Spring Break

Spring break was pretty awesome this year. We surprised the kids with a trip to Myrtle Beach. We really hadn't planned to do anything until about 3 weeks before break. I was looking around on the internet and discovered that our break was still in the "off season" for Myrtle Beach and realized that we could get a room for a week at a dirt cheap price. That's when we decided that is would be fun to just totally surprise the kids. We were very sneaky as we packed for the trip. Kenzie had a competition in Dayton on that Saturday, so we just left the competition on Sunday and headed for Myrtle Beach. It took the kids 3 hours...yes...3 hours to realize that we weren't going home! We had prepared some cute little clue cards, so at that point we gave them the first clue. I think that was the best moment of all. The main line on that card said something like: "You thought spring break was really gonna stink, but we have more planned than you think." They just lit up! It was really neat! I think we kept them in suspense until supper, when we gave them the last clue so they could figure out where we were going. They were very excited!

Once we got to the beach, we had one more surprise waiting for the kids. Chuck's parents happened to be on vacation the same week and they were already in Myrtle Beach when we got there. We made arrangements to leave our hotels and walk down the beach towards each other and wait to see how long it would take the kids to realize that Grandma and Grandpa were there. As it turns out, they were so enthralled by the ocean that they wouldn't have even noticed their grandparents if Grandpa Jack hadn't called out to them. This surprise was a big hit too!

After that, we just simply enjoyed our time together as a family. We spent the days enjoying quality time with our kids. It really wasn't about spending a ton of money or anything like that, but more about connecting with each other. I loved it! Life had been so stressful that sitting by the beach for those few days was just what I needed to rejuvenate my spirit. Boy, do I love my family! We had a blast and no arguments, if you can believe it! It was everything we hoped for!

More Spring Program Pics

The Drought Is Over!

It has been a long while since I have posted on the blog, so I was sure glad to finally have some pictures to post! This is our little gal all ready to go for her spring concert! She found this yellow headband and it was the perfect touch to spice up a yellow sundress that she already had. I thought she looked so cute and totally her age. So sweet!!

Right before the program she found her friend Katie and they walked in together. Katie is one of the nicest, sweetest little gals that we have met! She is really funny too...we are so glad that Kenzie has had the opportunity to get to know her this year. Don't they look so cute together?!?

Here is our little star after the big performance. She really did a good job, as did all of the kids! Mrs. Brubaker really put on a nice show. It is such a proud feeling to see your child on stage performing! The students and teachers can be very proud of the performance!

The picture below shows the entire first through fourth grade classes from Jefferson Elementary.

Kenzie after the show with her two "brothers." She was glad for their attention and they were nice enough to give it to her. It was definitely different having Brock watching the show and not being in it, but he enjoyed cheering her on. (On a funny side note...I heard Brock tell Cade on the phone that he thought this thing was "semi-formal" so he better wear an Aeropostale shirt. LOL!!! ONLY Brock!!)

You can sort of see Kenzie there in the crowd! That yellow headband really helped to find her! She was surrounded by her friends. Kimber and Erica were above her, Paige was right beside her, Grace was three over to the right, and Alaina was two over to the left. I think I got 'em all!

Stay tuned...more pictures will be coming!

Valentine's 2010

We don't usually make a big deal about Valentine's Day, however, we have a young lady who just loves getting flowers from her daddy! Several times Chuck has given her flowers and whenever a special day comes up she will say, "I wonder if Daddy is going to get me flowers?" Well, she said this a few days before Valentine's Day and guess what arrived for us on Friday? Hmmmm...someone (or two people) are very loved. I really intend for this blog to be a scrapbook of our day to day lives. Since I don't do a scrapbook, I plan on printing my blog into a book once a year. I hope that when our children and grandchildren read these posts they will feel that love that exists in our family. Chuck is such a loving and caring husband and father and he makes us all feel safe and loved. I really appreciate how he is in tune with the little things that we all enjoy. I wish I could be more like him in that respect. He takes notice of what things make us happy and from time to time he surprises us with these little things to brighten our day. The best thing is that it isn't about the "things" at all, but really about the fact that he has taken the time to know us so well. Thank you Chuck...we love you more than you will ever know!

Snow Day!

Well, the weather forecasters were predicting a big snow and this time...they delivered! With everyone being cancelled, we had a nice lazy day at home. In fact, I didn't even get out of my jammies! I can't remember the last time I did that, but it sure was nice. The kids played out for a bit and then Brock went over to play at Cade's house. That was at about 2:00 and we didn't see him again until 8:00 tonight! He had a blast hanging out with them today! Shortly after supper, Kimber came down to hang out with Kenzie and the lazy day just continued on. They snuggled under a warm blanket and I threw in a frozen pizza and we all watched a movie. Brock was home for about 30 minutes when we got the call that school was cancelled for tomorrow. Within minutes Cade had called to arrange a sleep over...needless to say, Brock was out the door in a flash. Now, I won't be thrilled when we are making these days up, but for now...I think I'll just enjoy the rest of this lazy day!

Columbus

Etech

Well, you know you are bored on a snowy Saturday when you blog pictures of your hotel room! Hopefully, these will be the last photos I ever take that have my shadow at the bottom. I took a mini photography class at the etech conference and I finally learned (a little) how to shoot in manual and without my flash. These, obviously, were taken before the class. I wanted to take more pictures during the conference, but honestly, I was so busy going to sessions during the day that in the evening I just wanted to sit and relax, so hotel room photos are just about all I have to show for the week. It was a beautiful hotel room and I really appreciated staying in such a nice place.

Real Beauty

I have been enjoying some time looking through my pictures on the computer and I came across this picture of Grandma Weezy. I just love her so much and I think she is so beautiful. I wanted to post this picture just because. It was taken during homecoming and Grandma was sitting outside the assisted living home waiting to catch a glimpse of Amber as she went by in the parade to the football field.