Oops!

I simply love my furry, good for very little mutts.  Both are spoiled rotten.  Their days go something like this-hang out in the backyard(which is fenced in), eat, get in the gold fish pond, slip into the pool occasionally, dig holes, and sleep....At night, we bring them in and they sleep in the bathroom in our bedroom on a great big dog bed.  They have a tough life...Well, we had a big scare recently.  Reed and I both realized during the afternoon that neither of us had fed them that day.  Around 7:00 that night, Maddie and I scooped up some food and went out back to feed them.  My heart dropped when we realized they were not in the yard.  Maybelle will run off in a heartbeat when given the chance, but Gus has never left the yard.  I had no way of knowing how long they had been gone or how they had gotten out.  Maddie and I sat on the steps and whisteled and called. Reed and Maddie whistled and called. Brooke and Caleb hopped in the car and began searching......Then Reed looked at me and said, "Did you let the dogs out of the bathroom this morning?" I ran inside and up the stairs. Guess who had been in the bathroom for almost 24 hours with no food and water? You would never believe how fast they ran downstairs and to the back door....

They both got lots of hugs, and they simply couldn't drink enough water!

I think she's saying that she can't believe NeNe and Pop did it either!

I truly felt awful about this.  Reed pointed out that they were in an airconditioned room laying on a big dog bed, and it could have been a lot worse..........

River Fun

Tim and Marnetta were hosting a Youth Group from Ecclectic at their river house.  This group of 18 had spent a few days helping with tornado relief in Tuscaloosa.  As a treat, they got to spend a day skiing, wakeboarding, tubing and simply having a good time.  Reed took the boat to help out.  He also took the camera and snapped a few pictures for me.....

He didn't get a group picture, but here are a few of the kids....Don't know anyone's name (except Jonathan's), but they were all super sweet!

This young lady (Julie) was skiing on one by the end of the day!  Very impressive!

Levi

Now, this one I know......And he worked on skiing on one also!

Good job!!

I had gone to meet Lindsey to get Maddie for a few days. When we got back home, she decided she wanted to go swimming, and actually went upstairs and came down with a swimsuit, sunscreen and a swim diaper.  Caleb and I decided rather than go to the pool, we would join Pop for a little boat ride.  We didn't stay long, but still had a great time.

Goodbye Nana, Hello NeNe

Just a little update, I am no longer Nana.  Maddie called me Nana at first, then changed to Nanny.  Now, I am NeNe one hundred percent of the time. She refuses to say Nana, so NeNe it is.  Although, it wasn't my choice, it's special because it was her choice!

She is simply at the most precious stage right now.  She is definitely developing her own little personality, and it's a rather independent one!  She keeps us on our toes!  She also says the cutest things now!  Every time she says, "I wuv you", Pop and I simply melt. She and I just ended the most wonderful phone conversation.  I am only sure of about 75% of what she said, but every word was adorable! 

Help in the Garden

Pop loves to have special help from Maddie in the garden.  When things were just starting to ripen in the garden, he wouldn't pick anything until Maddie came. (He can't do that now that we have tons of tomatoes ready everyday!)  Anyway, she loves to help Pop pick vegetables, and Pop loves to have her help!


Helping Pop pick only the red ones......

Oops....Every now and then she finds a special green one to pick!

Making sure it's ripe!

Dropped one!

Pop is always there to offer a helping hand!

"I do it by myself." And she does.

Closing up the bucket until the next picking.....

Happy Gardening!

God Bless America

Even though this seemed to be the hottest day in the history of days, we thoroughly enjoyed having the family for the Fourth. Reed cooked delicious ribs and chicken, and everyone brought something wonderful to eat. The kids swam and stayed cool, and the adults huddled around the fans looking for a glimpse of cool air...... Things were going great until thunder and lightening began and ended things a little early. All in all though, we had a great day! 
Caleb checking out his dad's ribs and chicken

Family and Friends

 Time to eat

Cooling off in the Pool

And in my desire to be a good hostess, I wanted to share the comfort of these chairs with Ken.......

Thanks for another great time!

 
 

Happy Birthday!

Twenty two reasons why I think you are the perfect son-

1.  You are so very responsible and focused.

2.  You can cook better than I can.

3.  You like to hunt, fish and do fun stuff like that.

4.  You can always make me smile.

5.  You are such a hard worker.

6.  You are a wonderful uncle!

7.  I think you are also a pretty good brother, but we'll have to check with Lindsey to be sure.

8.  You are so good with Granny, and that's not always easy.

9.  I can always count on you to pick things up for me in Tuscaloosa and bring them home for me.....

10.  You keep your apartment clean - Can we work on your room at home?

11. You have the sweetest smile!

12.  You are so good at returning things.......and keeping up with things.....

13.  You are fun to argue with....

14.  You can ski really, really good!

15.  You simply have the best personality.

16.  You have had the same friends forever, and they are all such great guys!

17.  You are going to graduate on time (yea) with a great GPA. I still can't believe you're a college senior!

18.  Your independence and desire to do things on your own are really admirable.

19.  You have provided us with so many adventures and so much entertainment!

20.  You have a great ability to get along with people (even when they're not your favorites)!

21.  You have the most precious smile!

22.  You have simply always been a joy!

We love you and hope your day is as special as you are! 

Happy 22nd Birthday!

Enjoying your cake and opening presents~

 

 And now a few of my favorite photos of you ~

God has great things in store for you!  Stay focused!

(I wanted to add some really cute pictures of when you were little,

but you took my USB cord, and I couldn't scan them.....)

Barbeque and Touchdowns!!

The Panola Barbeque has been a tradition for  many years.  Papa, Reed, and Caleb enjoy helping each year, and we all enjoy the delicious barbeque.  This year, we brought our plates back to Grandmother's.  Maddie had a ball playing with some of the cousins!  They are all so sweet and patient with her!

Fun at the Barbeque

 The cooks and "pullers" hard at work....

Enjoying our meal at Grandmother's House

After our meal, the real fun begins!!

The big kids begin playing a fun game of  football.

And then they let Maddie join the fun.  She had a ball playing and scoring touchdowns!!

Touchdown!  Could this be the next Mark Ingram?  This smile says it all!