Merry Mountain Christmas

We had a great Christmas in the Smokies this year. We rented a cabin and my side of the family spent 5 days together in a large house with lots of food and good wine.

Here is the trip backward:

Santa left gifts, here are Jackson and Linley's piles:

Just before bedtime the three youngest cousins left out cookies for Santa.  Unfortunately the magic of Santa is gone for Jackson and there is only so much pretending an 8 year old boy can do.

The kids each got a Christmas Eve gift and Jackson got a waterproof camera from Gee and Grandaddy.  I promise to share those awesome underwater pictures another day:)  Can't you see him saying "YESSS!"

LOTS of wrestling and horsing around happened

This is the post scavenger hunt treat for finding everything on their lists:

Our Scavenger hunt that Aunt Cake planned:

 My favorite outing was our first day there and we went snow tubing.  This was so much fun, even buying really expensive gloves since no one thought to bring gloves to the mountains, in the winter, on a snowy hill:)

Second favorite part of the trip was Kate giving Jim his Christmas present early our first night:
A trip to Italy with four of his Closest Friends!!!!!!!  Yeah!  

Can't wait for that trip:)

Disney: The Last Time On Our Dime (I hope:)

So we have now fulfilled our duty to take both kids to Disneyworld.  While it was fun and memorable, I hope to not go back for a looooooooooonnnnnnnnnnnnggg time.  The trip included Linley's first airplane ride, lots of roller coasters, dramamine, and of course Princesses.

All the photos are from my phone since I spilled an entire water bottle on my camera:(  

Here is proof of our roller coaster loving kids on Space Mountain:

and splash mountain

We rode this until the thing broke!  This picture was taken on the ride while we were waiting for it to be repaired.

Linley really wanted to ride the rock n roller coaster but she was just not tall enough.  Instead she played in the gift shop with me while the boys rode.

And then there were the characters:

 Mary Poppins was my favorite, Jackson thought the ugly stepsisters were funny and Linley loved Sleeping Beauty.

Warrior Family

 This all started last year as Darrell and I finished our first Warrior Dash.  It is a fun race with obstacles with a fun atmosphere.  After we finished my mom casually said, "I am going to do that next year."  And she did, but not just her, Darrell's mom did it too!

See the crazy woman on top of the cargo net?  That's my mom (proud daughter here)

 Here are the crazy grandmas before the race.

 Darrell and I started 30 minutes after them so we didn't get to see them finish, but Jackson snapped this picture of us in the mud just before the finish line.

And after the race in our red clay died skin.  The tired finishers. 

 Next year MacDaddy wants to join us.

Spunky, Sassy and All Things Sweet

Linley's sick, super 5 year birthday.

 This is her opening her gift from Darrell and I on her actual birthday.  Oh and Daddy remembered her request a few weeks ago about getting flowers.  A+ for him!

 

Linley was sick all weekend of her party so there was no cake eating or pizza eating.  Just a few sips of Sprite.  She was a trooper and skated the entire time anyway.

 And just one picture of the besties, because you know, someday it might be in the rehearsal dinner slide show.

This was my favorite, although blurry, picture of Linley and some of her crazy friends.

As I watch her grow and learn to appreciate her the way she is instead of trying to change her into me, I am finding that I fall more in love with how God created her and her spunky, sassy, sweet loving self.

Sweet Day

Grams said it best when she said, "Jackson now you are not only my grandson, but my brother in Christ."

Alleway Water Aerobics

We haven't seen the rain her for quite some time, so when the rain came down yesterday-the kids went OUT.  My neighbor and I were snug and dry under the cover of the garage.

The rain play started as puddle jumping, but ended up as sitting the rain run off.

The laying in it...

Then the alleyway aerobics began:

THE END.