High!.....

It literally was a day of extreme highs!

Drew took off with the Jack Links stunt plane on an adventure of a lifetime.

Who ever gets the opportunity to cruise (at a very high speed) the skies over Alliance airport in the front seat of a plane where the canopy comes down millimeters above your head?

My son does and I know he will not soon forget it. 

Oh Adeline, if you only knew how nervous your dad was and how hard he was trying to hide the fact that maybe this was not the best idea he ever had!

Buckled in, given instructions on how to operate the parachute (YIKES!) and headed to the runway!

Yes, all of this was made possible by the airshows support of CARRY THE LOAD and the fact that they needed willing supporters of the CTL mission to tag along for a ride...and even take some time to take over the controls.  Yes, Drew did a few barrel rolls and other unnamed maneuvers while he was up there.

Thanks for the ride Sir, and the safe landing.

Nothing was as much fun and nothing feels much better than having your feet back on the ground.

What an experience!

Seven.....

Wow...when you turn SEVEN it is time to go back to the 60's and a little Saturday Night Fever!!!

The parents were all about it...though only the grandparents actually lived it!  Bring on John Travolta!

 A disco party calls for a disco bounce house with black lights and two party ready  young ladies...

 Just waiting on the guests to arrive!!

 Clever momma even created some disco themed cupcakes for the little party animals.

Stayin' Alive!

 My sweet little seven year old has just over the line from childhood.  Yes, she is still a kid but that year from 6 to seven brings big changes.  She is so much more independent, spunky, and ready to burst forth on her own.  Holding hands with Gramma is not quite as cool anymore...though sleepovers are still in!

 Not to be over looked...Fabulous Finley!

 And my littlest love, Adeline.  

Always a joy, forever smiling, hater of bows, always on the move Adeline!!

Cannot even sit still for a picture.   

 Happy birthday sweet Brooklynn! 

May you forever think I am special...because you will always be so very special to me!!

Well....

Well....it has been a month since my last post.  I have obviously either overbooked my life or spend too much time looking at Facebook and have totally ignored this blog.  

I knew the day would come when my creativity would wane and this would slide to the bottom of my list.  

BUT 

I had an opportunity have these two little babies spend the day today and how much fun we had!!! 

Cousins....three months apart and oh do they amaze me.  

Matthew is 10 months and Adeline not quite 7 months....actually playing together!

Real interaction!

And guess who the aggressive one is...little Miss Adeline!

Little Mattie only felt comfortable reaching out when she was not looking.  I think she inherited her dad's aggressive nature!

They are a gift. 

 What fun playmates they will be...and already are.  

I sat in amazement watching how they interacted.  

I do not know how they went from newborns to this so quickly but watching them grow has been so much fun!

More babies please!!!

So ready for this rollover to the "BER" months!

Football

State Fair

Back to School

Lots of fun things ahead!

Our Big Boy.....

Oh my big boy....

How can you be nine months old already?

Love that precious face.

You are just one big hug!

Happy Birthday Timmy.....

It is that time of the year when we begin the family birthday celebrations....yes, all but one of us celebrate birthdays in a three week period!  It used to be tough when you tried to convince your kids that all those new school clothes counted as their birthday presents!!!

Daddy and Mattie enjoyed a swim...

We all did!

Summer is a great time for family celebrations!

Birthday hats and big smiles make a mama happy.

Next year is the big 40 Tim!

How can that be?

What???.............

I finally decided today that I had milked recovery from my surgery long enough and it was time to dig through the clutter and pick up some of the rubble.  

Have I been so distracted that I did not notice that my grandchildren's possessions ore overtaking our lives?

 A trip through our entry hall to get the mail got my attention.

Yes, this is the line of baby goods in the living room.  

In the living room!  This is the room that used to only be used for the Christmas tree.  That treasured clean room where no one was allowed and company could always count on to be clean.  

NO MORE!

 One spare bedroom, one pack and play.

 Another spare bedroom, a crib.....

 and a bassinet.

 A sunroom filled from floor to ceiling with  more toys than my children ever saw in one place...

 And car seats ...... really how many car seats do we need?  

And in the kitchen another high chair.  

Yes, this is all in my house.  That does not even count what is stuffed under beds and in closets  So we really need all of this....obviously, but I am not sure how we got here or why my husband has not addressed the fact that it has become hard to find a place that is child free.

Honestly, I would not change anything.  Nothing pleases me more than to have a houseful of my "specials" and things for them to do.  Someday we will pack up all the high chairs and put away the toys and time spent here will not be as exciting.  School activities and sleepovers with friends will be a priority.  Until then I will work around the clutter and know that much too soon my Christmas tree room will be clean enough for company once again.

Forced "PAUSE".......

I cannot tell you how many days I wake up at 8:00 in the morning and think how great it would be to just stay in bed all day.  Well, I am now able to report that I have spent the last nine days doing exactly that and I am just about over it.  It is not all it is cracked up to be.  Days 1-3 weren't so bad.  There is something to be said for having the family wait on you hand and foot.  I didn't need a bell.  I just grabbed my cell and called for service....fill my water glass, fluff my pillow, can you get me a bowl of ice cream "please".  How can that be bad?  By day 4 it was all bad.  I am totally over it and ready for life to be back to normal.

How did I end up in this stranded state?  I had to undergo yet another surgery.  I can now almost connect the scars on my body.  It started with pains in my legs ands hips that would not go away.  Off to my doctor thinking I needed hip replacement.  Nothing wrong with my hips....my back was out of wack.  Crushed nerves were the culprit causing the intense pain.  The cure....surgery of course.  So blindly accepting the prognosis we set a date for the procedure and here I am recovering.

So how do I know I am getting better?  The tray in my lap is a sure sign that there is nothing wrong with me.  I have every food group in front of me...including my favorite....a Whataburger Jr. and Diet Coke.  All is well in my world!

So what to do during all of this idle time?

Read!

I get a regular visit from the UPS man with another book in a package.  Previous problem? No time to read.  Boy, not an excuse now.  So I am buried in books and enjoying it.  It is about that time to "PAUSE"!

Morning coffee in bed is a good thing.  Of course, I do that everyday anyway.  Now I just stay here.  It is a three hour coffee hour!

And finally, I am attacking all of those quilts that have no binding.  I am actually almost through with one and if I can milk this recovery long enough I may be able to finish a second.

I am actually feeling fairly good but while I have the families attention I think I will just enjoy it a little longer....why not?