Celebrating Joann (March 21, 2008)

Scott cooked up a fun birthday outing for Joann---We all went to Columbus Park on Friday evening and celebrated her 30 years! It was such a fun evening....full of playing, eating, hiking, and just enjoying each other!

It was a bit chilly!!!!
Mom and Dad grinning while trying to eat their ice cream in 40-degree weather!! :)
Joann and baby Ariana!
Granddaddy gave wagon rides around the picnic shelter!
Aaron loved to get the fire going.....he charred the bean pot!!

Two cute and pregnant mamas taking a hike through the civil war bunkers in the park! It was very interesting!

Cute little cousins--Austin and Luke!
Aunt Ju Ju pushed Luke so high on his swing! It was so fun!

Joann and Ariana, Johnna and Catherine.
Grandma and all her babies!
Dad, as usual, trying to glean the facts from the trip! Lots of cool history happened here!

Thanks, Scott, for getting us out of the house to have such a fun time! And, Happy Birthday, Joann!!

Our New Hood Cover (March 18, 2008)

Yes...it needs painting! But isn't it an improvement?? The beadboard will look very nice the same color as the cabinets! Thanks to Jonny and Pat for designing it and building it!!

My Little Ditch Digger! (March 17, 2008)

Jonathan has been very concerned about getting the proper drainage in our yard since we moved in. We began by getting gutters in January, and now he is creating pipe-filled trenches to carry that gutter-water away. He spent all day with this large rented trencher from Home Depot on Monday. He cut 7 trenches and the rest of spring break he spent placing the pipe and recovering the trenches with dirt. This was TONS of work....I only helped for about 10 minutes!

See the black corrugated pipe coming off of the gutters? Then the pipe(s) run out our back and front yard to drain. It is keeping lots of moisture off of our foundation.

Andrew and James came by to help refill the trenches....but they found out Jonathan is very particular about making sure the trenches slope properly....See the level in his hands?See the frustration? :) Of course they were kidding......
at first!

As of today, almost all the pipes are in and covered......big rain is forecasted next week! Just in time! I am very thankful I have a husband that pays attention to such details as this!

Who's Ready For Spring Break!!?? (March 13, 2008)

The title about says it all....and this picture says the rest! We are a restless bunch of nuts here in third grade! We have had all the Latin, prepositions, fractions, novels, and Greek History we can take! It was 72 degrees today....so we went outside to work off some of that energy!!

Snowy Day! (March 8, 2008)

It snowed and snowed on Friday evening...and when we woke up on Saturday, the sun was bright and the sky was amazing! I dashed outside in my pajamas to take pictures before it all melted! (Almost all 4 inches was melted by noon!!) We got out a couple of hours early Friday so we could make it home before it all hit. This is a BIG snow for Mississippi! (Okay, all you Chicago folks can snicker.....but 4 inches is a big deal up there too! Admit it!)

James and Larissa's house from across our yard....so pretty!

Our backyard and backporch.

~A Romantic Surprise!~ (March 7, 2008)

A very snowy night + two sweet husbands + two very appreciative wives = one nice evening together! The boys wanted to surprise us with a nice evening....so after we quickly fed the kids, Keri and I went upstairs to help them get settled in to watch a movie. We had to stay upstairs with them until the boys were ready for us to come down. When we came down, we had a delicious candlelit dinner, beautiful flowers, a warm fire, and music playing (yes, Amy Grant's Hymns!). The steak was incredible as well as the couscous and grilled veggies. They even bought us dessert! It was a very cozy evening inside while it was snowing and snowing outside! We watched "The Terminal" with Tom Hanks until close to midnight, and then we drove home in the snow! It was such a fun night! Our husbands are so sweet to us!

Ooooh! A Bed! (March 1, 2008)

No, you are not supposed to recognize this sweet boy or this room......neither are ours....BUT the BED is!! :) Johnna's friends from church have outgrown their need for their baby bed and changing table, so the offered them to us! We drove down on Saturday morning and picked them up. (The little boy is the previous owner of the bed!) It was such a blessing to be given these things....especially since we are trying to save all we can for the actual adoption!

Of course, while we were in Huntsville, we got to see Aaron, Johnna, and Catherine....and Al, Jennifer, Luke, and John David who were in town for a visit! As you can see, both of my sisters are expecting.......Jennifer in March and Johhna in June! VERY EXCITING!! We got to eat at Rosie's Mexican Cantina with everyone, and then we all had to head on back home! It was a very fun day trip!

Andrew and Ashley Come to Visit (Feb 22, 2008)

Andrew (Jonathan's brother) and his sweet wife, Ashley, came to visit us the weekend of February 22-24. As soon as they got in town, they met us at our school (which is where Ashley grew up going to church and school) and we split up. The girls went out for a nice, relaxing dinner at Newk's followed by a pajama movie event of Sense and Sensibility. The boys headed to the FedEx Forum to see the Grizzlies play Dallas.


I have no idea who these people are.....but they are very tall. I do know that below is Jason Kidd.
I should know this player, but I don't because my husband never takes me to the games! Ha Ha! The only player I knew got traded to the Lakers!! This may be Rudy Gay...not sure! I'm sure Jonathan is shaking his head in disappointment right now!! :)
If these were pictures of Jane Austen I could narrate wonderfully..... Well, we had a great weekend! On Saturday we went to see Vantage Point and then went out to dinner. On Sunday they went to church with us and we ate lunch with the Smiths before they had to head back to Nashville. Thanks for coming, guys!!