The Tractor, Cookies, and More Memories

Our weekend started a day early.  Lindsey and I both took off  work Friday to go to the Little Lambs consignment sale at the Methodist Church in Tuscaloosa.  Now, I love a good bargain, and we found LOTS of those.  Maddie will be the best dressed kid in daycare for sure! Ha!  Next, we met up with Caleb for lunch.  As we were eating, I couldn't help but think how special and rare these simple things are becoming.  When did my two babies become adults?  Where was I when this was happening?  Caleb is adjusting well to the big U of A.  He really seems to love it there!  Lindsey and Josh had a wedding shower at their house this weekend, so guess who got to come and stay with us!!  We love these visits~the house gets messy, meals are very simple, the laundry piles up~and fun is had by all!

Here are just a few highlights from the weekend.

When Maddie is here she loves to stroll in her little stroller.  She and her Pop have made many trips around the circle.  She does not hesitate to let you know when she's ready to stroll.

She also enjoyed strolling her baby around the house.

I'll take you for a ride on my big green tractor----Not really a ride~Pop and
Uncle C were just letting her "check" things out!

This is a little scary Pop!

Uncle C finishing up the dove field.

Pop and Maddie watching Uncle C on the tractor. 

(I mainly put this picture in because

I love these curls.)

Teaching Maddie how to drive so she'll be ready in a few years. ( I promise the tractor never moved while she was on it :).

Making cookies with Nana~Yum!!

Uncle C is soooo much fun!!

A few of Maddie's many everchanging faces!!

These two are quite a pair!

This looks like a very interesting conversation!

Cuties!!

Another wonderful visit with our sweet girl ended.  We headed out Sunday to meet up with her mom and dad.  We are already ready for our next visit.  What did we do before she came along?

Have a great week!

Time Flies When You're Having Fun!!

Reed and I will celebrate our 28th anniversary August 29 - or maybe it's the 28th.  I've truly always had trouble with the exact date.......However, I have loved every minute we have been together.  Our first date was our Junior Prom.  We dated through the rest of high school and married our senior year of college.  Some of my favorite memories are-

• When we were dating I got roses all the time........
• Being married while still in college.  Now, I am not advocating this, but it worked for us.  I think it's the fact that we still had so few responsibilities.
• The time the pig got loose from the Livingston Stockyard and stayed in our yard for days...(I have no idea why that is such a good memory other than the fact that we had lots of fun trying to catch that pig!)
• College friends-I wish we had kept in closer contact with many of them.
• Living in Fosters for 2 years.  Something about owning your first piece of property is special.
• Clearing the kudzu off that first piece of property-even when the pony chased me up the tree
• The birth of our children
• Raising our children with such a wonderful and devoted father
• Buying our house - We were now real grown ups!!
• Family trips - especially to the beach.
• Trips to the river
• COUNTLESS Little League games, football games, cheerleader events, softball games, basketball games, church youth trips, committee meetings, etc. ( I recently told Reed how wonderful it was that we were so close to our children, and he simply said that we had spent their entire life building those relationships.  We are truly blessed!)
• Lazy summers swimming and playing
• Four wheeler rides in the hay field
• Watching our children grow up
• The winter we had the HUGE snow
• When I was pregnant with Lindsey, and Reed and Tim braved a terrible ice storm to go to Columbus because I was craving pizza
• Fishing trips with each other and the kids
• The one (and only) time Reed took me deer hunting.  I think he said something like, "If I ever get you down from this stand, you don't ever have to worry about me taking you again."  And he didn't.
• Holidays, especially Christmas
• Christmas breakfast at David & Di's
• Easter at Sandra's
• Getting to know each other's families
• The fact that he has accepted  that I hate yard work, gardening and any type of manual labor
• The birth of our first grandchild - I can't put into words how special that has been!
• Road Trips-These can be as simple as, "Let's go see if there are any doves in the field" to "Why don't we ride over and see Maddie?"
• He also lets me sleep on these road trips
• Jake-It's probably wrong to love a dog as much as we loved him......
• This empty nest thing.   As much as I enjoyed every second of our children growning up, I have also enjoyed spending time with Reed. (I was really doing good until Caleb left for Alabama.  I think it hit me that he's really fixing to be gone.)
• Being perfectly content doing absolutely nothing

As I look back over the list, I realize that it's really a culmination of our life together that I love so much.  It's a rather simple life, and I wouldn't trade it for anything. We are blessed!

Who are these people!?!

Happy Anniversary Sweetie!!

Quick Trips -Lots of Fun!

Reed and I headed out to Alex City Saturday afternoon for a quick visit with Maddie (and her mom and dad). Maddie was asleep when we arrived.  She seemed to be very confused when she first woke up Sunday morning.  She couldn't seem to figure out how we got there.  Within a short while though, all was well and we were ready to play.  She seemed to have grown so much in the past 2 weeks.  (This is the longest I have gone without seeing her). She is saying more words, and has the most precious personality.  She cried (just a little) when we left, and I of course wished we could have stayed forever.  She will be back here next weekend, and we can't wait!!  Right after breakfast, we put on our play clothes and headed outside for some fun!!

Riding the Car


                                                     Ready to Ride!!

A little help from Pop-She still can't say Pop, but she called him Boo today.

