Stacy's World

2010-08-29T21:35:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday Reese

2010-08-29T21:20:00.000-06:00

Hmm......it's been a while!

Well, I am back teaching full time which explains it! I am loving it-6th grade is great! Today we celebrated Reese's 4th birthday with a painting party. SO much fun! Becky guided the 9 girls in painting a picture. We painted, ate cupcakes, and sang to Reese's new Hannah Montana CD.

State Runner Up

2010-05-13T08:16:00.002-06:00

We have spent the past 2 days in Montgomery watching baseball. Our Baseball team once again played in the 3A Championship this year. This year they came up short in the best 2 out of 3 play. Tough day for the Mustangs.

This year our school has had 3 teams (Boys & Girls Basketball, Baseball) make it to the 3A championship game...pretty unbelievable when you look at the big picture. Not to mention Football, Volleyball, Softball, and Golf made it deep into playoffs. Very proud of our school and each kid that worked so hard to help carry their team this far.

Drew and Reese enjoyed hanging out with the kids at the games and especially loved staying in the hotel and swimming!

Fun Run

2010-04-13T11:52:00.003-06:00

Friday, we had our annual school fundraiser-the Fun Run. It's a great fundraiser-no random food or wrapping paper to buy. You just get pledges per lap that your child runs. The kids LOVE it....they ran outside and had great music to get them pumped up.

Drew LOVED it-he was a running machine. Reese on the other hand....not so much a fan. I think all the people and loud music was overload for her-her teacher, Andy, and I had to run with her the whole time. Too funny-great memories!

Hmm...pics won't upload from my laptop-I'll add them later

Go Big Blue!

2010-03-16T11:48:00.004-06:00

Spring Break started off with an incredible weekend of SEC basketball. Andy had some tickets to the tournament so Andy, Drew, Andy's parents, and I went to the games on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. This was Drew's 1st time to go to watch Kentucky play. Sunday's

championship game topped off the weekend-big win for the Wildcats! While we were at the games, Reese got to spend the weekend with Uncle CoCo, Aunt Amanda, and Allie-she loved it and wanted to stay longer.

State Basketball Finals

2010-03-09T09:54:00.004-07:00

Pictures: Andy coaching, several of the kids cheering, 4 cousins on the way to the game

Well, the story unfolded....Both the Girls & Guys team made it to the State Finals. The girls lost a heartbreaker by 3 points. The guys ran into an incredible team and lost too. But, the fact that both teams made it this far is amazing. So proud of both teams, especially Andy for leading them.

We stayed at the hotel with the team for 4 days. It was like Disney for my kids! They loved being around the guys and swimming in the indoor pool everyday. Drew got to ride the bus and go to practice with the team-what a special Dad/son time for them. Also, Our Aunt Amy and 2 cousins got to come for the Finals. They had a blast together!

Now on to Spring sports....

Final 4

2010-02-23T07:00:00.002-07:00

Go Mustangs!!! So proud of Andy and the team-they are headed to the Final 4 and going for another State Championship. More to come as the story unfolds.....

Almost 10 years later

2010-02-13T07:26:00.002-07:00

Wow....can you believe it's been 10 years since we graduated from Lipscomb?! We've multiplied! Last week a few friends from Lipscomb were able to get together in Nashville. It was a first to meet some of each other 's newest little ones. The house was crazy with 9 little ones, all under the age of 6 but we had a blast catching up. I'm already looking forward to the next time I see you all!

A few recent pictures

2010-01-26T16:03:00.004-07:00

Drew playing basketball. He's dribbling the ball-my camera is not the best for action shots. Drew absolutely LOVES playing. They lost the first game in their tournament-he was not a happy camper. One more tournament this weekend then on to t-ball.

Oh the rainy days-Reese loves her rain boots!

cousins in their cooridnating "candy" shirts

Merry Christmas

2010-01-03T20:03:00.005-07:00

Christmas morning

An attempt at a picture of the 3 cousins in AR.

Reese & I got Andy and Drew matching Steelers shirts-Andy's longtime NFL team and Drew's a fan now too. (even if they don't make the playoffs...)

Rock Band party.... 7 cousins

Merry Chirstmas and Happy New Year! Celebrating Christmas has been a 2 week process. The kids and I started with a trip to Arkansas (we missed Andy-he had games...) then we were home for Christmas morning, then went to Tennessee to wrap up the Christmas festivities. What a wonderful time to be with family and celebrate the birth of Jesus.

The highlight for Drew was his new scooter and his Julio Jones jersey (he is an avid AL fan now-he loves sports) and for Reese her Dora bike and baby. It's been a fun 2 weeks of playing, going to bed late, traveling, watching football and basketball.....back to reality this week!

Deck the Halls

2009-12-14T07:32:00.005-07:00

Our visit to Santa's Village

The halls have been decked, now the blog is decked....fa, la, la

This is our first year in the new house-Santa recieved our change of address and we are counting down till Christmas morning! Now that I've got some more space, I'll be adding to the decor in the years to come. My 9 ft. tree was so excited to be back up this year-the last 2 years he was too tall for the other house:(

Our living room tree-red and lime green

Drew's: sports Reese's-all girl-ballerina slippers

Our bedroom-brown and golds; to be a Jesus tree, once I find/make the ornaments of names of Jesus. We wanted to do something to focus on Jesus for our family

As Christmas nears, we'll spend some time making Christmas goodies, go to lots of basketball games, and travel some to see all the family.

A few other holiday moments....our gingerbread house and the 1st snow of the season (Reese was not a huge fan of the snow ans you can tell)

Halloween

2009-11-09T19:57:00.004-07:00

Looking back on Halloween...... The kids had a blast. The week of halloween we carved pumpkins. Reese just wanted to paint hers-she did not want to cut her pumpkin. We took our pirate and bumblebee over to a family's house (along with 40 other people)

and had a delicious soup supper then loaded up in the trailer and hit the neighborhood trick or treating.

MA's big fundraiser was this past weekend-it was a success. So many people put SO MUCH time and effort into the event. What a blessing it is to have worked on the fundraiser with so many who sacrifice their time.

Praying for Reese to feel better-she's a little feverish......oh the fun of being sick......

Fall Break & October

2009-10-21T20:55:00.007-06:00

Just before Fall Break we celebrated Grandparents Day-it's a BIG day at the kid's school. So glad Papaw and Jo were able to come. The first 2 days of fall break were spent organizing and cleaning out the house/garage-much needed after the move. Mid week, we went to Arkansas to visit family and celebrate my Dad's birthday. Our last adventure for the week was a 1 day trip to Chattanooga to the Children's Musuem with Matthew's family. The kids had a blast together!

Pictures: Grandparents Day, GG and Reese at Chick fil A (GG is a mere 92 years old-doesn't she look GREAT?!) the crew at the Children's museum, Reese and her 2 favorite books-read them every night!

September

2009-10-10T21:40:00.002-06:00

I'll catch up a little

bit from August and September...... School has started and both Drew and Reese LOVE school and their teachers. The 1st major event of August-we moved! We love our new house and are blessed to have lots of friends in the neighborhood and kids to play with. Reese celebrated her 3rd birthday and got a Princess jeep. After taking out a friend's toe, running into a tree and a couple of other things....she's got the driving thing down. Drew lost his 1st tooth on Sept. 26. The tooth fairy was very gracious and left him $5. Two days later he lost his 2nd tooth and got $2. Love that cute gap in his teeth!

Our Fall Break is over and we've had a great week.......I'll update.....sometime :)

School and Moving!

2009-08-16T20:59:00.003-06:00

Last week the kids started back to school. Reese is going part time to school while I sub at the big school. Drew's also started playing flag football, which he LOVES.

We also SOLD our house to some good friends who are moving back from Iceland and we have found a wonderful house to move into. What a blessing our little house has been to us and we can't wait to visit Sy and Dasha when they are here.

I've been busy buying old furniture and re-doing it. I have done Drew's headboard, Reese's headboard, 2 chairs, and a side table. Definately a "trash to treasure" experience. (However, I am very sore and tired from sanding..........)

It was also Andy's birthday this week. He does not like to make a big deal for birthdays. But me, I love to celebrate. Our small group at church had dinner at a friend's that night-she blew up Andy's high school basketball picture and had it displayed in the foyer. SO FUNNY- another friend added some funny comments too. He was very surprised. Brian also gave him one of those lights you wear on your head......so he doesn't run into any more brick walls in the dark at the gym and have to make another ER visit.

