Just look at her...

When we moved into this house a little over 3 years ago, Jordan was only 4 1/2 months old...

And now...well, just look at her!!

I guess time really does fly when you're having fun!!!

There's about to be...

a color explosion in our yard!!!

Easter 2010

This Easter was a wonderful day for our family. I was determined to wake up early, get a ham cooking, get our sides in the oven, get myself and the family up and ready and get to church early for the breakfast they were serving. Saturday night Jon went to see a movie after work with some friends, but I warned him that if he did not get up and help me in the morning he would be dead meat.

I woke up at 5:45 (practically the middle of the night) and was in the shower by 6. When I got out at 6:15 I was puzzled to hear the kids squealing with delight about their Easter baskets downstairs. I couldn't figure out why they were up at 6:15, or allowed to go see what was waiting for them without Jon waiting for me to at least get out of the shower!! As I was getting dressed, Jon came in and told me that his clock has an automatic timer and since the old Daylight Savings Time was this weekend it sprung forward an hour in the middle of the night. He had heard me in the shower, looked at his clock, saw 7:15 and ran to yank the kids out of bed and do Easter morning in 15 minutes!!! I was a little bit sad to not get to see them see their baskets, but the knowledge that Jon did that out of fear of what I'd do if he had overslept an hour was so worth it!! It was priceless; it had me chuckling all morning. In fact, I just chuckled a few seconds ago. And now. :)

Anyways, we got a few good pics of the kids, got to church when I had planned (!), enjoyed a wonderful worship service, and came home to a delicious (if I do say so myself) ham, potatoes, green beans and fresh bread. Then it was naptime for me and the kids...you know, since we got up in the middle of the night!!

The weather was absolutely beautiful and after naptime, we went to a nearby park and greenway, where the kids played, Jon and I threw the baseball, then the kids rode bikes while we walked. It ended with us throwing rocks into a creek and Lawson skipping his first stone!!!

Anyways, here are a few of our pics from Sunday morning...

Big cheeseball...

This one's a keeper...

My kids and their Daddy...

And because Jon made me get in one...

And hey...it's only 5 days past due!! :)

'Tis the Season

We've been staying busy lately...here are a few pics of what's been keeping us occupied the last few weeks (among other things!)

One of a kind...

I love this picture of my sweet girl for a few reasons. She is such an independent, strong-willed, dramatic, silly girl.

The day I took this picture we were on a field trip to Petco to see and learn about the animals. One would never know unless I told them that while Jordan is entranced by the fish tanks that she is missing the entire presentation on lizards and salamanders and turtles and such. Does she care? Nope. Because this girl does her own thing.

Another reason I love this picture because her shoes are on the wrong feet. And they stayed that way all day. Because she did it herself. And no one was going to be able to make her change it. Never mind the fact that her big toes might be numb the rest of the day--that doesn't matter!

Finally, I love this picture just because that little girl is just so darn cute. I love it when she smiles at me. I love hearing her giggle. I love it when she gets in my lap to cuddle. She's sweet as pie.

And she's definitely one of a kind.

To the woods they go...

Early this morning Jon and Lawson got up to bundle up super tight and spend the morning out in the woods. They were going squirrel hunting, but didn't really see anything. Didn't matter much, though, because they spent 3 or 4 hours wandering, exploring and enjoying the nature that God has blessed us with.

It won't be long before they are bringing home their 'big kill', but for now a day in the woods is good enough for both of them!

The Boys and the Bow

Jon decided it was time for Lawson to have a kid-sized bow so he could start getting in some target practice and hopefully learn to love one of his daddy's favorite pasttimes.

This particular Saturday afternoon was FREEZING cold outside, but they still got in about an hour of target practice before Jon had to go to work. Jon spent time teaching Lawson how to aim, how to re-load the arrows, and most importantly, how to run up to the target to see how good the shot was!

This target is old and nasty, but Lawson was so excited everytime one of his arrows hit the mark! I can't stress enough how much I love to see my boys spending time together, learning from each other, and making memories that will last a lifetime.

31 and countin'

My 31st birthday was on Sunday this year, and we went to Red Robin. This is the first year I haven't chosen Olive Garden, but dinner was still so good! I love this picture of Lawson...winking is his new trick and he loves to wink at all the right times...while waving at someone who's walking by, or apparently while getting a picture made with his freshly-older mommy. :)I didn't get a great picture of Jordan and Jon, but here's a picture of him feeding her strawberries out of his Freckled Lemonade. Her puffy cheeks make me laugh!
And because it's my birthday I am allowed to put this picture on here, because it makes me laugh SO MUCH!!! Jon had just looked up at the TV and was in the middle of a cough at the same time, but it looks like something horrific is flying right toward us! SO funny!
I had such a good birthday, spent worshiping God and spending time with my family. What better way is there to ring a new age? :)

Alligator Snack and a Movie Star

A little bit squirrely

Sunday I went to wake Lawson up to get ready for church. When he woke up, he asked me who was knocking on his door. I told him I didn't know what he was talking about--I hadn't heard anything. We went on downstairs to have breakfast.

