he seemed to be gnawing on it an awful lot. So I took him to the vet. Dr. Rodgers, whom we adore, said it might be a mast cell tumor. Which is a cancerous tumor, but very common and easy to treat. Typically just with surgery.
So D had surgery a few days later, right after we moved into our new home, and Dr. Rodgers was confident he got it all so we all assumed that was that. But they send these tumors off to the lab just for safe measure. Well thank goodness for that because it came back stage 3 of 3 with a horrible prognosis. Essentially it read 3-6 months without chemo, 6-12 with chemo. Of course Kyle and I were devastated as was Dr. Rodgers...but we caught it so early and he got the whole darn thing and then some out during the surgery. If it did not look like the cancer had spread anywhere, which is does not look like it has, then chemo is a safe step to take to make sure it has not planted little bitty seeds that we cannot see yet. The type of tumor D had is one that is very aggressive and more than likely has planted itself somewhere else. But the fact we caught it so early is hopefully a good sign that we can nip it in the bud.

We did not want to put D through chemo to extend his life for a few months, but to try and extend his life to a normal life expectancy. He just turned 9 so he has got some good years left in him and I cannot fathom the thought of life without D right now.
He got to take his "baby"(which is the panda pillow pet Santa brought him for Christmas) to the vet, and was just as happy and as jolly as he could be when we picked him up.
I week down and 12 to go!!!!!! These next few pics are all D and his "baby" I have to get video of him walking around the house with it. He is so proud of it and walks around with it in his mouth but it is so big he trips on it all the time. Oh he is so darn cute!

The Blog is Back Baby!

2011-01-27T14:51:00.000-08:00

Well, I do realize that we have been gone for quite some time. We moved houses (when we were not really on the market but found a home too good to pass up...more on that later); then renovating the "great deal" of a house we just bought; Divot had surgery and then we found out it was cancer and is starting chemo (more on that later as well); we have had strep throat 3 times, a double ear infection, stomach bug, the flu and bronchitis; fundraisers; teaching Sunday School and more volunteering than we probably should be doing. With all that to say it was midst the holidays and I hate that I have missed so much documenting for my own sake. But it is just going to have to go into the homemade album and not the blog. I do realize there are people way busier than we are, but I suppose I am just not talented enough to keep it all up. Thats okay...I can live with that.
But if you have heard anything about Nashville lately, then you know that is about all we have seen since December:

My Sweet Baby Girl....gosh I should put pink ribbons in her hair and paint her nails. Then she would be complete. I think it would fit her perfectly!

My sweet D...you are the gentlest doggie in the world!

You still think he is sweet and gentle right? Actually this is quite ironic because they are actually playing and he truly is the gentlest doggy in the world.

Our first snowman who my children named "Minor" after one of their real life best friends

Our second snowman (picture taken after some melting) whom my children named "Baby Tummy" which is funny because I AM NOT PREGNANT but now everyone thinks I am since they tell their teachers at school and Sunday School their snowman's name.

Good Ole Fashioned Snow Angels

(And yes, that is Kyle in the first picture with the facial hair. He was growing it out for his duck hunting trip he just took and shaved it all off....but to be honest, I actually loved it). It has snowed literally more than it has not in the past 6 weeks. The "magic" of snow, has officially lost its magic and worn out its welcome. I feel like I live in Seattle.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DRAKE!!!!!

2010-09-22T21:41:00.000-07:00

Phew these 2 weeks flew by and I was pretty much non existent on my computer, but it is time to wish my sweet little Drake HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! It was yesterday, September 21st, and what a fun few weeks we have had. We have been celebrating birthdays non-stop around here.

To my sweet Drake,

I can only imagine you will never never know what your life means to me. You are my easy baby, my sweet baby, my cuddly baby. You are so light hearted and happy-go-lucky. You love to try new things, do anything and play. You are just such a happy little guy and every single day your sweet beautiful face reminds me of angels. You are so squishy and playful. You LOVE to laugh. You love to dress up in all kinds of clothes, you love your doggies so much and you think your brother is the coolest guy in the world. Even though he is not always kind to you, you tell him you love him. You tell mommy and daddy you love us all the time too which makes any bad moment seem non existent. You LOVE to play sports and so far are great at anything you have tried. You love watching all kinds of sports too and get into each game you see. You love to talk in a deep voice (which is hysterical by the way), and you love to "tell jokes." Your spirit lights up a room and you could make a single stranger feel like the most important person in the world. I can only begin to imagine what you will be when you grow up, but I know you have truly made this world a much better place already. We love you sweet baby boy!

The Day You were born...

Your First Birthday

Your Second Birthday

Your Third Birthday

WE LOVE YOU DRAKEY DOODLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hunter is 4!!!!!!!!

2010-09-06T20:39:00.000-07:00

When I woke up today, I could not believe I am the mother of a 4 year old...that is so crazy!!!!!! Though the days can seem endless at times, I feel like Hunter was just born yesterday. How you have made our lives richer and so wonderful.

To Hunty,
There will never be a way we could ever express how much we love you. Words would never do it justice. You are the most spirited little boy I know. You are incredible intelligent, a very very deep thinker, competitive, strong, fiesty and stubborn. But more than that you are such a bright light that has created gorgeous life in our world. You have given us a reason to be better people, better Christians, better parents, and better at loving...oh and patience too. The things you know blow my mind and your smile can make all my worries pass. I am not sure how we ever lived life without you.
The best mornings of my life have been recently. You get in bed with us in the middle of the night, every night, and when I wake up to you rubbing my face or my arm and telling me you love me, I know I am the luckiest mommy in the world.
And your daddy loves getting to spend time with just you. You have such a happy jump in your step when you two are together and you love adventures you get to take with him.

Though you and Drakey fight, you also can be the sweetest brother to him as well. Drake is certain you hung the moon and wants to be just like you.
You remind each one of us that miracles do happen. You are perfect in your own way and are so proud of you and cannot wait to watch you grow. You have blessed our lives more than you will ever know!!!
WE LOVE YOU HUNTER!!!!! HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

The day you were born...

Your First Birthday

Your Second Birthday

Your Third Birthday

Your Fourth Birthday