You know you're blog's too long when...

You're blog may be excessive when... you get a notice that you've used too much storage and must purchase more! Ha! Of course I purchased more! Here's a few pics from last night that I couldn't post due to an overload! :)

Pete helped Addie ride without training wheels.

filthy filthy filthy feet!

Ali held the light while Pete fixed my car.

 The girls spent this afternoon playing basketball outside. We waited on the screened porch for Pete to get home from work and Ali did her homework. He brought home pizza and we all ate on the porch while waiting for the rain! I love the sounds you hear from that porch. Tonight we heard crickets, frogs and an owl.

Tonight the weather is looking rough outside and I ditched the Relay for Life captains' meeting. I feel guilty about missing, but I hate driving at night and I'm even worse in the rain. Plus, it's so hard to come home and turn right back around and leave my crew!

I'm looking forward to playing Bunco with a fun group of ladies tomorrow night! Can't wait! I am in need of a girls night!  

Sweet Southern Sunday

Addie in pigtails she did herself!

Penelope Pitstop racing across the road!

There really is something special about Sundays in the South. Today's gorgeous weather forecast had me antsy to get out of bed early! We made a big breakfast and although we had to herd cats to get everyone dressed, we made it to church on time.  We had dinner at Foster's in Louisville and it was delicious! I haven't been there in a while, but I will be back soon!  Addie ate 3 chicken legs! She is growing like a weed.

After lunch, Ali's friend Jordan came over for awhile. Ali and Jordan were good friends at Louisville Academy and they don't get to see each other that often nowadays. They had a blast riding the scooter around the farm and generally being rowdy country kids. I was outside watching them act like nuts and noticed my tulips had grown exponentially since yesterday!!

We had ribs on the grill for supper and they were outstanding. I took this picture with my cousin Meredith in mind. When we were wee ones, she had no front teeth but she loved my daddy's barbecued ribs so much she figured a way to make it work. We hardly ever have ribs that we don't talk about Meredith's love for ribs and barbecue in general. She even got stopped at the Augusta Airport  trying to board a plane to Norfolk with three pounds of frozen barbecue. The TSA wanted to confiscate it but the good Southern brethren in Augusta convinced the TSA agents that to steal a girl's 'cue would be a federal offense.

Mere- this pic's for you girl!

Perfect Saturday

Today was perfect in many ways. We had a great time at the morning basketball games. Nanny and Poppy got up VERY early to come see the girls play their final game this season. We had delicious goodies from the Pineland Bakery for breakfast. We came home and napped/watched movies until the Upward Awards Ceremony this afternoon. The ceremony was great. The kids REALLY enjoyed the magician. I got a message from my mother inviting us to dinner tonight. Poppy was grilling chicken. COULD THIS DAY GET ANY BETTER?

Then it did. While we were waiting for the chicken to get done, the girls wrote the menu on the chalkboard and then used the chalk to make hopscotch patterns on the walk. 

Adding to the perfection, we stayed longer than we planned and had to walk home since we had walked over. The stars were AMAZING! The weather was warm today but we got chilled walking home and Pete started a fire in the fireplace. Ahhh now THAT is some kind of perfect. Shorts and flip flops during the day, fire in the fireplace in the evening. I'd vote for year round weather like that!

Weekend!

They say dogs are a better judge of character than people are. I have to agree. Our dachshund mix, Millie, loves Ali Grace. Ali has a sweet spirit and I think Millie knew that immediately.  Babies love Ali Grace too. 

This week is National FFA Week and therefore, our resident FFA Advisor has been largely absent. We have not seen much of him and this afternoon was no different! Grrr!! However, he did slice out time to meet the girls and me for supper at the Huddle House. The girls and I ordered something typical but Pete ordered a steak. As soon as the steak arrived, my little carnivore, Addie, started chanting "BEEF BEEF BEEF!".  I have never seen a child her age love steak as much as she does! She ate as much of Pete's steak as he did. Addie does not eat bread at all. She eats veggies and meat. She is a walking Atkins commercial. At least once a week Addie will ask Poppy to grill her a steak. Once we had country fried steak and Addie looked at me and said, "this is not steak. I like the kind of steak Poppy makes across the road."  Good thing I am confident in my motherhood or my children would send me over the edge!

Tomorrow is the girls' final Upward game. We are glad to have our weekends free again but we will really miss playing and practicing. Ali and Addie both have been wonderfully blessed by the program. I am especially proud of Ali Grace. She is so meek and quiet. I love that about her, but I think she could use a little more self confidence. Coach Jones and Upward Sports  have given her that. I am SO glad we made the decision to sign the girls up. We are already looking forward to next year.

Where's a Friday when you really need one?

It's a good thing we only have a 4 day work week this week. I feel like I've been beaten with a stick! I mean I am worn out! I don't know what it is. Maybe I've just been enjoying this beautiful weather a bit too much!  Whatever it is, I'm sure ready for a weekend!

