Mattox Madness

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-12-22T07:32:00.001-08:00

We spent Thanksgiving with Craig's side of the family this year! It was a great visit. We stayed with Ann and Todd and the kids had plenty of time to play and enjoy each other. Ann prepared a fabulous meal and we enjoyed visiting, laughing and counting all our blessings! We finished the week off by watching AUburn beat Bama!!! (sorry ANN and TOdd!!!) War Eagle!

working on the Thanksgiving dinner!

Grandmama with all the grandchildren!

wait.... is that a REAL smile???? :)

Wearing Grandmama's glasses!!

Playing games with the cousins!

Katie and her best Buddy!

Ben with his cousin Sarah!

Gorgeous Caroline!

a beautiful table with YUMMY food!

Thankful for all our many blessings this year!

Disney 2010

2010-12-20T07:11:00.001-08:00

This was our 3rd annual trip to Disney. We have become official Disney FREAKS!!!! The highlights of this year were:
Paramedics called to the room the FIRST night for Ben... (he was fine just a touch of a stomach bug!)
The Halloween Party
Being Picked as the Family of the Day at the Grand Floridian and getting a room upgrade!!
Ben riding Space Mountain 9 TIMES!!!
Experiencing Epcot and all it had to offer
Pin Trading (this is a ROYAL money pit but it was alot of fun!)
O'Hana's
Ben not having a major tantrum while we were there!
Watching Katie and Ben still love every moment of Disney and all its magic!

our pretty room at the Grand Floridian

We spent more time this year at Epcot. We rode two of the best rides... Soarin' and Test Track... They were awesome!!

my sweet bumble bee!

My Air Force Pilot... Top Gun, anyone??

We love Halloween at Disney!

By Far the funniest moment...Bullseye TRYING to dance with Craig... Craig deleted the best pictures but it was soooo funny watching Craig handle this

Alice in Wonderland with Katie and "Benny-Boo".. at the character breakfast!

Dinner at O'Hana's by far the best meal of the week!

Katie dancing with the block party!!!

Below are pictures of Ben's Jedi Training. Craig waiting in line for almost 2 hours for Ben to do this but it was WORTH it. Ben was so brave fighting Darth!!!!

meeting Darth for the first time... yikes!

Fighting DARTH VADAR... he was so tough... (Ben, that is!) I would have been terrified!

Riding on the Riverboat!

Our beautiful hotel!

katie and the Princess and the "Frog"

campfire singing with Chip and Dale!

watching the parade... for the 100th time... but it never gets old!!!

getting her picture done!

sit very still, Ben!

the finished drawing!

THE END!!!!!

well... It's About TIme....

2010-12-20T06:51:00.000-08:00

Finally I am updating the blog!!!! Below are pics from Katie's 8th birthday party with all her "girlfriends" at Treetop!!!! They had a blast playing laser tag, riding go-carts, eating cake and pizza, playing putt-putt and playing video games!!!!!

The Cake by Wendy!!!!!

playing putt-putt with Ben!

Craig getting his "baby fix" with Ryan Frances!

The Whole Gang!

posing!!

Happy 8th Birthday sweet Katie!

Back to School 2010

2010-08-30T15:04:00.000-07:00

The First Day of School..... Finally I have 2 elementary school students!!!!

My sassy Second Grader!

My Silly Kindergartener!

Mission Trip Part 2... Finally!

2010-08-21T07:22:00.001-07:00

I am finally getting around to do the second part of our trip blog.... I have over 200 pictures from this trip and it is hard to choose which ones to post.... This is just a glimpse of what we did this week... we painted, moved, landscaped, cleaned, read, ripped out, fellowshipped, prayed, worshipped, laughed all week... It was such a neat experience to share with our children and other families!!!

We began every morning in the fellowship hall to eat breakfast, have a devotion and prayer time and to get our marching orders for the day!
then we began work... for the kids and moms we worked in the morning and then took the kids to swim and rest in the afternoons...

Now that is concentration!!!

ripping up carpet!

I got the chance to teach sit and fit aerobics... this was so much fun... and I got spend some great time with these godly women!!!

the Eanes and Mattox children...

We became really close on this trip....these are some really great ladies!!!

Craig listening to his directions for the day... in his Methodist shirt... he LOVED wearing it on a "baptist" mission trip!!!

the kids lOVED the golfcart!

Celisa and I moved a lady from her duplex to a smaller apartment... It was an all morning adventure and it is amazing what you learn about someone just by seeing their stuff... You see what is really important to them... For this lady, her most prized possessions were the cross stiched pieces her husband had done years ago of favorite scripture verses... We were told exactly where they should be hung around the house... Precious...
and yes, and look at the box I am carrying... typical... Jen with the vodka in her hands! ha ha ha!

the girls washed windows, cleaned ceiling fans and much more at the lodge!

Craig and Ben painting!

We had the opportunity to have lunch with the residents of the lodge.... we heard many stories about their adventures in Africa and heard the verse John 3:16 in 5 different languages!!

This is Garth and Marge... they are the managers of the retirement village and are just the best... they are the ones that made sure we were busy all week.. they were kind enough to have us ALL over for hamburgers and hot dogs one night!

enjoying some time with each other at Garth and Marge's house!

yes, and that picture sums up how we all felt at the end of the week!!!!

Family, Friends, Fun and Faith... Family Mission Trip 2010

2010-08-14T08:22:00.000-07:00

This is the first post of a few, I am sure... I have a ton of pictures from or family mission trip... Below are just a few pictures of the retirement village we were at for the week and few from services we helped with during the week. I will post more later of the actually "work" we did during the week. It was such a great week spent with friends while serving others!

Daddy and Ben driving the golf cart... a highlight of the week!

Our whole group outside the lovely church vans!

the kids singing at THE LODGE service!

Katie and Molly visiting!

Craig chatting with some of the residents after the service.

This is the house that was our main goal for the week... painting the entire inside and removing carpet. This house will be the home to the new manager of THE LODGE, who is supposed to arrive with his family mid August.

This is the Lodge, the assisted living center... we spent alot of time here having lunch with the residents, reading books, doing sit and fit aerobics and just visiting with the ladies.

This is the fellowship hall, our gathering place for our meals and just good times together!

this was the duplex we stayed in for the week!

The chapel where our group sang and shared with the residents.

the sweet faces of the women!

A few more pics....

2010-07-21T14:18:00.001-07:00

I love my kids.... I hope they never forget this trip!!! I know I won't!!!

THis was the FUNNIEST ride EVER... the kids were SCREAMING, our dresses were trying to fly up and everyone in the ride area had their eyes on us... Cammie and I could NOT stop laughing... We were crying by the end... Good Times!!

getting Ben all ready for the rough waves!

THis was Ben's look for the week... we agreed this would be his secret sign to mommy in the hallways at big school to say Hi and I love you...ha ha ha

2 women, 4 kids and a van... Our adventures in Myrtle Beach

2010-07-20T13:33:00.000-07:00

We left on Monday morning to Myrtle Beach! It took us 10 hours (looong hours) but the kids were GREAT!!! We had the best time. It rained off and on but the first and last days were beautiful days to enjoy the beach, pool and water park. I am so blessed to have Cammie as a friend and that our kids are so close. Many great memories were made this week at the beach... I hope our kids remember this trip for a very long time!!!

I took a ton more pictures but just chose a few to share...

Thank Goodness for the dvd player!!!

lunch at the condo... sandwiches are always better at the beach!

waiting on their ballon animals

photo by Ben

a little Putt-putt action

a Hole in One for my guy!!!

Cheeseburger in paradise is always a must complete with Chocolate Nachos... yuummm

While the girls were getting their hair wraps, Ben had a ball chasing or being chased by the racecar!!

the girls and their hairwraps

Below are pictures from our last full day...we spent it at the beach and the waterpark... it was the most perfect day!

Happy Fourth of July... randomness

2010-07-08T06:40:00.001-07:00

We had a busy but fun weekend. We began by having the Eanes family over for a cookout on Saturday night. Craig grilled some amazing steaks and burgers! We always have such a great time with their family. The kids get along so well and so do the adults!!! hee hee... We always play games when they are hear, our favorite being Catch Phrase, which the girls usually SMOKE the boys!! We played another game called 25 words or less... and the boys SMOKED us girls!!! It was sooo fun... Below is the ONLY picture we got the entire night!

Then Sunday the 4th:

We had my parents over for a cookout! Mom made most of the food... Kim's beans, potato salad, fruit and deviled eggs. Craig grilled some YUMMY chicken!! I failed to get any pictures of that... but it was a good time!!!

For fireworks, we headed towards downtown and found a spot on shades crest road. It was a good place, without the too many people... it was a short show this year due to funding issues with the city! But the kids enjoyed it and it was a nice ending to a good day.

My three "babies" I do love them so!

he was WIPED out!!!

On Monday we took it easy and had a very lazy day... We took Scout to the vet and then later on headed to the the driving range or the driving "ranch" as Ben calls it.

Nice view from my seat!! Yes, I have a good looking husband!!!

Ben just smacking the ball... as he would say!

looking good, Katie!! She is a perfectionist so golf seems to be a bit frustrating for her at times... hmmm not sure who she is like... she is growing up BEFORE MY EYES... I do love her so!

Seriously? I love this boy... He is such a goofy, silly boy!!

While the "big kids" played golf, Scout and I hung out on a shady bench to watch. Scout was feeling YUCKY after his shots... It continued all night.. and I was a bit worried... he CRIED all night long and had made a big stinky mess in his crate... but I think it was a reaction to the shots... He has been GREAT ever since.. We really got lucky with this puppy.. he is the sweetest thing and such a great addition to our family!!!

Ben and Scout are good friends now... Since Katie has day camp, Ben has spent some quality time playing and taking care of Scout.

The Newest Member of the Mattox Family...

