In Tennessee!

We visited my Mom and Dad's house this weekend, and I thought I would share a few of pictures!!!! Dan, Avery, Ashlyn Belle and I drove there on Friday, because Mom and Dad had snagged Alex and Courtney the weekend before, and we went to visit and to pick them up. I missed those kids SO MUCH!!!!

Before we left, Ashi Belle got her toe nails painted for the first time!

Here is Avery in the car on the way to TN, hugging her MP3 player teddy. She can't wait to see everybody!

Ashlyn Belle cheesing it up for the camera...

We're here!! We're here!!!

Here are Mom and Dad, lounging on their screened-in porch, watching the kids "swim" in the hot tub!

If we aren't on the lake playing in all my Dad's "water toys," you will find the kids in the hot tub when we're visiting MeMe and PawPaw!

Avery might be part duck. She definitely floats like one, and she's only two!!!

Dan got in for the entertainment value!!!! Check out his juggling act!!! BTW, while he was doing this, I overheard Courtney asking him, "Dad, did you used to be in the circus??" His answer was, "Yes, that's where I met your Mom. She was the bearded lady. She just started shaving when she had you guys."

Nice.

Ashlyn Belle LOVES hats. Especially when they belong to PawPaw or Daddy.

This is a contraption my Dad came up with to entertain Alex and Courtney last week, on the rainy days. It's a washer tied to string, which is connected to the ceiling. The kids had to swing it, and hook in onto a hook that he attached to a column in the basement. I don't know about the kids, but it entertained me for quite a while!

My Dad is Landscaper Extraordinairre! He recently transformed my backyard into a wonderful space!! This is my favorite tree at their house. It is a weeping cherry, but it has ivy growing all the way up the trunk. It's SO PRETTY!

This is the view of their back yard from their backporch.

And THIS is the put-put course he made for all the grandkids!! It has a windmill and the whole 9 yards!

Here is the ivy covered archway leading to his landscaped trails.

This is the Koi Pond. They added 2 more to the population while we were here!

Mosby even loves being here. Here he is playing peek-a-boo under the covers!!! This dog actually believes he is a person.

Alex and PawPaw took advantage of the rain break to go trout fishing! Alex is grabbing his lifejacket and making a run for it!!

Alex caught 3 rainbow trout!

Blueberry Pie!

I made my FIRST EVER blueberry pie this afternoon! I was so proud, I took pictures... It was YUMMY!!!!

Here are some pictures of the girls after desert... Courtney had a blue tongue (although I think she opted for a blue ice pop instead of my pie!!!)

And little Ashlyn Belle had blueberry goo covering her little body!!! Mosby LOVED hanging around with her until I got her wiped clean!! :P

This afternoon, I took the kids to our neighborhood playground and fishing pond. The girls had a great time swinging! And my amazing fisherman Alex caught a HUGE catfish!!
Courtney was too busy for me to get a picture of her! I'll catch up on her next time...

Independance Day!!!

We had an interesting 4th of July! Ashlyn Belle and I spent the morning in the ER because she had a tummy bug, and had become dehydrated! By the later afternoon, she was doing much better, so she and I played it pretty low-key. Our neighbors always have a huge 4th of July party then an AMAZING fireworks spectacular! So we went over for the dinner, and to let the kids play...

then just sat next door in a driveway and watched the show with friends!!!

As you can see, Alex HAD to paint his hair red and blue...

So did Courtney and Avery...

and I'm sure if Ashlyn had her way, she would too! But she just wasn't her usual cheerful self!

We had some sparklers that the kids played with until the fireworks were over... Dan was the official sparkler lighter! Look what a multi-tasker he is!!!

Courtney made me an "M" in the air, for "Mom!"

This is how Ashlyn watched the fireworks; with me covering her ears! She liked the lights, but not the BOOM!

Avery was telling me how wonderful she thought the fireworks were, in her usual dramatic manner!






We had a GREAT time!

Tennessee Weekend!

We spent a weekend in June in Tennessee with Mom and Dad! They just had their kitchen renovated (it looks incredible!), and Dan and I tiled the backsplash with tumbled marble for Fathers Day...

But the REAL highlights were MeMe and PawPaw, of course! The kids had a great time.

Here are two BIG Celebs, Avery and MeMe! If you click on the picture, you can see Avery's "moviestar" face, puckered lips and all! Be sure and scroll down to her crocs... princess buttons all over them! Who would have ever thought I would have a princess girl???

Poor PawPaw had to wear Princess glasses too! It's amazing what grandchildren can make you do!!! :)

This is Courtney in MeMe and PawPaw's room in the morning, glued to a cartoon...

Ashi Belle being cute...

...and Alex looking smug!

We even brought Mosby along, and clearly, he made himself at home! Thanks for a great weekend, MeMe and PawPaw! Love ya!