You know the Lone Star song " ......my blond hair, blue eyed girl with her shoes on wrong.....from my front porch looking in....." That's Reese-nver has her shoes on the right feet. Enjoy the pics!

Congratulations Coach Meyer

2009-07-23T17:11:00.002-06:00

Did anyone watch the ESPN ESPY Awards a few days ago? Coach Don Meyer, who Andy played for at Lipscomb, was awarded the 2009 Jimmy V Award. He also has set the record for the most wins by any college coach. He has an amazing story with what's he's gone through and is going through-I've linked the video on You Tube. It's definately worth taking a few minutes to watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTGSCalTjpU

Summer

2009-07-23T16:47:00.006-06:00

We are just having so much fun this summer that I have not been updating my blog. Summer started with Andy going on a mission trip to Ghana, Africa. They worked at an orphange with 48 precious kids that live in a 3 bedroom house-bunk beds are 3 high for the kids. Very happy kids and always gratful for the visits from others.

We went to the beach with Andy's family-that's a total of 17 people, 7 of which are kids 5 and under, in one big happy beach house. It was great-so neat to see the cousins together! Reese was not happy on picture night as you can tell....

July 4 was spent with friends cooking out and enjoying their neighborhood bike parade, desserts, and fireworks.

Also that week I officailly turned 30 something-31 and Drew had his fun 6th birthday party. He had a fabulous skating party-that's the cool thing in his class right now. Even Reese can skate on her Barbie skates. Shortly after the candles were blown out, my camera took a nose dive off the table. I got a new one that I'm still trying to get used to.

Other than that, we've that we have spent our free time at the pool, traveling

to visit family, VBS, work..... School starts in just 2 weeks-wow. Also, we are house hunting in town-looking for the perfect deal with some more space!

Graduation

2009-05-27T21:15:00.003-06:00

Sigh.......Our baby graduated from Kindergarten. WOW.......... Drew' school does a big and wonderful Graduation Cermony-real caps, gowns, the whole real deal!! After Graduation we celebrated in Kindergarten style-lunch at Red Robin with his buddies from class and playing in the water spouts at Bridge Street. He also got a DS and a game. A perfect day in the life of a 5 year old.

Saturday, we spent the day with my parents, Amanda's family, and Cory and his family, moving their stuff to storage and grilling out. The rest of the weekend we went to the high school graduation and ended the holiday with a trip to the lake with lots of friends from MA. I survived the tubing-only thrown off twice. (great efforts were made to throw off us "big girls" in front of the high schoolers!)

April 2009

2009-04-21T20:32:00.003-06:00

Below-Kerron, one of Andy's players was named Mr. Basketball for the State-That evening we went to dinner with his family to celebrate. HUGE Accomplishment! We are blessed that Andy's players let our kids "hang out" with them. They love the "basketball boys" as Reese calls them. Look for him at Belmont on the court next year.

Easter Sunday-We had a great time of worship with our church family then joined our "adoptive" family for Easter lunch and the "Great Egg Hunt" We have some dear friends that we spend holidays with when we don't get to travel to see our families. This year the Easter bunny brought roller skates. Luckliy, no broken bones yet!

Drew is playing soccer this spring and loving it. Last week we had a warm day and Drew broke in his new swim suit at the water spouts at an outdoor mall we were at. Reese passed, it was a little too cold for her.

Saturday we traveled to Pops and BarBar and spent time with 2 of our cousins. The girls are 8 weeks apart and had lots of fun together (except for the few "girl fights" over sharing....:) )

Life

2009-03-04T21:56:00.003-07:00

Receiving the 2nd place trophy at State Tournament

Coach Drew and Cheerleader Reese

Mom and Drew after the Fun Run-Drew ran 35 laps-he had a blast!

Our good friend Dasha who was back here visiting from Iceland. We hosted a baby shower for her.

Reese and I went to Build a Bear and she made "Monkey." Monkey is dressed in a Little Mermaid outfit. Monkey goes everywhere with us.

Blogger Slacker, I know....

Basketball has officially ended. Andy's team made it to the State Finals. The past 2 years he's coached, they've won State. This year, they came up 8 points short. But, what a great team we had and we couldn't be prouder of them. Our girls team also made it to the finals and they lost a heartbreaker. Last week we spent the week w/Andy in B-ham-the kids thought it was vacation for them. What more could you want than an indoor pool, the entire girls and boys basketball teams just few doors down, and no set bed time. As we came home I heard several times, let's go hotel, not home...

Drew started soccer this week and we will soon start to attack the "to do" list that was avoided during the season. I think Andy is still looking for excuses to avoid it.... Spring is coming-warm weather and flip flops-yes!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

2008-12-29T18:24:00.004-07:00

Cousin Stephanie and I.

Papaw and Jo with the kids (and Christmas pj's-a tradition)

Our family Christmas morning in Arkansas

Reese and cousin Allie

The family in Tennessee at Pops and Barbar's.

Visit w/Santa at Santa's Village. Reese is scared of Santa, so this is our Santa pic 2008. Lovely, huh?! (our power at the house had gone out so we quickly decided it was a Santa's Village night and loaded up and went to Santa's village. No cute christmas outfits!)

Decorating the Gingerbread House. I'm loving these pre made kits!

Merry Christmas to you! We had a wonderful Christmas and were able to travel to both Tennessee and Arkansas and see lots of family-what a blessing!

In Tennessee we spent time with Andy's family-7 grandkids in one house means lots of Christmas craziness! We had a blast. Barbar pulled out some of Andy, Matthew, Michael, and Amy's old toys-Star Wars men and ships and carebears. The kids loved them.

Then we were off to Arkansas to celebrate with my family. We were able to see all our cousins and family from SC, GA, and FL. My parents showered the kiddos with gifts-they loved it. My brother and his wife have a 2 month old baby-Reese loved "taking care" of her.

Santa brought Drew a wii (which we all are enjoying!), skateboard, and 2 wheel scooter. (Visions of scrapes and ouchies are dancing in my head!) Reese loves princesses and Santa delivered- she got a 3 wheel scooter and a set of 7 Disney princesses-she loves them!

After a delicious Christmas meal at my 91 yr. old Grandma's we opened lots of great gifts then hopped in the car and drove home. We were up and at 'em early the next day with the team over at the house at 7am and a game at 9am. Our guys played great-the won the first game and lost to Butler HS by 2-Butler's ranked #29 in the country by ESPN-we were so close to a win! Andy's team is having a really good year and they are fun to be with.

Most of all we enjoyed the chill time with family-it's nice to slow down. It was great to spend time catching up with family that we haven't seen is a while. Lots of fun memories!

Enjoy the rest of the holiday season and make sure you watch lots of football and basketball!

Rewind

2008-12-11T21:57:00.006-07:00

Here's what's been going on with us...the pictures are from most recent to past pictures..... Drew has started playing basketball-he LOVES it. He's #1 in the picture. He's hilarious-he acts like he's a high school player on the court-yelling plays, pointing, pressure defense....you can tell he's grown up on the court. In the next picturue Drew is hanging out with the reindeer at Santa's Village on his field trip. It was a COLD day!

Reese loves playing dress up-everything was pulled out of her dress up box and she's inside of the box!

MVP of the basketball tournament-she took these from one of the girls.

Drew has resumed his coaching spot on the bench with Dad

I'll put some Christmas pictures up soon....

Opportunity to help someone

2008-11-02T15:01:00.001-07:00

I have a quick prayer request/ opportunity to help with you....Just a few minutes ago I talked with a life long friend, Brittney (Barber) Cornwell. Some of you know them, some of you do not. They have have been on a tough road over the last few years, but are remaining faithful that God will provide.

Brittney and her husband Tim have 2 sons: Cooper who just turned 5 and Christian who is 1 1/2. Cooper was born with a cleft lip and cleft pallette. And about 1 1/2 years ago was diagnosed with Autism. Last year, Brittney and Tim moved their family to Tampa, FL for Cooper to attend a special school for Cooper. Tim is working two jobs to make ends meet. On Tuesday, Cooper will be having some much needed specialized tests done to help with further diagnosis. Unfortunately, it's not covered by insurance.

Making ends meet month by month is a big struggle for them right now-Cooper's school and diet are very expensive. They are taking a leap of faith that some way, some how the money to pay their rent and make it through this month will come in the next week.

