Gotta Love 'Em

Today sitting on the couch, (resting my hurt knee) Pierce out of the blue says...

"mommy you're the best"

Totally out of the blue, for no apparent reason. Seriously, gotta love 'em,

CHRISTMAS EVE

Merry Christmas!!!

A few pictures before we headed out for church and dinner.........

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

Biddy Ball

Paul and I decided to try Pierce in biddy ball this year. He's in the 4 and 5 yr old leauge at Graceland, and let me tell you it's adorable. These kids don't really know what they are doing but I guess this is how they begin to learn. They run up and down that court like crazy and stand on their X's and "guard" and then go after that ball like little animals........ Will Pierce be the next Michael Jordan? Doubtful. Will basketball be something he really enjoys and wants to continue? Who Knows, but it's sure fun to watch for now :)

Hanging out before the game. Of course I had to make him pose with a ball

Neena and Hopie coming back from the concession stand.

I love this picture, I just wonder what he was saying to his teammates??

Do you think Coach Jo-Jo is playing favorites?!?!

Look at that form, LOL!

Hope sitting on the bench while they are playing.

It's so stinkin' cute when they go stand on the X and "guard" the other team.

Look at him go..........

Headin down the court.

Looking a little unsure at times! (notice how much smaller he is)

Coach Jo-Jo and Coach Paul giving the team a good ol' pep-talk after the game :)

Cody Bear turns 14

I kind of enjoy playing the role of "crazy aunt" ........ Doesn't everyone have the kind of aunt?? The one that embarrasses you and just acts like a nut..... Well I have taken on that role with my nephew Cody. He's 14 years old. OMG, do you remember 14?!? What an akward age! A time of transition and change, and it makes me SO SAD that he's growing up..... I was 21 years old when he was born and it felt as though he were my baby. I went to my sister's house EVERYDAY to be with that little boy, and now here he is, "too cool" for all of us....... Here's a few pictures from his party.



"Come over here Cody Bear and give your Aunt Gretchen a big ol' hug" TEE HEE :)

Pierce having a great time
"What is this deliciousness?!?"

Adorable :)

OMG!!!!

Ahhhhhh brothers!! Nathan and Cody pretend to love one another :)

Cake time.

Happy Birthday Cody...... I love you very much.

She Lost Her Virginity.

Tracey Leigh, 32 years old was a virgin until Saturday night. A BIG MAC VIRGIN. That's right people, Tracey had never had a Big Mac her entire life until Saturday night!!!

I guess the mood and atmosphere were just right, because we were able to convince her to try it! And guess what, she LOVED it. But come on, who doesn't love a good Big Mac?!?

We all felt priveleged to be there for her first time and she even let all of us share in this special moment. Enjoy some moments of her special night;)



Waiting in anticipation for what she was about to experience....
Paul felt very special to actually be the "first" one to give it to her.....

Oh, here it is just waiting......

The first bite!!!!!

Hmmmmmm, this is GOOD!!

Enjoying the very "special glow" afterwards.....

Following pictures are Matt, Eric, and Gretchen enjoying a little Big Mac too, definetly not virgins though ;)

Madison

When Paul and I were dating (over six years ago) we went for the first time to "Nights Before Christmas" in Madison, IN. This is when you can go through homes, some historical homes and some personal ones. Anyways, we loved it and other than years that Paul has been sick, we've gone every year. This year Matt, Melanie, Eric and Tracey came along too. We went out to eat and the food was gross but as usual we loved touring the homes. Christmas is my FAVORITE time of the year and I always look forward to doing this. Enjoy some pics of the nights. None of the houses, they didn't allow cameras.

Also, we decided to end the night at McDonalds, and WELL you must read my next update.......



Are you excited Tracey??
Nice Eric....Three hot mama's.....

Lovers ;)
Matt and Melanie are really interested in the conversation.

Eric, quit telling such stories!!!

Aren't they cute?!?!

Chris and Gretchen's B-day Party

(Jo, this post is for you, now you can get off my back, lol)

Me and my brother always celebrate our birthdays together. My brother was born on November 18, 1965 and then I arrived November 17, 1974. Actually he's never forgiven me for ruining his 9th birthday. My mom went into labor during his party and had to leave for the hospital to give birth to me (sorry Chris) Here's a little glimpse of our combined party.


Always cute....

Seriously, when did "Cody Bear" grow up???
What a wild party, there were naked girls there!!!!!

Posing.....

The girls are ready for cake!!

Me and my bro opening gifts.

Seriously, how cute are these two?? Remember, young love?!?!?

Come on, you know you want cinnamon for your birthday!!!!!

Me and my honey ;)

Norman Rockwell??

Another Thanksgiving come and gone. I just love this time of year and hands down my favorite meal of the year. Why do I stuff myself as though I will never eat again, I wonder this every single year. I have PLENTY to be thankful for. Without a doubt the thing that I keep thanking my Lord for is that my husband is healthy this year. I think this is the first Thanksgiving he hasn't been sick at in years. A healthy spouse is something I would imagine most people take for granted but after years of watching Paul suffer I can't help but wish that this is just the beginning of many Thanksgiving's that he is well.


Here we all are. Another wonderful Turkey day, of course my dad is not in the picture, but I
think we kind of look like a Norman Rockwell picture!

This one you can see my cutie pie Hope
Yes, Hope was in her pajamas and she was grumpy for this photo shoot.

Gotta love my brother in the back!