Happy Birthday Jake!!

Hi everyone! This week has been hectic, but productive. I've been working on an "Amazing Race" for the kids' party this weekend...lots of scavenger hunt, sack race, basketball shooting-type fun.

First of all...it is Jake's 10th birthday.

He told his dad and me this morning that there only double digits for him now, no single digit birthdays! He is suppose to be on "Cub Cam" this morning at school. The school has an inhouse television program and each day a child is chosen to read the announcements, lunch menu and birthdays for the day. Jake was very specific about what he wanted to wear! He is such a little ladies man!

On another front, Anna had her visit with the orthodontist yesterday and it wasn't good news! She will get braces next Wednesday. Then, after 6 months, she will have to be referred to an oral surgeon to have ligatures placed on two of her teeth. The orthodontist said that this would be tough. She said Anna's teeth have to come through about 10 mm of bone during the "pulling down" process and that is is painful. After surgery she will go to the orthodontist every 3 weeks and they will adjust the ligatures making the teeth come to their correct orientation. Anyway, she has got a long road ahead of her. Braces for 3 years according to her orthodontist!

We are having Jake's birthday party tonight: just us! Then tomorrow Anna and Jake will have all of their friends over !!WooooHooooo! Probably 15 all together, spending the night, eating junk food, watching scary movies, having a blast!!!

Summer is almost gone. I took these pictures below on Tuesday. It was beautiful outside. Perfect "fallish" weather.

TThe deer feed plot seems to be working.

Got to go make a couple of birthday cakes...wish me luck. I'll post pictures if I get a break!

Bye for now!

Making the Best of all the Water

I'm back! We were very lucky with Ike. Some wind, some rain and some scary times, but all in all, we came out fine!! The "eye" came right over us, but it wasn't as bad as predicted. We were expecting the worse, so what we got wasn't so bad. We had dismantled the trampoline, put up all the outdoor furniture, put the basketball goal on the ground, staked the crepe myrtles, mowed the ENTIRE yard just as the first raindrops started Saturday afternoon! The temperature was 58 degrees when we got up for school this morning..had to send the kids to school with jackets for the first time this year!!

We have a pretty busy schedule so far this week...Anna has 2 tests on Tuesday along with cheerleading and tumbling Tuesday after school. Jake has football practice also on Tuesday, which makes things a little tougher on me!! I also have a meeting Tuesday at the school, during lunch. Wednesday, not so bad. Only tumbling at night. Oh, yeah, Anna has her first orthodontist appointment on Wednesday. Thursday is Jake's Birthday!!!! He wants an AC/DC cake, so I'll have to be on top of my game to decorate that one!! I'll do it! Friday, Anna and Jake are having a "combined" sleep over. Anna is inviting about 12 girls, Jake 2 boys. It should be alot of fun...for them! Anna has already asked that I make them an "Amazing Race"-type game for Saturday!! Guess I know what I'll be doing this week! It really should be alot of fun!

Anyway, yesterday was BEAUTIFUL here. The rain had stopped early Sunday morning (3am or so) and only blue skies yesterday! Our neighbor, Tristan, and his friend Aaron asked Jake and Anna to go to the creek to swim. Joe wouldn't let them go without an adult, so we ALL loaded up on 4-wheelers and headed to the creek. The kids had a blast!! They climbed in this culvert...no small culvert mind you....it was at least 15 feet diameter this culvert! The water was gushing through it like a water slide. Inside the culvert the water was only about 8 inches deep, so the kids would go to the end of the culvert, sit on the boogie boards, and ride the current to the end and land in a big pool!

This is the "pool".
Can see where the creek starts flowing pretty fast in the distance?

This is Anna and Jake with their friends Tristan and Aaron.

Jake riding a wave.

Anna, always picture-ready!! This was minutes before she broke down after seeing a snake at the waters' edge!!

Well, gotta get moving on this Monday morning!! Hopefully will get to blog again soon...can't promise, but will try!

Have a great week everyone.

Bye for Now!!

