Spring Break, Trip to Athens

We packed up the kids and headed to Athens for the weekend, visit to Auntie Shannon and G-Day. The kids were so excited to see their friends again. They had such a good time playing together. The boys immediately paired off and headed to Mason's room while the girls headed to Raigan's room. Lydia kept switching back and forth between the boys and the girls, that's my little tomboy! The weather was so pretty that the kids spent a good amount of time playing outside.

For supper we headed to one of our favorite old haunts, Mexicali Grille. Yummy food and good conversation, good night! Then we headed back to Auntie Shannon's house to bake some cookies before bed time. The kids were so glad to have a sleepover and did very well together. The nex morning Auntie Shannon made us breakfast before the kids headed back outside to play some more. Then it was time for G-Day!
The kids were so excited to be back at UGA, They went and listened to the Redcoat Band play the usual pre-game show. It was very nostalgic for Roy and he was so excited to have the kids share it with him. Then we headed to the stadium. We got good seats near the 50 yard line. It was a great view and the kids loved it. We had some yumm stadium food for lunch and watched the game. Since it was a red vs black scrimmage, we could cheer for both teams and either way UGA won.

After the game we headed back to Auntie Shannon's for a little more play time before we headed back to Chattanooga. Auntie Shannon got the new Wii Fit for her birthday from her hubby. She was so excited.

It was such a good weekend. Can't wait until fall!

Spring Break, Movie Day

We decided to do a movie date, "How To Train a Dragon" in 3D. The kids were loving the excuse to eat a large quantity of popcorn, drink slushes, and eat candy. It is always a fun time. The movie was pretty good too.

Spring Break, Fun at the park

Days One and Two of Spring Break we headed to the park to play and enjoy the beautiful weather. The park was a bit crowded but the kids had a blast running around outside. They made a few friends and got some good exercise. It was a fun treat to get to play outside instead of being cooped up in school!

Decorating Easter Eggs

We had such a blast decorating our Easter Eggs. The kids used some crayons to decorate the eggs before dipping them in the dyed water. They had fun deciding how long to leave the eggs in the dye before they would get to the correct shade. They even dipped the sides in different colors to make things interesting! It was neat to see their creative juices flow!

Resurrection Sunday

It's Resurrection Sunday, one of my favorite days of the year. It's more to me than just the new dresses, chocolate bunnies and Peeps ... which anyone who knows me knows I love this too! It is a day when we all are reminded that we serve a risen Lord. How can we not be excited about that???

Although we usually attend the later service we still had to be there early since I was teaching the four year old class. We had a good time playing with the younger kids and I really enjoyed sharing the resurrection story with them. Then it was our turn to head into the service. It was awesome! I feel so very fortunate to be a part of such a spirit-filled body of believers. I almost didn't want the service to end. Abigail and Caleb came to the service with me and they really enjoyed it too. Roy leaves for church about the time the rest of us are just getting up so there is no way to get a picture before church and no one was there to take the picture of the five of us after church. Here are the pictures we were able to get: After lunch we gave the kids their Easter baskets. They were so very excited with all of the goodies they got this year. It gets harder to find little "basket stuffers" that won't end up in tomorrow's trash. We have pretty much decided that we will just get them a couple of small gifts instead so it will be things they will enjoy playing with for a while. They each got a game, a toy and a movie along with their chocolate bunny, Peeps, and coconut egg. They immediately went upstairs to watch movies and play. It was perfect!

Yard Work and Fun

So, this was our first weekend off together and there was some major work needed on our yard. We spent a good portion of the weekend pulling weeds, mowing, raking, trimming hedges, blowing off drive/walk ways, etc. It was good to get outside but we are so sore and exhausted now! The sad thing is that all we have done is clean up, nothing is planted yet. I guess we have more yard work ahead of us!
After getting a good amount of work done, the kids decided they needed a break to play on their scooter. The had a blast going up and down the hilly driveway!

Spring Fling - Easter Celebration

Saturday morning we got dressed and headed to the Spring Fling at WPBC. We all gathered in the Big City room for a gospel presentation and then we divided into age groups to head outside to gather eggs. It was a little cool and rain was threatening to come but we were all praying it would hold off until the event was over. The kids had a great time hunting eggs with their friends.
After we gathered all the eggs we could find we headed to the tent for a snack while we looked at what we got in our eggs. Then we headed to the trailer for face painting.
Abigail chose the caterpillar design

Caleb chose the footprints design

Lydia chose the flowers design

When we were all played out we headed to Grandmomma and Granddaddy's for lunch. Aunt Alli, Tommy, Peyton, and Logan came down for lunch too. Granddaddy fixed a big lunch with ham, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans, and rolls. We all ate more than enough but still were able to find room for chocolate cake and/or chocolate pie. It was good to get to visit with family for the holiday.

