Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Memorial Day Weekend







We had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend! We celebrated Saturday at the river with Nana & Pop and Brent, Stephanie, & Ashton. It was a beautiful day! Then we spent Monday with my family at Casey & Emily's house. We had a great food & good company. I am so thankful for the men & women who have given their lives for our freedom. We live in an amazing country and I am so grateful for those who fight, serve ,and protect us!

Let the summer begin!




Let the good times begin! Summer is here & Cole is soaking up every minute of daylight everyday! He is enjoying riding the tractor with Pappy...driving his own little tractor...riding bikes & motorcycles...and playing with his cousins. Its going to be a great summer!

Happy Birthday Coby!




We had a great time celebrating Coby's 4th birthday last weekend! It was at a really fun place & Cole could have stayed there all day!  Cole & Coby will go to school togehter one day and I am sure they will be good friends...or wild teacher's kids :) 

Baby Luke


We celebrated sweet baby Luke at church this Sunday. He was dedicated in the service. We feel blessed to have Jessica & Brad in our lives and look forward to our boys growing up together. We also got to keep sweet Luke for a very short while earlier in the week....he is PRECIOUS! We will have to talk his mommy into staying away longer next time:) He is a very special gift from God and we are just glad we get to play a small role in his life!

My Neighbor






Well...my neighbor is moving.....
No, not the person who lives next to me....my neighbor at school. If you don't teach you may not understand this statement or its significance...so I'll start by defining "neighbor" in school terms. My neighbor is the girl who teaches next to me. She is the girl who stops by Jacks & brings me a diet coke in the morning...she is the one who sits with me at recess...she is the one I plan with...the one I complain with...she is the one who listens when i need to talk and she is the one who helps me when I am too stubborn to ask for help. She reminds me to stay calm and cool off before responding to an ugly note from a parent and she is the most loyal person I have ever known! She sacrifices her sanity to help me get to Dr. appointments and never complains once although I know she is so tired of watching extra kids. She is the one who hears me talk about my kid all day & never acts like it gets old although I know it is. She is the one I trust with anything & everything. She is RARE and after a couple months of friendship I knew we'd be friends when we're in our 90s. She's calm...and funny...and quiet...and HONEST....again I tell you she's RARE. And she's moving....TOMORROW to another grade. And I have to help her. And I will because I know its gonna be great for her & she is gonna be awesome there....but she's my neighbor and she's moving...and I'm sad. So I guess we'll have to make up for lost time in the future with lots of fun this summer. I just hope 2nd grade knows how lucky they are and her new neighbor appreciates her as much as I did. I am very excited about my new neighbor...but will greatly miss the one who has stood by me all these years. So I'll repeat my earlier statement...my neighbor is moving. Get it now?

Sunday, May 8, 2011

Cousin Whitney

The day before the tornado hit Al...my cousin Whitney came for a visit from California! Wow was she in for a treat. She had never seen a tornado & didn't know much about them. She left here an expert:) We had a great week spending time with er despite the storms & no power. Cole instantly fell in love with her and now keeps asking me when she is coming over. Its hard to explain how far away CA is from us:( I am so glad she came & so thankful we were able to spend lots of time together!




Sunday, May 1, 2011

Shoal Creek Valley



A night we'll never forget

entering the driveway...finally the excavator & our guys with chainsaws


gazebo by the lake


patio

the driveway



one of the buildings in the back

patio

backyard

what used to be Brooke's driveway

Standing on the front porch

Brooke's side yard



Brooke's front yard

Driving Down Shoal Creek Valley

Driving Down Shoal Creek Valley Thursday MorningThe back of Brooke's house