I know with the economy so slow, times are tough for many. My question to each of you is to:
1. Pray for them-especially Brittney as she has been "the rock" over this past year and she is growing weary.
2. Can you help them in any way financially? ANY amount will help them.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and pray for Tim, Brittney, Cooper, and Chritian Cornwell. If you feel led to do this, please write your check today and put it in the mail tomorrow morning. What a blessing it would be for their mailbox to overflow with encouragement and financial blessings.

Their address is listed below if you are able to send them anything and there's also a link to their website.

Tim and Brittney Cornwell
10129 Haverhill Ridge Dr.
Riverview, FL 33578

http://coopercornwell.com/

Happy Halloween

2008-11-01T21:41:00.005-06:00

First, let me start by congratulating Andy for surviving me being gone for 4 days on a trip for work. I work part time with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. We had a training camp in Kansas City where the FCA home office is. This is a picture of me and the girls I work with on the porch overlook ing Arrowhead Stadium-Kansas City Chiefs and the Kansas City Royals Stadium . We had a great time but we were glad to get home to our family!

Andy managed to juggle Reese and Drew in the midst of lots of stuff going on. Drew even got to spend the night with a friend on a school night (big deal for a kindergartener) One morning Andy had practice at 5:45am...Reese joined him there and they didn't get home till 11pm after the volleyball state tournament-what a day it was for them! I made it home and everyone was still in one piece.

Happy Halloween from the Cowboy's! We trick or treated with friends in their neighborhood then went to a Halloween party at a friend's house. We roasted marshmallows, bobbed for apples, and played games-what a fun night! (Drew is making his "cowboy face" in the pics.)

Welcome Back

2008-10-14T08:49:00.004-06:00

To those of you who check in on us.....we're back- I've been a blooger slacker. So much is going on-Here are some pictures of what we've been doing...

Andy's entire family at our baby cousin's baptism. (big accomplishment to get everyone together-everyone lives in different states!)

7 great grandkids and their Bubba, their great grandmother from Colorado

Our new cousin/neice-Allie. This is my brother and sister in law's first baby.

Drew's field trip to the pumpkin patch with his Kindergarten class-we all had a blast-kids and parents!

Sy and Dasha are two of our really good friends. Andy coached each of them in college and last year they moved across the street from us. They are following the Lord's call to move to Iceland, where Sy is from. He's going to play basketball there and Dasha will be having their first baby in May. We're going to miss them!

The girls and Dasha-last Wednesday we took Dasha to the airport. Reese loves her Dasha!

Happy 2nd Birthday Reese!

2008-09-01T13:53:00.003-06:00

Happy 2nd Birthday Reese!

Hope everyone is having a relaxing Labor Day weekend. We kicked off the weekend on Friday with the first official high school game. Saturday we took a trip with some friends to the aquarium. It was really crowded but the kids had a blast. That night we went to some friends and watched the Alabama game...it's officially football time and you can feel it in the air in Alabama-Alabama and Auburn shirts, flags, you name it, it's everywhere!

Reese celebrated her 2nd birthday Sunday at the park. We had a great time, but were definately HOT. But Reese LOVES swings and slides-so we endured the heat and were thankful for the covered pavillion and ever so slight breeze. Now the night before, Andy and I stayed up till 1am (and Andy had to preach the next morning) putting together her new kitchen. (there were at least 8,000 screws-again, the things we do for our kids!) But, in the end, it turned out super cute and she's been cooking up good stuff on it.

As for the theme of the party-we went with butterflies. Her cake was a cupcake cake in the shape of butterflies. Gift opening was a blur-between Drew and Reese and others tearing in to them,....I just hope we made it home with her gifts! Some of her favorites were the Barbie tricycle, the kitchen and stuff to go with it, and chap stick. My favorites....the fall clothes! We ended the day with a trip to Maggie Moo's for another friend's birthday and played in the water spout area for kids. We all got a good night's sleep last night! Here's some pictures from the party and weekend

Rewind...

2008-08-24T15:31:00.008-06:00

What's been going on.....

One of our dear friends being baptized by his Dad-What a blessing!

Reese's favorite book, Sam I am as she calles it-she loves to "read" it to us

Reese trying to get into the water fountain. We had a great time at the playground and eating at Cheeburger Cheeburger with Jenn's mom, Mrs. Deb.

Happy Birthday Andy! Andy, Drew and friend, Sy at dinner. Sy and his wife Dasha are some of our dear friends that will be moving to Iceland in October (where Sy is from). He's going to play semi-pro basketball there. They live across the street and Andy actually coached each of them when he was at UAH. We're going to miss them so much!

Reese helping Aunt Amanda at her baby shower. Baby Allie will be here in the next few weeks!

Drew's playing flag football & loves it! Cheerleader Reese!

First school project-stick horse. Blue is Drew's favorite color thus, the blue hair.

Well, I'm a few weeks behind.... The start of school has brought lots of excitement! Reese turns 2 on August 31 and we're getting ready for her party at the park. She loves swings and slides. With Drew in school, Reese and I have enjoyed our girl time on the days that I don't work. It's hard to believe August is almost over. You know what that means....Football!!! I love it!

Kindergarten

2008-08-06T21:07:00.003-06:00

Drew asked Dad to put "jelly" in his hair and spike it (just like Dad)
Reese and Drew acting silly before we left
Drew and his teacher
After school ice cream (a very messy experience on a hot summer day in the car )
Drew and DeeDee

Yes, you read it correctly....my baby started KINDERGARTEN today. My, my how time has flown by-He had a great first day (except for Mom taking pictures but so was every other mother!) We walked him in then Reese and I went to the library for a parents breakfast-yum!

This afternoon he gave me the play by play of the day. He even said his little "girl friend" tried to hold his hand-funny! The only part of Kindergarten that he doesn't like is that his "best buddy" is in another class. (that will only happen how many times in life?!) After school we went up to the big school to see Dad and tell everyone about our day. Then, we topped it off with a trip to Sonic for some ice cream. Reese enjoyed all the excitement too- the bubble machine was on as we walked into school. Bubbles are so fun to play in!

We also have a friend of ours, DeeDee,coming to school with us. Andy and I have the joy of being some of the many "extra" parents for him this year. He is a sweet, smart kid that lives in the inner city. There will be some tough times, but we pray that his experience and the opportunity at our school will help him grow spiritually and intellectually.

Another topic...

Have you read The Shack by William Young? It was amazing. I have not been much of a reader since I've had kids and usually cringe at the idea of reading a book. But, Andy told me I had to read it-I'm so glad I did. I cried the entire time and the book was truly a worship experience. It's a must read!

Meet Weston

2008-07-30T19:14:00.003-06:00

Savanna and Drew playing on the computer
top left:Caroline, Weston, Reese-having an in depth conversation about Weston
above: Proud Dad Clancy

left: Stacy and Mandi

Since Mandi's not a blogger-I told her I would post some pictures of the family. On Thursday, July 24 Mandi gave birth to Weston. He was 19 1/2 in. and 6 lb 4 oz. On Sunday, we went to meet Weston and spend the afternoon with them. He's a sweet baby-very content and handles the noise of siblings well. Drew, Reese, Savanna, and Caroline were wild and crazy. It was great to catch up with Mandi and Clancy! Here are some pictures from the day.

The latest adventures

2008-07-21T19:58:00.005-06:00

Us in front of the lake-it was so hot!
We stopped at the chapel and rested a bit

Casey and me
Drew in the rocket's shower
Andy and Scott ready for the Space Shot
The whole gang at the end of the day
Drew (in the middle w/hat) riding the kid version of Space Shot
Reese and Drew

Since I began working with FCA, one of the perks has been being able to go on some great couples getaways. Last weekend my parents came in town to take care of the kids and Andy and I went to Callaway Gardens for the retreat. I had never heard of it -what a great find! It's in Georgia. (Courtney, I saw signs to Palmetto and thought of you!) It's beautiful-butterfly gardens, bike trails, walking trails, beach, golfing, and much more. Andy and I spent Saturday afternoon biking and watched the Florida St. circus. (yes, you heard me right-FSU had a circus act that performs there in the summer) After biking the trails, I am now wanting a bike. If you have any bike buying tips, let me know!

