Wilderness Lodge

We went to the Wilderness of the Smokies with Josh's family.  The kids had an absolute blast riding the water rides and bodysurfing.  It was great fun for our whole family.

Halloween

I had a little criminal and a grandma trick or treating with me this year.  They were so cute.  Morgan thought up the idea herself and went with it!  She called a friend of ours to borrow their walker. We put baby powder in her hair to make it look white.  She did the lipstick herself!  It was a fun night.

Fall Break!

Two days before Fall Break started we decided to go somewhere for a getaway...the kids have been dying to go back to the beach for over a year.  We didn't take a summer vacation so they really deserved it.  We were able to work out a condo in Destin for a few days.  We left Friday night and Josh drove all night.  We had 3 absolutely perfect days of sun, sand, ocean, go-carts, putt-putt, video games, and food...Fun, Fun, Fun!!  It was a short trip but we did everything we wanted to.  The kids had an absolute blast!  Can't wait to go back next year.

Happy Birthday Morgan!

My little girl turned 10 years old on September 20!  I cannot believe she is 10. She is such a joy and I have always called her "my angel" and she truly is.  I cannot imagine my life without her.

Her birthday was on a school day so we decided to go out to eat the night before.  She chose Gondolier because it was close to home and they serve fettucine alfredo!  She knew they would sing to her and she was excited about that.  She got a huge piece of "millionaire cake" and we all helped her eat it.

Take me out to the ballgame!

Jackson played Kingston AA All-Stars this summer(he played A last summer). he played a few different positions: shortstop, right field, catcher. He is also playing on a Kingston travel team and has played in various tournaments throughout the summer. I love watching him play but I'm always a nervous wreck when he plays a new position. I thought I would be sick watching him play catcher for the first time...I was so nervous for him. I called him "Bumblebee" when he was in his catcher's gear. He looked just like a Transformer and his equipment rattled when he would run to his position.

4th of July Fun!

We went out on the boat for the 4th of July and had a great time. The kids went tubing, Josh's cousin water skied and Josh's dad water skied. We went out on the boat and watched the fireworks as they went up over the water...beautiful. The kids also had their faces painted when we went down to all the booths at the city park.

Basketball Camp 2010

Jackson went to a local basketball camp and had a blast! I was worried that he would be too tired because he had just gotten home from 2 days in the hospital. I was wrong...kids are resilient and he did great. The last day of camp they gave out awards and Jackson received many. He got the "Hot Shots" award for scoring the most points during a certain time...he got 25 points which the coach said is the most anyone has ever gotten! He only scored 12 points the first day of camp. He got second place in the free throw contest and he got Best All Around (with a little medal) for his age group. I was beaming with pride for my little man! The coach came up to me afterwards and said she could have given every award to him....way to go Jackson...we are proud of you.

Kingston Elementary School

Today is the last day of school at Kingston Elementary. Morgan is completing 3rd grade and Jackson, 1st grade. I can't believe how fast time is going by and my babies are growing up. They both have had excellent teachers and have learned so much. Morgan got awards for A/B honor roll and Accelerated Reader. She has also won the Citizenship Award during the school year. Jackson has also won the Citizenship Award during the school year. His class does something called "Bucket Fillers"....it means that you say nice things to others, help your teacher, be a good friend, etc. and that fills someone's "bucket". Well....my sweet boy got the "Bucket Filler" award for the entire school year. I'm so proud of him!

Let the fun of summer begin!

Easter pic

Morgan was willing and ready to have a few pics made on Easter morning. Jackson....not so much. He does not like pictures and always does this fake smile that makes his neck stick out and he looks like Frankenstein with bolts on his neck. I had forgotten to buy new "church shoes" (as we call them) for this season so he had to wear his leather flip flops to church. Oh well, he looked very handsome in his polo shirt and plaid shorts. Morgan looked beautiful as always with her flowing red hair and beautiful smile.

Hawaii Hawaii

Josh and I went to "the big island" of Hawaii last week. It was very relaxing and I was able to read 3 books and work on my tan. Josh enjoyed some great golf. We missed the kids so much and are thankful to be back with them. We stayed near Kona which is only black lava rock...no sand...kind of strange. We rented a car and drove the entire island and saw waterfalls near Hilo and went to the Volcano National Park.

Tubing is fun!

We went tubing in Gatlinburg a couple weekends ago with Josh's family. It was a blast! We had gone in Snowshoe last year but this was much more fun. The "hill" was twice as long as Snowshoe. I screamed the whole way down every single time but loved it! The kids loved it too.

Basketball

Josh has been coaching both kids in basketball this winter. Their team name is Kansas. Last year they were the Jayhawks so they changed it just a little. Morgan and Jackson have both played very well this year and Josh has enjoyed coaching. Baseball season is just around the corner!

Jackson

Here are a few pics from Jackson the past two months. He celebrated his 7th birthday on Dec. 31st. He lost a tooth that day! We had his party a few weeks later at LaserQuest and everyone had a blast. He got lots of Legos which are his absolute favorite thing right now. In the past two weeks he has lost both his front top teeth. The first one came out when his sister bumped into him and knocked it out. The second one became extremely loose when his sister "bumped" into him again. (Do see you a recurring theme here?) He would not pull it but it finally fell out on Sunday when we were playing in the snow.