Company Coming

Hi! I'm going to make this short...we have Hurricane Ike coming!! He is getting ready to knock at our door any minute now. They are predicting 10" of rain for us and tornadoes to go along with that. We have had a couple of tornadoes come through our place in the two years we have been building and/or living here. We have taken all the precautions and are lucky to have a safe room if we need it.

Please pray for everyone affected by this storm. I probably will be out of internet for a couple of days...the rain does that....so as soon as I'm able, I'll post.

Bye for now!

Just another day!

Yesterday was really hectic here. Anna's cheerleading squad sponsored a Bar-B-Q chicken supper to raise money to pay for their expenses, i.e. jacket, duffle bag, camp, uniforms, etc. I helped in the kitchen from 3:30 until her game at 5:30, then returned to help with clean up. I'm not sure how well they did, but the food was great (thanks to her coach/caterer Mrs. Lederman). To top it off, I believe they won the ballgame...it was one of those weird games that the defense has 10 plays then it switches to offense for 10 plays. Anyway, we scored 4 touch downs and Huntsville didn't score (that I remember). Jake had practice while Anna was cheering. Thank goodness the practice field is right next to the game field. Today is a good day...NOTHING afterschool!! Anna is going birthday party tomorrow for her friend Kenzie!! Happy Birthday Kenzie! She is having a bowling party, so that should be fun. Otherwise, it should be a quiet weekend. We are expecting the rain and storms from Hurricane Ike to come in sometime Sunday, so we'll probably be working in the yard all day Saturday.

I have a cousin, Bill, stationed in the Navy in Corpus Christi, Texas and my prayers are with him and his family today. Be safe if you live in that area and know we are all praying for you.

I had to put this picture in my blog today, but first, you must know the story behind it. This is Jake, my (almost) 10 year old son. His sister, Anna, loves to read. Right now she is reading a 1200 page book and stays up late each night reading it. Jake on the other hand, told me 2 days ago he HATES books and everything about them, but last night he laid down and look what he was doing....READING!!! The title is, "The Teacher's Funeral", but the point is HE was actually reading! I think this may be a small miracle.

Well, gotta go change out the laundry and fold a few clothes.

Bye for now!

Back from Labor Day!

I know, I know...I am WAY behind on my blogging!!! Actually, I don't really realize people read this until I start hearing from you wanting to know why I haven't updated my blog. So to those of you who check frequently....today is your day...I have a lot to blog about and LOTS of pictures. (16 to be exact!!) So relax, get comfortable, and I'll fill you in on my last couple of weeks!


For Labor Day, Joe's sons and their families came to visit. They had so much fun playing in the pool. This picture is of Alexis (David and Reecia's daughter) with Jake and Anna, and Katelynn (Brandon and Tonia's daughter). Alexis, Jake, and Katelynn are all in the 4th grade this year!

This is Nick (David and Reecia's son) How handsome is he? I think he gets his good looks from his Papa Joe, but maybe its just me!! What do you think?

And this is David throwing Nick approximately 10 feet in the air!!! David did this for a couple of hours with all the kids. I don't know how he did it! I'm sure he was worn out when he finished!!!

This is Klayton (Brandon and Tonia's son). He's pretty handsome too! I know he gets his good looks from his Papa Joe...there is no doubt here!

It was 2 fun-filled days and it could not have been better weather! So here is a cheer...uuhhh....pyramid for the official end of summer!

Joe's mom, Mary, stayed with us last week and along came hurricane Gustav!! On the weather channel they predicted that Gustav would make landfall and "park itself right in Arkansas!" Can you believe that for ONCE they were EXACTLY right??? It rained from Tuesday through Thursday morning nonstop!! We got about 6 1/2 inches total. Anna cheered Thursday afternoon and the weather was perfect.

Mrs. Mary and I went to the ear-shattering peprally, which I don't intend to ever do again!! I can not tell you how loud it was... of course it didn't help that we were sitting on the first row about 5 feet from the speaker! Anyway, the fans were more than a little excited I thought!!

We played Mayflower and as you can see...WE WON!!!!

