Merry Christmas- 2009

I guess that my kids must have been pretty good for Santa to come this year!! By the look of things, the jolly ole man must have thought so too!!

It's pretty sad to think that if it wasn't for me and Mike waking them up, they would all sleep through Christmas! We all go downstairs and wait for the kids to come running down the steps! My parents, brother, and my grandmother all come over every year to watch my kids open their gifts, then my mama cooks us breakfast! I am so lucky that my kids get to have all of them come every year!! You can tell by the few pictures that the kids enjoyed their gifts!! I normally do not get alot of still pictures, because I am to busy video taping everything!!

Cristmas Card 2009

This is our Christmas card picture. I usually have to take alot in order to get 1 good shot!! Not this year. This is the one and only picture that I took!! Everyone was well behaved..even the dog!!

Thanksgiving 2009

What a day of Blessings. I am very blessed to have such a great family. I am blessed for a good hard working husband, great kids, loving parents, a healthy brother and sister, brother-in-law, and niece. Lots of aunts, uncles and cousins, and last but not least my nana!!

I am so glad that we can all come together every year from other states and spend time together.

Our family Thankgivings are spent in Springfield, Tn at the senior citizens bldg on the square. It is just a big building with lots of space and a tv for the men to watch their football! The kids all have space to hang out, and the women all go over the ads in the paper and map out where we are going first on black friday to shop!!!

Every year everyone stands infront of the same painted wall to take their family pictures!!

The first picture of course is my family. The second picture is my grandmothers grankids, and the third one is her great-grand- kids(minus Hailey).

2009 Fall Soccer

Jackson really loves playing soccer! This is his 3rd season to play. This season we "played him up" which means that he is playing with kids a little bit older than he is. We did this so that we could stay with our favoriate coach, and his son Mark! At first I thought that we may have made a mistake by moving Jackson up. The kids were a little bit bigger that he was, but after a few games Jackson was just as tuff as the older kids! He got to play goalie some this year, he really loved that!!
He has become a pretty good soccer player. I am glad that he really likes it. Soccer is the one sport other than hockey that I don't really know the rules, but I have learned alot about it!! Thanks to Coach O'Brien for being such a great coach and to Kim for being a good friend!

Titans Win!!!

Kristy had called me earlier in the week and invited me to go to the Titans game with her. I said yes, but as it closer to Sunday, I was honestly dreading going. Not because of the company, but I was really not on the Titans bandwagon because of how bad they had been playing. I knew that someone was telling me I should go, because on Sunday morning, my friend Lola called and invited me to go too!! That was my sign that I must go!!! I will be the first to say that I am so glad that I went!! The game was AWESOME!! We started off sitting the first half of the game in Kristy's seats....way up high!! Everything was going good until Bruce showed up!! He is some random titans fan who has seats next to Kristy!! All I can say is that Bruce is a funny drunk!!! The second half of the game we sat in the club level!! Now that is some good seats!!

I had a fun Sunday. Thanks Kristy for inviting me to go..I had a blast!!!

Jackson's 6th Birthday

Wow...Can't believe that Jackson is already 6 years old...time sure does fly by. We had a big party with lots of family, friends, and of course FOOD!!!

Jackson picked out a soccer cake this year, we thought that it would be fun to have his fall soccer picture on it, since afterall we are in the middle of the fall soccer season! His cake turned out really cute, and was good too!!

We are so lucky to have such a sweet and good boy...not to mention soooo cute. Happy Birthday Jackson..We love you!

First Day Of School

Well our day started very early this morning!! Ashlee was the first shift. I took her to school and dropped her off. I can not believe that I have a Sophmore! She is really excited about being at school. She just loves high school so much!

Jackson was second! Mike had him awake when I came home from dropping off Ashlee. As soon as I walked in the door, he said"Are you taking me to school?" I told him yes, but he didn't like that! He wanted to walk by himself. Oh my goodness I could have cried!! He did let me walk him, but he would not hold my hand as we walked across the street! As soon as we got inside the front door of the buildng he grabbed my hand!! The farther we walked down the hall, the tighter he held my hand!! I was sorda hanging out in his classroom, and he told me that I could leave!! I guess he was ready for me to leave!! I went ahead and left without a tear!! He was so excited when he got home. He wanted to go the next day (Saturday), but was disappointed when I told him that he had to wait until Monday!! Tuesday will be his first whole day.

Mackenzie and Natalie were next. The middle school doesn't start until 9:00. It took me 35 minutes to drive 2 miles down the road to the school. Needless to say we were late the very first day!! Oh well!! Mackenzie still let me walk her to her first period class. Then I walked Natalie to her class. They both looked so cute in their SSA clothes.

I can not believe that all of my kids have grown so much! I no longer have any babies left. I have been so blessed to have been able to stay home with them. I know that at times it has been hard on Mike being our only source of income, but I really don't think that either of us would have wanted it any other way!!

Last Fun Day Before School....