This past weekend, our good friends Scott and Casey from TN called and we planned a trip to the Space and Rocket Center for the day. We had a good time....Reese enjoyed running around, Drew thought the rockets were cool. Has anyone rode the space shot before? You strap in and all of the sudden, you are shot up in the air-it's been a long time since I've rode a "thrill ride" . We ended the day with a fabulous meal at Rosie's-the absolute best mexican place to eat. Thanks Scott and Casey for making the trip!

Drew starts Kindergarten in 2 weeks. He tells everyone he sees, stranger or not, that he's 5 and going to kindergarten. Reese's new favorite things are going to the big girl potty, singing abc's and counting to 10. (then clapping and saying yeah, so everyone knows she's done)

Birthday Parties

2008-07-09T19:42:00.003-06:00

4 cousins on the 4th

The girls. See my pregnant friend on the right? She had her baby the next morning...what a trooper!
Check out our outfits....not planned, exact shirts, different colors. Don't we look like sisters?

The kids played hard at Kids Kingdom!
Drew blowing out the candles.

We have been celebrating milestone birthdays the past few days... I turned the big 30 and Drew turned 5. We spent the 4th of July weekend in Tennessee with Andy's family. On Sunday, we stopped in at Otter Creek for church. I got to catch up with Rebekah, Brad, Abigail, and Sydney-so good to see them! It was birthday Sunday for the kids and Drew managed to get on stage for the mass church singing Happy Birthday.

Sunday night some of our dearest friends had a birthday party for me; to top it off, it was kid free so we were able to relax and enjoy each others company without getting on to any kids are break up any kid arguments. :) Signs of old age are setting in....the day after my birthday I forgot my phone (which I have to have for work) and Andy had to bring it to me

I've also been "revamping" my pictures on the walls....I seem to get tired of things on the walls after a while so, I've been doing some rearranging-it drives Andy crazy! :)

A few weeks ago Reese started sleeping in her big girl bed-she's getting so big! She loves her bed until we stop reading books and leave her to fall asleep. She's a social butterfly and doesn't like to be left alone. Reese also had her second hair cut last week-it was looking a bit "mullety" She's getting more and more talkative-so fun!

Monday was also an exciting day-my sister in law Cortney had her 3rd child-a boy named Micah and our good friend Melinda had her 3rd girl named Kenzie. Precious blessings.

Drew officially starts Kindergarten in exactly 4 weeks-my baby is going to school!

Good Times at the Beach

2008-06-23T22:13:00.003-06:00

On Sunday, we returned home from a week at the beach with my family. My parents, brother and his wife, and our family all went together. Remember pre-kids when going to the beach meant sleeping in late and spending ALL day laying around on the beach with no responsibility? Not so much anymore. But we wouldn't trade it, right?

Drew and Reese had a great time. Drew enjoyed "riding the waves" on his Spiderman board and Reese enjoyed the water and filling her bucket with sand. We spent most of our time going from pool to pool to beach to water..... My brother brought the kyak (sp?) on the trip-the guys caught some good waves after the morning storm.

Dinner each night was an experience- Reese was still restless in the restaraunts and she, like her mother, is very loud... Her best came at Old Navy while shopping-she had a fit. I think the people thought she was crazy. Needless to say, they were glad to see us leave the store.

At night we enjoyed sitting on the porch playing intense games of memory and coloring, and catching crabs. (By the way, the crabs are much smaller and harder to catch than I ever remember). We only had one morning of rain and nobody came home with a bad sunburn.

Hope you enjoy the pictures.

Traveling....around the world

2008-05-31T18:08:00.003-06:00

Just before Andy left for Africa
At the park with Barbar
Ice cream break
Jackpot at Chuck E. Cheese!
Dr. Coco and his assistant

On May 20, Andy and others from his school went on a mission trip to Ghana, Africa for nine days. One of Andy's basketball players is from Ghana. Bawa (his player) was so excited to take his friends to his homeland and meet his family and the people from his village. It was humbling for them to see just how little so many people had; even so they are happy. On the trip they did lots of traveling, handed out bibles, money, supplies and clothes, and worked/helped at an orphanage. Andy was ready to bring home a sweet kid from the orphanage-having kids, it was tough to see them in that situation. There were 47 kids living in 3 bedrooms and the drinking water looked like dirty lake water. The kids and I have loved hearing the stories....

While Andy was gone we stayed busy...the kids could sense that he was gone and they were very clingy all week. We stayed in town for the first few days to work and play baseball then, we were off to Andy's parents for the weekend. I was a bit sick so the extra help was great! We cooked out, visited our old church, and went to the park to feed ducks and play. The ducks were a bit crazy-one even bit my leg-thank goodness I had jeans on. Barbar kept the kids so I could go to lunch and hang out with a good friend-thanks for the break, it was much needed!

Then we took off for my parents house-more time at the park and a big day at Chuck E Cheese. Drew racked up on a game and got 125 tickets-he was excited. At the park Reese spent most of her time going to every swing to swing-she loves them!

Last stop-Memphis. My brother graduated from UT Dental school-way to go Dr. Cory!! We celebrated at a delicious Italian restaurant then spent the night at Uncle CoCo and Aunt Amanda's. Amanda and I spent our time planning the decor for the soon to be nursery for cousing Allie!

Andy's home now and last night went to dinner and we made the ever exciting grocery trip as a family-which was not smooth sailing. The past two days of hanging out as a family have been great-we missed Andy! Next week we're looking forward to working an FCA camp-have a good week!

The birds

2008-05-07T15:43:00.003-06:00

I'm not a huge pet fan. Now don't get me wrong, some of you have some adorable pets, but they are just not for me in this phase of life. So, I want to tell you of our version of pets. On our front door I have a decorative planter w/fake greenery. Well, a bird liked it so much that it decided to build a nest in it. Over the past two months we have enjoyed watching the bird build it's nest, lay eggs, and now the eggs have hatched. At first there were four, but two fell out of the nest and Andy had to "bury" them. Drew was sad and prayed that the came back to life-sweet. We've enjoyed watching them grow and they look like they will fly away any day. Since they are on our front door, everyone has to use the side door to come into the house. (I have visions of birds flying in the house-not good) So, that's our educational bird story.

Last week a few of the LU girls got together in Nashville to catch up and meet Ms. McKinley, April's baby. It was so good to hang out and catch up. The kids had fun too!

Also last week my sister in law graduated from dental hygeine school. Isn't she cute-she's about 20 weeks pregnant and will find out Friday what she's having.

Take me out to the Ballpark

2008-04-25T07:15:00.003-06:00

Last night was opening night for the big time league of Red Sox T-ball. What an experience t-ball is-it's our weekly source of comic relief. The kids are SO cute and funny! Drew did well last night-his favorite moment was running into home and adding a spin move before tagging base. The game only had 4 inings-everybody gets to hit in each inning. He played catcher and 2nd base-no outs at the bases, but he chased one down with the ball. We even had some friends from Iceland come out for the game-one of our good friends is from Iceland and his parents and sister are in the States for a week. After the game we went to their house and grilled out. I evn tried lamb last night.....(not sure that I'll be making it at home anytime soon)

Reese is on her way to be a gymnast. We were in a store this week and she has hanging and swinging from the empty clothes rack. She got a tricycle this week and loves being pused around on it. She is at such a fun age-she's really trying to talk and trys to do everything Drew does.

Other news....at work we just had a huge banquet with FCA last week and we are hosting a golf tournament tommorrow. I'm loving my new part time job and looking forward to the summer...we have events with Tony Dungee, Bobby Bowden, and Rick Burgess (Rick and Bubba show). Being an huge sports fan-you know I'm so excited to be among "greats" that are Christians! In the next few weeks Andy's off to Africa for a mission trip. They're taking about 25 kids from school. The group will be traveling to the hometown of one of his basketball players.

Pictures: Reese hanging on clothes rack, Drew's first bat, Reese in an outfit I made (with the help of my mom), and the girls at my friend's 30th birthday party.

Have a blessed week!

Pictures

2008-04-03T20:57:00.002-06:00

Well.............here are some pictures from March. My "security" on the computer wouldn't let me upload pictures. Anyways, here are som pictures from Spring Break-trip to grandparents...from the topDrew and Reese w/their 90 1/2 year old Great grandmother, Reese saying Cheese!!, the kids playing in Uncle Co Co's truck, us at Easter, the kids eating at Rainforest.

This week has been CRAZY....Andy has been Super Dad this week. I working FCA and ran cheerleading tryouts this week which meant not much time at home.....I'm looking forward to next week with some down time with Andy and the kids...

