Since I know everyone has been on the edge of their seat just *WAITING* for me to post pictures of my kids… thought I’d make good on my promise. Here’s a few snapshots of the kiddos enjoying the beach!

Just in case any of you are looking for a super cool condo in Orange Beach, I highly recommend Phoenix West! It’s right on the beach… PLUS has a super cool water slide, lazy river & zero entry pool! The units are UBER nice too…. around 2000SF so everyone isn’t right on top of each other. We’ll definitely be going back!

I have been DYING to post this picture! I planned this for mother’s day, and while it didn’t turn out exactly like I planned (*sigh*) I still LOVE it! I got a huge 40×60 2 1/2inch gallery wrap & an 18×27 1 1/2inch gallery wrap for my mom & mother-in-law. They were delivered a bit early just so I could share my excitement! So without further adieu, adoo, a-do (WHATEVER!) here you go… brace yourself….

*I KNOWWWWW!* All together now…. “awwwww”. ♥ Gee thanks. Makes a mama proud. Especially since this mama has been trying for a quarter of a century to get a picture of her kids together! =)

Once upon a time there was an evil nanny who was always harassing her beautiful, talented, kind photographer daughter to get pictures of her even MORE beautiful, talented and ki… well - let’s just go with beautiful & talented - grandchildren.

Where was I? Oh yeah.

*So*. The beautiful talented daughter decided one day that she would surprise the evil nanny with a lovely picture of her grandchildren. (Although I’m not really sure why the daughter would offer up such a nice gesture since the evil nanny abandoned the daughter with SIX CHILDREN and went to Target.) However, she didn’t let this abandonment damper her kind heart. No, no… the daughter was determined to capture the perfect picture of all six grandchildren.

The daughter failed miserably. THE END. Hey, all stories don’t have a happy ending =)

After that tragic story I can’t leave you without something to make you smile…. my super cute niece & nephew, Trinity & Haden. ♥ them!

And this is not the result of me lying on a muddy ground to please my niece. Promise. She really CAN fly.

The kids have been driving me crazy asking me when their elves were gonna come back. Generally, Santa doesn’t let the elves come stay with children until after Thanksgiving, but he must have heard my kids begging! They arrived in the mailbox today, equipped with magic pencils (they were HUGE!) and a book for Cassidy.


Ignore the nasty faces, we had just finished eating ribs


It seems attitudes immediately get better around here when the elves arrive - here’s Jackson sharing PS3 time with Wyndham. <3

A bit of elf history - blog posts from last year

Adventures of Wyndham & Axel
Elf-scapade

…is impossible when you have 4 kids. *sigh*

In EVERY.SINGLE.PICTURE. one of the kids (usually Jackson) is running away, blinking, swinging to hit someone, picking his nose, or something of that nature. I did get a pretty funny one after one of the boys ummmm (can I say this on here?) passed gas - Cassidy was holding her nose. I won’t mention which one did it for fear of causing him to hate me for the rest of my life.

You know that perfect picture you have in your mind, the one where everyone is just sitting there with beautiful, oh-so-natural smiles on their pretty, clean little faces? Yeah, me too. We didn’t get that. Oh well, it’s not perfect. Which is *totally* us. =)

We’re drug-free Y’all! [Red Ribbon Week - Day 3]

Hillbilly Nate


Had to get a butt shot to show you guys the back Nate’s gonna kill me for this…

Hillbilly Tucker (who isn’t in the best of moods in the mornings, might I add….)

(PSSSSSSSSSST….. see that poll… over there in the sidebar? <---------- GO VOTE!)

It’s Red Ribbon Week at White Plains Elementary!

If you know me, you know I HATE drugs… so we try to be supportive of anything anti-drug in my home. I forgot to take a picture yesterday (Don’t let drugs turn your life inside out!) … but I couldn’t let them get away this morning without breaking out the ole 5D.

Today’s theme - “Tell me a story of a drug free world!” Mission: dress up as your favorite storybook character. Without further ado, I give you Harry Potter & Jengo Fett -

3 reasons you SHOULDN’T be laughing right now:
1. It’s just NOT NICE. =)
2. They decided what they were going to dress as, not me.
2. Costumes are slim pickins’ - we had to improvise Harry Potter with a vampire cape (we snatched off some gargoyle thingy), a wand (stick) out of the back yard & some coke bottle glasses that should come in handy tomorrow (HINT HINT). Yes, those bad boys are going to work double-duty.