2010-07-04T12:59:00.001-07:00

SCOUT "doggie" Mattox
12 week old Shih tzu

Ben's turn...

this is Sadie, Scout's mother and Scout

Day 7- At Sea... Final day

2010-07-02T17:49:00.001-07:00

funny thing... is that I do not have any pictures from the last day... It was spent at sea so we really tried to relax and take it all in. I read alot this day and laid out while Craig did a tour of the theater and of course worked out. We had to get things packed and ready to go. This trip was amazing and much needed! I definately will cruise on the Oasis again BUT will not go to Mexico would rather go to Grand Cayman or some place like that. We missed Katie and Ben like crazy and were so fortunate to have my parents and friend, Cammie who took GREAT care of them for us while we were gone.

Day 6- Cozumel, Mexico

2010-06-30T06:56:00.000-07:00

This day was spent in Cozumel... we woke up a LITTLE late and had to rush off the ship to head to our parasailing excursion. It was awesome. It was so cool flying above everything, it was so quiet and peaceful. We went first and then got to enjoy the boat ride the rest of the time. I got to practice my spanish with one of the guys on the boat, so that was fun! After parasailing, we took a taxi down to the main street of shopping. We spent most of our time in the store, Cinco Soles. IT was a beautiful shop where we bought all our gifts/souvenirs!THen we were off for an incredible lunch! We then headed back to the ship for an afternoon of rest and relaxation!

Above is a good picture of our boat VS another ship... our boat was just HUGE... the smaller boat is one that we had originally had planned on going on... so glad we didn't!

Shopping at Cinco Soles... a GREAT NICE mexican shop. They had beautiful silver jewelry! I scored a great pair of earrings!

Below are pictures from our lunch at Pancho's Backyard... it was the best meal we had the entire trip!!! I had the fish tacos... soo good, and Craig had the lunch special... for dessert we had the sopapijas!!! Absolutely incredible. THe atmosphere was totally mexican with fine mexican pottery for the dishes, mexican musicians... it was just a cool experience!

Day 5- Costa Maya, Mexico

2010-06-28T19:07:00.001-07:00

Next Stop, Costa Maya! This port was a bit of a disappointment for us. We did not schedule an excursion...BIG MISTAKE... Basically all there was to do was shop, swim in the pool and eat at Mamacitas... We did all three! We just were not impressed. It rained for the first and only time on the trip on this day. Luckily we were already sitting at the restaurant so it did not bother us at all. We had good mexican food and then headed back on board to work out and nap! We had a great dinner at Giovanni's in the Central Park area... which became one of my favorite areas on the ship! so Pretty and quiet! We then took in the Summer concert in the Aqua Theater. We also got to talk to the kids on this day which we were looking forward to all day! We were really missing them by this day!

Looking at all the Mexico junk... oops, I meant souvenirs!!

Lunch and Margaritas at Mamacitas!!

Craig FINALLY got a CANNED Diet Coke... (coca cola light)

Craig checking out some Cubans!

Talking to the kids... we were really missing them by this point!!!

we ended the night with a concert in the Aqua theater...

Day 4- Day at Sea

2010-06-25T19:55:00.000-07:00

This day was a very relaxing day... we did not plan much which was nice. I laid out a bit and then Craig and I met up for lunch in the Park Cafe. We decided to catch an afternoon ice skating show which was fun. We really just had a lazy day, napping, eating, seeing the headliner show which was GREAT. (lots of motown and music from the 50's and 60's!) Great day! The last pic is of Craig and his cupcakes... Craig has not eaten sugar since December but he did not follow that rule this week. He LOVED these cupcakes and had them a couple of times during the cruise!!

Lunch at Park Cafe... yummy salads and sandwiches

just a cool photo!

THis was the ice skating show!!! The performers were great... the show was based on Hans Christian Anderson...

Can't find your room? no problem, just type in your stateroom number and it shows you how to get there... Fabulous!

This touch screen shows what is going on right then on the ship!

This is the touch screen that shows the restaurants and the wait time for each... so cool!

The amazing Opal Theater!!

Earl Turner headliner show!!!

Craig and his cupcakes!!!

Day 3 - Labadee, Haiti

2010-06-24T14:36:00.001-07:00

We docked at Labadee.... Royal Caribbean's private area in Haiti... No we did not see any signs of the earthquake and from what everyone told me it was on the other side of the big mountain. So the cruise lines kept money coming into the country so that was really good!! We decided to rent jet skis in the morning (no pictures of that) and it was so fun. We had a great guide and we were able to ride out in the open sea.. it got a bit rough for me at times (Craig LOVED it) but I was fine and had a great time! After our excursion we walked around the area and shopped a little... Craig got a couple cigars and I got the cutest hand carved owl. The cruise line provided a lunch of hamburgers and all the fixins... IT was GREAT!!! We took a quick dip in the ocean and then rested under the palms... It was WONDERFUL!!! Labadee ended up being my favorite port of call. We went back on board and did the zip line then worked out, dinner and the Comedy Live show. It was a full but really FUN day!!!

a little more shopping!

Believe it or not, this was the ONLY time we were able to get into the Caribbean on the entire trip!

that was a yummy lunch under the bohio... reminded me of my Panama days!

Zip Line time on board the ship... Craig was so sweet to let me "try" it out first... uhh.. so sweet...

Craig's turn...

He survived!!!

another great dinner!!! (Craig looked at this picture and we both decided he really looks like his dad!!)

a little Caribbean music. I LOVE IT!

We ended the night with some hilarious comedy!! Craig laughed more in that hour than in the last 10 years, I think!!!

Day 2 - Day at Sea

2010-06-23T07:32:00.001-07:00

We spent our day at see checking out the boat, laying out (me), working out (craig and me..some) Eating and taking naps... It was great. We had dinner at Johnny Rockets and watched the aqua show that night.. It was a great relaxing day out on the seas...

they changed the day signs in the elevator... loved it.. kept us on track for sure!

browsing in the COACH store

The Carousel on Boardwalk

Craig was a bit tired from all the vacationing!!! ha ha

Sunset on the Caribbean!

a beautiful view to the Central park area below

this is a picture on Deck 15 looking over to Dazzles night club... so pretty with the lights.

Below are a few pictures of the aqua show... this show was amazing... tons of high divers and acrobats!!!

Day 1 - Boarding and Exploring...

2010-06-21T17:43:00.000-07:00

Once we got to the pier it was super easy... after checking in we walked right on and went to check out the stateroom. It was a alot more roomy than I expected and very nice! Our luggage was not there yet so we walked around a bit and then had to do the mandatory safety brief... that took about 10 minutes and then we were off to deck 15 to watch us sail away. They had music playing and of course fruity drinks!!! OH YEA!! We watched while we pulled off and waved to all the people on the shore... Memories of the "Love Boat" when through my mind... ha ha ha.. I got a little freaked out as we sailed away from land.. we were going to be in the middle of the ocean... kinda crazy!! Below are a few pics from all of that....
Later that evening we ate a yummy meal in the dining room... NOw a days you do not have to do the traditional seating for dinner.. We did "My time dining" so you basically can make reservations OR like we did all week long just walk in and they sat us every time with NO wait... and we did not have to sit with strangers but had a cozy meal just the two of us!!! (Also Craig gave up his no sugar rule this week and got to enjoy all the amazing desserts with me!)
We went to the "HairSpray" show and it was awesome.. the performers were top notch and Craig even liked it!!! We were exhausted after that and went back to our stateroom for some much needed shut-eye after a LOOONG day!

Our Stateroom

BYE BYE FT. LAUDERDALE!!!

the coast guard escort... actually trying to get the other smaller boats out of our way...

Below is a picture of the welcome Parade in the Royal Promenade... They did several parades during the week but since we were without kids this week, we did not see the rest... :)

Oasis of the Seas... Cruise 2010

2010-06-19T08:56:00.000-07:00

We have just finished our cruise on the Oasis of the Seas!!!! WOW, WOW, WOW... we had the best time ever and will have a hard time ever cruising on another ship (much to Craig's dismay.. he has a firm grip on his wallet right now!) It was definately worth the money, in my opinion!! The ship is just amazing... TONS to do (we did not do half of what was offered) great food, AMAZING show, performers and the perfect weather. (It rained one day in Costa Maya and for literally 20 minutes)
I will post about our trip by going day by day... this may take me all week to finish cuz as you know we are going home to two precious kids who will consume ALL my time this next week... so I hope to have our cruise blogged by the end of the month!!!! :)
I will start with the day we left....
SATURDAY
4:30 am... we are up, showered and ready to leave... Bright eyed and bushy tailed ready to just HOP on that plane and zip on down to Ft. Lauderdale... easy, right??? welllll.... not so much
Our flight was delayed out of Birmingham... and then we SAT on the TARMAC in Atlanta for 30 minutes BECAUSE a passenger on another plane that was parked at our gate decided they did not want to go on their trip and got off the plane SOOO they had to get their luggage off that plane before they could leave OUR gate... thus the reason for our additional 30 minute delay!!! AHHHH.. and so commenced the first bout of SOBBING from me.... we were going to miss our connecting flight for sure... We get to the gate and literally RUN to the next gate but of course we are on concourse E and our connecting flight...... yep concourse B!!!! And of course I chose cute over comfort in the shoe department!!! (my high wedges were not my friend at that moment)... So we RUN... and get to the gate 10 minutes before take off and the plane is still there... BUT the door is closed and NO agent to help us and so the plane takes off without us because they gave away our seats!!!! So we go to the helpful (not) Delta customer service and they kindly (not) put us on STAND BY for the next flight.... (even though a group behind us, going on the same cruise, go after us and get actual tickets on the next flight... I mean how does that happen?) Well, we do NOT get on the next flight... SOBBING continues and little louder and harder at this point.. because if we do not get on the next flight we will surely miss the boat, because after calling the cruise line, they inform us they will NOT let us on after 4:00...
Craig, being the quite rock, that he is just shakes his head and says there is nothing we can do... WHAT????? he is at this point PLEADING with the agents to help a "poor guy with a sobbing wife" out just this one time... NO LUCK... so we sit and wait as they start boarding the next flight... more sobbing... all zones are boarded.... SOOOOOBBBBBBIIIIINNNNGGGGG.... then like a ray of light cutting through the clouds they call "Mattox... please get in line" I seriously heard angels singing.... thank goodness... and I know I am a bit overdramatic... but seriously we spent a lot of money on this trip and I had spent many hours of planning, researching, and reserving for this getaway... not to mention we definately needed a vacation.
so we made the flight... got to Ft. Lauderdale.. our luggage was there waiting on us and so was Royal Carribbean with the bus to take us to the pier!!!!
so with all of that we made it on the ship and my first stop:

hey I deserved it right???
to be continued.....

