It's a Girl!!!

Not for us though....our sweet former babysitter is having a baby of her very own. This makes us feel extremely old, but we are so proud for her and Joseph. Mallory will be such a good mom. Her and Shelby have always been wonderful role models for our kids. We enjoyed providing a place to honor Mallory and baby Audrey with a baby shower.

Happy 17th Kanon

Today we celebrate one of our sweet boys birthdays. Kanon is funny and kind and is much, much smarter than he wants us to know. He constantly entertains us with his "kanonism's" and keeps us laughing. He drives me crazy with his "momma yells" when Tyler aggravates him. We love to reminisce about his days as a businessman at the age of about 5. He likes to make 100% profit on his candy sales. Haha! I can't even imagine what we would do without him in our lives. Happy 17th birthday son, we love you!

Our Hurricane Hero

Grayson was nominated by one of her teachers as a hurricane hero. We are so proud of this accomplishment. She was celebrated at a ceremony last week at her school. She continues to impress and amaze me at the strong, confident young woman she is becoming. Mom and Dad love you bunches Grayson!

Halloween, junior youth assembly, another cotillion class and an allergic reaction....

All in a months time, we enjoyed Halloween party and trick or treat with friends, Grayson and Parker attended a youth assembly with Y club and Grayson attended her second cotillion class. All of these fun things are definitely worth sharing and remembering, but moved down on my list of importance after experiencing a day and evening at the hospital emergency room. Grayson had a terrible reaction to cashews. I never even considered she could be allergic to this nut because she eats her weight in peanut butter, but boy was I wrong. I became better educated about nut allergies. Grayson had eaten some brownies at her grandfathers house that had cashews in them and about ten minutes later started feeling sick at her stomach followed by throwing up and breaking out in a scary rash all over her body. She was itching from head to toe and very scared. The ER staff were amazing, they took her back and started and IV with meds immediately providing her with relief. Watching her food intake more carefully has become our priority realizing she is allergic to more than just shellfish. We will be seeing an allergist very soon for them to run the full gamet of tests.

Weekends are going to be better at the lake

We are so excited to have a place on Lake Weiss. It will be a great place for the family to come together along with friends and enjoy the beautiful sunshine and water. Now, if I can get my dad on board with a jet ski purchase, we will be all set.  My childhood best friend and his sweet wife have a place there as well. Bring on spring time...let the fun begin.

Welcome to Fall

Even when our schedule doesn't seem busy, looking through pictures on my phone and my calendar, we definitely move from one thing to another. I guess that is what life is all about. I constantly want to do a better job of savoring those little moments of our life. Some of the best memories and conversations happen in the day to day stuff like sitting by a fire in the backyard.  I am extremely blessed to have such a talented husband that can build anything and do just about anything we could ever want. One fall morning he decided he needed a fire pit and it now looks amazing. 

Picture is before the finished product, I will need to get pictures of the whole thing completed with gravel and chairs. 

Now in these cool fall evenings, our family has enjoyed sitting by the fire roasting marshmallows. I'm so glad God has given us a warm fire by our wonderful home to share with our children. I hope that one day it's memories like these that they remember the most. 

A heart of Gold...

Our sweet Parker is funny, sensitive, enjoys sports, and is cute as a button, but what I am most proud of is his Christian heart. At middle school he serves as chaplain for y-club and as a Fellowship of Christian Athletes officer. He loves being involved and is not afraid to stand up in front of his peers and share his faith. 

I'm so blessed to be his mom. Parker, your grandmother is definitely smiling down from Heaven as she watches you living out your life. I can't wait to see what the future holds for you. I know beyond a shadow of doubt, you will choose a profession that makes a difference in people's lives.

It's beginning to look like Halloween...

So, I love decorating for the holidays. I love it when our home feels all festive. Just a glimpse of our orange and black, pumpkins and mums. Trick or treat is just around the corner.

CHS Homecoming

This years homecoming was a little different. First of all Kanon decided to skip pictures with all his friends to stay home and watch the big GA/LSU game. I couldn't believe I wasn't going to get all those great pictures of him with his friends. That's a boy for you. He said the pictures are just for the Moms anyway. I guess I should just be thankful that he would even go to the dance after the game. He went and I think secretly had a great time. He looked so handsome in the one picture he allowed me to take.

