Mom's 50th Birthday

Today is my Mom's 5oth Birthday! I feel so lucky to be young enough to enjoy celebrating it with her this year. Not many ladies my age get the privilege to enjoy a parent's 50th birthday as an adult. My mom is very special to us, so our family made a birthday video for her. Maybe she will feel like we were with her on her special day...

(Hit "pause" on the playlist to turn off the sound on the songs)

Happy Birthday Mom, We Love You!!!

Our Weekend!

It was a nice weekend! We spent Friday night at the Fall Carnival at Gabe's school. I worked at the Bake Sale for some of it, then Joey brought the boys later. I was a little worried about them getting dressed fed and out the door, but why? Joey always does a great job at that... in fact, sometimes better than I would! The boys arrived at the Carnival in their costumes of choice. Cole has decided he is "the Hulk" this year - how fitting! :) Gabe wants to be a Marine. We ordered him a special "Marines" shirt, but it wasn't here in time, so we made do with all his camouflage. I thought they looked really cute! By the end of the carnival the boys were exhausted. We all came home and went straight to bed!

Saturday was spent playing soccer and cheering on the Crimson Tide! Gabe had a wonderful soccer game on Saturday. He is so much fun to watch! Joey and I enjoyed watching the Bama game together on Saturday night. I almost made it through the WHOLE game this time. I went to bed with just a few minutes left, but Joey kept me updated. I sure do hate falling asleep at the end!

Today was a beautiful day! We slept in and went to the late service today... I think we all needed a little extra rest. The service was wonderful! I feel like I learn so much every week! I took a few pictures of the boys before church today. The trees were so pretty, but no match to my handsome boys!

Now it is time to prepare for a busy week! Lots of fun stuff to do this week... Field Day, Fifties Day, Trunk-or-Treat, Fall Parties..... Plus, the Hallmarks are coming! We are all looking forward to seeing them!

Okay, I have to go to bed or I will feel it tomorrow morning. Happy Monday!!!

Boys, Boys, Boys....

Okay, do I live in a housefull of boys or what? I was just happily cleaning and organizing my house this afternoon when I got a call from Joey on the cell phone. It was an emergency call from Gabe. The boys had headed down to the pond and needed me down there right away. The instructions were to get there quick and bring my camera! So, I didn't hesitate and headed straight down.....

When I got there I found Gabe racing toward the car to get me. I ran for the area where they were all gathered and found a 3 foot snake stabbed with one of Gabe's homemade spears. Boy were they proud!!! The boys were jumping around all trying to tell me the story of how Joey stabbed the snake. They all had to take turns holding it and showing me how big it was. You would think they had found an anaconda. One of Gabe's many heroes is Steven Erwin, so this was a wonderful moment for him. In fact, we haven't told Gabe the story of Steve's death....he would be devastated. We figure he will find out one day on his own....

Now I am back at the house finishing up... the boys will probably be at the pond until dark or there is nothing left of the snake. I think I will just stay here in my house and wait...... :)

Okay, so I have fallen a little behind with my blogs. Now to catch up.....

What has happened to October? This month has flown by! Since my last post, we have been busy with all the month's activities. We enjoyed spending the day at the pumpkin patch a few weeks ago. Cole ran from one activity to the next while Gabe loved looking at all the animals. We ended up leaving with a pumpkin for the porch and a few small pumpkins for the boys to paint. They loved creating their own special pumpkins.

A few days ago my grandparents came to visit. It was wonderful having them here! I feel so lucky to get to spend quality time with those two wonderful people. They have always made family a priority and it shows in how we all love them. I have such wonderful memories of them taking time out of their days to sit and play with me. I still think about the picnic lunches Gram fixed for me in the tupperware lunchbox when I was little and working in the garden at their house. I think those memories have definitely affected the way I parent my boys today. I know now how hard it is to find time for the little things, but the rewards and memories made are well worth it. Every time I pack a picnic for the boys and we sit in the backyard to eat it, I think about the times I did that with my grandmother. They are such special people and now my children know that, too!

I took Cole to get his 4-year check-up yesterday. He had to get his last and largest round of shots. After the doctor gave him his overall check-up, he left the room for the nurse to bring in the shots. I decided to give Cole a heads up on the situation by explaining it would feel like a bee sting and everything would be okay. During my well-thought out explanation, Cole said "ok" and continued to play with the basketball in the room. The nurse came in and he said... "you going to give me a little bee sting?". He then jumped in my lap and took all the shots without a tear.... Amazing! I don't think ANYTHING bothers him. I still took him to Chick-fil-A for lunch to help my feelings....

I will be baking like a mad woman over the next few days! I am the chair (Joey thinks it is funny) of the Bake Sale team for the Fall Carnival at Gabe's school. Looks like my family will be on a sugar high for a few days. I never can make cookies or treats without the boys (including Joey) sampling a few. I really enjoy cooking, so it will be fun to make all the holiday treats. I just hope lots of the other parents decide to be a baker, too!

I took a few pictures of the boys yesterday. I think it is fun to capture their everyday expressions every now and then. I have to enjoy the way those sweet faces look today, because it won't take anytime for them to change! Until next time...

