the best night ever!!

we had our first sleepover with some of the kiddos' friends this weekend.  they had a blast!  especially jumping on the air mattress / trampoline!  they were all saying "this is the best night ever!!"  miss a & little a were so good, couldn't ask for a better first slumber party for the kiddos.  we even made it to church early on sunday!  i had some super fun pictures from the night, but my computer ate them...
but it sure was fun!

mr. sweetie heart

my little beach bunny fell in love with a dead jelly fish on vacation.  she named him mr. sweetieheart. i learned something new there too.  these jellyfish on the beach didn't have tentacles, so they didn't sting (as least that's what the beach guy said)

see the heart she has drawn around him

we brought him back to the beachhouse for 1 day, until the smell was just a bit too fishy for mommy to take even outside.  then her & daddio had a burial for her pet jellyfish. 


onto my little mr. sweetieheart.... he found a gurlfriend first day out on the beach & an older one at that!  8 years old!   she gave him a couple of hugs & would always say hi to him when we were at the ocean. (i'm not supposed to talk about it though, of course!) she gave me a little shell with a hole in it to make a necklace.  what a sweetieheart!

pretty pictures of you

my miss gracie faye, i love to dress you up & take your picture.  i know soon you won't let me either.  i grabbed the opportunity at the beach one evening when we were flying the kite aunt donna got for ben & you were a trooper.  thank you, my beauty.

but sometimes you can be a sassy cat!

but i still & will always love you as far as the ocean is wide & all the way up to jesus - just like you tell me. 

& that's the end!



these are a few of his favorite things...

from vacation:

root beer.  they only get sodas on special occasions, so it is a real treat!!

monopoly.  really it is, despite that look there.  it was early in the morn & he was ready to play.

namaw was a major trooper & played a looong game with him!  she is the epitome of paitience.

riding the waves!!

taking random pictures on momma's camera...

playing- or tormenting big cousins & other family members!

flying a kite (& trying to get us with it!! - that's daddio behind that froggie kite)

his daddio & sissy (& momma of course)

hanging with his namaw & poppy & rest of the fam

that boy is a hard one to serious picture of!

life is a highway, i wanna ride it

all day long.  yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.  especially with a almost 4 & a 5 1/2 year old!!

what did we do in the van on the way to saint simons?  nintendo ds, movies, eating, eating, eating (mainly me),  some fussing, potty breaks, riddly riddly ree, read some books, made some potholders, teased each other, slept & said "are we there yet" a bazillion times.  ben's favorite thing to say!

chillin

eating - gets it from momma

cheese teeth

her elvis look with food in her teeth

they were so happy when we just stopped at the hotel after the first leg of our trip.  ben told poppy he "was happy just to be somewhere!"   it was so nice to break up the trip into 2 days.  gave us fun hotel time 4 sure!

you're busted!!

mr. zackers got caught while we were outside checking out the baby turtle daddio rescued from the pool skimmer.  cleaning up the kiddos' lunch leftovers.

the turtle has yet to have a name from gracie, but i'm sure that's coming.  & so are our pictures & memories from st. simons!!

prayers for little ones, mommas & daddys & safe travels!!

so much exciting news was abound yesterday! please pray for our friends traveling to get to hold their precious son, kad for the first time.  .

almost a piker truck

daddio went out to our boonvegas land to dump out some brush monday prior to a cookout.   apparantly, he almost got stuck (but didn't).

reminded me of the good ole days muddin back home.  oh, those days!! can't write about them.

gracie & i took it to the car wash monday night.  i shoulda taken a picture of our muddiness afterward!  a mess! 

pomp & circumstance & PARTY!!

oh, my goddaughter is now a high school graduate.  how proud i am of you, aub.  your maturity & spirit at this age are so to be admired.  i have no good advice for you, your family has done such an awesome job raising all you gals (i'm glad to be a part of it).  keep God as your first priority & He has your plan for you.  i love you.

the graduating class (ok, i was a bit annoyed you couldn't throw your hats in the air or even turn your tassels, but that's just me).

the proud sistas & momma & daddy

& then the party!!


all of the big kids were so cool there too & played so kind with ben & gracie.


this is gracie's new friend.  she was enamored by her.   i need to get her name.

i won't say why, but if you look, ben has had about 4 shorts changes.  i don't think he has laughed that hard in a long time.  & the big kids were so cool about it all.  what a great group of friends you have aub!

a future football star here!

a cute to boot! 

who's your cabinet?? (hoosier cabinet from my mom) - yes i am spoiled

we recently discovered a store in petersburg called "the underground," a curiosity shop with antiques, knick-knacks, you name it!  & priced sooo beyond reasonable!!  it will be replacing my favorite looking around shop in evansville that is closing lost & found this weekend.  go there for some great deals if you are in evansville!!

well, yesterday the kiddos & i went up to petersburg to give pap his bath & check on poor reggie dog (his kidneys are starting to fail).  mom asked me to make sure i returned the buffy dvds' to the underground for her that i had purchased (as a cheap pick me up for her to relax, but she already had them) (i said, that store has it all!). 

after pap's bath, we stopped at the courthouse to visit damaw & all at work.  she asked me if i returned the dvds yet or not.  umm, no.. so, we headed to the store.  of course, i went straight to the hoosier cabinet that i just thought was beautiful & couldn't believe it was still in there! there was no longer a price tag on it & my heart dropped a bit, but really, where would we put it & such.  i still did open the doors & look what was inside!!  mom said she was in such a rush, she forgot my last name!

my momma made me tear up & totally surprised me (& i am not one to be surprised).  i just love it.  mom, you didn't have to do that, but i thank you so.  i love you & all that you do for everyone.  you are such a rock for me, even though at times i know you don't feel so.  thank you for being my mom.

here's the cabinet!

 i think i might sew up some curtains similar to our tablecloth from some of my grandma's old material..

now the biggest dilemma - where on earth to put it? 

here's in our kitchen / dining room area: 

i didn't clean up our clutter for these pictures, but here are some options we have on where to go..
where gracie's play kitchen was (i will need to move the artwork hangers behind).  we could put some of her play food in there & other toy junk.  & anyone want a play kitchen??

also in our kitchen / dining room area:where our little black table & notes & filing cabinet & junk & clutter are...

or a different room -
in our rug room/play room (really, the playroom is our entire home)  where our pirate ship is that ben got for christmas (this was from santa, but i got in a deal where it was free, so i don't feel so bad about parting with it).  in this room, we have my grandparent's old piano in 1 corner, a basketball goal in another, kiddo trampoline in another, a little yardsale pinball machine that still gets played with & pop up ball pit in the last.  i thought we could use it as toy storage in there.  

soo...
where should it go?  oh, where should it go??