Don't you wonder what she's thinking?

Next, the Slide

I like it so much when everyone claps for me ----

 

That I like to clap for myself!!

The Sprinkler

Cody had chewed up her sprinkler and pool, so Nana and Pop made a trip to Toys R Us on the way.  This new sprinkler was one of her treats. She was not too sure she liked it at first.

But after a little while, she had a ball!

Carefree!!

Yum....

A girl's got to get a little dirty every now and then!

Some of the other fun things we did-

She loves to build with her blocks.  Actually, she loves to knock her blocks over!

Lindsey NEVER EVER played with dolls, so I have been anxious to see how Maddie would like them.   She gave this one its bottle several times, and carried it around a good bit.  I think she is going to enjoy playing with them.

Not a care in the world!!

In the car again---I think she would live outside if she could.

On the road again!!

We also fed the horses, gave her a bath, and just enjoyed every minute with her. What a wonderful way to spend the weekend!!  Thanks to Lindsey and Josh for sharing her with us.  She's a joy! 

Have a wonderful week! 

Book 'em Danno

Well, we had a little family excitement a little while back.  Uncle Clyde had been having trouble with people stealing scrap iron from his old chip mill location. This is a very abbreviated version of what happened -  Reed and Mr. Jack happened to see a trailer with some of Uncle Clyde's "things" and the chase was on.  They began by going down a dirt road.  After losing them, then finding them again, they followed them for some time before the guys realized they were being chased.  Mr. Jack was able to get Uncle Clyde on the phone, and he was able to get more back up and block the other end of the dirt road.  These unlucky (alleged) criminals were soon on the way to jail.


What I have found so interesting about this is that a few years ago, Reed was driving down his dirt road when he met a car loaded with things that he realized had been stolen from his pit.  Well, Reed quickly turned around and chased the guys down the same dirt road where the latest chase occured.  Reed reached behind his seat, grabbed a hunting rifle, and somehow let the guys see it.  Doors flew open and they got out with their hands in the air.  Reed made them drive back to his pit, park on the dirt road and carry everything they had stolen back to where they got it from.  However, one of these guys escaped into the woods (leaving his billfold behind with identification) and the other one going to jail.  Maybe Reed's in the wrong profession.......


These pictures were taken from Reed's IPhone.  The first one show's some of the "goods" on the trailer.  You can see Uncle Clyde, Papa and some of the law officials in the background.

These are the feet of our alleged criminals.  Did I mention that two of these guys are former students of mine?

And the moral of this story is-crime doesn't pay!

On the Road Again!

Reed and I should be old pros at this empty nest thing.  Lindsey has been gone about 7 years now.  Caleb is beginning his third year in college.  However, he keeps us on our toes.  He made the decision to begin his college days at Shelton approximately 2 weeks before fall classes began.  His second year, he decided he would try UWA, again about 2 weeks before classes started.  While he enjoyed different things about both places, he has decided to pursue his lifelong dream of attending The University of Alabama this fall, and again this decision was made about 2 weeks before classes start. For some reason, (even though this is his THIRD year of college), I feel like he is leaving home for the first time.  What's up with this??  He has promised that this is his final transfer.  I am still not convinced that he's not going to try to go to a different college each year.  I know he will do great, and I am truly excited for him.  

Here's a little advice- study hard and have fun. Blink and it will all be over. These will be some of the best years of your life. Don't be afraid to ask for help -In life, in class, in any challenge you encounter. No one expects you to go at this world alone and people are generally willing to help if they know you need it. And most important of all-call your mom often. 

Roll Tide!!

What a Wonderful Week!!!

We were so fortunate to have Maddie for 5 nights and 6 days recently.  Lindsey started to school early.  Josh had orientation, and Maddie's daycare closed for a few days.  So, we had a wonderful time with Maddie.  She loves being outside.  If she's not outside, she is trying to find a way to get out......That's ok, except when the temperature is around 100.  We played, we swam, we laughed, we napped, and we had the time of our lives.  She is such a blessing.  We miss her like crazy, and can't wait until her next visit.

                                                 Can we please just go outside Nana?

Playing with the big kids in the kiddie pool.

What you may not can tell is that one of her pool buddies has decided that he wants to play with her rocks.  She is not too sure about this.

Notice the look-I assure you she will not give up her rocks easily.

The best way to solve this is to just take the rocks and leave the pool. 

Now, she watches the children in the big pool, while holding her rocks tightly....

 Precious!!!

Picnic in the floor with Pop.

Uncle C helped me play with the water hose.

Yum!!!

Time to blow bubbles before we go in. (Don't you love the hairdo?)

Hey, what's Pop doing?

   Whatever it is, I think he needs my help!!

I love my Pop! And my Pop loves me!

Chuck E. Cheese

I thought she would enjoy Chuck E. Cheese.  Well, not so much at first.......

Skee Ball was lots of fun!

Maybe this will be easier if  I climb up a little closer.

Making sure no one's looking........

Basketball was also lots of fun!

There is no way I can tell you how much we enjoyed our time with Maddie.  I have decided the most beautiful sound in the world is her saying Nana. We can't wait until her next visit.  School has started now, so I know our visits will be less frequent.  I can't wait to see what new things she learns to do and say. 

I hope the rest of your week is wonderful!