Finally... the Beach...

2010-06-19T08:43:00.001-07:00

I am sitting at the Ft. Lauderdale and have been sitting here for oh about 3 HOURS!!! So, I decided to update the blog and I am behind!!! SO, here are some pictures from our trip to San Destin for the SEC Spring meeting. We had the best time ever!!!

OUr annual family picture before the SEC reception!

my little beach bums!

love this picture of these two!!

lunch at Barefoots... YUMMY!

not sure what this is... no it is not oil... just a yucky slimy thing from the ocean...

Little Mama with EC

working hard... with a little help from the daddy!

Ben and Olivia with their sandcastle masterpiece

Katie with her new friend...

Sneak Peek from the Beach....

2010-06-09T06:00:00.001-07:00

this was one of my favorite pictures from our week at the beach... a totally unposed..really... picture of our family...
We had a GREAT week and will blog hopefully later this week before Craig and I leave on our CRUISE!!!!

The End of and ERA....

2010-05-29T08:30:00.001-07:00

Thursday night, Ben graduated from preschool at Primrose and Friday we walked out of Primrose for the last time after 7 years!!! It was kinda weird, bittersweet, freeing... weird.... It is truly the end of an era in our family... and the start of a little more cash in our bank account!!! woohoo!!! Honestly, it was the best money spent, knowing our kids were loved, taught, and cared for while we worked. Some people have different thoughts on raising kids and staying at home with them... but this worked for our family. I love my job and know that is where God wants me to be and I know in my heart my children had a great experience at Primrose. They developed socially and emotionally!! I am forever grateful to the teachers and owners of Primrose. Now, we are all excited to have 3 out of 4 people in the same place starting in August. Ben is so excited about being at Greystone and so am I!!
Ben did AWESOME at graduation, for anyone who really knows Ben, you know that you NEVER know how the little guy is going to act in a given situation. He walked down, smile on his face... and sat with his friends... SANG the songs and STOMPED in his BOOTs to receive his diploma from the beloved Ms. Collette. It is proof there is POWER in a teacher... He would do anything Ms. Collette told him to!!! We were sooo very proud of him and how much he has matured this year... It proved to me that he is indeed to start "big School" in the fall!!! Here are some pictures from the night!!!

Ben singing the spanish song

Katie was so proud of her brother!

The "bigs" with the "littles" we love this family!!

Our family!

Ben with the MIMI and Pops!!

Baylor and Ben.. maybe they will meet up at Auburn one day!!

This is the crew!!!! Such good friends!!!

ARRRGH, its a Pirate birthday for Ben....

2010-05-17T07:35:00.001-07:00

Friday night, we celebrated Ben's 5th birthday with a Pirate/sports party at SportsBlast. Ben wanted a Pirate cake and SportsBlast is just a great EASY birthday location for kids to run and go home exhausted. My friend, Wendy, did the cake again and of course it was ADORABLE!!! I always say the last one was my favorite but then she does another cake for me and it becomes my favorite... I mean, how cute is this:

So Ben and 22 of his closest friends met at Sportsblast for games, pizza, cake and fun... LOTS OF FUN... Here are pics from the totally awesome night with our good friends... and truely these people are GOOD people... Next week is our last week at Primrose and I will really miss seeing these folks at least once a month at a party... (but I will not miss writing that check hee hee) We are so lucky to have these friends in our life!!

they do love each other! :)

playing sharks and minnows... Ben was the ShARK!!!

Daddy comforting Ben after been stepped on...

The whole party gang!

The REAL working Housewives of PRIMROSE... We have been together for a LONG time... it is like the end of an era... bittersweet!

The Mattox and Oldenburg kids... GREAT FRIENDS!!!!

Dancing Queen....

2010-05-17T07:19:00.000-07:00

On Sunday we had Katie's 3rd dance recital! This year Katie has learned so much and really "grown" into a little dancer. Watching Katie at home I knew she was a good dancer but watching her shine on stage I was really proud of actually how good she is. I know I am her mommy, but really she has SKILLS!! hee hee. She really loves to dance and takes it seriously and works really hard on her technique. She had the best time with her friends and was so excited about Sunday. At the end of the show they handed out awards (something they have never done before) and so about 15 girls out of like 200 total girls walk out on stage and Katie was one of them!!! She recieved the Dedication award for showing the most dedication...We were so proud of her. It was such a great day with both sets of grandparents in attendance and many friends. Below are pictures of the recital....

Bon Jovi... Concert #3!!!

2010-04-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

I went over to ATL with 3 good friends to enjoy another Bon Jovi Concert. It was soooo good and such a fun night!!!

The Girls.... Me, Amber, Cammie and Kelly!!!!

Indy Race Day....

2010-04-27T10:12:00.000-07:00

I don't have many pics from this day and will try to upload more when I get the chance... But here are a couple from our day at the Indy Race. It was alot of fun and a new experience for the Mattox Clan... Ben left wanting to be a racecar driver when he grows up! I left happy that I got a glimpse of Patrick Dempsey!! hee hee!!!

Standing in front of Patrick Dempsey's race car!!! Oh YEh!!!

watching a little race action.

Katie's Golf Weekend

2010-04-27T10:06:00.000-07:00

A couple of weeks ago, Craig took Katie with him to the Women's golf tournament in Tuscaloosa. Katie had a ball and has a new love for golf. She had a ball driving the golfcart, having a few snacks, filling in divots, meeting the players and getting a personal putting lesson. Daddy's job is so cool!!! We are hoping that this new interest will pay off in scholarship money in the future!!!

She is ready to hit the links!!!-

Katie and Daddy!!!

katie did have to earn her keep by filling in divots!!! ha ha!

Watch out... Katie is at the wheel!!!

Personal Lessons from the MSU coach!

My little sassy golfer!

Easter Weekend!

2010-04-06T11:04:00.000-07:00

We had a great and Busy Easter weekend. It was beautiful the entire weekend so we were outside the majority of it. Below are pictures of Easter morning at church. I love our Church's tradition of placing beautiful spring flowers in the cross at the front entrance. It is just gorgeous and I love that my kids will grow up with this tradition. It serves as a great conversation starter about the real reason for Easter which, by the way, Ben was all about hearing and was really interested in this year. It also serves as a great backdrop for pictures! I will post more pictures of the weekend that include baseball, cookouts and trampolines!!!

He can be a sweet smiling boy!!!! Love this picture!!!

Ben was really excited about this big yellow flower!!! Can't you tell!!

Daddy and his biggest fans!!!

This is MY Life and I just adore them!!!

The above pictures is such an accurate picture of where we are in life... Silly little brother and sweet Big sister!

Happy Easter From our family to yours!!!

One Word...

2010-03-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

Totally random post, but I had to answer these with just one word... yes, I am bored on spring Break!!! hee hee!!!
Where is your cell phone..................table
Your hair.....................................cut
Your father..................................moving
Your favorite thing.........................kids
Spouse...................................... Craig
Your dream last night......................none
Your favorite drink......................... coke
The room you are in.......................kitchen
Your dream/goal...........................happiness
Your fear....................................loss
Where do you want to be in 6 years....here
Muffins.......................................chocolate
One of your wish list items...............house (new)
Where you grew up........................everywhere
The last thing you did......................potty
What are you wearing.....................clothes
Your TV......................................on
Your pets....................................none
Your computer..............................iMac
Your life......................................busy
Missing someone............................mom
Your car......................................messy
Favorite store...............................target
Your summer.................................FUN
Your favorite color..........................red
When is the last time you laughed........today
Last time you cried..........................today
Text or Talk..................................talk
Favorite food................................junk
Family Drama................................yes
Friend you hope to see soon..............Cammie

2010-03-16T13:03:00.000-07:00

WEll, it was Friday night and Craig had been gone all week... The kids and I were kinda bummed because we did not have big plans for Spring break... sooo... why not drive up to Nashville to see daddy and watch the baskeball tournament?!? We have not been to the tournament since Ben was born... so maybe this would be the year! SO, at 6:45 on Friday night we packed the car and started out on the 3 hour drive to Nashville. The kids did really well despite the horrible traffic in Cullman and Ben's screaming fit when he woke up!!! We did have a great time... The kids did fantastic at the games and we even had a babysitter for Saturday night so Craig and I could go out with friends for dinner! It was a fun weekend and we are so glad we did it. I try to tell the kids how lucky they are to be able to experience all they get to do... I mean who gets to play on the basketball court before the Championship game? or stay in a 3 room suite with room service etc?? I hope they never take it for granted!!! Daddy's job is just so cool...

"Hey daddy,, when I grow up I want to be just like you and work for the SEC!!!"

BIG CRAIG AND LITTLE CRAIG!!!

Daddy and his K-bug!!!

Fast Break!!!

bouncing the ball before the BIG game!!

famiy photo op.

*** Doesn't Craig look great???? He has worked really hard and he is now 30 pounds lighter!!!

From shopper to scientist... My All American Girl

2010-03-08T10:51:00.000-08:00

I love watching my girl grow up... she is doing it way to fast though. If I could say one thing about Katie it would be she is a well rounded, all American girl. She is a girlie, musical, athletic, SMART, funny, caring, nuturing, sassy, confident, God-lovin daddy's girl. She is one of those girls that can at one minute get dirty outside and then the next minute be doing her nails and make-up! I LOVE IT and I LOVE HER!!!! Her are some pictures of her over the last few weeks!!! I am one proud mama!!!

My girl can do some shopping! This is at Claire's, one of my favorite stores to shop at when I was growing up!

My little scientist.. Katie did a science project for school...

Katie earned a community service award for cleaning out her toys and donating them to our church preschool area.

On the stage!

So proud of my girl!

Friday night was Star Search for the 1st-6th graders at our church. They could either perform a talent or show off a hobby/collection they have. Katie decided to show her collection of dress up clothes and accessories. She also dressed up in her newest outfit and had a blast showing her collection.

My "grown-up" little girl!!!

