No Smoking!

Well, it's been one month since I took the plunge and quit smoking and I am happy to report...I have not had one cigarette since. On the other hand, my plans on walking the 10k have not been going so well lately. One of the heels of my feet has been injured and things have been so crazy around here lately with Codi working two jobs and going to college two days a week, there really has been a kink in my walking time. I'm not sure if I will still walk the US 10k. Codi says she is still going to walk the 10k, however, she has not gone walking for over a month, so we will see if that happens.

One week down!

So, it's been a week now and NO Cigarettes!!! I usually walk 1.5 miles a day and since the 10k is 6.2 miles I guess I need to step it up a little. But at least now my smokers lungs won't get in the way.

1st step towards 10k

So...last night I smoked my last cigarette...That's right, I finally quit smoking. Even though I have been walking almost every night for the last three months, I was still smoking (about a pack every two days). Please wish me the best in my efforts to keep up with this because so far it has been really difficult.

September 1, 2008 US 10k Walk

A friend of mine and I have decided to take the challenge and do the US 10k walk here in Atlanta this September. It works out to be about 6 miles and you can walk at whatever speed you want. We have 40 days to prepare so...wish us luck!

A little dirt never hurt

This past weekend we did a little yard work,
prepping some planters for some shrubs, flowers
and trees. The boys started the yard work while
the girls went to Codi's college to register her for
classes.


Usually Andrew plays outside like any
other boy, but manages to not get dirty. However,
this time I guess he figured out that a little dirt
never hurt.


Alyssa has never had a problem getting right
in the dirt. As you can see, she is in "hog" heaven.

Too much Home and Garden TV

After a fairly delicious dinner at Steak and Shake last Friday night we decided to take a walk through Home Depot...While strolling through the lawn mower aisles, Andrew looks up at me and says "Let's build something together...You can do it, we can help". I suddenly realized maybe he deserves more of his own tv time.

Cousinly love

This summer my 15 year old nephew, Wesley, is staying with us. One morning while Wes and Andrew were getting themselves some breakfast I overheard this conversation:
Andrew: Wesley, do you love me?
Wes: (no answer)
Andrew: Wesley, do you love me?
Wes: (silence)
Andrew: WESLEY, DO YOU LOVE ME? (no shouting)
Wes: Andrew, of course I love you...we're family.
Andrew: Wesley, am I your little buddy?
Wes: (smiles almost laughs:) )

This was the first 4th of July Dale has been able to enjoy with us in two years. So needless to say we kept busy to make up for the past years. My Mom was here to visit and spend the weekend with us also, which was fantastic. We went to see our downtown Cumming (a very small suburb town outside of Atlanta) fireworks on Thursday night, which were really a warm up for the whole weekend. We wanted to see how Alyssa would react to the heart thumping explosions...she did very well. On Friday morning we Dale and I took Andrew and Wes (our nephew who is staying with us for the summer) to the Steam Engine Parade in downtown Cumming...Andrew loved it , but after about two hours of really loud whistles he said he wanted to go home so he could tell Grandma "all about it". Then Friday night we planned on going to Stone Mountain for the laser light show and fireworks, which I heard are excellent, however, when we drove all the way there we were three and a half hours early, but they had closed the gates due to capacity. Then we decided to go see Lake Lanier's fireworks. When we arrived there we paid the $10 per car fee and were told that was all we had to pay to get in the park and see the fireworks. However, when we got to the entrance of the park it was an additional $10.70 per person to get in to see the fireworks. Needless to say, we tailgated in the parking lot till the fireworks show was over, then we drove home. I will have to say, the fireworks show in Cumming was better...maybe because it was free...maybe because we could actually see it...go figure. On Saturday we did a big breakfast and later in the afternoon we had a huge cookout. The kids went swimming and had a tea party with their Grandma (sugar cookies and raspberry ginger ale). The weekend overall was a success...Thanks Mom for celebrating with us, the kids miss you already!

My Little CowGirl!!!

Yesterday I took the little ones to the SprayGround in Gainesville. I thought Andrew would be the one afraid of the water, like he usually is, and Alyssa would just jump right in. But much to my surprise it was quite the opposite. Alyssa screamed in terror for much of the day and Andrew just ran around in circles going from one fountain to another with the greatest smile on his face. The other three children in the photos are my friend Krista's kids.

Tomorrow is my Dad's birthday! Happy Birthday Daddy!! Hope you have a wonderful day. Here are a few photos for viewing:)

I love you Dad!!xoxoxoxo

So I was on my usual evening walk last night and stumbled (literally) on some white wooden horizontal blinds that one of my neighbors was throwing away. As I quickly rushed back to my house all I could think about was why anyone would just throw perfectly good blinds away, especially when they cost about $36.00 a piece. Finally, as I jumped into my vehicle and sped out of my driveway and through the subdivision to get back to those blinds, it occurred to me. They were throwing those blinds out for me. So, to anyone else out there who possibly needs to get rid of anything that has some value, before you decide to give your "junk" to a place like Goodwill where people who are in need can buy it for an astronomical amount, before you think about having a garage sale where you will probably try selling it for more than you bought it for, before you even begin to call your friends to see if they might want your hand-me-downs, PLEASE just leave it out at the street curb. If it's not gone by 9:00pm eastern time, then go ahead and take the before mentioned steps in getting rid of it. Thank you to all:)

Alyssa's Crazy Time

Someone gave Alyssa some icing...this is the result.

BathTime!!!!

Bath Time in our house is really "swimming time". Andrew and Alyssa love taking their baths together. These are typical pictures of how kids play so well in the bath. However, I just can't resist baby bottoms and bubbles...the two together are just so photographic. Alyssa loves to splash and Andrew hates it..."It's not funny Lyssa" says Andrew...:)

Kittens

It's been a little hectic in the house lately. Our "Kitty-Kitty" had kittens about four weeks ago. This past week one of the kittens passed away. So I figured I would use this post as a tribute to the little fella. The other two kittens are doing just fine and Dale and I have decided to keep them instead of give them away. (The dark gray one is the little one that passed.)

Graduation Day!!!

Our oldest daughter, Codi, graduated from high school on Saturday...Yeah for us, but mostly YEAHHHHH for her!!! We had a very large party afterwards with friends and family to celebrate the momentous occasion.

Spring

Spring is finally here...or is it?! This has been a very unusual spring season...it's hot, it's cold...please make up your mind. Here are a few pics of Andrew and Alyssa. Codi has one more week of highschool and then off to college WooHoo!

Come visit, sit and chat. See how we're doing and pet our cat. We have lots of loved ones spread far and wide, with this blogger we have nothing to hide. So enjoy the show; sometimes crazy...you'll see. There's Dale, Julie, Codi, Andrew, Alyssa, Punky, and Kitty Kitty.