What's been going on in March?

2008-03-25T20:47:00.005-06:00

It's time for the monthly update. Courtney, this one's for you! :) I have officially started my part time job with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and am loving it! It's a bit chaotic with two major fundraisers coming up to plan for and I'm still involved with cheerleading-it's keeping me busy! Reese has started "school" (I prefer the name school over daycare) Her favorite thing is the slide in her classroom-she squeals (happy) when we pull in the parking lot. Drew has started his first year of t-ball. As you know, we're a basketball family so, the baseball stuff is foreign to us and our friends are getting a good laugh at our lack of knowledge of baseball.

Last week was Spring Break so we made a trip to each of the grandparents house and as usual the kids were spoiled and we were able to slack off in parenting. We spent the break playing outside and watching lots of basketball. Guess what, Reese had her first night away from home too! One of our fabulous basketball parents kept the kids overnight. We slept, in silence, till 8am-it was amazing!!

Easter morning we awoke to chilly weather and baskets from the Easter bunny and grandparents. (um, the grandparents brought more than the bunny....) On Easter Sunday we went to church with my parents. At church there were live bunnies and chics in cages in the hallways and the Easter Bunny delivered eggs to the kids. After church we went to my 90 year old Grandma's for Easter lunch and an indoor egg hunt.

Bragging moment....Andy was named coach of the year! He's so modest about it, but I'm so proud of him. What an honor! Well, I have lots of pictures to post, but it's not letting me.....pics to come!

State Champs-again!

2008-02-29T12:15:00.003-07:00

Pictures: The family after the big win and after the team dumped a cooler of ice water on Andy. 2-Drew and Reese ready for the game . 3-Reese's favorite player of the moment-"Baw" 4-Drew in the student section

The last few weeks we have been busy with basketball. Last night Andy's team won their 3rd straight Basketball Championship! What an awesome season it has been. Area champs, Regional champs, and State champs! The past two weeks the kids have loved staying in hotels-lots of swimming and hanging out with the team and their families. We are blessed to have such a great group of guys that are good role models for our kids. Drew helped Dad coach-he even had a seat at the press conference. Reese cheered Dad and the team on with the cheerleaders. It's been a long month and we are looking forward to some days of rest!

Next week I start a new part time job with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. I'll be working on fundraisers and handling "office" stuff. I'm looking forward to it!

Hope everyone is well! I'm looking forward to catching up with you via blogs!

Lately

2008-01-20T14:11:00.000-07:00

Life is precious. I've been to two funeral visitations and last night the son of some close family friends died last night. At church today we had a couple come and speak and bring their daughter who has been in a comma for the past 5 years after incorrect medicine dosages to her by medical professional. These moments make you appreciate and love the everyday moments-playing candyland, reading books, going to the store, cleaning the floors 8 times a day, and changing diapers. I love the song Blessed be the name of the Lord-how true it is of life...

So Drew has had his first official tv debut....A local station did a segment on Drew and how he helps Dad coach. For those of you who haven't been around Drew....he loves going to basketball practice-I take him nearly everyday. He is so much like Andy-he runs with them, yells at them, calls plays, draws up plays on the whiteboard. The segment was precious-one of those you treasure. Not to be outdone by her brother....Reese just got a new cheerleading outfit and showed it off at the ball game and was a show stopper. Jennifer and Charlie even came by to catch a little basketball-thanks for coming-as always I love seeing you when you're in town.

Rewinding to last weekend....we actually didn't have a ballgame so, we went to the Lipscomb/Belmont game at LU. It was great to see some of you-Mandi and Clancy sat with us, and I caught Rebecca, Eric, and the girls on the way out. It was a great game-but Lipscomb lost in double overtime. Yeah, campus has changed-Starbucks, renovated dorms, new buildings....very nice.

Umm....I couldn't get the picture to rotate!

more pictures

2008-01-03T09:59:00.001-07:00

A few more pictures...

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2008-01-03T09:44:00.000-07:00

The holidays have been fun for us. Since Andy coaches basketball and there are always games during the holidays....so we make some quick trips to see all the family in different states. Christmas was a week long event!(which the kids loved!) We went Papaw and Jo's for a few days, came home so Santa could visit, and then off to see Pops and Barbar. Santa brought Drew the power rangers and transformer he asked for and Reese got two baby dolls with the stroller, carriage, and swing. At Pops and Barbar's, Drew and Reese had a blast with their 4 cousins-it's great to have cousins close in age! We brought New Year's in with several families-and we celebrated with the Eastern time zone at 11:00 -the kids had hats, blowers, and streamers. Reflecting on the year, it's amazing to see so many blessings ....Happy 2008!

Thanksgiving weekend

2007-11-29T08:15:00.000-07:00

How neat it is to see how everyone has celebrated Thankgiving and see how richly blessed we all are. Andy's team was in a Thanksgiving basketball tournament so we did not get to travel to see our families. We have a wonderful group of friend here in town that always "adopt" our family when we can't travel to our hometowns for holidays. I love Thanksgiving....start the day with the Macy's Thankgiving parade, check out all the "what a deals" in the sale ads, football, and enjoying food and fellowship with friends and family. After enjoying an afternoon at Emily's, we took off for Andy's game. They placed 4th overall in the tournament.

Friday I got in line with all the other crazy people at 4:50am at Toys R Us. Madness, but I had a blast! That afternoon my parents came to spend the weekend with us....lots of basketball, football, and shopping.

The pictures are: the girls at Thanksgiving dinner, Reese saying cheese with Drew's underwear on her head after going through all the kitchen drawers (which she put there herself), Drew in timeout (and Reese not understanding why), and the kids before church Sunday, and Drew on the bench (he gives the guys water and "coaches" them)

Happy Halloween

2007-10-31T09:56:00.001-06:00

Happy Halloween to all! We took some pictures this morning. Now the kids can enjoy trick or treating without me trying to take pictures every two minutes! Enjoy your halloween!

2007-10-23T09:21:00.000-06:00

Drew receiving his medal and trophy from his soccer coach

We've had a good few weeks since I've posted last. Drew finished his first soccer season. We're not so sure what the team's final record was but, Drew thinks they won the championship. He had his team party over the weekend-he's very proud of his medal and trophy. Reese is at a fun age-she wants to do everything that Drew does. She's trying to be independent-trying to put on her shoes and clothes. And, would rather feed herself than have us help her (which turns into a messy meal) She loves hiding things...I've found many soured milk/juice cups in random places.

Over the weekend, we had a huge kickoff to the basketball season that starts in just a few weeks. Our football team is headed for playoffs too. As the cheerleading coach I'm always looking for new ideas for the cheerleaders in football and basketball. So, what are some of your favorite traditions from High School? Let me know, I'd love to incorporate new stuff!

Rough Week

2007-10-14T19:39:00.000-06:00

Knight Drew

You know when you have an idea of how something should go in your head and it just doesn't go as planned? Yeah, I had a few of those moments this week. Tuesday we took a mid-week trip back home to celebrate my dad's 60th birthday. The next day we went to UT dental school for my brother to fill a cavity on one of Drew's back teeth. The xray looked to be a minor cavity....once Dr. Cory started drilling it was deeper so, we walked away with a nice silver tooth. (not my favorite, but Drew's proud of it....) While he was getting the filling, Reese was getting very antsy, so I decided that we'd go for a drive. Well, we're driving along, following all traffic rules and BAM! a car pulls out of a gas station and hits the front right side of the car. Thankfully, we were in stop and go traffic so we weren't going fast and neither of us were hurt-Reese just bit her tongue, but the truck got hit pretty good. We pulled over into the gas station, the guy gets out and sees if we're ok, as I'm calling the police, he says "I'm just going to pull around the corner" (yeah, you know where this is going...) He takes off....but, yes, there are good people in the world and a guy got his license plate number for me. So, maybe the police will catch him. that 's my mid week craziness....

Saturday, Drew had another soccer game. Pops and Barbar and our neighbors came out to the game-fun times. Reese's new thing is to attempt a front roll, as you see in the picture. She also loves to tell you no, no, no while shaking her finger at you-funny! The afternoon was spent watching Kentucky beat LSU!!! Can you believe it?! Andy's a big UK fan-go big blue!!!!!

Happy 90th Birthday GG!