Katie showing off her dress up clothes collection!

A Little of This And a Little of That... Blog Catch-up

2010-02-20T05:46:00.000-08:00

Well, I am behind on blogging.... soooo... I just download all the pics on my iphone and thought I would show what we have been doing over the last couple of months.
Katie's Christmas dance showcase... We got to watch Katie's dance class and see what she has learned so far... She is doing great! She has great form and looked beautiful performing for us... We are so proud of her!

Dancing to her jazz song... She is really good!! She has great form and stays on the beat of music!!

My pretty dancer!!

I went with Mom and Dad to visit my grandparents in North Carolina... I have not seen them in a very long time due to our distance and just life getting in the way. Grandpa has Parkinson's (for 19 years) and I knew this was the chance to go and see them and Boy, I am glad I did. Grandpa is doing alot better than I thought and Grandma is doing well too (she has diabetes and needs a Knee replacement). We had a great time, they have a WII so I got to help Grandpa play!!! This is a great thing to have for hand-eye coordination and exercise.

Dad and Grandpa trying to hook up the WII... scary but quite entertaining...

Helping Grandpa play Guitar Hero... He is the sweetest man ever.... It was like the roles had reversed and I was taking care of him, teaching him.. alot like he used to take me fishing and teach ME how to do things....

Grandpa, me and Grandma

Ben's last basketball game... (YAY..oops, did I say that?!?) We are very proud of Ben sticking with it... He did not LOVE basketball but it was a great way to stay active in the Winter!

Ben slowing getting to where he needs to be!

Ben with his Basketball Medal... so proud... even if Pro Basketball is not in our future... it was a good experience and I really think helps Ben come "out of his shell" and learn how to work with with other kids his age...

Friday 2/12 we got to visit a sweet family and their new baby girl Ryan Frances at the hospital. We have not seen or held a newborn baby in a very long time and this was a treat....

Aww, Ben holding Ryan.... He like holding her for like a minute and then was ready to play... When I asked if he would like mommy to have another baby he quickly replied...NO!! hee hee

Katie holding Ryan Frances... Katie loved every minute and after we left wished that mommy had a baby in HER tummy... uhhhh Not going to happen! :)

Below are pictures from Valentines Day and our family tradition of having ice cream... This tradition was started by Craig and me 13 years ago in Ozark, since our anniversary is exactly a month after Valentines day, we decided no cards, gifts..just ice cream at Dairy Queen...

My two sweethearts enjoying their Blizzards.... Butterfinger blizzard for Ben and M&M blizzard for Katie

Me and My Valentine...
Hopefully I will keep up with blogging better this spring... but probably not since baseball starts TODAY!!!! Ben is pumped about it.. he is walking around right now with his pj's on and his baseball cleats!!! :)

Extreme Fit Training.... BOOT CAMP!!!

2010-02-11T08:22:00.000-08:00

I have finally taken the plunge towards a better, healthier lifestyle... I joined Extreme Fit Boot Camp.... and when I say BOOT CAMP...I am NOT joking!! It has kicked my booty!!!! I started last Friday and it shocked my body!! 30 sit-ups (real ones) 60+ pushups, lunges out the whaazooo and weights! WHEW! and all of this at 5:30 am! But I felt good and like I had accomplished something UNTIL Saturday when I could NOT get out of the bed or WALK!!!!! OUCH!!! I was hurting and hurting BAD!!! Valeria, my instructor is AWESOME... cute, sweet and such an encourager! How could I hate her and what she was doing to me??? I couldn't so I worked through the pain one ouch and ugh at a time. I went to the gym to do an extra workout on SUnday... REALLY??? I was able to accomplish about half and my hamstrings were KILLING me, and then my quad muscle started hurting really bad!!!! I could barely walk AGAIN and I was supposed to get up Monday morning for the next class?!? SOOO I went to bed early Sunday night hoping that the muscles would feel better in the morning. MONDAY: get to boot camp and Valeria has us do a little exercise call the Indian Run.... AHHHHHH it was so hard for me, sprinting to the front of a line of people and trying to keep the pace? It about killed me, but I made it through... last one practically to finish. I was able to do 30 complete sit ups (with lots of screaming and pain) and a few more push ups than before... I was feelin' GOOD!!!!
My quad and hamstrings were still hurting though.... Wednesday morning 5:00am I start to get up out of the bed for BOOT CAMP and AWWWWWWWWWW... my hip flexor muscle,...(did not know I had one of those) I pulled something!!! IT hurt like a well, you know, it hurt. I got to boot camp hurting ALOT. I did not want to look like a whimp or whine but with every move, I was dying... I finally had to fess up to Valerie and tell her what was going on. I was soooo mad at myself because I could not do ANYTHING without pain. Valerie helped me modify the exercises but I knew I was not burning the calories I wanted to be burning... GRRRRR!!! But honestly, folks, I was hurting BAD. Valerie stretched us out at the end and went over some stretches with me. I took it easy the rest of the day... and last night? My quad is feeling so much better and so are my hamstrings... My hip flexor is a bit sore and I am a little gun shy about doing sit ups... BUt I feel like I am back in the game for Tomorrow morning at 5:30!!! So, I will get up at 5 am (hopefully with no snow falling) and head to the gym to get my butt kicked again!!! WOO HOO!!!!

AND there is a Free Boot Camp Giveway!!!! I am so registering for that!!! Here is the link to check out their website and sign up for a class!!! IT is worth it, pain and all!!! really, I promise!!!

Happy New Year...

2010-01-06T12:19:00.000-08:00

New Years in the Mattox House = Bowl Season and that means a traveling husband... He is currently in California for the National Championship game. I am back in Bama, jealous and COLD!!! Here are a couple of pictures that he has sent me...

Sunny and Warm in Beverly Hills... while we are freezing in Alabama!

Welcome to Hollywood!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-26T06:35:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve... Ben, Gibson-the elf and Katie

Christmas Eve picture... (Craig had already changed his clothes and did not really want to be in the pic!)

I think this was Craig's Fav... a head tickler... really this thing is AWESOME!!!!

American Girl has hit the Mattox House and Katie is THRILLED!!!

Finally COWBOY boots!!!

My Country singer!!!

Pop and Ben having a little race track time

My little man....

2009-12-18T10:44:00.000-08:00

He is checking out his daddy collecting the offering...

Road to the Final Four.... well maybe not quite yet...

2009-12-18T10:32:00.000-08:00

Ben started Basketball a couple of weeks ago and had his first game this past Saturday! The best thing is that he gets to RUN and play and have a great time with his great friend, Helen Catherine! There is nothing quite like 3 and 4 year olds playing basketball!!!

Ben... #6!!!

Ben and his buddy, Helen Catherine!

Happy Birthday Mimi!!!

2009-12-15T18:35:00.000-08:00

Mom celebrated turning sassy 60 on November 29th. So we celebrated at the Fish Market with cake and a card that gave mom 60 reasons why we love her. I think it was a hit... and I do have to say my mamma looks very sassy at 60! She rocks!!!

The cake that Katie and I made and decorated... we were going for the "60's" look!! ha ha

Mom reading her card with the 60 reasons we love her!!!

Happy Birthday to you, you live in a zoo... oops that is not how it goes... HA

SEC Championship 2009

2009-12-15T18:30:00.000-08:00

Here are just a few pics from the weekend in Atlanta...

The Legend's dinner

Craig and Ann

The Chambliss Clan... cheering for the Crimson Tide!

2009-11-17T07:23:00.000-08:00

GOod For the Soul...

2009-11-16T07:09:00.000-08:00

I went over to Atlanta a couple of Saturdays ago with two super cool girls. We went to the FOX theatre and saw a musical "In The Heighs". It was such a fun day with girls. We laughed HARD, ate WELL and saw a fabulous musical which was funky, latino and just right up my alley... it was....well... good for my soul!!

Trick or Treat, Smell my....

2009-11-16T07:03:00.001-08:00

uh, yes, that is what my son said at every house on Halloween night... He thought it was hilarious, and could not understand when I told him you DON'T say that to other people that is just an AT HOME joke... oh my! We had a great Halloween filled with Fall Festivals, Chili and trick or treating with great friends!!! It was calm and just.... NICE...
Pumpkin Carving time with daddy!

the Eanes and Mattox kids! Time to get some CANDY!

Ben was trick-or-treated OUT... mama was his batmobile!

our annual picture with the Goodwins!

Better Late than Never...

2009-11-16T06:41:00.000-08:00

Finally I am getting to blog about our Disney trip! I am at home with Ben who has a low grade fever, so I am taking this time to update this blog! We had a great time at Disney and we took around 400 pictures so it was hard choosing which ones to put on here... There are still several I would like to put on here... THese are the highlights of our trip... This trip was very different from last year... I will say you can never replace the first trip to Disney... there is something pure magical about the first time! THis year we stayed a day longer which about did us in... we were tired and cranky by then... especially Ben... but I will not get into that... The great thing about this year is that the kids could ride ALL the rides at the magic kingdom... which was soo fun! They loved Splash Mountain and THunder Mountain.. and my brave little guy rode TOWER OF TERROR and LOVED it.. .That's my boy! Katie just adored the shows and dancing! So here are a few pics from our adventures at Disney!

Katie and Ben's first time on Splash Mountain!

Pure Joy!

Safari Breakfast with Donald Duck!

Poor Ben, Mickey accidently stepped on Ben... I mean look at that face....

Awww, special attention from Mickey!

Dinner at the Tavern... one of the best meals there... Thanksgiving in October! YUM!

Halloween Party family pic!

One of my favorite pics, Cruella was GreAT!!!

Dance party with Mickey!

Daddy and his best buddies!

Sand monster Ben! (at our resort)

Katie helped another little girl decorate this Christmas/Halloween tree at a store and received a free Disney ornament

Peter Pan!!!

Disney... Preview

2009-10-30T19:55:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, we are going to Disney world

This picture was taken the morning that we left and right after we told the kids!
I will post a bunch more pictures soon... I spent this week catching up!

Race For The Cure 2009...