Today we went to Nashville Shores for our last day of summer fun!! It was so nice because there wasn't many people out...I guess since some of the other schools had already started. Jenny and Shelby went with us, oh..and Mariah too!! We all had alot of fun. Shelby seemed to really have fun too. We love her so much!! The group of kids that Ashlee hangs around with were there too!! There are more boys than girls, but they are all really good kids that come from really good families that are very involved in the school. The other girl that was in the group moved a few weeks ago. I know that Ashlee and Mariah will miss Danielle.

We had a great time this summer going to Nashville Shores. I really feel that we got our monies worth out of our seasons passes. Can't wait until next summer.

Josie's Back To School Lunch

If you have read my post regarding Josie's birthday, then you are aware that she hasn't been feeling very well. But Josie being her very driven self insisted that she fix me and the kids a Back to School Lunch.

It was very good..Chicken ala King over cornbread(or egg bread as Josie calls it!), green beans, a salad, and a frozen fruit salad, and of course a chocolate pie!! It was very good, always is!!

We had a great time visiting with Josie and June(my favorite cousin!!), Josie had went out and bought the kids a few school supplies!

Thanks for the lunch we loved it and love you too!

The Mack Family

On Sunday, my daddy's brother and sisters were able to get together. His sister Carolyn was in from Texas, so little sister Norma had everyone to her house for a family get together. We had lots of fun catching up with everyone. I wish that they all lived in the same state so that they could see each other all the time.

We had a great time and the food was good, especially the potatoe salad and the homemade salsa!!

In the picture are all of the brother and sisters. From left to right: Tommy( the baby), Norma Jean (4th oldest), Daddy(the oldest), Carolyn (3rd oldest & oldest girl!), and Ralph(2nd oldest)

Ralph just got out of the hospital, he is recovering from bladder cancer. We all hope that he can start to get aroud and feel better soon.

Can't wait until next year!!

Jackson's Lemonade Sale

Jackson has been asking to have a lemonade sale for a while now. I think that he got the idea off of the disney channel or something like that. I had told him that I had one when i was a little girl, and that Nana had a picture of it at her house. So Friday morning, I made up 2 gallons of lemonade so that it could start getting cold. At around 3:00 we went to the store to buy some cups. We finally got set up at around 3:30, at Nana and Papa's house. We set us up a table in the front yard. By 4:50, he had already made $18.50!! It was so funny to watch him. He would get so excited every time someone would stop. Most people would give him a dollar, and told him to keep the change!!

He has put his money in his bank at home. He is wanting to buy some kind of a car at Target!

Happy 89th Birthday Josie

Tuesday, August 4th was my grandmother's(Nana) birthday. We didn't get to celebrate until Saturday, August 8th. Actually Josie had just got out of the hospital on that Monday, the day before her birthday!

We all got together at Grant and Winnie's house for a great dinner. My aunt Vicki made a cake that has all the names that we call Nana. See... I am the oldest grandchild, so I grew up calling her Nana as did all of my cousins. Fast forward 24 years, and my kids start calling her Josie, (which is her real name), only because they call my Mama and Daddy Nana & Papa!! So part of us call her Nana, and the rest of us call her Josie!!

I am very fortunate that my kids have a great grandmother that they get to see on a regular basis.

Josie, we hope that the next 89 years will be as good to you as the last 89 were!!

We love you.

Miss Shelby Marie

Today, we had a little "Meet and Greet" for Jenny and sweet precious Shelby. We were so excited to finally get everyone together to see Shelby for the first time. We had a few people to come over for a little visit. We all enjoyed some good cake, and Shelby enjoyed her big bowl of M&Ms!! She was so funny to watch!! She really likes Ashlee. Shelby and Hailey really liked each others shoes!! I think that we got Shelby on a little chocolate high!! We are so thankful that Jenny and Shelby have finally found each other, after three years and 10 months, alot of tears, and many long days and nights, these two are finally one big happy family. I could not be any happier for both of them. We love you!!

Back to School Cleaning

The first day of school is just around the corner..that means dentist time!! Jackson really loves going to the dentist. I hope that he will always like going, and not have any fear of the dentist. He had a very good check up! No "bugs" in his mouth!!

Mrs. Cathy's Retirement Party

Mrs. Cathy threw a huge "Thank You" party last Sunday. I really wish that I would have taken more pictures, but I wasn't really thinking!! This was a very emotional day for anyone that went to the party. The whole front parking lot was full of huge white tents. Under each tent were round tables with of course pink table clothes and white chairs. Each table had centerpieces of pink and white balloons. The balloons had crystal rhinestones glued to them! the whole party was catered. We had hot dogs, hamburgers, chicken fingers, Cole slaw, baked beans, chips, and desserts. She even had a D.J.! Two metro council members came and read a declaration from the mayors office declaring it Cathy Turner Day! There were so many people there from as far away as California! We all had a great time, but it was very emotional! We love Mrs. Cathy very much. A new girl is leasing the building from Mrs. Cathy, and dancing will stay in the little grey building. It will never be the same!

