Summer Goals 2013

It is official, I have turned in my resignation and thanks to my incredible husband I will get to try being a stay at home mom.  This new full-time job of mine isn't set to start until the end of May, but that hasn't stopped me from making a list of things I want to do this summer:

Our goals for "The Best Summer EVER!"

Canoe the Harpeth

Go to the Library

Tell scary stories in the dark

Backyard Camping

Real Camping

Paint (outside:)

Make a lemonade stand

Play at the spray park downtown

Go fishing

Have a picnic

Water fight

Play dress up with Linley

Go to a farmer's market

Make smores

Plant veggies

Family Movie Night

Go to movie in the park at Pinkerton

Have a baking day and deliver to neighbors

Make homemade popsicles

Eat breakfast for lunch

Play board games

Go to the zoo

Have a banana split Party

Visit a Museum

Go to the beach and see Great Grandma and Great Grandpa

Paint our nails-Let Jackson paint something that isn't his nails

Roller Skate

Wash the Car

Have a tea Party

Do a science experiment

Have a Karaoke contest

Go bowling

Have a dance party

Go to dragon Park

Build a HUGE fort

Go to VBS

Ride Bikes to the donut shop and actually eat a donut

Go hiking

Take lots of pictures and Make a photo book

Make a time capsule

Do the Barnes and Noble summer reading program

Do pinterest Activities

Go to Sonic happy hour

Mail artwork to grandparents and great grands

Pick up trash on Darrell's running trail

What do you think?  Can we do them all?  Am I missing things?

He's Nine

 I really can't believe he is 9 or that I have a 9 year old.  I do love him so much and here are just 9 reasons why:

1. He chooses wisely the friends he keeps near and offers great loyalty, laughs and adventures to them.
2.  He loves to perform "random gravity checks"
3. He always says "I'm Okay" after those "random gravity checks"
4. He is wise beyond his years in ways no school test could ever measure.
5. He asks me questions about life, God, and eternity that make me feel both proud and stupid:)
6. He has a great love for all things outdoors and I hope that will lead to many years of us being able to "play" together.
7.  He risked getting made fun of on the bus because he answered YES(by raising his hand) to the question: "Raise your hand if you like your Dad"  [side note: it is sad that he was made fun of for this, it is sad that not everyone raised their hands, but I am so proud that he has a dad worthy of a hand raise.]
8. He makes a room light up with his smile, jokes, and general sense of lightheartedness
9.  He loves others in a way that is a great reflection of God's love of me.

Happy last year of Single-digits.  We all love you!

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."