2009-10-16T06:49:00.000-07:00

I ran in my 3rd Race for the Cure last weekend. Last year, I was sick with a sinus infection but was determined to run anyways. I felt terrible the whole time and especially afterwards. But, this year I ran with Kelly. This was Kelly's first race and I was excited to run with such a dear friend of mine. I felt great this year and felt even better when I finished. It really made me realize that I could be a runner... maybe not long distances but I can do it and feel good when I finish. This race is so special because it focuses on women and breast cancer. I love that I had Craig and the kids to meet us at the finish line... It was a great day!! I am currently looking for another 5k to run and hopefully will at some point work up to an 8k or 10k...

2009 Booster-thon FuN RuN

2009-10-16T06:44:00.000-07:00

katie ran in her 2nd boosterthon Fun Run to raise money for our school! She ran all 35 laps!!! She did GREAT!!! Thank you for supporting her in this endeavor! I have a cute picture of her and Craig but it is on my phone... I will upload it shortly.

Here is Kelly and me before the fun run!!! The coolest First Grade teachers around! :)

My girl was sweating!!!! She worked hard for those 35 laps!!!

Ben 'sBIGGEST Fans...

2009-10-02T11:19:00.000-07:00

Pop's girl....

2009-10-02T11:12:00.000-07:00

Sunday September 26,2009 Katie was baptized by the same man who baptized me... my daddy! It was such a special day for our family. Katie was more excited about this day than her birthday!!! Katie truely has a heart for Jesus even at the young age of 7. It was so sweet to see Pop baptize his Katie-bird. Katie looks up so much to her Pop and Mimi and they are such godly examples in her life. This day was the proudest moment for Craig and I as parents!!

So excited!!!

waiting... and waiting...

there she goes!

how sweet... walking into a lifetime of loving Jesus!!

my favorite picture of them too!!!

Rockin' into her 7th year!!!!

2009-09-28T09:31:00.000-07:00

This Saturday was Katie's 7th birthday and we had a rockstar party with her good friend, Molly who is turning 6 this week! We had the best time planning and giving the party. Molly's mom and I reverted back to our childhood and loved every minute! The girls had a blast and it turned out so cute and fun. We were able to rent out the farmhouse which was a lifesaver since it was POURING down rain and the original plan was to have it outside at my house... here are some pics from the party!

the whole group of rockstars!!!

7 years old and full of confidence!!1

the birthday girls... so super cute and sassy!!

rockin' mamas!!!

the fabulous cake made by my friend, Wendy!

The marshmallow pops I made... kinda looked like microphones... totally stole the idea, thought they turned out cute!

can not go wrong with Grapico, Crush and pink soda... plus it went with the color scheme!

The microphone making table

the entry table as you walked into the farmhouse!

The farmhouse, where we had the party... thank goodness!

Blow them candles out girl!

katie and one of her besties: O!!! Singing a little "Sugar, Sugar"!

Me and my girl!!! We had a BLAST!

heading home to open all those gifts!

A Dream, A Bat, and a little Boy...

2009-09-15T18:23:00.000-07:00

Since Ben was 3 and after he went to the SEC baseball tournament, Ben has wanted to play baseball like the "big boys" so this past Sunday was HIS day! He and the rest of the team were so stinkin cute. I could Eat my little guy up! He did a great job and really got into the game. He loved every second of the game and was sad when it was over. The only thing he wished he had done was played on the BIG field like the college boys, One day Ben, one day!!! For now, this is perfect... enjoy the pics. (I have a ton more and had to pick and choose!)

My boy, #1!!!!

Ready for the ball!

wow, what is this? Dirt?? COOL!!!

watch the ball, Ben!

RUN BEN RUN!!

taking a little rest on 1st!

going towards 2nd!

running towards 3rd!

All the way home, Ben!

ahhh, some yummy gatorade!

All done and ready for the next game!!!

Labor Day in Fairhope ....

2009-09-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

I drove down to Fairhope with the kids for Labor day. Craig had to work so I took the challenge of going with just the kids... Whew, I was exhausted when I got back but I am glad the kids got to see their cousins, Ann and Todd and of course Grandmama. We were able to celebrate Grandmama's "29th" birthday with a yummy cookout and fabulous caramel cake!! Here area a few pictures from the weekend!

All the cousins hangin out on the deck!

This is the only time Ben would smile for the camera, he wanted his picture taken with the dog... such a boy!

Katie and her sweet cousin, Caroline enjoying a little ice cream in Fairhope!

The Little Kids' table... Ben with all those girls!!!

The Big Kid table... everyone minus Craig who was back in Birmingham due to his traveling schedule for work!

Grandmama teaching Katie Chopsticks!!!!

T-ball, Cheer Camp and... RAIN!!!

2009-08-29T14:07:00.001-07:00

Whew, we have been busy getting into the routine of school and all of the activities. Katie started her dance classes and just loves it and Ben has started Tball! Ben did great at his first practice despite the rain. He was a little shy at first and wanted to stand right by daddy at first but when the coach told his group to switch stations he did and was such the little ball player. I was so proud of him. He is so stinkin cute out there. He is really in his element. As I type this he is lying on the couch with his baseball pants, socks, belt and cleats on!!! (he doesn't even have practice today) I can not wait until his first game!!!

Katie had a cheer clinic at the high school this past Friday night. They were supposed to perform at the pregame show before the football game, but it basically Monsooned!!!! It poured and poured and poured... so they performed in the gym. She did so great. They learned a dance and cheer and she was able to keep up with the moves... I was so proud of her too!!!

Here are some pictures from the two events!! ENjoy!

getting ready!

playing in the dirt!

Swing, Ben!

that is my little guy!!

I love this look, you can tell she is a little nervous... it was a HUGE crowd.... but she did GREAT!!

Good form!

A little sassy...

Mama and Katie!

Katie's First day of FIRST GRADE...

2009-08-12T16:49:00.001-07:00

I just can not believe it... Katie started first grade today... Here teacher is Miss Joseph who is just fabulous!! She woke up as soon as her alarm clock went off and got dressed, made up her bed, brushed her teeth etc.... Let's hope this continues... HA!!!

That's my girl!!!

Happy Birthday Pop!

2009-08-12T16:45:00.000-07:00

I LOVE having my parents 2 hours away!!!! We were able to meet half way in the big town of Alex City at the Ruby Tuesday for dinner on a Saturday night! Since dad's birthday was the next Monday, we thought we would celebrate with a HUGE carrot cake from Edgar's bakery! The kids just loving spending time with the Mimi and Pop!!

Me and my sweet daddy!!!

Pop and his grands!!!

so Far Behind....

2009-08-05T19:15:00.001-07:00

Here are a few more pictures from my trip, I have like 500 so it is hard to choose which ones... I may be adding more for the next few months!!

We were HOT all the time, HOT... the children from our church put together little gift bags for our team and in them were these little fans that were the best things ever! The Spanish people laughed at us and said " oh, Americans, don't want to work for anything!" (they all use paper fans!) ha!

La Sagrada Familia... designed by GAUDI.. a huge cathedral so hard to put into words how incredible this building is..

this was an insane building designed by GAUDI way back in the 1900's... Amazing!

THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA!!! WOW!

Ok, We did actually have mission work we did while in Barcelona... We would sightsee in the morning and afternoon and around 5:00 head over to San Andreu to the church office where we would meet with David who would have our mission for the night. During the week we were there our goal was to blanket the neighborhood with pamphlets that presented the plan of salvation and information about the church and then at the end of the week, pass out invitations to the concert. We walked that neighborhood from one end to the other. We passed out almost 10,000 tracts and 3,000 invitations!!!! Our feet were blistered and sore to say the least. David, the pastor, told us as we were going to the airport that if he had tried to do what we did that week, it would have taken him YEARS! This was a very different type of mission trip in the fact that we may never know what seed were planted and what came from it. We may not know until we get to Heaven. In some ways that is so hard, but we felt like we accomplished what we were asked to do and felt very blessed and fulfilled by that! This trip blessed me in so many ways... the people on our team were so much fun. I laughed more that 9 days!!! It was good for my soul. I met amazing Christians from around the globe and was used by God to help grow a church. That is so cool to me! This was a trip that God had put on my heart and I felt like for that week that I was sitting smack dab in the middle of God's will for my life! WOW... what an amazing feeling!
I was ready to come home to see my family.. I missed them terribly... but I definately left a part of me back in Barcelona!

Sam passing out concert invitations!

I, of course, was drawn to the children! So beautiful!

David, the pastor and his two boys... Daniel and Moses... David is man with a true heart for God! He is the sweetest person and is serving the Lord with all his heart. What an inspiring man!

Here David is giving us instructions for the evening street witnessing!

In the lobby of our hotel, having our nightly devotions around Midnight!!!

2009-07-24T15:48:00.001-07:00

the Olympic stadium

Beautiful Barcelona Architecture

Barcelona 1992 Olympic Stadium

going down the big slide!!! it was so fun!

the whole group at the castle on MontJuic

Sam, Cammie and Chris...

riding along!!!

the view from the gondola... great!

LIttle by Little

2009-07-22T07:56:00.000-07:00

the golden statue lady... there were many people dressed up and were acting like statues... you gave them a little money and they started moving and would give you a little token or charm... very interesting!

a flower shop in Las Ramblas...

a cute little deli in one of the neighborhoods...

the beautiful sailboats

Monday... a little bit more....

2009-07-21T16:49:00.000-07:00

Here are a few more pictures... again it is late and this takes forever to do... so I will have to do little by little... Katie, I will get the pictures of the slide tomorrow, Mama is too tired!!
I am having the time of my life... an unforgettable experience for sure!!!

The Barcelona Cathedral

This is how Monday was spent... LOST! Our tour guide, Natalie, has only been in Barcelona for 1 month so she did not know how to get to most places... But it all worked out and we still had a great time!

A giant vending machine in the Metro.. HOw cool is that?

Another beautiful building in St. Andrue... I love this place!

the gang working folding and stamping brochures... we look might happy...I think we were happy to be sitting for the first time today!

Dinner at the Barcelo's. They were so gracious to have us for a nice meal... THey are the sweetest family!

Ashley and Leslie... Metro surfing... this is after our LONG day and we were all a little silly!

