She's trying!!

Here's the proof that Lola is trying to make peace with this new addition....
She doesn't look thrilled does she? I was laying on the bed & she hopped up there... not realizing that Zack was on the other side of me snoozing.... But she was committed & stuck it out. However, she will only do this when he is fast asleep.... because when he is awake he is all about the stalking....He just wants a playmate for heaven's sake!! But so far, she has only stood her ground once (he nipped her tail... she drew the line!!) I have a feeling that in the next few weeks, once he masters the stairs efficiently, her days of peace are over. Either make peace or stand your ground... it's gonna have to happen soon, Lola girl. Very soon.....

Milestone!

Have i ever mentioned just how smart my kid is? Because he is.
He totally taught HIMSELF how to tie his own shoes! I was so surprised when he started to try because he already about had it down pat.... and after a day or so of practicing it, he was successful (and PROUD!)

There is a Little Bill episode we have on a variety DVD that gives a little jingle:

"One little loop, what do you do?""Wrap it around... and pull it through!"

"Now you are through & you've tied your shoe!!"

Christmas Morning

Here is a video of the boys on Christmas morning... looking to see what Santa left....

Christmas with Grandma & Papa

Here are some pictures from Christmas with Randy's Grandparents and Aunt Debbie & Uncle Wayne.... We got to see them all on Christmas Day, which is unusual. We usually spend Christmas Eve with them all, but Papa had to go to the hospital unexpectedly that afternoon. But it all worked out alright & we postponed until Christmas afternoon. We skipped the meal & just got together to exchange gifts and visit for awhile. (Although, i am sad i missed the cornbread.... sigh)
Here's two of a kind... Randy & his dad....
Going in for a hug with Aunt Debbie... Uncle Wayne is peeking through in the back ...
Jackson is telling Mema all about what Santa left....
And Eli gave Grandma Evans some good snuggle time!
And then Randy did the same with his Grandma....
This sweet woman & you would NEVER think that she would send not one, but TWO of these loud, Humoungous, firetrucks home to my house this year....
Other gifts included clothing (i totally appreciate this one of course) and a LOT of craft supplies. The kids couldn't be more thrilled with it all!!
Here's a few more pictures.... Here's my brother in law, Jeremy... the one always taking the photos... so i shot one right back of him!
And i believe this is the ONLY picture of Randy & myself this Christmas... I don't think we got one of our fam of 4 at all! Oh, well....Merry Christmas!!

Santa was Here....

And boy did he leave us quite a gift!!!
Meet the newest addition to our family.... Zack! Is he not the cutest puppy on the face of the earth?? He was so scared when Santa first left him in his new home, so i quickly got in some snuggle time since the boys were sleeping!
But when the boys woke up... they were so excited. Well, shocked at first (even though they asked Santa for a puppy) and then very excited!Even though they were sure of him... he wasn't so sure of them! He kept trying to hide underneath the rocking chair and just watch all the commotion....But then... something perked his interest.... "whatcha got in there????""Ohhhh, boxer briefs! Well.... I'm not quite ready for those just yet!" Well, Jackson sure is, because he was SOOO excited about these transformer boxer briefs.... he told everyone all about them on Christmas day! And wants to only wear these now!THe underwear were Jackson's favorite surprise in his stocking & the "BLUE CARS!!" are what got Eli's attention! He was so excited that Santa brought him the blue cars he wanted AND a puppy! What a Christmas!!Yep, what a Christmas... and we haven't recovered yet from this cute little demanding pup...Even if he is so stinkin' cute....

A Lot of Grandkids....

This is all the Grandkids on my side of the family! There's lots of them isn't there? It isn't but a few times a year that we all get to see them together, so it's always nice to get a picture! This was Dec 23rd after they opened all their gifts at my dad's house....

Christmas 2009 part 1

Christmas this year included lots of traveling as always, but half of the time i was so busy that i forgot to take pictures! Totally unlike me but it seems to be becoming a habit these days.