A little while later, I went back up to his room to grab his belt and heard a scratching at the window. I couldn't imagine what it was, but when I looked out the blinds I gasped and called Jon up.
A squirrel had chewed through the screen, and was gnawing on the wood trying to chew through the window!!! Jon tapped the glass and he scurried out. Five minutes later I was in my bedroom (right next door) and the squirrel was trying to chew into our window! It kept going back and forth between the two windows, trying to gnaw in. I was getting so paranoid. I was terrified that we were going to come home from church and there were going to be a hundred squirrels exercising free reign in the house.

Jon went out in the yard, in the rain, with a BB gun and shot the squirrel in the booty. Good thing he's a good shot, or I would've been cleaning up some glass!!

I guess we hadn't realized that we had forgotten to put the storm glasses down to protect the screens. Jon put them down, and now I don't have to have nightmares of sharing my home with furry-tailed rodents!!

What a crazy morning!

The Snowstorm of 2010

January 7th we had been forecast to receive 3-5 inches of snow. I didn't tell the kids, because everytime we are forecast snow we never receive any. I didn't get my hopes up. However, when we got up the kids saw a little white and got SO excited!!!

I'm telling ya, this was after the last of it had fallen. Pretty pitiful, isn't it? I hear other parts of North Alabama got a lot more, but for us, this was for sure not to be classified a storm. More like a sneeze of snow. :)

Regardless of how little snow there was, the kids still wanted to get out in it, and had a pretty good time. For a while, that is.

So, Jordan didn't like the snowball part...

Lawson went over to the trampoline, where we had the most accumulation, and build a snow mountain.

I think I have a consistent track record of opinion on the temperature, and it's pretty evident that I'm not a fan of cold, wintery weather. I am thankful, though, that we are blessed to have all of the seasons here. My kids really did have a blast playing outside that freezing cold day. It really is amazing to me how my yard has it's own personality each season--boasting daffodils in the spring, azaelas in the summer, pine needles in the fall can even be beautiful in the dead of winter when God puts some snow on it!

Little Helper

Playing with "the Baby"

For a few weeks, the kids and I had the privilege of having Jason and Sunny's youngest, Jackson, over a couple days a week. He's 2 1/2, but it took several days for me to convince them that Jackson wasn't a baby! Anyways, they all had so much fun playing together that keeping him wasn't any trouble at all. Here are a few shots of the first morning Jackson was over.

Jammin on the keyboard...

Anyone need a ride?
Ring around the Rosy

And this one cracks me up...Jordan and Jackson are apparently doing the same "move!" My kids love to listen to kids' songs and to Spanish music on my iPod...they dance and spin in the living room for hours. They love it so much that when their friends come over, they want them to get to dance too, and all the friends seem to love it just as much!

Shootin' the breeze

When Jon's parents came for Lawson's birthday they brought Jon's old BB gun from when he was a little boy. Saturday afternoon Jon decided to get it out and show Lawson. They decided to set up target practice in my dining room. Lawson was so excited...we got out some foam animal stickers and made some targets for them to shoot at, while Jon printed a few off the computer. An old sleeping bag box served as the buffer to protect the cabinets behind the target.

Here is Jon teaching Lawson how to aim...

And he got a hit!!
They shot together for over an hour, and Lawson LOVED it! I'm excited that Lawson is getting old enough to do some 'big boy' things with Jon. Watching this day was a privilege for me, and I'm glad I have this memory in my mind.

New Year's at the Newby's

We had such a fun time with friends this New Year's Eve! There were more kids than adults and you know that made it a wild night! We rocked out on Rock Band. Well, the kids rocked out on Rock Band. It was adorable watching them all take turns on the drums, guitars, and microphones.

Jordan, Calli and BaileyAbbie and Noah rocking out on the guitars...
Lawson kickin' it on the drums...
Jon helping Betsy sing Livin' on a Prayer.
Then the adults decided to play Scene It. We put Aladdin on in the other room...but apparently watching adults play a game that uses the TV was more fun...
We loved spending the evening with good friends, even if everyone else left early!!! :) It was good for the kids and the adults. Here's to a good 2010!