Monday In Barcelona

2009-07-20T16:58:00.000-07:00

It is almost 2 am here and I need to go to bed but here are a few more pictures... I hope that tomorrow I will have some time to post more pictures with explanations!!!

My favorite scenery pictures of the day...

Cammie and I at LA Boqueria, a food market... with fabulous fruits and veggies... we are drinking a fruit drink and mine was strawberry and pineapple and YUMMY!!

Our group by the Sea and standing in front of the Christopher Columbus statue.

Quick pictures... cuz we r TIRED!!!

2009-07-19T14:59:00.001-07:00

Here are just a few pictures from today... It is midnight here and we have been up for 36 plus hours and are POOPED!!! I hope to to upload some more pictures after or day out in the city tomorrow!!!

A view of the inside of the church... Cammie, Dan and Joel are hanging out after the service... which was all in Spanish!!!

Just a cute building with clothes hanging out to dry...

Some of the group having dinner at a mall close to the church...

The Chaos begins...

2009-07-18T12:42:00.000-07:00

I am sitting in Charlotte Airport... waiting on flight #2 out of 4... OF course things could not be smooth sailing when we got to the Birmingham airport. When we all arrived, we found out the flight out of Bham was delayed causing us to miss ALL our connecting flights... NIICE!!! Oh well, it is what it is and the US airways staff got us on other flights HOWEVER, we are split up. 3 of us are on one set of flights and 8 others are on another... and then there is another group of 2 coming later... AHHHH... I am flying with Patty and Kathy and we have a doozy of a flight schedule... We left Birmingham and are in Charlotte... we leave in 20 minutes for Philadelphia... then we leave at 8:30 tonight for FRANKFURT GERMANY...WHAT??? then we leave from there into Barcelona... so, all of this to say it is going to be a very long day... or couple of days. We were supposed to arrive in Spain at 8:30 Sunday morning (Barcelona time) now we are to arrive at 3:30 pm (Barcelona time) quiet a big difference.
I am already exhausted, my eyes are burning but we did get some food here which I really needed. I will be popping my tylenol PM when I get on the Airbus to Germany and praying for sleep!!!
Another big prayer is that all of our luggage arrives there with us... that is a big worry right now AND that someone will be at the airport to pick us up!!!

Katie and Ben and Craig... if you read this I LOVE YOU guys!! :)
-Jen (Mommy)

Adios...

2009-07-12T19:19:00.000-07:00

Well, this Saturday I leave for my mission trip to Barcelona, Spain. We had our last meeting tonight to finalize our plans and schedule. I am sooo excited but really nervous too...
Nervous to leave Katie and Ben for SO long.. I have never been away for this long
Nervous to be on a plane for sooo long
Nervous to be in another country without Craig
Nervous at the possibility of sharing my faith with strangers
Nervous about hanging with 13 other people that I do not know very well
Nervous about being away from my kids.... Did I already mention that????
I know I mean I KNOW that I am supposed to be on this trip but as it draws closer, my nerves are just on edge. I say all the time that I need "me" time, time away from the kids etc. But now that I get 9 days of that, I am NERVOUS!!!! I have been really emotional today about it... I know, close your mouth from shock, me emotional??? (hee hee) but really How will these kids live without me??? I am SO joking... Their daddy is VERY proficient in taking care of them!!! But still, how WILL they live without their mama taking them places, dressing them (oh, they can do that by themselves already), popping a frozen pizza in the oven, taking them to Walmart, giving them hugs and kisses???? Guess What? They will be just FINE, because daddy rocks!!

Seriously, I am in great anticipation to what God has in store for me. I need this trip, I need my focus to be on HIM for a change instead of ME! I need this trip, I need this trip, I need this trip... (is that self talk or what?)

The great thing is that our hotel has free WIFI sooo, I can blog while I am there since the Spanish have siesta EVERY DAY from 1-3!! I am already lovin the Spanish culture!!! Also, Craig, the kids and I will be able to talk for FREEE via Skype through our computers... how cool is that?
Ok, so now that I shared my anxieties about the trip here is what I am excited about:
I am excited about:
Experiencing the Spanish culture (something that is very near to my heart)
Meeting new people
Looking and finding the coolest things to bring home to everyone...
Taking awesome pictures
Spending time with my dear friend, Cammie and getting to know the other 13 people going on the trip
Reading the 3 books I just checked out of the library
Telling other people about My Lord and Savior
Finding a new focus for my life
Seeing my children's faces when I get Back!!!
so... check back this weekend for hopefully some blog updates... if you dont see any... that means the free WIFI was a hoax!!!
ADIOS, mis amigos y familia!!!
(yay, my high school spanish is finally serving me well!!!) :) Thank you Senora Furtado!!

Love, Jen

I love Craig's job because...

2009-07-11T15:17:00.001-07:00

Craig made one phone call to a contact in Atlanta and we were able to get into the Georgia Aquarium at the last minute and FREE OF CHARGE!!! WOW!!!
On the way home from the beach, I mentioned...jokingly, about stopping by the aquarium to break up the trip a bit... well, Craig picked up his phone and BAM...it was done!! I mean really? and we did not have to pay to get in.. But don't worry we did donate to the cause with purchases of snacks and of course a few toys in the gift shop that they so nicely place at the exit of the place... how smart was that? We really were surprised to get to go and are VERY appreciative to everyone who made it happen for us!!!

THANK YOU DADDY for taking us to see the fish!!!

yep, no makeup... YIKES...didn't mean to scare ya!!!

This was sooo cool.. there were divers in the huge tanks, so while we walked through the glass tunnels the divers swam by... Ben LOVED this!!

Part 2 of THe Fourth in the Carolinas...

2009-07-11T15:06:00.001-07:00

Here is the second post of our beach trip... if you have not seen the first part scroll down a bit!

The girlies at Cheeseburger in Paradise... BEFORE we devoured our Chocolate Nachos... we got 2 orders... one for the boys and one for the girls.. and the girls definately out-ate the boys... but the boys made a BIGGER mess!!! hee hee

The boys at Cheeseburger... eating it UP!

Kathy and me! Kathy is my mom's best friend and she is like my other mama!!! I love Kathy and always love getting to hang with her!

This is Katie, Emma (Kathy's granddaughter and my good friend's daughter) and Lauren (Kathy's other granddaughter) It was so neat to see our kids playing together!

Look Mom, no hands!!!

Ben LOVED the waterslides... he did them again and again and again and...

July 4th in the Carolinas....

2009-07-08T12:04:00.001-07:00

Here are a few pictures from our trip to Myrtle Beach for the 4th! We took 2 cars and drove the looong way with my parents. It was not a bad drive when we split up the kids... they did GREAT!! In spite of our visit to Urgent Care the first night, (Ben developed a nasty ear infection), we had a really good time. We were able to visit with friends and enjoy fireworks, the waterpark and chocolate nachos. I have more pictures to post but here are a few....

Checking out all the fireworks on the beach... Now that I have experienced the fireworks on the beach not sure I want to be any other place... There were fireworks in all directions and the best thing was they were not loud at all so Ben LOVED them!

Did I ever say my kids were shy? I think NOt... they danced their little hearts out on stage on July 4th!! THey had so much fun!!

I totally edited this picture because I looked big as a house and I do believe I am crushing my poor mama... but I do love this picture of me and my mama and dad!!! and I do love them so... (thanks for having us!!)

This picture just gives me such joy!!! I am sooo grateful that my kids are so close to my parents... They just love their Mimi and Pop!!!

ok this little guy was literally running circles around us... would NOT stop for us but Craig got some great shots of my sweet little boy... here is another one...

Mama and her girl... I really do love her hair... I was so hesitant to get it cut and now I am sooo glad I did! Do we look ANYTHING alike????

Here I am with my favorite things... my KIDS and the beach!!!

Ok, if you are not a "foot" person,(sorry) which I totally understand, cuz I am NOT a foot person, but I thought this was hilarious... we all have short, squatty feet!! ha!

July 4th dinner, complete with watermelon... YUMMY-O

Mimi and Katie playing the first of their many rounds of UNO... Mimi said that Katie beat the socks off her??? I wonder if it was rigged???

Silly String???? Whose idea was that??? they LOVED it!!!

Daddy and Ben building a sand castle

Mimi and Ben hanging out!

Pop and Katie hit the waves

We have turned into FISH!!!

2009-06-29T10:03:00.001-07:00

Seriously, we have turned into fish at our house... we have been to the pool every day for the past week. This is the first year I get to sit back at the pool and not necessarily get in the water... It IS GREAT!!! Katie is a good swimmer and Ben is good with his floaties. So, we have turned into fish and it is great. Yesterday was the swim party at the Splawn's. I think every child that goes to our church was there and it was wild, crowded, crazy but a total blast... Only a few injuries (including a basketball goal falling onto katie and charlie) No blood, just a small bruise so life was good!
Here are the pictures from the night!

My BIG fish... she jumped off that diving board a thousand times, and yes, she is holding her ear... it was hurting her, but it did not slow her down. I took her to the doctor this morning, but no ear infection just a mild case of swimmers' ear!

Ben chatting with Alena... He just adores her... they were so cute... He is telling her how "cool" the big water slide is!!

Katie and Molly, such sweet friends... I really hope they are friends for many, many years!

Craig and Marlin... partners in crime...

all the women just a gabbing and enjoying ADULT conversation for a moment!

My little fish!

Look at the crowd, and that was not even half of the kids and parents... WHEW!! lots of fun... and only a couple of injuries!!

Am I Quick or What????

2009-06-21T18:01:00.000-07:00

What a great day!!! We headed down to Lake Martin to Uncle Tuck and Aunt Jean's place. We had the best time visiting with everyone and enjoying the lake. Katie and Ben LOVED riding in the boat, going tubing and floating in the water. It was so good to catch up with everyone and see how all the kids have grown and all beautiful and fun! Thanks Aunt Jean and Uncle Tuck for being such gracious hosts and for yummy food and a great time... We love you!

Aunt Jean serving up her homemade ice cream and famous chocolate sauce... YUMMY... and of course my two kids are the ones right there to get some!

Chris.. tall as ever and such a gentlemen and lots of fun to be around!!