This past weekend was "Deer-Plot Planting Weekend" at the Dunaway's! For those of you who are unfamiliar to hunting, this is the way we lure the deer onto our land so we can enjoy watching them. This probably sounds crazy to some, but we plant stuff to entice the deer to eat so we can watch them! Jake would prefer that we shoot them immediately upon site, but as I have told him..."as long as I live here, there will never be a deer shot on our land!" And to that he says,"When you die...I'll shoot them ALL!" That is one gene I KNOW he did not get from ME!!! Just sayin'.....

Anyway, back to the topic, we (Joe, Jake, Anna, Rebel, Zoey, Dixie, Jada, Roscoe and myself) went to the field...some rode 4-wheelers, some used other modes of transportation...

This is Roscoe. He takes a pretty good picture, but he has issues. I won't go into them here, but lets just say he is not my favorite pet!

This is Rebel... a dog after my own heart! He is kind, loving, and always a gentleman.

Back to our feed plot, we planted clover, turnip greens, rape (whatever the heck that is), rye grass, and some other stuff deer eat... It was almost dark before we finished planting everything, but it was a beautiful dusk! I don't know if you can see by these pictures, but the Canadian geese were getting ready to land in our pond. You can see them just above the mountain/treeline.

Yesterday was Jake's first football practice. He is going to be playing for the Eagles. He is hoping to play wide receiver, but we won't know for a couple of more practices. He just glows when he starts football season!

So, as you can see we have been keeping ourselves pretty busy! I would love a little scrapbook time all to myself...maybe after I make the beds, wash a couple of loads of laundry, vacuum, dust, take Anna to tumbling, check Jake's homework.....well, maybe I'll get a chance tomorrow.

Wish we could all be as relaxed as Butterscotch, whose only concern is when I'll open another can of food for him.


Bye for now!

It's that time of year again!!

This is one of my favorite times of year....FALL! I love it for thousands of reasons, but mainly because I get to watch my kiddos play and cheer at football games! It is getting a little cooler now and it is nice to be able to sit out on the porch or by the pool and listen to our water fall/fountain. The deer have been out a lot here...saw 9 last night and 4 again this morning.

There have been about 50 Canadian geese in our pond for the last week or so.

Last week we had a visitor of a different color....I have never seen these birds here before.

Zoe let them know real quick that they were not welcomed by her!!

So they left!

I just love it here. I never know what I will see when I look at the front door! I always dread when I see an armadillo, or heaven forbid, a SKUNK! Zoe never misses anything. If something comes on any of our land she knows instinctively...like an alarm was tripped! Here is Zoe.


Every day is a new day for this crazy dog. She is completely and utterly living each day to the fullest. As some of you know, she was found on our building site Christmas Eve of 2006, I believe. She was hairless, freezing, wet, and infested with mange. We figure she was probably 2 months old. Someone had poured used motor oil/diesel all over her, I suppose to try to cure the mange. She was literally next to death. Joe brought her home, rather than putting her out of her misery (bless his big heart). We nursed her back to health and she has never let us forget it! She is, as Ms. Abbie calls her, a Goofy Dog!, but I think that is what makes her so lovable. I often tell people, if she sees a bird you would think it was the VERY FIRST bird she had ever seen. She is that way about life...maybe we should learn something from her...maybe she is not that "goofy" after all. Maybe she just lives life.

I love you Zoe!

School is going great for Anna and Jake. I think Anna was made for Jr. High. She has loved every day of it so far! There is something to be said about that, cause Anna can always find something wrong, but not this time!!! Yeah! She has band first period. She is attempting to play the trombone. Anna cheered in the Red and White Scrimmage game last Friday night. They did a great job. All of the practicing this summer really paid off. I am so proud of her. I asked her after the game if it was as much fun as she thought it would be and she said, "More!!"

Anna is one of the bases. (middle, left)

She obviously has her Dad's brute strength!!

Jake seems to like 4th grade. He is really excited about football. We signed up last Saturday...x-small pants, small helment, small pads, 64 lbs! I think the scales may be a little off, but maybe the other team will think he is bigger than he really is!!! I'm sure they will be shaking in their boots, uh, I mean...cleats!

REBEL

These, I guess, are what they call the dog days of summer, as Rebel can attest to... I snapped this picture yesterday without him noticing. I love that dog!

