Fun with Friends and First Parade!!

We don’t get to entertain as often as we use to but I love having friends over!! Saturday night the Travis’s, Ratliff’s and McCarn’s came over and we had a great time!!  I love getting to have girl chats around the dining table, hearing kids running around the house playing, and listening to the men in the living room getting into a good football game…and of course eating yummy food!!  Good times!!

Chris gets carried away when I ask him to take a picture and he will just start snapping away!! So after the serious pose…we like to get a little crazy!!!

Brody and Brayden..cutie pies!!

Sweet Elynd…look at that precious pose!!  Taylor loved taking care of the little ones…such a sweet 9 year old!!

Ryder enjoyed him some pizza!!

Maddox was loving him some Keenan!!

Sunday was the boys first parade!!!  I have to say..I got a little giddy myself when I heard all those sirens coming around the court square!!  It’s been years since I have been to a parade.  We always get together the Sunday after Thanksgiving with Chris’s family and that’s always when the parade is…so we never get to go.  But unfortunately, Chris’s grandmother is in a nursing home this year so we didn’t have the get together.

Ryder took his hat off and he had some CRAZY hair going on!!

The boys LOVED the parade…Maddox said his favorite was..Fire trucks, Tractors, Santa Claus and Mickey and Minnie!!  He sat on my lap on the edge of the curb the whole time and just took it all in!!  I finally got him to start waving at all the people toward the end…too cute!!

After the parade my Mom suggested Cracker Barrel for Supper (my fave) so we headed to Gastonia!  We may just have started a new tradition!!

Love all these special times with my family!!

Christmas Season is in full swing!!!  Love!!

Thanksgiving 2012

Thanksgiving was the best!!!   I am just so thankful and beyond blessed for all God has given me.  My family, friends, health, job, home…the list goes on and on!!  I can never thank him enough!  For every good and perfect gift is from above!! 

This time last year I was just getting over a health scare!!  At that time my perspective on life changed and will never be the same…and for that…I am thankful.  I am living my days differently.  I would have said before my stroke that I never took a day for granted but I know  now more than ever how special each and every moment is we have here on this earth.  Life is short and time is passing by so quickly.  I am learning more everyday how to savor and live life in the moment!  Life is precious!!

Ok..I could do a whole separate post on those thoughts…..

But not in this one.

So Thanksgiving Day we eat lunch at my Dad’s Aunts house with his side of the family!  They have some beautiful land so we took advantage of it for a photo op!!

That lip!!!

Mawmaw and Ryder…I didn’t catch the pic until he was trying to get down..but it was a sweet moment!

When we got home, Chris and I got all the Christmas décor down from the attic and I went to work decorating!!  I decorated that evening and then the whole next day but am happy to say I’M DONE!! Usually I drag it out for a week or two.  Now we have plenty of time to enjoy it!!

Maddox was so much fun…he tried to help me decorate the tree!! He was all into it.

Ryder is pulling ornaments every time he walks by it!! The bottom of the tree is probably going to be all jacked up before long but…it’s not a big deal…it’s memories and I love them!!

I saw a tweet today that said “thankfulness begins where entitlement ends”….so true!! We have so much to be thankful for!

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!!

SC Gamecocks = Date Day With My Baby!!

Last Saturday Chris and I had a much needed date day!! We went to the SC vs. AR game!!
I loved every minute of it!
I love spending as much time as possible with the little boys but you get to a point that you just need QT time with the hubby!








Being at a college game is so exciting! I especially loved the beginning...everyone is so hyped up when the team runs out on the field. I couldn't help but think that feeling and atmosphere is only a smidgen of what it will be like when we get to heaven! We will definitely be doing some cheering! The creator of all things!! I can only imagine!!!




SC won!
Thank you Chris for taking me! You're awesome!!
A Big thank you to Laura and Nate for keeping the boys! They were in Aunt and Uncle heaven!!
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Halloween 2012

The week of Halloween was a crazy one!!!  The Sunday before Halloween we started moving all our furniture out of our downstairs and ripped up all our floors in preparation to have hardwoods installed.  So my precious sister Joy and her family welcomed us in to their house for a couple days!!  One of those days was Halloween so it was a little chaotic being moved out of our house with so many events that day going on.

My Dog and Dog Catcher!!!

It all started with Maddox’s preschool party!! They sang a couple cute songs and then went around to stations to play games.  I love getting the chance to be around Maddox with all his classmates to see how he interacts with them and also to put faces with names of the children he comes home talking about.

My little dog catcher!

To make the day a little more chaotic…I was dropping Ryder off at MMO and as I’m getting ready to pull him out of his car seat…he throws up chocolate milk all over his costume…fun times!!  So…he left with me and we went back to Joy’s to do damage control on his fur!!

This is his friend Carys…she told him to smile and he started blushing…too cute!!!

His buddy Jacob…they had fun wrestling each other!

Since we were at Joy’s, I went to pick up Caine from wrestling practice before going trick or treating!!  The boys were entertained by Tori while we waited in the car!!

First Stop….Nana’s!!!

The Dog did not want to slow down for a picture!!

My beautiful sister and Mommy!!

The cutest disco girl ever!! Love me some Tori!!

Love these two!!

Off to Great Mawmaws!!

Priceless!  We all think the world of her!!

Trick or Treating in our neighborhood!! No one at home…honor system!!

Local Fire Department!

This is all at my friend Misty’s house!! Misty and her husband do Halloween up like nobody's business..…it is so good!!  Here is some of the outside décor!! 

Ryder loved playing with all her fun décor inside!!  He went over to the snake and started putting his finger in its mouth and kissing it!!  It had a motion detector on it and would rattle it’s tail and then strike at you….I think we are going to have to keep a close eye on Ryder next summer.  He had no fear!!  Maddox on the other hand…wouldn’t get near it!!

Misty as Bat Woman!!  She is so pretty and has the best hair!!!

The Halloween Moon!!!

We got back to Joy’s house after 9 and had supper waiting on us!!  So thankful for her hospitality while we stayed with them!!!  I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again….My family is amazing!!!