Christmas 2013

This year had started like most others with intentions of lost weight, lower bills and Christmas shopping done before December, but alas none of the before mentioned happened.  Christmas Eve, Josh and I were out shopping... Christmas cards weren't mailed until a few days prior to that... I.must.do.better.next.year!!

But at least we were able to go and do my favorite part of Christmas which is to have the kids reenact the nativity scene with their cousins and sing carols. 

Happy 10th birthday Cregan

Cregan turned 10 and wanted to have a minecraft party. 

So decided to make them work for their dinner, they had to "kill" the pigs for hotdogs

Other food was Sweedish fish for fish and licorice for TNT

And then the cake which was layer of cake and brownie and cake and brownie again...

This filled the wall, it's from green, light green and black plates

Overall, his 10 birthday went off with much sucess, he had a wonderful time and is now in double digits!!

Trips to Georgia

I love Georgia

the smells of Gardenia
the cotton that is everywhere even in the road in the fall
the genuine smiles from people you don't know
the peace of just being home

I even love the stifling humidity, I don't prefer it... but it's got it's comforts too...

But the main reason I love Georgia is because that's where Tonya and Julie and family are

...

Surprise party

It's hard to believe but this year Clayton turned 12.  It feels like 12 years have just flown by, I remember finding out I was pregnant with Clayton.  We had tried to get pregnant for many years and had gone to see specialist and I'd even tried medication to help speed things along per say, but nothing helped.  It probably didn't help that Josh's army schedule never matched up with my ovulation one.  Never the less, when we got a positive pregnancy text, I think it's safe to say we were both tremendously excited.  We waited and waited for Clayton, and finally 2 weeks after his due date on July 20th, he got here... all 9 lb, 6 oz and 22 1/2 inches of him...

This year though we told Clayton he wasn't having a party, but instead we surprised him.  His Aunt took him to lunch on his birthday and to Target and while he was gone, his friends showed up and helped decorate and when he showed up we all jumped out of the bushes and surprised him.  Then we had a pool party, and ice cream cake.  It turned out to be a blast and he was shocked!   

Pool makeover

A few years back a huge tree limb fell in the pool and tore a few holes in the liner.  Josh patched the holes and we went on our merry way.  Then Josh went to Afganistan, I didn't open the pool that year, and then this spring when the pool was opened, we discovered water under the liner and pulling the liner down so there were gaps in the edge of the pool and the liner.

We decided to just replace the entire liner.  Josh tore all the plastic and padding off and drilled a hole from the top of the pool (through the concrete and into the side of the pool, to drain the water in the future, if water ever got under the liner again.  It was a process.  Removing and cleaning and drilling and so on and so forth.  The day the liner was put in, Josh and about 7 buddies (one of which used to own a pool business) worked all day putting the liner on and then we had water delivered in to fill it immediately.  It's so blue and pretty... and inviting, but still cold....

Kindergarten Graduation

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Collin graduated kindergarten this year, being my youngest, it was bitter sweet.  In his school, kindergarten is only 1/2 day, so most days he was home with me by 12:30, and to know that he will be in school all day from now on, is both exhilarating and saddening.  But not to him, he says, "I'll always be your baby, mama, don't worry"

Laynie Dog

This year in May, our sweet dog Laynie passed away.  She was 12 years old, we got her while I was pregnant with Clayton in NC, she was an exceptional calm, loving dog.  When she was a puppy, still in NC, I would come home from work to find yarn through out the yard, through the doggie door and all over the house and usually sitting in front of the TV was a chewed stick from outside, I could never get too angry with her, she'd just look at me as if to say, "Did you see the beautiful things I did with your yarn mom?  and do you want a bite of this yummy stick...?"  

 

We buried her in the country on my brother in law's land, we had a prayer and the boys all cried and helped cover her.  We had made an appointment to put her down the same day she passed away, but she died at home surrounded by her family, because that was what she was to us, family

 

Baseball Madness

Baseball is one of my favorite sports, I grew up with my sister playing softball and my dad coaching the team, we traveled all over most Saturday's and I would cheer on the team.  I played softball during my teens with my church, but for the most part I'm too uncoordinated to bother with all that nonsense...

I wanted to instill that same love of baseball WITHOUT the coordination issues... I am trying my darnest to do that.  Step one; marry an athletic man, check.  Step two;  have boys, check.  Step three;  make enough money to sign 3 children into a not cheap sport, check;  Step four; get all 3 previously mentioned boys to practices and games, trying... really hard

Clay is in the major's, he's team is the Met's and he is really hitting well this season.

Cregan and Collin are on the Dodgers, Cregan has pitched a couple of games and Cregan is the youngest on the team and take his 'cuteness factor' and runs with it.... he has the coaches and the parents wrapped around his little finger.... we try to reign him in a bit, mostly by not letting him be the catcher, in which he doesn't actually catch the ball, but draws in the dirt and looks expectedly at the umpire to get the ball for him....

It was Sunday

It was a normal Sunday, we got up later since church doesn't start until 1pm and ate breakfast, Josh mentioned to me he wanted to go to the storage unit and that he'd take Clay and Cregan.  So Collin and I lay around, I napped and he played on the iPad, then Josh called and said, that he'd gotten into a car accident.  Ofcourse my stomach hit the floor, I felt immediately sickened and light headed  (two of my sisters have been killed in separate car accidents, so I'm overly dramatic but for good reason). 

Josh assured me everyone was fine, but the van was totaled and that he would be home later.  After what seemed like the entire day, Josh and the boys arrived home.  Poor Clay had a serious case of seatbelt burn on his neck and Cregan seemed alright.  Josh ever the non-complainer said he was fine.

Next day, Cregan was complaining his legs hurt, which he never complains about anything hurting and Clay said he's neck hurt, so off to Children's we go, x-ray and review and got the all OK, and later Josh went to the ER and found out that Mr. Stellar in fact had fractured his wrists.....

And now we had the fun task of dealing with insurance companies and rental companies and medical bills and buying a new van after having just paid off that one....

All are fine now, we have a new van, no lasting effects from the wreck and although medical bills are still coming in, the insurance should be taking care of all that....   Just goes to show you should just REST on the Sabbath!