Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Happy Halloween




Happy Halloween! This year's halloween was great. Both kids had a ball and outlasted both Jay and I. Brooks was the hit of the neighborhood with his UPS attire and box, but don't tell the butterfly! We went by Jay's nursing home first and visited some of the patients and staff, then hit the streets of Courtlea Oaks. Here are a few cute pictures of the kids and their costumes.

Sunday, October 28, 2007

Annual Pumpkin Carving






Today was the neighborhood annual Pumpkin Carving Party. Everyone brings a pumpkin to carve, we have a potluck chili dinner and then once the sun goes down, they line up the carved pumpkins and light them. There are winners for the scariest, silliest, friendliest, and most creative pumpkins. There were some great ones this year. I am proud to announce that Elle's pumpkin (well, the one that she picked out but I carved) won the Friendliest Pumpkin award!

Sea World Spooktacular





Friday I took the kids to Sea World for thier annual "Spooktacular" event. We had a great time. They set up trick-or-treat stations throughout the park and a lot of kids dress up. Elle wore her cowgirl costume from last year. For those who may consider visiting Orlando sometime, October is a good month. It's still pretty hot, but the crowds have died down and there are lots of fun kids activities going on like the Sea World one and Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halooween at Disney. We did that last year and Elle had a ball!

Sunday, October 21, 2007

Brooks' Birthday








Brooks had a great birthday. We started off the morning with a birthday brunch at a neighborhood diner. "Uncle Shag" is in town visiting and had the honors of sitting next to the birthday boy. As you can see, Brooks loves him! After brunch it was time to get ready for the football game. While getting ready, Elle and Brooks practiced their V-O-L-S cheer! You will recognize the "V" and "S" poses in the pictures. They are quite the team! Next, we headed to our good friends and neighbor's house, the Parkers, and watched the football game. The young ones (Brooks and their 21 mo. old twin girls) napped during the second half, and then it was cake time! It was a nice and relaxing day with friends.

There will be one more celebration on Tuesday with Brooks' class at school, so stay tuned...

Saturday, October 20, 2007

Happy Birthday Brooks!!!!!


HAPPY BIRTHDAY BROOKS! TIME FLIES....I CAN'T BELIEVE IT'S BEEN TWO YEARS! WE LOVE YOU BUDDY!

Friday, October 19, 2007


HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAY!!!! WE LOVE YOU!

Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Fire Truck Day at School






Today was the day that the Firemen come to school and talk to the kids about fire safety and let them see the truck, etc. Elle and Brooks' classes both went, but I could only be in one place at a time, so I went with Brooks' class. It was so cute! We passed Elle's class on our way out there, so I got to snap a picture of her,too. You will notice the giant stroller that Brooks' teacher uses to take them places around the school's campus. I think it's hilarious.

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Balls! Balls! Balls!




Brooks' first word was "ball", so it was no surprise when he became so fascinated. I guess it's a boy thing, because Elle never cared for them at all (unless they were pink). Well, Brooks loves them all, but he currently is most intrigued by baseball. We actually had to separate Elle and Brooks one night because she wanted to watch a strawberry shortcake movie before bed, and Brooks was throwing a fit if we turned the channel off the baseball game. Luckily we had two TV's! This weekend, my parents graciously came for a visit to babysit while Jay and I headed to Knoxville. While they were here, they bought him a T-ball set for his birthday. Here are some pictures of him and Pops practicing. He loves it! In fact, we actually have to hide it or he wants to play all day long!

I've also thrown in a picture of Elle with her horses. In case you were wondering, she hasn't lost her passion for them. It was almost a year ago that she announced at her school Thanksgiving Feast that she was most thankful for ponies. That led to a horse themed 4th birthday, and at 4 1/2 she still loves them and is starting to learn the different names, etc. Last week it was Elle's turn at school to fill the "letter bucket". The letter was "A", and she wanted to put a horse in the bucket. I compromised and told her it would be OK because horse is an Animal, but she went on to tell me that it wasn't just an animal, it was an Appaloosa horse because of it's spots. We had to explain that one to the teacher, but nevertheless they had their "A", and Elle had her horse!

Big Orange Country





Jay and I snuck away for a weekend in Knoxville to watch the Vols take on the Dawgs. We were excited to visit our old stomping grounds, see old friends, and have a great time....win or lose. We didn't have great expectations, seeing that the two other games we've made it to this season were the only two that they've lost this season! Well, the VOLS showed up and gave us a great game! Can't wait to take Elle and Brooks one day!

The kids table



Time to play catch-up! Sorry that I haven't posted in a while. Things have been crazy. We should be staying put for a while, so I'll try to be better in the weeks to come.

The infamous "kids table"....we all spent years there waiting for the day we'd graduate to the big table. Now it's Elle and Brooks' turn! My good friend (and freshman suitemate at UT), Stephanie, came to visit while her family was here on a Disney vacation. It was so great to catch up and even more fun to watch the kids, who are close in ages, have fun getting to know each other.