I did get lucky and another mom sent me this sweet picture after he arrived at the dance. We love this girl and her sweet family.

Another homecoming dance in the books. 

End of Summer

Even though its the end of summer, fun doesn't have to stop.

 Don and Kanon got to have a private meet and greet and lunch with Atlanta Braves player Craig Kimbrel 

Parker and Grayson enjoy their last swim of the season.

Parker attends a party with friends.

And.... Grayson attends her first Cotillion.

No matter what the season, we are always super busy enjoying our lives. 

Losing it...maybe not forever...

As you can see from my last post, I posted twice about Grayson's birthday so maybe I really am losing my mind. My boys are always saying the girl is my favorite so I can promise you It didn't help my defense of they are all my favorites with posting about her birthday twice. I really do not have a favorite I love all my monkeys equally. Of course, I can say I love them all different because they are individuals gifted with unique personalities. I am so blessed to have each of them and I'm not quite sure I am deserving of the great blessing of being their mom. 

I always have catching up to do on the blog, but in this instance life moved faster than I could even download my pictures and get my thoughts together. Tyler left for FROG week and the University of North Georgia with a lifelong military career in mind. It was his plan all along and his only plan, but God changed that plan right slap in the middle of his first three weeks of college. My sweet boy was like I had never seen him before. His emotions were overwhelming to him and raw. He was successful during FROG week like we knew he would be and he started those college classes, but his heart was not in it. He was homesick and  very quickly decided that the corp was not where he wanted or needed to be. So... Long story short he is back home and planning to go to KSU in the spring. Friends are happy, our family is happy and most of all he is happy to be home. I do want to share pictures from his experience because they are awesome and part of his story.

Now, it's time to start a new chapter with a greater understanding of how difficult change and growing up can be. We love you Tyler and can't wait to see what the future holds for you.

Grayson Turns 11!

This year Grayson had a blast celebrating her 11th birthday with three of her closest friends. They had a great sleepover and lots of fun swimming, jumping on the trampoline, cupcake icing fights, makeovers and eating enough sweets to cause diabetic comas.  What a blessing for my daughter to be surrounded by such sweet friends. We love you Grayson and hope this next year is as wonderful as the past one.

Blessed over and over again....

We are blessed in so many ways, but our children are our greatest blessings. These last few weeks have brought such sweet moments for us. Grayson and her closest friends who are absolutely the sweetest well behaved little girls enjoyed a sleepover in honor of her bday. Then, Tyler packed up and left for college. Wow how I had been dreading that one! However, both of these events were "moments in our journey". Both of which are growing up and creating new memories each and every day. Kanon and Parker have also gotten off to a great start for another school year. I cannot describe how much I love these children! From middle school to college, we are sharing life together and loving it.

First day of school

Well it's that time again. Our first day of the school year. This one is a little different. For starters, we are missing one in our annual first day picture. He was still home, but sound asleep cause his first day is not until next week. Oh how I'm dreading next week... My baby will be college bound. I know this is what you prepare them for but it's going to be so hard to let go. Ok enough about college I'm digressing. Back to first day of school for Grayson, Parker and Kanon.  Today was also a little different for them. Kanon drove himself to school and I only had one school to drop off at. I can't believe the little ones are both in middle school. I wish time would stand still or at least stand still long enough for me to catch up. I pray that all of my sweet kids have a great year and enjoy making all of these precious memories. Dad's probably really excited for us to be back in a routine.

More Summer....

Six flags and white water trips, hanging at the pool and impromptu outings with friends are what summer time is all about. 

We have had a great summer and can't believe in a few short weeks it will be THAT time again. School will be starting very soon for everyone. I love the summer months of no set schedules and plans, but also enjoy the routine that the school year brings in the fall. Although, this school year will be a little different with the oldest heading off to college. It will definitely take some adjusting this year. Pray for my sweet children and pray for me that I won't let my insecurities hold them back from chasing their dreams. It's gonna be a blast for Tyler!