FUTURE DIRT CAR RACER

Brian (my brother)came by on Saturday with the dirt car on the trailer. Right when Jackson saw him pull up he went running out the door and to the car!! Of course Brian let him climb in,and of course Jackson talked Brian into starting it up!! It was funny to watch the people of other nationalities react to a very LOUD dirt car!!

Duck and Cover!!

The kids were out in the pool swimming while I was in the house. I kept on hearing all of this screaming and yelling. I went outside to see what the fuss was all about, and it was over this little birdie!! Someones parakeet was lost and flying around in the backyard. It kept on trying to land in the pool, and at one point finally landed on my float. Mackenzie thought that she would be brave and held out her finger. The bird came flying toward her, and she took off screaming! Poor bird! It finally landed on the deck, and sat there while I took a picture of it. We haven't seen it since!! I guess the kids scared it off!!

We Sometimes Forget How Pretty Some Things Are

A few weeks ago, we were outside with our new dog. The moon looked so cool, that I just had to see if I could get a good picture of it with my new camera and this is how it turned out. How cool is that?

Happy Fourth Of July

Normally we have our family 4th of July get together at my house, but this year we went to June and John's house in Hermitage. We had lots of fun seeing everyone. This year my cousins from Kentucky were able to come down and join us! June had lots of good food for us. We were all enjoying the Hot weather, until the lovely rain came down on us!! We all took cover in the garage and continued our festivities, without the fireworks!! Hope that everyone had a great holiday. Next year...we will be back at my house!!!

End Of An Era

We received some very sad news on Sunday night. After 34 years of teaching dance, Mrs. Cathy has decided to retire. We are all in shock, but knew that it was coming, just not so soon. We have been there since Ashlee was 4 years old. She has been dancing since she was 2, but at another studio. For the past 11 or so years, we all have made some great friends at dance, and we all have tons of great memories that we will never forget.

The girls have no idea what they want to do. We just can't imagine dancing for any one other than Mrs. Cathy! What a wonderful christian role model that she has been for my girls. We will miss the studio, friends, and Mrs. Cathy very much.

We Got A new Puppy!!

I know that I said that I wanted to wait a while before I got another dog...but I couldn't help it!! Yesterday I saw an ad in the paper for beagle puppies. I called the man this morning, and we went to Lebanon to go LOOK only!! I warned the kids not to be upset if we didn't get one, because I was going to be very picky on the one that I choose!! My mama & daddy went with us. Mike was in a lake somewhere fishing, and of course he had no idea!!

As we were walking to the barn, the man was telling me about how many different litters of pups that he had. Before we could even get close I saw the one that I wanted!! I immediately got her out and held her the whole time. Of course the kids liked all of the puppies, especially the smaller ones. After about an hour of looking and trying to get Jackson to understand that the smaller puppies were going to grow and be as big as the one that I had choose, he finally agreed to the one!! We already knew that we wanted a girl, and she already had a name...Rosie Mae!

During the whole time that Biscuit was sick, Jackson never cried, even the day that we put him to sleep. Before we got in the car to leave with the new puppy...he just breaks don and starts crying. The only thing that we could come up with was that he was relieved that he got another dog. Before we could even get Jackson in the car, he said "If this dog dies can I get another one?" What do you say? Of course I said yes!

Miss Rosie is 7 weeks old and is soo cute!!

Dane Reital 2009

This weekend was the girls dance recital that is held at TPAC downtown. As usual it was a great performance. All three of the girls danced well and looked so pretty on stage. This year Mike got to dance with Natalie in her ballet. It was a very pretty dance, and Mike looked so handsome up on stage!
I can't believe that Ashlee only has 3 more recitals until she graduates! She has been dancing since she was 2 years old!

After dress rehearsal and the actual two nights of recital, we are all pretty worn out!!

Cheerleaders...again!!

This week Ashlee and Mackenzie both had cheerleading tryouts at their schools. It was a very busy week to begin with, dance, dog being sick, Mackenzie's birthday, Ashlee's school play, Jacksons soccer pratice...just plain busy and crazy.

They both had cheer clinics for a few days before the actual tryouts. Ashlee tried out on Wednesday, and made it! Mackenzie tried out on Thursday(her birthday) and made it!

We are very proud of both of them. They really love this cheerleading stuff. It's fun..until they both have to be at the same place at the same time!!!

Go Ravens.....Ashlee
Go Cubs......Mackenzie

Not A Good Outcome.....

I took Biscuit to the Southside Vet for a third opinion. The results were the same. The only difference was that Biscuit had already lost feeling in his lower body, and was dragging himself around. His body and brain were not communicating to each other. The end result was that I could not watch my dog live a pitiful life anymore. I had him put down yesterday afternoon. I have cried for him so much that my face feels numb. The kids are taking it better than I have. Of course, I was the one that has been emotionally involved. They want another dog, but I am in no hurry to get one.

Today has been hard, I have been cleaning and getting rid of all of Biscuits toys and things. I know that I will get over it, but loosing a pet is like loosing a member of your family. In the last year and 5 days I have had to put both of my dogs down. That's what hurts the most.

Thank you to everyone that has called and checked on me. I appreciate it.