Warning: Super long blog with lots of pictures. Sorry. We just haven't stopped to breathe yet :) Here's our last two weeks. Feel free to read this in two or three sessions ;) Top of the list...Murphy. This is my dad's golden retriever puppy, and he is super cute.
Eating outside at Granddad's house
Murphy and Lauren
Yes, the first several make this blog a lot about Murphy :)
Just look at that face
So he's not quite a lap dog any more, but that didn't stop Benjamin from trying.
Everyone had eye exams. Hudson got some cool little sunglasses after his eyes were dilated. He still has them.
You can just guess what has now made the birthday wish list for this girl. Hmmm. That would take up the entire suitcase! :)
Yes, the kids made it to Build-A-Bear. A couple have been saving their money for this store for a while now. Hudson was not one of the ones, but quickly decided that this is wear he should spend it. He's been sleep with "Police" every night.
This should not surprise you. Katherine loves her bunnies!
Good morning sleepy head.
Yes, and we all had dentist appointments (as well as a few with doctor appointments for immunizations) and all had eye exams. This was Hudson first dental X-ray. He was just too cute in that lead apron!
Benjamin has been asking to play golf for a while now. Granddad let him practice with one of his clubs.
Mammy made a fun cake for Lauren's birthday.
He was so happy that he got to use "hair product" to have spikey hair. He can't wait to try it again.
Happy 8th Birthday (a little early)
She was so happy :)
After that we headed back to our house and met up with some friends we haven't seen in years!
The last time Regan and Kathryn (she was Katie at the time) saw each other was when the girls were in kindergarten. A lot of time has passed since then and the girls have grown!
Hudson loved Arwin's hat.
We then got to the house so that the kids could work on their gift to Ma for her birthday.
So, back in the car again headed to Knoxville for Ma's 87th birthday party.
Hudson made himself right at home and just talked and talked with Ma.
He met Uncle Charlie (Papaw's brother) for the first time.
He met Aunt Nancy (Ma's sister)
Emily did an awesome job with the decorating and planning to the party! That big long board in front of the table was full of holes that held tons of candles. We got them all lit and the 87 on the cake when the wind picked up and blew every single one out.
You have to love a staged blowing out of the candles. Haha!
Benjamin was chilin
picnic style
I was there, too. Selfies with my older two...Regan
and Benjamin
Uncle Ralph (Ma's brother) and Emily
Hudson spent the most time with Aunt Macy Armstrong (Ma's sister-in-law) He loved sitting in her lap and talking about everything.
Ma opening her gift from the kids. They each painted a side of the birdhouse and then made her pinecone bird feeders to go along with it.
Ma (Edith Sheddan) and all but one of her great-grandchildren. Austin had to work.
Ma and her grandkids
Enjoying the swing in the yard
Hudson was so sweet. He wanted to make sure he walked Aunt Nancy to her car.
Emily and Jonathan
Emily and Regan
We then got back to Chattanooga. It was the next day and we thought Lauren had strep because she woke up in the middle of the night in tears because her throat hurt and her ear hurt. Turned out that it was "Tennessee allergies and an ear infection" So she was glad to be able to play with friends.
So happy to be outside.
Exploring our yard and the neighboring park
Benjamin practicing some more golf swings
We had several crazy storms come through, but it made for some pretty clouds as it rolled in.
Regan, Katherine, and I had to go back to Columbia to pick up/drop off glasses. I think Murphy missed us ;)
And we had lunch with cousin Kayla before heading back.
When I got back, Hudson could not wait to show me the "big bird fort" he made for the birds in our front yard (with the help of Lauren and Daddy) note the outfit. I did not dress him that way.
The kids are so happy to have this playground so close.
I had to stop and take a picture. All the trees are starting to bloom and it's just so pretty! Don't worry. I pulled into a parking lot :)
Katherine found this friend at PetSmart. He would be so cute on her desk at school, but then she would NEVER get anything done. :)
Regan and Benjamin went to Winter Jam with the Youth group.
They had such a good time! They BOTH came back talking a mile a minute at the SAME time telling us all about it. They had such a good time that Regan slept until 11:30 when I went in and woke her up :)
They loved every minute of it!
This week our dear friend, Allen, died suddenly in his sleep. He was 33 years old. I'm sure you will recognize his face from past blog posts because we did stuff with Allen and Bonnie all the time. It's been tough news, but we are now celebrating the fact that we know we will see him again one day in heaven. He will be greatly missed.
He had gone on strip to deliver a tractor truck load of apples to some remote, poor villages. His wife and several others went immediately to where he was to finish the mission.
Here are some of the sweet faces that were touched.
School kids lined up to get some apples.
These two learned how to bring the trash can back from the curb :) American culture ;)
And oh, how this makes my heart happy. My three youngest had their first baseball/softball practice this week. Really, it was just a partial practice because it got rained out, but it was fun to watch!
We went to Emily's for Lauren's 8th birthday! The kids did bubbles in her driveway and decorated her driveway with chalk while they waited for her to get home from work.
Zootopia was the theme.
Chalk art by Benjamin
Then we headed to the park to run around for a bit.
Yeah! Emily is home!
Lauren specifically requested a piñata.
CANDY CANDY CANDY!
Birthday girl with her friends!
Papa Johns Pizza
Happy Birthday to you!
Lauren's presents in Emily's cute kitchen.
Katherine drew a picture of herself and Emily :)
OK, so I have never seen the girl so genuinely surprised and happy at the same time. She literally started to cry because she got the next season of Little House on the Prairie. The kids couldn't believe how much Carrie had grown up on the cover (We only had season one before)
She got her very own whiffle bat to practice the yard with.
Also we all went to see Beaty and the Beast for her birthday. So, to let her know, we put 8 pretend tickets in her gift (2 parents, 5 kids, and Auntie Em) She was so happy and then Bryan says, "Wow! You get to see it 8 times, Lauren!" Oh we just burst out laughing. He was too cute!
Jonathan and Katherine were helping get Emily's DVD player hooked up. :)
What a fun driveway!
Lauren's first time to practice hitting a ball. She did good. She hit 3 of the balls.
Waiting for practice to be over...ah, the life.
Katherine has never practiced swinging a bat before. Everything is so new and foreign to them, but she stuck with it! She tried and tried and tried to hit the ball and kept missing, but she didn't give up. On her last pitch she hit it.
She probably should have been out at first, but let me tell you, this girl is FAST! Just look at that running pose!
Two happy girls, One happy Aunt
Popcorn, Icee, and a movie. Love it!
I love that our house is right next to the park. The kids can just go swing or walk anytime.
Sunday morning pictures
Emily and Jonathan
Me and Jonathan
We went to the pastor's house for a cookout Sunday night. My kids were so excited...one cat and one dog! Who needs toys? ;)
Some of the kids had their first ever Smores around the campfire.
And yes, this poor dog was past around and carried around most of the time we were there. It was a sweet dog.
Benjamin's happy place, surrounded by animals.
Auntie Em playing with the kids :)