2007-09-19T20:50:00.000-06:00

That's right, my grandma just turned 90 years old! We spent the weekend with the entire family celebrating this huge milestone. A stretch limo pulled up, with all grandsons inside, to pick her up-Drew gave her the corsage and "escorted" her to the limo. Precious! She was overjoyed at how many people came to celebrate this special birthday with her. Doesn't she look great?! She still drives, works in the yard, gets her hair done every Saturday, shops, and LOVES to get dressed up. She's a blessing to our family!

In the other picture, Reese is enjoying her first college football game on Dad's shoulders.

Happy 1st Birthday!

2007-09-10T08:55:00.000-06:00

Happy 1st Birthday to Reese! Saturday afternoon we celebrated Reese's 1st birthday. We started the day with Drew's soccer game then had friends and family over for lunch and birthday (and some college football...) The decor was total girl-pink tule, roses, some silver pieces, and a silver tea set given to her by her great grandmother-Bubba. Last week Andy's grandfather passed away (he was 92!) so it was good to have something given to us by them at the party. I decided to make the cake (with the help of Mom when she arrived) It turned out ok but I don't think the bakery will be calling me anytime soon to decorate cakes for them! (but it tasted good!)The pink icing gave Reese a bit of a rash, which was not good since we had her 1 year pictures later that afternoon. But, all was well and it faded away in time for pictures. She enjoyed playing in the icing with her fork (she loves to play with forks and spoons...) and made a mess all over herself. I'm ready to dress her up for fall-she got some cute fall clothes and got what every girl needs a purse, jewelry, cell phone, and keys. We ended the day with a picture session in a gorgeous old town setting just out of town. Needless to say we were tired from the long day. Oops! I put two of the same picutres of Drew on and can't find a way to delete one of them?!

Walking, Soccer, and Ponytail

2007-08-27T20:30:00.000-06:00

This week my "baby" will be turning 1! Where has the time gone?! We're having her party next week when all the family can make it to town. We've had an exciting week of firsts....Reese started walking! She's actually going from place to place, not just a few steps. She has a bit of the Frankenstien look while walking. Reese uses her toy walker as a ladder rather than a walker. Check out the picture of Reese in the brown shirt-yes, see it-her first ponytail. Pretty cute huh? She actually kept it in for the day.

Drew's also had a week of firsts...... a bad one-a cavity! What's up with that? I didn't get cavities till I was in college! Thankfully Uncle Cory is in his last year of dental school and can fix Drew up! A good one-Drew had his first soccer game. Have you ever watched 4 and 5 year olds try to play-absolutely HILARIOUS! The boys were SO cute. Notice Drew's bright blue shoes-he picked those out himself. His quote "Blue is my FAVORITE color!" Our team did not win but, he left exhausted. Drew's also got a competitive bone in him-he was not happy when the other team scored-we had to have the attitude talk. The picture is of Drew's buddy and the dad's.

Alright all you football fans.....let the games begin!! The countdown to college football is coming to an end, Pig SOOOOOIIIIIIIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE! Enjoy the games this weekend!

Beach trip

2007-08-07T07:50:00.000-06:00

Last week we took a trip to the beach with some of Andy's family. We had some comical memories along the way. Like....we were renting a mini van and when Andy showed up to get it, all they had was a 12 passenger van. So....we all loaded up in the big van and took off for the beach. Funny site with 4 carseats and 6 adults. All was well at the beach until the stomach bug found me, then Andy.....not what you want on vacation. It knocked us out for a day but we were back to the beach life the next day. Drew was not a fan of going out in the ocean-he'd rather swim in the pool and build sand castles. Reese loved playing at the water's edge where the waves come in.

I talked to Brittney Saturday, she was so grateful for those of you who visited Cooper's website. Keep praying for them, they leave next week.

Check this out

2007-07-22T20:43:00.000-06:00

Hello friends! I know, I seem to be a monthly blogger. July has been a blast-we've done lots of traveling and can't believe the summer is almost over. We start back August 1!!! Drew celebrated his birthday-pirate style. We had a treasure hunt, swords, eyepatches-the works! Reese is growing like a weed-she hates being alone and loves dropping things just so she can say "UH_OH!" Here are some recents pictures: The pirate party, Reese playing with balls-her favorite, and one of my most fabulous friend's-April and I. Lots of people think we're sisters!

This is what I hope you'll all check out....go to coopercornwell.com. It's a website about Brittney (Barber) Cornwell and Tim's little 3 1/2 year old son. He is precious and has had his share of medical problems. They are basically packing up the family and moving to Tampa so Cooper can attend an intense school to help him overcome his autism. They definately need your prayers as they are having to trust God during this time. Go to the site to read more...

Have a blessed day!

Blog Tag

2007-06-27T21:11:00.000-06:00

Courtney tagged me to list 100 things about me, so here goes. I must confess early that I probably won't make it to 100. Drum roll please.................

1. I love chocolate (and don't go a day without it)
2. My new favorite-special dark hersey kisses
3. I am a proud mom of Drew and Reese and wife of Andy.
4. Our kids are our entertainment-what did I do before them?!
5. We (with the help of friends) gutted and renovated a house. There is still some work to be done...any volunteers-we're pooped!
6. I coach the JV and Varsity cheerleading teams and have actually coached more years than I've taught.
7. I love the feeling of accomplishment throught the kids that I teach but do not miss the mountains of paperwork and hoops you jump through in the education system.
8. This is my second time to live in Huntsville since we've been married.
9. I love the smell of coffee-especially Starbucks, but don't like regular coffee. Frappachino for me please!
10. We've experienced a lot of "life" in our 7 years of marriage....and have stronger faith and trust in God because of it.
11. My birthday is next week.
12. So is Drew's.
13. I love the smell of the Tyler pineapple crush candle. You've got to get one!
14. I rarely pay full price for anything and will mull over paying full price.
15. I love summer days hanging out with the girls and their kids.
16. I think I always have the right and most logical answer.....
17. I miss working out at a gym...Iwould rather take an aerobics class than run.
18. I enjoy being a "coach's wife"
19. We got out of college basketball coaching...too much stress and not enough family time.
20. I along with many others at our church work with some inner city kids....we had a swimming party at a family's house-it was utter chaos-but fun.
21. I love organization.
22. I once dressed up as a mouse at a VBS in Canada. Random fact....
23. Yes, this is hard.....thus there will be some random thoughts!
24. I used to love to read but have lost the love.....
25. I updated my blog twice today. Enjoy it, I may not update for a while.
26. I wonder if you're still reading this?
27. I got a speeding ticket a few weeks ago....I argued it in court (and brought my two kids with me just because I was mad) and didn't have to pay it. (but still had to pay a court fee? go figure!)
28. I'm 28.
29. I will be 29.
30. I enjoy watching the Today show in the morning...but don't get to watch it much-for some reason cartoons are on?!
31. As of two years ago I could still tumble.....
32. I haven't lived in the same town for the duration of a full pregnancy.
33. I like Milo's sweet tea.
34. I wish I were a better cook.
35. I don't really like beef. When I first cooked it I had to call and ask my Mom how to cook it.
36. Poor Andy, I only cook chicken.
37.I am hot natured.
38. I don't freak out when my kids get hurt.
39. I don't like cleaning floors. or taking the trash out
40. I have lived in my house for 2 months and have already repainted a bathroom.
41. I get frustrated with car problems.
42. My brother is in his last year of dental school....I'm looking forward to free dental work.
43.I am a positive person.
44. I'm very entergetic.
45. I don't like getting up early.
46. I love holding my kids when they are sound asleep-they are so precious.
47. I never wore braces.
48. I love our church-it's nontraditional...we meet in a warehouse, don't dress up, get out in the community, and give freely to those who need it...pretty cool.
49. My favorite ice cream is chocolate-peanut butter.
50. I enjoy home interior shows.
51. DVR is great!
52. I didn't have an epidural w/Drew...but had one with Reese.
53. We discipline our kids.
54. I get frustrated with parents who let their kids walk all over them. Show some respect please!
55. I'm not so crazy about the "maternity" style shirts....they are not real flattering, maybe I should pull out my maternity shirts?
56. I am struggling with window treatments for the kids rooms....
57. I love shopping for bargains!
58. A great Fall Saturday morning to me is.....watching some good college football games with the family.
59. I call my 89 year old grandma every Saturday...and have since college; she waits for that phone call....try it! It makes their week.
60. I tag YOU! Yes, you. :) Keep it going......