Weekend Visit with MeMaw, PePaw and Faith

We were all so excited that MeMaw, PePaw, and Faith were coming up for the weekend. They got here Friday afternoon in time to play before supper. The kids were a little wild but they were having fun. MeMaw and I stayed downstairs chatting while PePaw was upstairs playing with the kids. I think the noise was getting to him after awhile. After supper we all played a few games of Disney Apples to Apples. This is one of the kids favorite games to play. Lydia was especially excited to have her best friend Faith here to play with her. They were so cute playing dress-up.

Saturday morning we had a lazy morning of sleeping in and lounging around in our jammies. Daddy got up and fixed us pancakes, sausage and grits for breakfast. Then we took our showers and got dressed for the day to head to the mall. After a good bit of shopping we had lunch at Red Robin! I love that place! Then we headed home for some more family time.

Sunday morning the kids were being baptized, we had a total of 21 people being baptized s the service was going to be full. It was a little crazy getting all eight of us dressed and out the door in time for Sunday School but we made it! At the beginning of the service the children who participated in the Sparks-A-Rama games were recognized. Lydia wasn't very fond of being in front of the church!

After a few songs it was time for the first set of baptisms which included Abigail and Caleb. They each recorded their testimony ahead of time to be played while they were getting in the water. It was so special for their Daddy to be able to baptize them. I know the kids were glad to have both sets of grandparents there to witness this. We also kept Lydia and Faith out of Children's Church so they could be there too. It was such an awesome experience to see my children being baptized and committing publicly to follow the Lord!

After the service we all headed to Zaxby's for lunch. It was a little hectic with all of us but it was fun to catch up. MeMaw and PePaw had to leave right after lunch to get Faith back to Atlanta in time for a birthday party. It was so sad to see them go. We can hardly wait until the next visit!

Sparks-A-Rama, March 20th

Our church participated in 'Sparks-A-Rama' at the Tennessee Temple gym. The kids spent months practicing for the games and were so excited to participate. Unfortunately, one of the kids didn't show up and the team was going to be disqualified ... luckily, Lydia was there to watch the games and she was allowed to participate. They all did such a good job. Our team won first place!
Caleb participating in the games
Abigail crawling along in the next game Poor Lydia, the noise seems to be getting to her!

ERES 1st Grade Program, March 23rd

Caleb was so excited about their program. We got daily reminders from him in the month leading up to the PTA Meeting. He was an autumn tree, and his part was to herald the coming of fall. The story of the frog and the toad was acted out by the kids with the help of a narrator and songs sung by the kids. We laughed at how cute the kids were. It is always a blessing to see your kids perform on stage! Lydia was so enthralled with watching the 'big kids'. Grandmomma and Granddaddy came to watch the program too. Afterwards Caleb was so proud of himself. Caleb announcing the coming of the fall season!

Jump Rope For Heart, March 18th and 19th

The kids at East Ridge Elementary spent months preparing themselves for the "Jump Rope for Heart" event. They each raised money to sponsor children with heart problems. Coach Dave provided "heart healthy" snacks for the kids and with the help of parent volunteers the children participated in jump rope competitions. It was a lot of fun for the kids and I sure enjoyed watching them enjoy a healthy activity. Caleb jumping "doubles" on the long rope.
Abigail jump roping in the first round.

Visit with Aunt Martha, March 12th

Grandmomma's sister, Aunt Martha, came for a visit from San Francisco. The last time she was here was when Abigail was a baby so she hadn't met Caleb and Lydia. The kids were very excited to finally get to meet her after years of exchanging Christmas cards. We met at Grandmomma and Granddaddy's house for dinner. Aunt Alli, Tommy, Peyton and Logan came over too. It was a nice treat to have the whole family together for a meal. That usually only happens on holidays! Allison, Tommy, Peyton and Logan with Aunt MarthaGrandmomma and Granddaddy with Aunt Martha
Roy, Trudie, Abigail, Caleb and Lydia with Aunt Martha

Fun at the Park, March 9th

The kids had a day off from school today, exactly one week after the last snow day, and we spent the afternoon at the park. The kids were so happy to get out of the house and play outside. It was a long winter to be cooped up inside the house. They had a blast playing on the playground.

Snow Day, March 2nd

Well, another month and another snow day. School was cancelled at 11:00 am due to expected snow fall of a couple of inches and the threat of icy conditions. Apparently the automatic phone system was down so I never got a phone call. Luckily one of the secretaries at the church heard it on the radio and mentioned it to Roy! The kids were excited to have another day off from school ... until they got home and realized that they had chores to do! It's amazing what an incentive playing in the snow can be for kids to complete their chores in a timely manner. My camelia bush struggling to bloom in the snow!

Our backyard as seen from the deck off our kitchen.

The front of our house as seen from the yard across the street.