Uncle Tuck, the man, the legend!!! hee hee

like father like son!

What's up daddy?

Mrs. Woods, looking fabulous and about to be the mother of the bride!!!

cutie Ty... getting so big and grown and so sweet to everyone!!

Mary Frances and Maggie I do believe... the bride to be in just a month!!

Leigh and Susie chatting in the shade!

Dr. Woods and his future son-in-law, Blake... relaxing!

Happy Father's Day, daddy!!!

Katie hopping on The tube with mama!

there we go!!!

The whole gang, minus Uncle TUck and Tucker... they were trying to figure out the cameras!!! Way funny!

New Blog...

2009-06-17T10:55:00.000-07:00

I have started a teaching blog... like I have nothing better to do, huh? That blog will be used primarily for school and communication between teachers but I would love for you to check it out.. I plan on putting pictures of my classroom before and after since I am moving into a new room. I hope the blog will be a resource for other teachers and a place where we can share ideas etc. so check it out...

*** click on the white words "teaching blog" at the beginning of this post to go directly to the First Grade Ramblings!***

Coming soon...and...

2009-06-13T07:55:00.000-07:00

This week I will blog about Craig's Builders For Christ trip, I actually should have him write about it...hmmm... and post pictures that he sent me during his week...
Thank goodness he came home last night BECAUSE... The kids and I were at church for a preschool campout event... we left around 10:30 since we were not planning on spending the night and I was just slam worn out. There had been a storm in the area that caused the lights in the church to go out...no biggie, the kids loved it... Well, on my way home I could tell the storm had gotten pretty bad, debris was all over the road, trees down etc. THe lights were working along highway 280 so I was feeling good, surely they would be on at home! We went up the mountain, as we call it, and turned into Greystone Farms and DARKNESS surrounded us... NO POWER... and then it hit me, we can not get into our house! The garage door won't open, and I do not have a key to the house. OH sNAP!!! So as we drive into the drive way I call Craig. His plane has just landed and he reminds me that there is a key in the box in our secret spot... soooo I go and trudge through the rain and mud to get the key... but...NO KEY!!! Duh, it must be in the lock box on the front door!! oh DOUBLE SNAP!!! so the kids start getting worried and so do I... I call Craig back and he is like "what am I supposed to do, just wait until I get home" that will be at least an hour, since he has to take a friend home too. Soooo we headed back to church!! Thank the Lord they were having the camp-out. So we went back to church and hung out with Mr. David and Molly and the others in the dark until daddy met us there.. We threw ourselves into the bed at midnight!!! (all of us in our room, and as Ben would say "Nice and Comfy") SO, thank goodness Craig came home last night!!! :)

-Jen

SEC Spring Meeting 2009....

2009-06-03T13:41:00.000-07:00

WHEW, what a week we had at the beach... It is the longest we have stayed there and it was pretty great... of course we had the daily meltdowns of complete exhaustion and Ben did not sleep at all during the night but hey, we were at the beach, and waking up to sound of the waves just made me calmer and less stressed, really it did!!! We left on Sunday (I drove down with the kids, my friend,Kelly, followed us down and then Craig flew down after the Baseball game..) Kelly came down to help me with the kids until Thursday and boy was she a help!!! She also watched the kids while Craig and I attended dinners during the week. It is always so much easier with help!! Everyday consisted of going to the beach, lunch, pool, nap, ice cream, beach again, dinner, bed.... repeat each day! IT WAS PERFECT!!! We came back home on Saturday and began the crazy week of VBS!! Below are some pictures from the week... some with captions, and some without..

Update on Ben: He has not woken up with a night terror in 2 nights, THank the Lord!!! I am praying this continues. I really think we had some prayers going up, because you all know how Craig and I are without our sleep. NOT a good sight around our house. We felt like we were back in the infant days, ugh!!! So I hope the little guy continues to sleep well...
ALso, Craig is leaving on Saturday for his first Builders For Christ trip. I am really excited about and for him going!!! I really hope he enjoys it and can let go of some of the day to day stress here at home and work and be blessed by the work he will be doing!!

our annual family picture

Below are PHOTOS BY BEN:

my pretty grown up girl... I just love her hair like this!!! (Kelly did it that way)

This was hilarious, Ben was looking at Chuck while he was saying something... too funny!

My little dancers... they had such a great time dancing to the band!!

taking a break from dancing: Ben, katie and Olivia Hussey

David and Leah Knight, Chuck and Amber Dunlap and us... dinner at the OCean Club... we had a great dinner and lots of fun hanging out!!!

the BIG chair at Baytowne Wharf!

the beautiful sunset while we sat on the rooftop at Graffitti's!!!

Craig and Ben checking out the boats on the bay.

Finally...Ben's 4th Birthday...

2009-06-01T14:29:00.000-07:00

Finally, I am blogging Ben's birthday party. He has been waiting since last year for this party at the baseball tournament. Unfortunately, he was sick, sick, sick. But, the party went on. The weather was perfect and the crowd at the ball park was not large and we had plenty of hot dogs and ice cream. Ben's best buddy, Eli, was able to come home with us and ride out to the party with us. This was a big treat for both boys. Ben perked up around gift time and then was in a good enough mood for a group picture. All in all it was a great time, but I sure hope he feels better next year. I can not believe he will be 5 next year. wow, how the time flies by....
On a side note, say a little prayer for Ben... he is having what we think are night terrors and has not slept for the past 7 nights and wakes up screaming, thrashing, kicking and incoherent... he makes for some rough nights and looong days. We have contacted the doctor and we have some things we are going to try... So pray for both Ben and US!!! :)

Wendy did a fabulous job again on the cake... it matched the invitations and his shirt... Unfortunately the Goodwins could not make it because of t-ball tournament... we missed them...but the cake was YUMMY!!!

Katie and Gray, good friends..and sooo cute together... future Auburn TIgers!!!

A view of part of the party on the first baseline deck!

This shows just how bad Ben was feeling!

This Ben and his best buddy, Eli!!

this is the crew, we managed to talk Ben into getting his picture taken!!!

Family picture.... ]

HAPPY Birthday...well...SIck Birthday to Ben...

2009-05-22T17:40:00.000-07:00

I will blog Ben's Birthday soon, I hope... Poor little guy was sick on his birhtday and for the party....
Here is a sneak peek from the party...

Sugar and Spice...

2009-05-10T16:18:00.000-07:00

Katie and one of her sweet dance friends before the big dance!!! How sweet!

This was their ballet song :"Put on a Happy Face"... they looked awesome up their in their hot pink and black tutus!!

Strike a pose! This is Katie's jazz outfit... her favorite and mine too. and Yes, that is a bite mark so lovingly given to her by her little brother... Have I mention how hard it is raising a 3 year old boy????? Someone mentioned that it looked like a tattoo, I was very tempted to write "mom" in the middle of it for today!! hee hee

During the jazz performance.

Mimi and Pop and their girl!!! Thank you for coming!!!!

Ben supporting his big sister... despite the bite mark, he really adores her... thinks she is the best thing ever!!! He sat through the whole thing and just beamed when he got a glimpse of Katie... sooo sweet... He did say that when he starts baseball that we would all be in attendance to watch him!!! hee hee..

All in all it was a great weekend and a great Mother's day! I just LOVED watching my girl dance her little heart out with such confidence and JOY!!!

More Birthday Weekend Pics....

2009-05-09T14:23:00.000-07:00

Saturday we spent hanging out and fishing at Grandmama's house and then we had family pictures at the Grand HOtel in Point Clear. I will definately post them when we order them. Ben and Katie were the perfect models and I am positive we got some really good shots. After pictures, we headed over to Ann and Todd's house to cook out. We have a GREAT meal of grilled chicken, shrimp and veggies... it was sooooo yummy!!! The kids just played and laughed and really enjoyed each other. We had a chocolate cake in honor of Craig and then headed in to watch the video I made with 40 years of pictures from Craig's life. It was a great weekend, exhausting, but great!!

THe cousins hanging out, eating and having a blast together!

Everyone watching Craig's birthday video!

Uncle Todd and all the kids... Ben loves his Uncle Todd!!!

Me and my fabulous sister in law, Ann. I just love her!!!

Happy 40th Birthday, Craig!

2009-05-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

We headed down to Fairhope, AL to celebrate Craig's big 4-0! We arrived on Friday afternoon. Ann had set up for a babysitter to keep the little ones while we big ones went out to eat! We went out to a place called Jesse's. It was a darling little place with great atmosphere and we had a very unique server which made the evening more comical! Below are pictures from the night... All night I wanted to get a picture of Craig and his mom and still, I did not get one... maybe next time!!! Thank you Mary Ann for the the dinner treat, it was very yummy and the company was even better!

Me and my 40 year old Cutie

Mary Ann and Harold

Ann,(Craig's sister), Todd and Caroline

Todd making Craig get a picture... I love this one!

Craig and his "first and fav" niece, Caroline... What a beauty she is!

I will post more of the weekend later... off to the bed... *yawn*

Hold my Hand, Daddy!!

2009-04-26T14:58:00.001-07:00

this just steals my heart... sooo sweet!

My sweet little girl just growing up on me!!!

Ben hanging at the Ball Park and the Family Fun Day hosted by our church.
We have had a busy, busy weekend... starting with Spring Fling at our school and then Family Fun Day at the ball park sponsored by our church... not to mention that we have had people wanting to look at our house (which is a good thing)but just causing a little interruption to your normal Saturday... but I am HOPING somebody likes it...
Anyways... these pictures were taken at the Ball Park... Craig was there at 7:00 am to help set up the inflatables etc and the kids and I joined him around 10 am. We stayed out there practically all day... Katie got to watch some of her best buds play a little ball.
This afternoon after church, we head over to a Sunday School lunch at the Oswalds. It was a great day, the kids played while the adults sat around and chatted and laughed and just enjoyed each other's company... I hope we are able to do this more often!!!

some folks having a little lunch and chatting!

some of the men supervising the children!! Craig, Scott and Ray....
Will post more later... have to scoot... to church ....again!!! :0

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T11:17:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter, everyone!!! Of course we began the day with checking out what the Easter bunny had left!!! Katie was thrilled with her Hannah Montana video and Ben with his Bolt movie plus tons of candy and treats! Craig had 8:00 ushering duties so we met up with him at church... At our church we have a cross out by the main road where families can bring flowers from their yards and add to the cross. It is a beautiful display!!! So... we attempted to do this and get pictures... we tried a family on but Ben was crying and being a...well... three year old so I did not include that one but we got some good ones of the kids...
So, here are some pictures of our day....