The travels of June

2007-06-27T20:43:00.000-06:00

Wow... where do I start?! We've had an exciting, travel filled month of June. This month we've either been traveling to others or they've been coming to us! Both my parents and Andy's parents have made trips to stay with us. The first week of the month Andy had basketball practice. This was Drew's first year to stay the entire time. He loved it! (Actually, his favorite part of camp were the gatorade breaks) There have also been many hours at team camps watching the guys play.

Last week Andy, the kids, and I chaperoned several of our youth girls and guys at Impact. I've attached a picture of Drew and LU for all you Lipscomb alum! What a great experience it was-from seeing old Lipscomb friends to hearing awesome speakers and wonderful praise and worship to watching the kids get fired up about God. (However, the reliving of dorm life is something I like to leave in the past. Imagine, the whole family in one dorm room and the showers and bathrooms are way down the hall. By the way, with all the renovations on campus, we still managed to get one of the few UNrenovated rooms in Johnson...go figure! :) )

From Impact we drove to Jasper, TN-for my little brother's wedding! Awwww, it was very sweet. Cory sang and played the guitar during the wedding-so great! Of course, we enjoyed lots of catching up with the extended family too. The next day we made the trip to the Tennessee Aquarium-the kids loved seeing all the animals!!

Cheerleaders

2007-05-31T07:18:00.001-06:00

Here are my two squads at cheer camp. Aren't they cute?!

Spontaneous

2007-05-28T14:42:00.000-06:00

Happy Memorial Day to you! I spent last week at the beach....with 27 high school cheerleaders at cheer camp. Both teams won the home pom routine division. Way to go girls! I really enjoyed spending time with the girls getting to know them better. Reese had a great time too! She's not a fan of the beach but loved the pool. While we were off doing the beach/cheer thing Drew and Andy had a good "guys week" Drew went to the river with 5 of the high school guys and a very trustworthy set of parents who Drew adores. Should I be worried that my 3 1/2 year old is hanging out with high schoolers?! The guys were great and love him to pieces!

So here's the reason for the "Spontaneous" title As you all know, I'm not the most spontaneous person around-I like to plan and prepare for everything. So, yesterday I let some friends talk me into running the Cotton Row 5K race with them. Let me remind you that even though 3.1 miles is not that far, I have not trained one single bit for this! I was at the beach all last week and prior to that I can't remember the last time I've run more than 2 miles. Needless to say, I was not prepared and my goal was to finish. It was so hot to top things off. But, I finished just 2 1/2 minutes behind a friend who trained. Drew decided he wanted in on the racing fun so he and Andy ran the 1 mile fun run.. Andy said that half way through he was ready to quit but they kept on going. It turned out to be a fun morning hanging out with friends. Tonight we're off to a friend's for a highly competitive kickball game and cookout.

Catching up...again!

2007-05-11T08:39:00.000-06:00

My blog stays in a constant state of catching up....kudos to you that are diligent in keeping yours updated. Well, we've had lots going on....I'll give you the quick version. Over the past few months we've been "flipping" an old house and have now moved in. The outside will be our summer project but the inside is close to being complete. We've gutted the kitchen, tore down walls, refinished all the floors, painted everything, new light fixtures.....all with the help of handy friends-you know we're not real handy! For two weeks we didn't have countertops or running water in the kitchen which made life interesting.

I'm also back in cheerleading world coaching the JV and Varsity squad. I'll be taking them to camp next week (at the beach!) Sounds pretty rough, huh?! I never got to go to the beach for camp!

My brother's getting married this summer. We were able to attend two showers in Arkansas last week and visit with family.

Reese is crawling and pulling up...I have to keep my eye on her! Drew has the big end of the year school program at preschool next week...he's directing a song-that should be a hoot!

FYI....check out smilebox.com They have cute free cards to send out for every occaision. Happy Mother's Day!

Brother and Sister

2007-03-26T09:50:00.000-06:00

How cute is that?! I just had to post the picture! Drew thought it was so funny that his sister was wearing his hat. Earlier that day Reese was playing with one of her favorite toys- a bowl. Yes, she has tons of cute baby toys but finds joy and contentment in the simple things-bowls, paper, and anything Drew has..... Hope you are enjoying the Spring weather!

Build a Bear

2007-03-21T06:47:00.000-06:00

Last week we took Drew to the Grand Opening of Build

a Bear in Huntsville. One of my cheerleaders works there and asked us to come. Drew loved it! It can be an expensive experience but thanks to Lauren, we had a 20% off coupon. Drew enjoyed stuffing the bear and watching the the excess stuffing fly everywhere. Meet "super Bawa" our bear. He's named after one of Drew's favorite b-ball players. Reese had a blast watching the process from the stroller. She'll get a turn once she's a little older!

Growing Family

2007-03-14T21:50:00.000-06:00

No, No....I'm NOT pregnant!! Cory popped the big question......My brother is engaged and getting married this summer! How exciting. Welcome to the family Amanda. He met a wonderful girl, Amanda at dental school and they are getting married June 23. Drew is going to be the ring bearer. Reese will be just a bit too young to do anything. The wedding will be in Jasper, TN-just outside of Chattanooga. In all the excitment of the tournament I forgot to share the news...sorry bro!

State Champs!

2007-03-05T20:34:00.000-07:00

What a month it has been. Let me start with the most exciting news...Andy's team won the Alabama state championship game this weekend. Go Mustangs! By the way, the game was looking bleak in the 3rd quarter-we were down by 16 but the guys made a huge come back and won the game. This is a great group of guys who have worked so hard and truly deserve the honor.

Other news...Reese is now 6 months old. She entertains herself by watching Drew's every move and belly laughing at him. She's squealing and buzzing, just trying to talk like crazy. She can sit for short times by herself, then decides to crash to her stomach. Reese still enjoys the 3am wake up call-she's up screaming and squealing, and fights going back to sleep. Now I know some of you say, just let her cry it out but.....slight problem.....we're in an apartment AND she's in the same room with Drew?!!!!!!! Good news..we're moving in one month and I look forward to the day of no 3am wake up calls.

Drew was living up the state championship win-the players came and got him and took him onto the court for the celebration on the court, to the press conference, and to the locker room. Andy was proudly walking with the state championship trophy in one hand and Drew's action figure he left behind in the other. Drew loves his basketball boys and says when he grows up he's going to coach like his dad-how precious!

And for me...I'm good. It's been a fun basketball season this year and a blessing to be back in Alabama. Next year I'm going to jump back into the cheerleading world and coach the JV and Varsity teams. Fun times!

New Year's on the Beach

2007-01-10T07:52:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful New Year's on the beach! Some of our dear friends got married and Andy performed the ceremony. Just before the wedding the rain cleared and the waters calmed-what an answered prayer! On New Year's day we woke up and took a family walk on the beach-it was a great family moment! Drew collected feathers and shells and Reese watched. Happy New Year to all! I've also added some other cute pictures from the week. My eyes are looking rough in the beach pic, but the rest of the family looks cute!

Merry Christmas

2006-12-22T11:54:00.000-07:00

Ho, Ho, Ho! Merry Christmas to all! This year I did not send a christmas card; I sent an email and am using the blog as my card. Call it lazy, mod, creative, efficient.... We are gearing up for an exciting Christmas with lots of family and basketball. Our picture with Santa was taken after our church christmas play. Drew was a shepard and Reese was Jesus (yes, she's a girl but we won't tell) Drew wrote a letter to Santa and asked him to come tonight since we'll be traveling to Arkansas tomorrow. He's so excited about Santa coming and insists that we take a trip to the North Pole...Reese is celebrating her first Christmas. What a blessing our children are! We hope you and your family have a Merry Christmas!

25 days till Christmas

2006-12-01T07:19:00.001-07:00

The tree is done and I'm playing lots of Christmas music. The kids and I had a photo session yesterday...Reese is now 3 months old and she's a smiling happy baby. Drew has a Christmas program at church and school coming up-he comes home singing all the songs. Very cute!

Go Mustangs!

2006-12-01T07:10:00.000-07:00

:et's go Mustangs! Our Thanksgiving holiday was spend cheering for Andy's basketball team. Since Andy coaches we always have a different Thanksgiving celebration. (We've been in a different state every year!) It keeps life exciting. After the game on Thanksgiving we joined our good friends here in town for their family Thanksgiving dinner. What a blessing to have friends to celebrate with when we couldn't be with the rest of the family!

