Good night

Chad and the team left for a tournament in Nashville yesterday, so the kids and I packed up and joined them today. They have been talking about the hotel to anyone who would stand still to listen for the last few days that they've known about it. We got to stop in Sewanee, TN to enjoy lunch with my dear friend, Cortney, and then got to the hotel just in time to say 'good-bye' to Chad (and jump on the hotel beds for a few minutes.) We survived the game with just one chocolate-milk-spill, one 'potty' accident, and a win for the Hawks! I hear deep breaths coming from three different kids as I type, and I know that the hard day was well-worth it when I see these faces:

(well, not literally SEE this face--this is the way that Jack sleeps!)

A Day in the Week...

Gobble, gobble. And gobble.

*****

This was not posed. This is honestly how we found Caroline entertaining Jack!

*****

Nana couldn't resist ordering the girls the nightgown the catalog called "Clara's Nightdress." The squeals that I heard from their room when they ran in after bath tonight and saw these on their beds were priceless.

The Boys are Back!

By the end of February, I hate basketball season. That may be a little strong, but I'm definitely sick of it. But it's funny how God seems to give me a short memory because here, on November 6th, I am so excited that the season is finally here! After months of conditioning and practicing, we are all so excited to just see these boys play.

We had a tournament with games both Friday and Saturday night; though I hired a babysitter for both games, I surprised the girls and took them to the game Friday night. With a start time an hour past bedtime, you can imagine how exhausted they both were at the end of the game when I tried to take this picture:

They were so excited, though, to surprise Chad at the first game of the season...and it was definitely worth it. The Hawks pulled off a 106-47 victory. Our personal victory was the fact that these two girls sat, colored, and drew for the entire game! My, how things have changed in just a few short years!

We also won the game tonight; not a bad way to start off the season! My prayer is that we can continue to feel as fresh and excited in February as we feel this weekend. Go Hawks!

Charlie Jack

What is not to love about this sweet face? I could eat this little boy up... I am in LOVE!



Learning to play...

A Week Fit for a Kid

What a great time of year. Oh, to be a kid!! Last week was Farm Week at school and so (like last year), the girls boycotted the cowboy/farmer attire and went for kitty cats. Meow.


And then there's Halloween...the girls really "got it" this year as we hit every inch of the neighborhood. Here in Rome, the Halloween date was officially changed to Saturday night, and it seemed that everyone was ready for it. Jack was a champ and did his usual: sat back and watched all of the action!

Sometimes I think that the girls have gotten so big; but tonight, as my little ladybug and bumblebee made their way up the big steps to each door, as masked ghouls and witches ran past them, I realized how little they still are and thanked God for that. And now Chad and I are kicking back for a little candy feast.

A ladybug, bumblebee, and (very hungry!) JACK-o-lantern

The end of the night...

...and a late-night snack!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
(Tomorrow, that is!!)

Warner Jam Session

Move over Jonas Brothers. We've got a beat that can't be beat.

Fast Track through Fall

There is little that I like about Chad being gone during basketball season. The only thing, actually, is the fact that I can keep up with this and others' blogs. I don't ever have a chance to sit down at the computer during the day, and when Chad is at home at night, well...he is much cozier than a laptop. So until the season is in full-swing, I will have to sneak in time here and there to update our lives in pictures.

We have tried to take advantage of every wonderful thing that this season has to offer: plenty of playing outside, the county fair, football games, pumpkin patches, and hayrides. I guess that if it were autumn for 365 days, I would even get tired of it. But then again, that seems just impossible!

The Ferris Wheel atop Rome

Tummies Full of Delicious Fair Food
(Aly's holding a Bible the Gideon's handed out to the kids...if you're wondering what to get for your child's Christmas gift, track down a Gideon! Who would've guessed that the favorite part of the fair was a FREE Bible?!)

Caroline...what can I say. Aly HATES to be silly, Caroline lives for it. This is the kind of thing she strolls around in every day! Gotta love it.

Aly's field trip to a nearby town's pumpkin patch (Caroline, Jack and I got to tag along!)

Yet another pumpkin patch