Elements of a Surprise

The Ingredients for a great surprise:


1. Have a reason to celebrate ( I think a 60th birthday counts):
2. Have participants hide in the dark then blind them with flash photography:

3. Capture the surprise on camera

4. Have relatives act natural:

5. Let the guest of honor pick out the cake/pie of choice (even if it is spice cake-blech)
For extra credit on a completely awesome surprise weekend you should also include one or more of the following:

6. Homemade cinnamon rolls that it took you and your siblings 5 hours to make but less than five minutes to devour.

7. At least one puking passed out child in a grandparents arms.

7. and/or one bloody scooter accident!
Love ya dad-Happy 60th Birthday and I hope you enjoyed it as much as we all did.

Nothing Funny

I pretty much have nothing funny, witty or inspiring to say, but I do have a few cute pictures from our Halloween night.

This started the festivities: Trunk or Treat at Linley's school. I should have taken that BEWARE sign to heart as little did I know that the weekend would be filled with a car wreck another car in the shop and a little vommitting. Good times had by all! No really it was a super fun weekend.


Aren't they all cute?

This was about the last time we saw this guy. The girls were WAY too slow for his style so he went on ahead with the big kids of the neighborhood.

The girls meanwhile kept a nice leisurely pace.

Until 2 streets later they too had pooped out.

Until next year friends!

I Might Be Guilty

So I read this post today and laughed my butt off.

Maybe I just laughed because it was funny.
Maybe I laughed because someone prayed it for us.
Maybe I laughed because I prayed it for someone else.
Maybe I laughed, because I use the word "spirited" to describe one of mine.
Maybe I laughed because I have her:In this blurry picture, my sweet precious, spirited child. While she may not run around with sharpies in her hands, she most certainly demands to wear the same Christmas dress day after day and then proceeds to get a sucker stuck in her already untameable(is that a word?) crazy hair.

Happy Fall

If fall means...

...stealing chips at outdoor gatherings



...face painting at every event




...adorable haunted hand me downs
...dirty farm animals being chased

...corn mazes with old friends

...hayless hayrides


...silly shenanigans


...soaring high

...climbing through allergy laden tunnels

...and ring around the bathtub then we have succeeded in enjoying fall.

Meredith's Last Night Out

My last two single friends are finally tying the knot. Amanda planned an awesome bachelorette day for Potts.

It started on the boat:
I was so very nervous because I had never driven a pontoon boat before.


The boat had a slide and jumping platform from the top. Here's the bride to be sliding into the cold water.

Of course it was a girls only party, except for Percy, our bodyguard.


Then the night moved to matching t-shirts...

...and ended with Potts singing on stage at the Tonks.
The End.

What I Like About Sundays

Raise your hands up in the air...


...wave 'em like you just don't care

...uh huh

uh huh

uh huh uh huh uh huh (or something like that)

Then we tumble

and fall

Then, because I didn't make her nap, I look out the window and see this for
10 minutes

20 minutes

...and after 30 minutes I find this adorable creature napping under the slide right where the rabbits like to excuse themselves.

And during all of this Jackson decided to round up all the kids within ear shot to play loud games all around the neighborhood.
...and that is what I like about Sundays:)

Laboring at the Lake

We had a fun weekend at the lake and the UT game-Go Vols, but we did labor at the lake. If you have been to Mac and Polly's cabin you know just how much labor is involved in climbing the hill.


We decided to jump in the water...

...but Linley decided that she'd rather not.

So daddy encouraged her...

...and ended up with a pirate eye.


Then he had to show off:
1.
2.

3.

Silliness was involved...


...and bravery.
A young driver in training...
... and one mother sinking.
The End.