Fun website

2006-11-15T10:27:00.000-07:00

No new pictures or exciting news to share...so I thought I'd tell you about a fun website for toddlers. It's the playhouse disney website. There are lots of fun games for you and your kiddo to play together. Check it out!

Wow-Christmas is just around the corner! Drew wants everything he sees on TV-oh no! Do you have any "must have" toys that I should get the kids? Let me know!

Cousins

2006-11-06T15:13:00.000-07:00

We traveled to Cincinnati, Ohio this weekend to be a part of our neice's baptism. We, along with Andy's brother and wife were honored to be Anna's godparents. This was the first time to meet the family in North Carolina and the first time for all the cousins to be together. It was definately wild and crazy with 6 kids age 3 and under. Thanks Mike and Amy for the awesome weekend!

Halloween Fun

2006-11-06T15:03:00.000-07:00

Better late than never, right? Here are some pictures from our exciting Halloween weekend/night. We had a church party we all dressed up for- Andy and I were 70's people (nice hair Andy!) Reese was a tiger, and Drew was Superman. Halloween night we went trick or treating with some of Drew's buddies. We've got enough candy to last us till next Halloween!

Visits from Friends

2006-10-26T14:23:00.000-06:00

On Tuesday, Jamie and April came to Huntsville to meet Reese. We enjoyed lunch at Atlanta Bread Company and spent time catching up at our house. Drew and Russ had fun together even though Drew continued to "tell" on Russ. It's good to get back together with friends from Lipscomb. Drew took the picture for us-he loves taking pictures! He did pretty good didn't he?!

By the way, do you know anyone looking for a house in Lewisburg or Fairview, TN? Jamie and I both have a house for sale in each city. Let us know, we need to sell them! :) Halloween is just around the corner-Drew changes his mind daily on what he's going to be but let's hope he wants to be Superman on Tuesday because that's what we bought.

The other picture is of the kids with my parents.

Pumpkin Patch

2006-10-15T13:50:00.000-06:00

Fall weather, leaves changing colors, and.... a family trip to the pumpkin patch! On Friday we made a family trip to the pumpkin patch. Tate farms is not your average pumpkin patch. It's packed with fun things to do: the cotton jump, animals to pet and hold, a corn maze, a playground, a hay maze, corn to play in, and my favorite-a hayride to the pumpkin field to find the perfect pumpkin. Drew absolutely loved it-he was all over the place trying to fit everything in. Drew had a tough time picking the "perfect" pumpkin- way to many choices! Reese enjoyed the outing- she was laying cozy in her stroller. Tate farms also has a Lipscomb connection for all you alumni. Remember Greg Watson? He married one of the Tate daughters this summer. Greg's a coach at Hazel Green High School. Just a little FYI. Happy Fall to all!

Wooooooooooo-Pig Sooie!!

2006-10-07T13:41:00.000-06:00

How about those Arkansas Razorbacks?! They just pulled off a big win against #2 Auburn!! Since we live in Alabama, I get a lot of flack about not being a Auburn or Alabama fan. Well, I'm proud to say that the Razorbacks have beat both Auburn and Alabama this year!! Oh, the headlines in the papers in the morning......Go Hogs!

The kids

2006-10-03T17:58:00.000-06:00

Drew loves his "super heroes" He plays with them all the time. Drew has learned to make every inch of the apartment a playground. His power rangers were hanging and hiding in the bathroom cabinets. It was hilarious-I walked in the bathroom and there was a super hero hanging out of every cabinet and drawer.

Milestones for Reese...she can hold herself up really well at 4 weeks old! Check her out!

a visit to Tennessee

2006-10-03T16:52:00.000-06:00

Reese got to meet her Great grandmother, Bubba and great aunt Rebekah. I'm so thankful that the kids know their great grandmothers- mine passed before I was born. Here's a picture of Amy, Anna, Stacy, Reese, Bubba, Rebekah, and Drew.

Also on our whirlwind trip we also visited with several of our Clarksville friends- Casey, friends at Sango (where I taught last year), and Drew saw his friends at Hope's house. Hopefully we'll get to see more people on our next trip. On the way home we stopped by Mandi's house to visit. Mandi let Reese borrow lots of her girls clothes-thanks! Reese is modeling one of the dresses in the picture!

10 years later...

2006-10-03T16:09:00.000-06:00

OK-this will be blog overload-we've been busy over the past 2 weeks and I haven't had a chance to catch up! Two weeks ago I attended my 10 year high school reunion-dear old Jonesboro High... It's hard to believe it's been 10 years-I feel so "grown up." I hate to say that I haven't kept in close touch with high school friends so, seeing them and catching up was great! Friday night we had a BBQ and went to the ball game, Saturday morning several of the girls got together at a local coffee shop (this was my favorite event) and that night we had a couples only night at a local club. I loved meeting husbands, wives, and children of classmates and finding out what everyone is doing and is living.

The pictures are: Reese and her great grandma and the girls 10 years later.

2 weeks old

2006-09-17T15:28:00.000-06:00

On Thursday Reese turned 2 weeks old! She's a pretty good sleeper-she stays on a 3-4 hour schedule. We've made several outings-she went to her first football game, a cookout at a friend's house, and church today. We also visited a new friend born on Friday at the hospital. Reese is 2 weeks old and smaller than the newborn...I'm sure she'll catch up!
The pictures are of Drew and Dad at the ballgame, Reese before church, and Cory, Amanda, and Reese.

One Week Old

2006-09-09T16:34:00.000-06:00

Reese turned one week old on Thursday. Drew is loving his little sister more and more everyday. We've had a fun week with lots of family and friends stopping by. Jo (my Mom) spent the week with us helping at the house and today Pops, Barbar, Amy, Mike, Sam, Anna, Emily (family friend) and son Jacob, Cory, and Amanda were all here. The 5 kids had a blast together! Reese also had some newborn pictures made this morning-she was a little beauty queen! These are some pictures taken today.
The first picture is of Drew, Reese, Anna, and Sam (cousins) The 2nd is our family of 4. The 3rd is of sleeping Drew and Reese-how sweet!

Reese arrives!

2006-09-04T15:09:00.000-06:00

Thursday was an exciting day....Reese was born at 1:11pm. She weighed 7 pounds and was 19 1/2 inches long. Delivery went smooth-special kudos to my "delivery crew" -Andy, April, Jada, Mom, and Barbara. My nurse and doctor were great-we were keeping things fun the whole time. We've had lots of friends and family at the hospital and the house. Drew seems to like his little sister; she brought him a castle with dinosaurs for being a big brother so, she seems to be pretty cool. Reese is looking forward to meeting you all soon!!

Last day of Just the 3 of us

2006-08-30T19:10:00.000-06:00

Well friends and family....August 30 marks our last day of just the 3 of us. I've had a few "mommy moments" with Drew but I know Reese will just add so much more joy to our lives. Tomorrow morning we'll be heading to the hospital at 5:00am to prepare for Reese's arrival. Both the baby and I are healthy; Reese is ready to make her appearance into the world. At this point I'm excited but a bit nervous and anxious. Keep us in your prayers and we'll update soon!

Catching up

2006-08-21T07:10:00.000-06:00

Let's see.... I went to the doctor Thursday. All is well and I go back for my 37 week appointment Thursday. Two of my friends painted Reese's furniture and it's back here full of her clothes. Finally I feel semi-settled...We had a great weekend. I wish I had pictures to share, but I left my camera at a friend's house. Cory (my brother) and Amanda (his girlfriend) came to visit Friday and Saturday on their way home from the beach. We had a delicious dinner at Macaroni Grill and went swimming on Saturday. Saturday night Andy's school had their annual Family Fest. Of course, we spent most of our time at the "jumpy things" as Drew calls it. The weekend ended with a great day at church. A man who's been diagnosed with inoperable brain tumors shared with us and a girl who was told she probably wouldn't have kids is pregnant! Two extremes, but it's amazing how God is working in both situations.

Exciting weekend

2006-08-15T08:59:00.000-06:00

We had a great weekend! Andy turned 32-Happy Birthday! His parents came to visit Saturday. To celebrate friends and family went to Eat at Moe's for dinner then our place for ice cream cake-delicious! Sunday, some friends from church hosted a baby shower for us. Reese got lots of precious clothes. I've got everything washed and ready for her arrival!

2006-08-11T12:31:00.000-06:00

Andy, Stacy, and Drew at Drew's 3rd birthday party.