Hangin' Out

We went over to Maw Maw and Paw Paw's house today.



Their orange tree was full, so the kids helped Paw Paw pick them.



John David was loving every second.



He absolutely loves to help.



The girls were a big help too.



Although I think Sarah was more interested in eating the oranges.



They got a nice bucket full. Did I mention how sweet and delicious they were?! Man they were so good!

And heavy too. Katie couldn't quite carry it by herself.

So little sis came to her aid.



Then it was time for an Oreo break.



John David loves Oreos. But only the inside.



He gave Maw Maw his leftovers.



Then John David entertained himself on the swing set.





And Paw Paw pitched the ball..............



.............to these two cuties.



They are getting pretty good a hitting. Paw Paw got hit twice, and Daddy got hit once. They were trying to aim for me next, but I made the rule that they can't hit the person with the camera.





How else would we document this sweet, beautiful day?!

Lovin' It!

I am so enjoying our fence. I sat outside today and did the checkbook, while my two little ones played.



John David had fun riding his little quad.



Bailey enjoyed chasing the birds.



She spotted a bird sitting on top of the back fence, and tried jumping up to reach him. She almost did too.



When I said it was time to go inside, this is what he did.



I love it when he runs! It's so cute!



But there's only so far he can run now. I love that too.



I also love when he walks over to the gate and tries to open it. He says, "Lock, Mama. Lock. Help. Help." And I say, "Yes, it is locked. And you are the reason it is locked." And I smile.

But he doesn't appreciate it too much. But someday he will understand. Someday......when I am old and gray.........and he has a little boy just like himself. Then he will understand why the gate was locked.

Escape Artist

We thought we had all of the tiny holes covered so this little one couldn't escape out of the fence. But today while John and I took her out for a potty break, she found one that we hadn't yet. She usually comes running when I call her name, so my heart sank when I called her and she didn't come. I looked on both sides of the house and she wasn't there. So I went to the front yard--not there. Looked down the street--not there. I grabbed John David and we got in the van and drove slowly down our street with the windows rolled down calling her name. Even John David was calling her too....."Baaaaabbbby!" All I could think about was how heartbroken my little Sarah would be if she came home from school and I had to tell her that Bailey was gone. We drove around our neighborhood for about ten minutes, and I was praying the whole time. I felt good about things though. And then I had a thought come to my mind....maybe she went back home. So I decided to go back home to see if maybe she had come back..............and indeed she had! She was sitting inside the fence all wet. Where ever she had gone she had found some water to play in. I am so thankful for answered prayers, and that I didn't have to have that conversation with my sweet little Sarah.



We think we found the spot that she escaped from, and it has been fixed.

But just to be on the safe side, I went and got her this little tag............just in case.

Future Tarheels in Training

One of our goals for this year is to spend more time doing fun things together--and not in front of the TV. And this is one way we plan on accomplishing that goal.



We finally got our basketball goal up. Wahoo!



The kids are loving it! And so am I! I love basketball, and am so glad that Katie wants to learn to play.



Sarah is really getting into it too. She can barely get the ball high enough to reach the goal, so she has spent a lot of time practicing and trying to make a basket. I love that she is so determined and just keeps trying so hard.



This little guy loves it too, but he is way too little for this goal. Maybe he'll get a little basketball goal for his birthday. Now, bring on the spring weather and March Madness!

Christmas All Over Again!

I'm not quite sure how we have found favor in the eyes of Santa's elves, who must have put in a good word for us, but somehow we did. However, this amazing gift wouldn't fit under the tree.



We have dreamed of having a fence since we moved into this house over seven years ago, but we just haven't had the money to get it done.



I can't even begin to explain how much easier this is going to make my life.



And how much we are just now starting to really enjoy our yard.



This means we will be spending much more time outside.



Whenever my little man is in one of his destructive moods (which is most of the hours that he is awake), I can just set him loose outside and let him dig, destroy, play, jump, run, etc. until his little heart is content. And.......(and this is so huge)............not have to worry about him getting too close to the way too busy street that we live on.



Of course I will be outside with him, but I won't have to feel like I can't let him get more than three feet away from me. I could even sit and read. Oh....the possibilities!



And it also means that I can let the dog out to go take care of her business.....all by herself. No more babysitting! Seriously! It makes me want to dance a jig! Which would frighten our neighbors. Good thing we have a privacy fence!



Yep, he can open up the back gate since it's only 4 feet high. But we've got it covered. Aaron bought a little thing today that we are going to keep on it to make it John proof.



Oh happy day!!!!!!



Don't tell Santa, but we weren't even that good! Shhh! I'm not sayin' a word--except THANK YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

False Start

In sports, a false start is a movement by a participant before (or in some cases after) being signaled. That's what I feel like we've had for 2011. Each year I always have new goals for myself and my family that I try to implement during the first week of January. But not this year. We have all been sick....and I mean all of us. We have had sinus infections, flu, ear infections, colds, coughs, etc. So I have been struggling just to make it day to day for the last couple of weeks and I feel like I have missed out on my new year's fresh start. So I'm calling a do over, and we are starting our new year's goals and such next week and pretending like we haven't missed out on the first two weeks of the year. So there mister false start! Take that! Now I feel better.

Self Service

Why ask for help when you can just push a chair to the counter........



..........and help yourself!



Yes, he took a bite out of every single one. Saved by his cuteness once again.

Trade-offs

I got one mess in the kitchen cleaned up this morning.......only to find this waiting for me in the family room.



Every single game and every single little game piece......dumped into one pile. So I spent the next hour sorting through it all. Next time, I'm just going to leave the kitchen like it is. Lesson learned.

Ringing In The New Year

Last night the girls invited a few friends over for their New Year's party/sleepover. We let them do this every year that we are home for New Year's. We kept it very low key this year, since Aaron wasn't feeling well. We ordered pizza for supper and let them play. Around ten, we all went outside for fireworks. (We got a great deal on them, thanks to Bargain Bee. If you live in the Lake Charles area, you must check it out!)



The girls loved the fireworks.



John David......not so much. He was so scared of the noise. Poor baby. So he found refuge in the arms of these little cuties.





He did decide that he liked the sparklers though, since they aren't noisy.



Then we came back inside and watched "Despicable Me". Such a cute movie!



Then we watched the ball drop in Times Square and celebrated the new year with the east coast. I always get a kick out of watching the girls go crazy screaming and yelling and celebrating.



It wasn't long before they were all dropping off like flies.



Happy 2011! We are looking forward to a new and fun year!