Christmas at Grandaddy & Grandma Tee's house was late the night before Christmas Eve when we arrived in town and then again with my brother at 6:45am the next morning... yes you read correctly! He was on night shift & in order to make it work for everyone, it had to be before he went to sleep Christmas Eve morning after getting off work that morning at 6am. So, yes, we are hard core celebrators over here! The kids were ecstatic with what Grandaddy & Grandma Tee got them for Christmas.....
BUZZ!and LEGOS!and then came the real fun.... Aunt Becca & Uncle Todd made all the kids Marshmallow Guns... I had never heard of such a thing, but they were a huge hit.... (literally- pun intended!)

and don't kid yourself- big kids liked them too.... This particular picture was moments after i was pelted with a marshmallow. Who has such good aim other than my beloved???We waited to do Christmas with my brother the next morning because we all drew names among us (the siblings- me, rebecca, & jeff and our spouses). We hadn't done this with each other before and for years had only been buying for the kids. It was kinda nice to buy for Jeff & Malissa this year! My sister had my name & got me the Pioneer Woman cookbook that i had been wanting for awhile now among other fun things like a sisters picture in a frame & some REALLY warm socks! I hope everyone had just as lovely of a Christmas as we all did!

Holiday Baking

This was the first year i actually got the kids involved in some holiday baking. I am so uptight i know, but i have always kept the kids out of the kitchen because i didn't want to clean up more mess than need be. But i learned a valuable lesson.... they LOVE it & it keeps them busy & happy. That alone is well worth a little extra mess! I think i will let them help me more!
First, we mixed the ingredients for buckeyes (peanut butter balls).... we took turns putting the ingredients into the mixer... and then took turns actually moving the lever to mix them. Then we put the mixture in the fridge for a bit while the kids unwrapped & then crushed some peppermints for another treat (truffles... yum!)
When the buckeye mixture was ready, we took it out of the fridge & got to rolling it out! Jackson helped me scoop & roll...
While Eli was in charge of the toothpicks for dipping later....
I didn't let them actually dip them in chocolate for two reasons... one, the chocolate was hot & on the stove & two, it was dinner time by then & chaos had kicked in. Either way though, we all three had a blast & it kept us busy on one of Jackson's days off from school. I wanted to do fun things with him since he was on break. And could it be Christmas without buckeyes? (Or sausage balls for that matter!! And yes, we made them too this year!)

My Favorite Holiday Craft 2009

So this holiday season, i have been in quite a crafty mood. For some reason the scrapbooking has taken a back burner this holiday season & i have focused more on crafts. This includes everything from making snowmen lit jars, hand stamped tile coasters, photo magnets, miniature tile magnets, picture frames, handmade card sets, etc etc. However, my favorite craft i made for gift giving this year were these cute glass ornaments.
I made them with children's names across the front of some.....
And some with just an initial....All of those were in cute colors, but i made an entire batch for all the teachers & assitant teachers of the boys in Christmas colors & they turned out just as cute! Basically this is what you do to make these (if interested)... I cut out (6) 3/4 in vinyl circles on my cricut for the larger dot, then i cut out the same number of 1/2 in. circles to layer over the larger ones. Then i used whichever font i preferred to cut a letter at 1 3/4 in to place in the center. Then i added a ribbon to the top & sprayed a spray glitter over the exterior of the whole thing. I just LOVED them & made them for days! Go get some glass balls on holiday clearance & make a big batch for next year!!

Whirlwind Weekend

The weekend following thanksgiving (as in the 2 days later!) Jackson & I took a trip to Tennessee with Rebecca & her girls, Nanny, Peto, Uncle Ed, Fee Fee (jen) & her kids, Luke & Kirsten. It was baby Sofie's one year birthday party & we were all invited up for the event. Sofie is my cousin, J & his wife, Sarah's, baby girl. We literally drove to TN on Saturday, went to the party that evening, & then drove home on Sunday. After reading that, you can assume that is the exact reason Eli stayed home with Randy! He isn't a very good car rider from here to Wilmington, much less here to Knoxville! Anyway, we had a wonderful time visiting with J & Sarah & this was my first time meeting Sofie. She is absolutely ADORABLE!
This was only the second time Jackson had ever stayed in a hotel, so he was pretty thrilled with the whole thing!
And the adults had a pretty good time too, if i do say so!Thanks for including us in your big day, Sofie! Happy First Birthday!