A little pampering and Girl time...

2009-04-11T17:44:00.000-07:00

Mimi and Pop came up last night. Unfortuntely we don't get to spend Easter Sunday with them since we have commitments at our church and dad has to preach sunrise service in Columbus. But, we had a great visit... Mom, Katie and I had planned to go to see Wicked and it was great while the boys did what boys do....eat, go to Home Depot, watch the Masters and take a nap... Soooo fun was had by all!!!

The Mimi pedicure...first, soak the feet!!!

Then, the color... Ben is checking out the action!

Katie gives a wink... loving her pedi and mani with mimi!!

Of Course, Ben had to get a little foot soaking in.... But don't worry no nail polish for the "ALL Boy!" but who doesn't love their feet rubbed and cleaned!!!

Then Saturday, Mimi, Katie and I went to lunch and to see the Broadway musical: Wicked... Craig and I saw this in NYC a few yeas ago and LOVED it... Katie and MIMI really loved it... The voices on these people are amazing...

Mimi and Katie at lunch... at the Village Tavern

Mom and me... just love spending time with my mom and daughter... way too much fun... I let Katie have coke for lunch and boy does that make her go nuts... Mom and I just laughed at her!

Here we are about to go in to the musical... Katie really enjoyed it and somewhat got the story line... Mom and I are wanting to plan a trip to NYC in a few years with Katie to go see a few more!!!

Super Spring Day...

2009-03-22T19:04:00.000-07:00

After our EXHAUSTING trip to Nashville yesterday all I wanted to do was hang out at home today... so after church that is just what we did. We are vert fortunate to have a great lake just down from our house and today was a perfect day to go fishing. Ok, I will be totally honest, I did NOT want to go fishing. We had played outside for a while and Ben and I had just settled on the couch for a little nap (I was hoping) and Katie runs out and says "Guess what guys, we are going fishing". I will not say what I was thinking but anyhoo, I got up and headed out with everyone and I am actually glad I did. I got some priceless pictures of the kids, watched Katie get her first hook in her finger, don't worry MIMI, it wasn't that bad and we washed her hand etc. thoroughly when we got home and witnessed Katie and Ben catch a fish. So here are a few snapshots from our day of fishing enjoying the awesome spring weather... I am so glad spring is here!!!

Who does she take after, I wonder??

My little Ben is no longer "little"

the first catch of the day!!

Ben FINALLY caught one.. I mean this took alot of patience on everyone's part to get this little guy a fish!!

Fishy kiss!!!

Boston Trip Part 2

2009-03-22T17:35:00.000-07:00

Ok, now for the second half of my trip.... After our day of sightseeing, Kelly and I headed back to our hotel for some shut eye... We had a great 3 hour nap... (I can not tell you the last time I was able to do that uninterrupted!!) We got up and met Marc so we could head out to have dinner with my other high school friend, Meg... The one I have not seen in 16 years. Now I will be honest with you, I did not know I was old enough to have a friend that I have not seen in 16 YEARS, I mean really!!! We took the T to a tapas restaurant... called Tascas... Now I have traveled a bit but have never been to a tapas, a spanish style place that serves many tiny portions of cuisine. It was FABULOUS... I can not tell you all the different things I tried but it was so great and the sangria was just right!!!! But better than the food was the chance to sit around and gab with 3 of my dear friends... we literally closed the place down... It was the highlight of my trip! Here are a couple of pictures from that night!

Here is a picture of Marc, myself and Meg...

Wednesday:
For our last full day in Boston we had a full day planned... Kelly and I headed out for a little more shopping on Newberry Street and hit Marc Jacobs and H&M... we loaded up!!! Then Marc picked us up and we headed down to the oldest restaurant in America, REALLY!! THE UNION OYSTER HOUSE... When we arrived you could see the history all around us.. the old brick, uneven roads and the the quiet square walls and floors of the place... Now the prices were not of olden times AT ALL but the seafood was incredible. I had crab cakes, my favorite and they were the biggest crab cakes I have ever seen... Here are a few snapshots from that adventure!

Then we were off to Fenway Park and to Cambridge... We found this cute little bar called Bleacher Bar which is UNDER the big green monster (Fenway). So we went in and you could sit right next to the outfield... or third field as Marc who is NOT a baseball fan would say!!! ha ha!!

and as you can tell Fenway is in a real nice part of town... hee hee

Then off to Cambridge and "Hah"vard with all the smarties... It was really overcast by the time we made our way there but still comfortable weather. We went to a cute shop called The Tannery and we scored on 1/2 priced shoes and I got the best black heels for 50.00 and better yet in Mass there is no sales tax on clothes... so it was really just 50.00!!! love it!

On our last day I was still frantically trying to find something to bring home to Katie... I had already bout Ben a Boston Red Sox hat, a CUTE lobster shirt and a stuffed animal. Well I found the perfect something... If you know my Katie she LOVES dogs and desperately wants one of her own... well at the Fairmont they have a dog named...get this... Catie Copley, a lab that lives at the hotel and if you are staying there and need a pet fix you can check out Catie and take her for a walk. I went into the gift shop and they had stuffed animals that were Catie Copley that actually smell like dog shampoo and the book that tells the story of Catie. When I saw this I knew it was perfect... it gets better... I purchased the stuffed animal and book and they lady working at the gift shop said I could get the book signed by the dog... GET OUT!!!!soooo. I went to the conceriege desk ( I know I probably misspelled that word) and asked them about it so they took the book in the back and came out with a paw print signed book for my Katie.... and I also got to get my picture with the real live dog... and yes, Katie adored the book and animal and wants a dog even more now!!! :)

and here is a picture of the outside of the hotel we stayed at... so grand!!

this was taken as we zoomed to the airport...
so, all in all it was a fabulous trip!!! Whew I am tired!!!

Boston Trip

2009-03-20T11:30:00.001-07:00

I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Boston with Kelly, my fabulous teacher friend. We picked Boston for a couple of reasons: 1. Kelly has never been there and 2. I have 2 good high school friends that live there in which 1 I had not seen in like 16 years! So it seemed like a great place to visit plus we found great airfare and a wonderful hotel at a great price!!! So... We set out Monday and drove to Atlanta to catch out flight (it is a lot cheaper to fly out of Atlanta). Of course on the flight to Boston we sat by a screaming 12 month old, I felt so bad for the mama and worse for Kelly who was directly beside them the entire flight. I have to say I secretly thanked God that was not me sitting there with a screaming child. :) We arrived in Boston and took a cab directly to the Fairmont Copley Square. This hotel is nothing short of fabulous. It is an old hotel with all the finery of old Boston. The chandeliers were unbelievable and the the staff were so helpful and nice. Our room was quaint and charming. The room overlooked the city street and a sign that pointed us in the direction of New York... (that was tempting!) We rested and then got dolled up for our first meal in Boston at Sibling Rivalry. This restaurant is named this because the chefs are brothers and there are 2 menus to choose from... it is a neat concept and the food was amazing. THis is a picture of us a the hotel before we left for dinner.

Marc, my friend from high school in Panama met up with us at the restaurant. Let me tell you a little about Marc. We have know each other since 1991 and have kept in touch pretty well this whole time. Marc went to Morehouse in Atlanta for college and then proceeded to Harvard for grad school. He currently works at Boston College in fundraising. He is going to be returning to Harvard in the fall to pursue his DOCTORATE... He is one smart dude!!! In Panama, Marc, Kent, Meg and I all took math with Mr Oliver and sat in the back of the room where we really paid attention and goofed off and built long lasting friendships. Now, Kent, Marc and Meg are all at least 6 foot tall and then there is me... barely hitting 5 foot 4 so I am the short one in the bunch. But I love being the short one... considered the short one with the big mouth... imagine that... now fast forward to Boston...
When we arrived at our hotel Marc had left gift bags for us with our very detailed itenerary, treats and some neat Boston magazines... WOW what a host and a very sweet gesture, He had even taken vacation time to show us the site of his town. After dinner we went to Dave and Renee's (which I thought was a restaurant) but are actually friends of Marc and live in a very Boston-y walk up... which was so cool to see. THey were the sweetest couple an it was so nice to chill and have cupcakes (that Marc made) and champagne. What a neat idea, Marc! Here is a picture of me and Dave and Renee.

After our visit with them, we headed to Top of the Hub which is a great place to catch an incredible view of the city.

We talked way into the evening and had a great time catching up!
The next day was St. Patrick's Day in Boston so we headed to have lunch at an authentic Irish Pub....well the one we had planned on going into had a line out the door so we head down the street to McFadden's. We feasted on hamburgers, fried cheese sticks and chicken fingers... no corn beef hash for us folks!
Here is a picture of the three of us in our St. Patrick's day gear...

We spent the rest of the day taking in the sites on the Freedom trail. We did not do the whole thing just the sites that were in our immediate area. The weather was perfect, sunny and just chilly enough to need a coat. The wind is what got us from time to time. Here are a few pictures from our walk...

That was Marc being the ultimate tour guide... so funny!

Being the teachers we are we had to get out picture taken in front of the "School Street" sign

My favorite scenic picture of the trip... so pretty!!!
I will post again with the other half of our trip... this has taken me forever to do and right now I need to be getting the kids up and ready to head to Nashville for the gymnastics meet.... so check back in a few days!
Jen

Katie is in PRinT!!!

2009-03-07T07:42:00.001-08:00

This layout was in PORTICO Weddings magazine... which is a Birmingham based magazine.

This layout is from Alabama Weddings magazine.

The pictures were so beautiful!! We were so happy Katie was able to be a part of Courtney and Jason's big day!

More Snow Pictures

2009-03-01T16:09:00.001-08:00

Favorite pic of the day... Katie threw a snowball at me (at the window) and I captured this!!!

Ben and daddy having a snowball fight!