We worked in the back yard all weekend trying to get ready for landscaping! It has been a lot of work and it has only begun. I hope to start putting out plants next week. Joe's Mom is coming and I'll get her expertise on what to plant and where to plant it! She loves doing that and I could use the guidance. Maybe I'll have pictures soon.

Here is a picture of my wonderful parents. Thought I'd throw that in for those of you who know and love them as much as we do! Anna took this pic in Florida.

Oh, and a few more of us from Florida that I found earlier today!

Anna and Jake in Florida

Bye for now!

Hip-Hip-Hooray!!!

Do you hear that? I do...listen...it's the sound of NOTHING!!! No, "Mama, I'm bored", "MOM!!", "Mom, can I go to (insert one of 10 girls names)?", "Mom, tell Jake to leave me alone!!!!" Well, you get the picture...It is officially the 1st day of school!!

Does she look nervous?

Too bad you couldn't see the plaid shoes!! He think if it is plaid, it must match!! I have to choose my battles and this is not one I choose!!!

We got up pretty early, ironed a few things and out the door we went to take pictures! Everything went fairly smooth...surprisingly. Anna wanted to take her lunch as they only have 30 minutes to serve 3 classrooms for lunch. Probably close to 450 kids! Anyway, she didn't want to have to wait forever then gobble down her food (right before P.E.).

I have been real busy since they left, but I am thinking about them constantly!! Anna is in a new school this year. Its also her first year to have a locker and that brings its own set of problems!! She has a bottom locker and has heard a few nightmares about the mean, ugly, hateful kids that dwell in the top lockers. Hopefully she won't have any bruises or cuts when she gets home!!

It's going to be a busy week...cheerleading practice, football sign ups, tumbling (or stumbling as my dad calls it), haircut with highlights for Anna, Red and White football game, and dentist appointment somewhere in there for Joe!

We have had two birthdays in the past couple of weeks...The first one was Anna on August 1. The orange dots on the right side are for the candles (all 12)!! ha

Here is Anna's cake.

This is Joe's cake...August 12

Well, I'm trying to clean my pantry and organize it a little better, so wish me luck!! Tomorrow I'm off to the laundry room..Bye for now!

Sorry, but internet is lacking here...takes about 15 minutes to load a page! Anyway, I'm here and wanted to say hello to everyone. We have had a blast this week!!
Gran, Joe, Anna & Jake all went parasailing today. I heard they had a great time...here is the picture to prove it!!


We have eaten at several places. Tonight and last night we at at The Back Porch. It is next door to us here at the condo and the food is really good. We have eaten at Joe's Crab Shack once and Ruth's Chris Steak House once.

Last night we walked on the beach and lucky for us...NO JELLYFISH!!!!!! We went racing today...I can't help but be a little competitive! Jake loves that about me! ha


Can you imagine our Gran in bumper cars?? She has been a real trooper. She may not be able to get out of bed next week, but man did she have a ball!!


We are planning on going to Big Kahuna's all day tomorrow. It will be a lot of water and HEAT!! Gran and Papa are heading back to Arkansas in the morning. I will try to post again later.

Bye for now!

Hello Fom Destin!

Well, after 2 days on the road, we finally made it to Florida!! Actually, we could have made it in 1 day, but we took a few detours along the way. We stopped in Mississippi to visit with Uncle Tommy and Aunt Carol (and more importantly Cara Beth)!! Anna and Jake had so much fun with her. We celebrated Anna's 12th Birthday with them. Thank you both for letting us visit!! Here is a picture of the kids.



Aunt Carol suggested we try Felix's Fish Camp in Mobile, Alabama for dinner and she was right! It was delicious! Here is Anna posing in front of the restaurant.

Then, from there we made it to the beach in Destin!! Jake and Anna couldn't wait to get on the beach, until they heard the word "Jellyfish!!!" Jake got stung on the top and back of his foot and had to be soaked with vinegar, the treatment for jellyfish stings if you don't have meat tenderizer apparently. Today Joe and Jake have gone to ride go-carts and look around while the rest of us recuperate and relax!! Hope everyone is having a great week...


Bye for now...