Mountains

Isn't this time of year great? The weather has been so wonderful lately. Joey and I decided to take the boys to the mountains on Sunday afternoon. We drove up to Caesar's Head State Park in hopes of some good stream-splashing and hiking. When we got there we discovered a beautiful overlook! I took pictures for Joey so he could enjoy it. (He does not like heights...at all!) We also went down into the "Devil's Kitchen". The boys were a little threatened by the name, but it was really neat. We all walked down some rickety stairs into a very tight opening in two huge rocks. If you are claustrophobic, do not enter!!! When we reached the other side, it opened right up to another overlook. Joey had no choice but to keep walking. Bless his heart, he had to take a deep breath when we reached "safety". :) After talking to a park ranger about which of the multiple trails we should try with the boys, she suggested going down the road to North Carolina to see the waterfalls. We only had to drive about 15 minutes, and it was great. The waterfalls were beautiful and the hikes to them were just right for the boys. This is the first time we have gone hiking without the Kelty backpack. It is great not having to carry the whole house just to spend the day in the mountains! I had originally planned to take a nice relaxing walk up the mountains to the waterfalls and back down without the kids being drenched in water....yeah right! As soon as the boys hit the trail and heard a stream, their ears perked up and they started begging to swim. I think they forgot how cold the mountain water can be this time of year. Anyway, when we got to the top of the trail and discovered the three beautiful waterfalls, Cole immediately "fell" in the water and was soaked. I guess you know what happened next....both boys were splashing in the subzero water having the time of their lives. After about 30 minutes of teeth chattering, we hiked back to the car (wet shirts in hand) for a snack and a relaxing ride home. The boys were so happy to put on dry clothes! We have tried to take the boys to do this at least once a year since we have lived here and the reason why is clear....we all have a blast! There is just something about beautiful trees, cold water, and enjoying nature with the family! I am sure we will continue to do this for many years to come. Now I have to get back to my day! We have a little girl staying with us for a few days. She is precious! Every child we get reminds me how special God made all of them. They sure are a gift.....

Thursdays......

Today was a typical Thursday in the Hallmark House!! Most of our morning was consumed with the Y routine...(get Gabe off to school, head to Y, run, come home, take a shower). It is amazing how much of my morning that can eat up. By the time I finish all that, it is 11:00 and almost time for lunch. I guess I feel it is worth it because I continue to go most every day. I'm not seeing huge results, but that is probably due to the fact that my diet remains the same. I love to enjoy and cook good food - especially the ones that are really bad! Cole and I spent the remainder of "our" time (he doesn't go to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays) playing puzzles, reading, and just hanging out. Cole helped me clean house a little today, too. I was vacuuming their rooms and turned around to see Cole with a mop working on the hardwoods. What a big help?! Anyway, he thought he was helping, so he did the mopping while I vacuumed. After picking Gabe up from school and finishing homework, we headed outside to enjoy the beautiful weather. I absolutely love the Fall! It is such a great time to get outside and play with the boys. Gabe found a butterfly that was injured and attempted to save it. The poor butterfly was put in a bug catcher for a while and then released back into nature. Just as Gabe released it, a bird swooped down and finished it off. Now Gabe is attempting to "preserve" the headless butterfly in a picture frame. That boy sure does love nature! Cole has now become extremely interested in cooking. While I was making the salad tonight Cole came dashing through the kitchen, grabbed a chair, and drug it up to the counter. He ended up helping me tear the lettuce and spin it in the salad spinner. I think that is his new favorite activity because he continued to do that for the next 30 minutes! In fact, he made a "special" salad just for Joey. He was so proud! Looks like I may have a little helper in the kitchen for a while. Who knows, he might be the next Emeril Lagasse!!! :) Well, it is finally time to retire for the evening. I am anxious to watch the debate tonight. Joey doesn't enjoy watching them because they make him mad, so we will see how much of it we actually see. I usually fall asleep within the first five minutes of contact with my pillow, so it won't matter anyway. Looking forward to tomorrow's lunch date with Joey. One straight hour of couple time will be nice.......

Ok....Anderson has evolved once again and the BIG Grand Opening of our very own Kohl's store was today. I am not usually one to attend these massive crowd-gatherings, but I got a $10 gift card in the mail and just couldn't resist. Yes, ten free dollars with no strings attached - irresistable to a thrifty mom! The store was really nice with some pretty good buys, but they definitely weren't giving things away. There were quite a few people there that seemed to think things were irresistably cheap. I saw one lady with a shopping cart crammed to the top full of things. I don't think she even knew what was in there. It amazes me how people can spend so much money on frivolous items when others are doing without necessities....completely amazing! I ended up leaving the store with a $9.99 shirt and another I just couldn't resist. Yes, I did give in to their marketing ploy and buy extra, but it was still a really good deal. While I was leaving the store, I saw a lady with two full buggies. The store was even nice enough to send a guy to the car with her to load it. Guess she had a successful day of bargain hunting! I think Kohl's will be a great addition to Anderson. It is always fun to have an extra place to browse. Well, now I am on to homework, outside play time, and dinner. It has been a great day!!