Even Ella......

.....................is sick of hearing about Tim Tebow!

Chili A La Emma ~

Golf isn't the only thing Em's taken an interest in lately.......she also wants to learn how to cook! She had her first lesson today....Chili! Jeb and I both agreed, it was the best we've ever had!!

Practice Makes Perfect ~

Em started taking golf lessons a few weeks ago and has really gotten into it! She calls Pop after each practice to tell him what she learned (and ask for things like "ball markers")! A couple of weeks ago she was so excited because she learned how to "chip"! Right now, her clubs are a little long; so she's been practicing on the Wii until we get them cut down!

The Next Best Thing ~

Now that football has started, it makes us miss Auburn a little more! Being 4 hours away, it isn't as easy to tailgate as it used to be! But you do the best with what you've got! So we rented a projector, set up our tent, invited our friends and had our own tailgate "Athens style"! It turned out great! I don't know how many times I heard "we need to do this for every night game"! You can't really tell from the pictures, but the projection on the screen (a king size sheet) was crystal clear! And to top it all off......Auburn WON!

Since we had the projector for the weekend, Jeb set it up in the playroom and hooked the Wii up to it! He and Emma played Mario Kart, tennis, and Em even got in a little golf practice!

Sweet Cousins ~

Lori, Ava, and Anna Kate (better known as Lolo, Aya, and Cakes) drove from Texas to come stay with us for the weekend! It was their first time visiting our new home! Since it was a special occasion we decided to do some special things! We rented a moonwalk for the weekend and the girls had a blast! It also wore them out by the end of each day! With an 8 yr old, a 4 yr old, and two 2 yr olds, you can imagine the chaos! However, for every cry, scream, whine, and yell, there were hugs, laughs, kisses, and smiles! I'd do it all again tomorrow! Plus...Lori did all of my laundry before she left! Thanks Lo!

This is what I get......

......for not putting the shredder away after I finished using it! She just couldn't help herself!

Quality time with Dad ~

Both girls LOVE riding on the mower....yes, the mower, which couldn't make Jeb happier! As soon as they hear him crank it up, they're out the door waiting for a ride! The other day, while Jeb was at work, Emma asked if she could ride Ella around on it.....she was certain she could drive it! Of course, she got a big NO.....and now he takes the key out when he's not there....just in case!

Dress Up ~

Emma pulled out all of her old dress up clothes for Ella to play with (since she's too old for dressing up now)! Emma seemed to have just as much fun dressing El up as Ella did putting everything on! Ella's favorite was the coon skin cap that Poppy gave Emma a few years ago! She seemed to be a little confused at first! I think she thought it was a long lost family pet by the way she was petting and hugging it and saying "Awwwwww"! Eventually, with Em's help, she figured out that it was a hat! She wore it for the rest of the evening!!

Visitors ~

We see deer in our yard a regular basis, eating the fruit and nuts that have fallen from the trees! A few days ago there were 6 of them playing in the yard! Although they're out there at least twice a week, the girls and I still get really excited when we see them! What can I say, we're not used to seeing that many deer up close......that are still alive, at least!

Note to self.....

.....Ella + marshmallow cream = HUGE MESS! It wasn't that bad until she started using it as GLUE to stick her feet to the counter!

The New Guy ~

They've had this sign up since Jeb started working......which probably explains how everyone here seems to know us already! I finally remembered to throw my camera in the car the other day when I was headed to the store! I'm glad I did.......I think he's ready for them to take it down!

Baby Steps ~

A couple of weekends ago, Loni and her friend Abby hosted the first annual Baby Steps 5k marathon benefiting the Amelia Center! With a total of almost 400 runners, it exceeded all our expectations! I have never been as proud of or for Loni as I was on that day! I can't imagine the courage, strength, and determination it must take to turn ones own personal tragedy into something so positive! We all know that God has a magnificent plan for Loni, Justin and Maddox! And while this is certainly not the only great thing they'll accomplish.......MAN, it was a great start!!!!

Home Grown ~

Along with house came a small orchard! We have:

red/green apples

figs

grapes

pears

muscadines

blackberries

blueberries

pecans
and Walnuts!

We've picked more fruit in the last 2 months than any of us have ever picked in our whole lives.....ever! Especially blueberries, blackberries, and grapes! I made a ton of cobblers and blueberry pancakes (see picture below) but that wasn't good enough....Jeb wanted jelly! I have no clue how to make jelly! Surprised? Lucky for me, my Mamaw and Papa can! The last time they visited they took home a bag full of grapes and made 8 jars of jelly! Then they called to tell me how good it was and give me detailed instructions on how to make it.....apparently I was going to make it! So, with a little help from papa, I made 4 jars of grape jelly.....really good grape jelly! It taste nothing like the stuff I buy from the store! Now I can add "jelly making" to my list of things I've learned from Mamaw and Papa!

This is just what I had picked that day! Jeb, Emma, and El also had bags full!

mmmm....Blueberry Pancakes!

Grape Jelly!

2 Significant Events ~

As usual these days, I'm a little behind in posting. Better late than never, I guess!


8 Already?

Once again, August has come and gone; which means yet another birthday for Emma! I can't believe she's 8! Yes, 8! She no longer likes Hannah Montana......it's everything Taylor Swift! She also tends to roll her eyes at me a little more than she used too! Very few things aside, I couldn't have asked for a more loving, caring, beautiful child!

One downside to moving during summer, she hadn't really had time to meet any new friends to invite to a party! So, we had a "family" party for her a couple of weeks ago and decided to have another party (with her new friends) toward the end of September! We had a lot of family make the trip to Athens and Emma had a great time! We're now in the "planning process" of her "friend" party. Yesterday, she sat at one end of the dining room table and made me sit at the other end so we could have a "conference" about the party! That's SO Emma!





We decided to break out the slip-n-slide for the kids that were there! It's safe to say that El had more fun on it than anyone else! She couldn't quite get the hang of it on her own so she would just sit at the top of it and we'd push her down to the bottom!

Emma (and Jeb, for that matter) spent the rest of the day on her new scooter! She rides it every morning before she leaves for school and every afternoon when homework is done! However, I don't think she expected to have to share it with Jeb and Ella!

10 Years Already??

Not only did Emma turn 8, but 2 days later Jeb and I attended my 10 year class reunion! Personally, I loved high school! Most of my close friends now are friends from hs! But as much as we all still talk and keep up thru blogs, etc., it's a very rare occasion that we're all in the same town, not to mention the same place! True to form, they did not dissappoint! It was definitley the most fun we've had in a long time (and the latest we've stayed up!) Just 10 more years and we get to do it all again!