This afternoon I had an SIP meeting after school.  I didn't get home till nearly 5:30. By the time I got home, Addie had thrown her clothes off and jumped into the hot tub with some of her pool toys from last summer. She was naked as a jaybird splashing around in the hot tub! That girl is REALLY ready for summer!

I was met at the door by Ali Grace who proudly told me she'd made 100 on her math test today! Go Ali Go Ali Go Ali!! She does not struggle in math. She struggles when she is TIMED in math. We spend elementary years telling kids to speed up in math and then middle and high school telling them to slow down. Oh well... now that she's getting older and past the "timed facts" phase, her math grade has steadily crept back up to an A! I am so proud of her!

Hot tubs and round ups

Both the kids went on a field trip to watch a play at the Imperial Theatre in Augusta today. They went to see "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown".  They loved it!  They were so cute talking about their favorite parts.  I'm so glad they got this opportunity.  As soon as the girls got home, Addie jumped in the hot tub and Ali Grace tinkered around a little and then started her homework.

Yesterday was Addie's birthday of course, and she continues to try to stretch it into her "birthday month." She was aided in that endeavor today by Poppy who brought her a brand new "roundup".  Around Christmas when Addie got Woody and Jessie, she told us she wanted a roundup. We had no idea what she was talking about! She explained, "you know that thing you use to like chase the cows!" We finally figured out that she meant a lasso! Poppy found her a small one today and brought it over!

Happy Birthday sweet Adeline!

Today is my Addie Belle's 6th birthday.  It is hard not to be heartbroken over how fast time seems to fly by but watching her grow up is surely one of God's greatest blessings.  From the time she was born, she marched to the beat of her own drummer.   There are no words to say how much I love her and what a blessing she is to all of us. It seems like yesterday that Pete and I were browsing through a Barnes and Noble and Pete picked up a name book. One of the first girls name listed was Adeline and I fell in love with it. Great Mama's middle name was Belle, so we had a name. She has a special corner of my heart. Happy Birthday sweet Adeline!

This is my all time favorite picture of Addie Belle. No other picture has ever quite captured her "addie-tude" better than this one.  Every time I see it I think about "What you talkin' bout Willis?"  Cracks me up.

This picture was taken the first time Addie met her cousin Colten. I just love the look on her face! She pretty much still has that same look when Colten comes to visit.

Addie was never prone to throwing fits, but she did once while visiting Great Mama in Old Town. I don't remember what the fit was about but we all got a good laugh out of it.

Addie and Ali with Father Bob LeFavi, St. Luke's Episcopal Church 

Rincon, GA

Addie at the Crab Shack Tybee Island

Addie did not like the smell of the salt marsh and kept swatting her nose the entire time we were there.

I love this picture of Addie and Ali Easter 2008. Their Uncle David brought them pearls from the Middle East and Ali sweetly explained in such an enchanted voice to Ms Kitterman at church that her uncle brought the pearls from a faraway land. Addie punched her and said they came from Target! I really could have choked her right then and there. I don't think the child had ever even been in a Target store. I have no idea what sort of devilish thing got into her!

Addie Wrightsville Beach Summer 2009

Ali meets her baby sister for the first time.  Unfortunately Ali also cut her own hair for the first time a few days before!

Addie, Nanny and Poppy

Addie, Gran and Papa

Ali, Addie and Aunt Beth

one of my favorite sister shots!

Addie and her cousin Emma. They are about 6 weeks apart and were often mistaken for twins rather than cousins!

Addie Belle and Great Mama Iona Belle Lyles
Great Mama was blessed with the smoothest softest skin and we loved watching the great grandkids love on her!



AND TODAY... on her 6th birthday, I let Addie ride Peaches alone. She's growing up WAY too fast. Looks like we're gonna need a new set of bitty baby sized stirrups!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADDIE BELLE! 

Maintenance Monday

Addie woke up the morning with some cruddy sinus issues. Eye gunk, stopped up nose, the works! She had some of these symptoms this past weekend but she was running on "birthday adrenaline".  She also got a bad splinter in her foot over the weekend and freaks out every time someone even looks at it. ALL this in addition to the fact that she never got her flu shot, just indicated we needed a visit to Dr. Sukumaran for some basic maintenance!

Luckily she got her splinter removed without incident, tolerated the flu shot and then told Pete that the splinter hurt like hell. Great. I'm so proud.

The face of a child on a sunny afternoon with no homework!

Our entire family was blessed with NO homework today!  As a result, we actually got some family time together during the week!  While Addie was on the way home from the Dr's office, Ali and I went across the road to check out a few of the fillies Nanny had in the arena. 

Ali and Creme Brulee'

Addie is telling Nanny all about how "Dr.Superman" got the splinter out.


We went out to dinner tonight and finished earlier than expected, so we stopped by the park for a few minutes. 

And then we were off to the last Upward practice of the season.  

AND ONE FINAL PICTURE OF THE DAY to get all you pigskin fans through til Fall... my cousin Julie and her husband Goran's angel Anneli watching some Hokie football back in the fall! LOVE IT!