EE's 2nd Birthday Party (in pictures)

The Birthday Girl!

The Birthday Girl with her parents :)

The Cake

This is the "I refuse to look at the camera look"...we get it a lot. I delete MANY pictures to get the ones where she is actually looking!

Our special guest- Minnie Mouse- and EE

Ready for presents...just not ready for a picture :(

Minnie Mouse, the Birthday girl, and some of her party guests :)

(A special thanks to EE's Uncle Justin for all the wonderful balloon art!)

What's a birthday girl to do???

She is to enjoy the day God brought her to earth!

Open a present or two

Show off that she is two! (Isn't that a unique way to show two?)

Birthday cupcake :)

And celebrate in style! (Thanks for the princess dress Papa and Meme!)

Happy Birthday, EE!

At Birth

1 Year Old

2 Years Old

Wordless Wednesday

9 Wonderful Years (and counting!)

This month we celebrated our 9 year anniversary. It's hard to believe it has been 9 years, but then again, it seems like we have always been married. At any rate, Ben surprised me with an overnight trip to Saint George Island, which is where we went on our honeymoon. I thought at best we were going out to dinner and a movie or on a stretch to the Island to eat dinner and come home. Boy was I wrong...and I am glad I was! I still can't believe Ben pulled everything off with such perfection. I never knew until we were on the road, he packed EVERYTHING without me knowing, and he even made arrangements for the kids while we were gone. I was/am still very impressed. I'm thankful for the 9 wonderful years, and I look forward to a lifetime of many more anniversaries :)

Wordless Wednesday

Sunday Scroll

"If the Lord delights in a man's way, he makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with his hand."
Psalm 37:23-24

Thanksgiving

My three kiddos ready to go to Granddaddy & Nona's house

I laugh every time I see this...the kids just LOVED the corn on the cob.

Hiding from Uncle Tom under the tree...I spent many days doing the same type of play in Granddaddy and Nona's yard.

Cousins :)

EE with G-pa

My mom, Nona, myself

The whole gang :)

This year we were able to attend Thanksgiving at my Granddaddy and Nona's house. It was a nice time of visiting with family and of course good food. Our kids enjoyed visiting with their cousins. They especially liked running from Uncle Tom in the front yard. It sounds simple, but if you know him, you know how fun that can be :) After the kids played their lil' hearts out, we went back home for much needed naps. I believe we slept until close to dinner time. After getting everyone ready, we headed up to catch round two with some of Ben's side of the family. Unfortunately, I either forgot to take pictures or I forgot to take my camera....I can't remember which, but a good time was had by all. We enjoyed having the day to catch up with family and friends. So, it's a little late, but hey, it did make it to the blog! Happy Thanksgiving :)

Wordless Wednesday

Grandma's 50th Birthday

The birthday cake...made by my mother-in-law...absolutely DELICIOUS!

The Birthday girl

Birthday girl with her children (and one grandchild who appears to still be in hiding :)

It was mentioned in a previous post that I was a little behind in blogging...and I am sure my mom would rather me not blog about her birthday that past by last month, but who can forget a 50th birthday party? (Sorry, mom!) Happy Belated Birthday

Sunday Scroll

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money."
Matthew 6:24

Cheer-ball player

In an earlier post I mentioned that EE was very observant at the FSU game. She apparantly wants to be like the football players and the cheerleaders. Here is her rendition of a cheer-ball player.

Sunday Scroll

"But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret will reward you."
Matthew 6:17-18

FSU

I really don't have an excuse for not blogging lately. I have had plenty of time, but I just haven't felt like it. So, for whatever reason, I have decided I had better get back into the grove.

A few weeks ago, we were able to take our children to see the best team in the country- The Florida State Seminoles. Our kids absolutely LOVED it! We went early to tailgate with family, and then made our way on to the stadium. BA was quick to provide a play by play of what he thought was happening down on the field. CJ mostly watched the game, but was also a watcher of what was going on around him. Let's just say he wasn't as intent on the game as his older brother, but he enjoyed it nonetheless. EE tried to follow Chief Oceola around and unknown to us was watching the cheerleaders instead of the football team. We would later discover in the parking lot some of her new moves (another post!). Anyway, this girl never ceases to amaze me with what she does. At home if she hears you think about making a move or a noise, she is awake. What does she do at the football game? She sleeps from halftime until only 5 minutes left in the game. Yes, that's my daughter.

We really enjoyed our trip to see the Seminoles...a special thanks to Aunt Sarah for making it possible! We are very grateful!

>------>

Sunday Scroll

"How great is your goodness, which you have stored up for those who fear you, which you bestow in the sight of men on those who take refuge in you."
Psalm 31:19

Wordless Wednesday

Parades Galore

Then next big event after the fair was the dog parade and the children's parade. They were back to back and together lasted less than ten minutes. I really thought it would have been a little better than it was....not too sure that we will return next year for that combo. The best part of the evening for the boys was getting to meet Smokey the Bear. Eva would have nothing to do with him, which is why she isn't in the picture.

We then went to the big parade the next morning. It was worth going to. It lasted about two hours, and all of the kids got their belly full of candy and their hearts full of laughter as they watched the various groups and floats go by.

Lots of family was there, so they enjoyed getting spoiled by Grandma and other cousins, Aunts, and Uncles.

Isn't she cute? That's my niece. She's waiting for everything to start.

Did I mention getting spoiled by the Aunts and Uncles? This is one of the biggest culprits of rottenness at my house.

After the fair we went to the festival. I'm not sure why, but this year I managed to miss pictures of the parade and at the festival. So, I guess my words will have to suffice. We didn't stay at the festival long. We made it over for the World's Largest Free Fish Fry, but other than that, our kiddos were ready to sack out from a weekend full of fun activities. A good time was had by all ;)

BA Reading

Can't you see the pride in his eyes when he finishes? Last year BA learned the basics of reading- like sounds and blending and such; this year we are working on his fluency. He seems to get better everyday. I'm so proud of him! Way to go, BA!

1st Carnival

October is a VERY busy month in our part of the country. We did so much, it's doubtful it will all make the blog. However, one thing that will is the night we went to the carnival and the fireworks. Our kids had never experienced either of the two...deprived, right? At any rate, I tried describing what we were going to do that evening. Either I didn't do a very good job or they were a little reluctant about it. Above is a picture of them when we left our house.

Here we are- all loaded up and ready to go. Can you see the enthusiasm on the face of the one in the middle? As we approached the carnival grounds, little eyes started sparkling...particularly in the eyes of CJ. As we stopped to purchase their bands for rides, he started squealing and jumping up and down with delight.

The first ride they got on was the one pictured above. I might add that it was the only ride Miss EE got on. She didn't object to getting on this one, and she didn't cry while she was on it. However, when she got out, she demanded that she get back in the stroller, and that is where she remained for the rest of the night.

Carnivals...well, they just aren't her thing. Can you see her excitement?! Haha!

The boys were just tickled! They loved the night at the carnival. This truck was only about the second or third thing they rode. I was a lil' concerned about CJ because about mid way through the ride, he cocked his lil' head back and closed his eyes. My guess is that he was dizzy, but thankfully, he never spewed. He did that on one other ride as well.

The planes were a favorite of the boys. They rode them several times. BA would ride most of the rides, but he knew when to say "no!" CJ on the other hand, begged to get on almost everything there. The more daring it was, the more it appealed to him.

I chuckle every time I think of the boys riding the carousel. I tried my best to convince EE to ride with me, but she insisted that she stay in the stroller. Anyway, I thought BA was nuts when he finished the ride and told me, "Mom, I won the race!" He was clearly excited and it was obvious he really thought he won something. Later on in the evening, Ben explained to me that he made a game out of the ride. He told them whoever ended at the ticket man won the race. The boys thought that was the goal of the ride, and I still laugh when I hear them say, "We won!"

This is the wild ride we eventually let CJ get on...and only because his older cousin volunteered to hop on with him. The picture doesn't show, but it went around faster than I like to recall. I still can't believe that he rode it, but I guess I have the picture to prove it. After this ride, we walked down to see the fireworks.

I'm not that great of a fireworks photographer, but here are a few pictures I managed to snap.

The boys were really impressed with them, but once again, EE was less than thrilled.

I failed to mention that Papa & Meme joined us for the evening. I'm so glad they did. It was nice to have someone to share the fun evening with :)

Finally, at the van, I did manage to get a grin from my girl. Why would she grin? Beause we were leaving!