STAY TUNED…

It’s hard to believe that I haven’t posted one. single. solitary. blog. in ALL of 2008. Nevermind it’s only been 2 months…. well, heck, almost 3! Needless to say things have been CRAZY! I’ll give you the short version, in chronological order.

Santa picked up the elves & left a mess of toys under the tree.

The new year rang in while I was asleep. (yeah I’m *that* wild!)

The boys started karate lessons & are now yellow belts!

Cassidy got bangs. Don’t ask.

After undergoing drug tests, a home study, criminal background check, & endless meetings with lawyers, a judge awarded us full custody of Nathan - he’s adjusting well by the way! =)

My desktop computer CRASHED. Bang.

We booked a trip for Punta Cana in June! YAAAAY! =)

Jackson developed this new incredibly strange habit of licking the bottom of his feet. No clue where that came from!

Cassidy turned 2, still can’t believe that one…

We celebrated Nathan’s 10th birthday on 2/20 - we’re having his & Tucker’s party together this Saturday. They are super excited!

I got a new little Canon point & shoot & I’ve been using the FIRE out of it. It’s awesome not to have to lug my 5D around everywhere…. I haven’t been shooting much at all to be honest & I miss it. I think I’m *almost* ready to start accepting sessions for the spring… Thanks to all my past & prospective clients for your phone calls, I promise I’ll be back in biz before you know it! =)

I went through THE WORST state survey at work. EVER.

Cassidy got the flu. Jackson got the flu. I got the flu. Tucker got the flu. Nate got the flu. Eric got the flu. FUN STUFF. Six coughing, sneezing, aching, feverish, puking, snotting, hacking, flu-ridden people in the SAME house. You wanna know misery? Yeah, it’s right there, buddy. Eight days worth.

My best friend filed for divorce.

We finally joined Grace Baptist Church in Oxford. Love it!

Tucker & Nate got saved. They’re gonna be baptized (or “bab-a-tized” per Nathan, and “vaporized” per Tucker, just depends on which one you ask… ha!)

And drumroll please……

I GOT MY COMPUTER FIXED! YAY ME!!!!!!!!! WOOT WOOT! Happy dance!!!

….and I guess that’s about it in a nutshell. =) Promise to drive you crazy in the near future!

I wasn’t going to blog about this… I prefer a happy, cheerful blog myself… but on this day of complete and utter shock, sadness, anger - I can’t be cheerful. I can’t be happy. I need a release of some sort so here it is.

Some of you know Nate’s story… some don’t. Let me give you the cliff notes version. Meet Nate… (taken back in the summer on his first day of school)

Eric’s cousin is Rodney. Rodney marries Diana & has 4 children, the youngest of whom is Nate. Rodney drowns in a horrible accident 5 years ago. Diana begins using drugs. Fast forward 5 years…Nate is 9, lives with his mom, but mom has a serious drug problem at this point… he begins to shuffle back & forth between relatives. He fails the 3rd grade because of failure to attend school. Then … we get a phone call.

Nate is coming to live with us.

We’re a little nervous, a little scared…. not sure what to expect. What do we get but a surprisingly well mannered little boy who is wise beyond his 9 years. I guess you have to be when you’re acting as the parent. We enrolled him in school, he was doing great - then BAM! Mom comes to get him…. “nothing I can do” we’re told. “She has full custody”. I was absolutely heartbroken to see him go, simply because I knew in my heart it wasn’t in his best interest.

We have spoken to him on a few occasions, and he recently came back to live with us again at her request. He insisted on going back with her - to be honest, I think he worried about her all the time - if he couldn’t find her, he would cry. He told me that there were times he couldn’t wake her up… and that he was afraid something was going to happen to her.

Well, this morning, something did.

Nate’s mother was found in a hotel room, dead. A suspected accidental overdose. I have no words really - no words to describe how I feel…. I’m angry that she would put her children through this - the death of BOTH parents in 5 years. I’m desperately sad for the children - even though I know that in some ways, they are better off without her. I’m frustrated with DHR who has refused to do anything about the reports for the past 2 years. I’m really… just… heartbroken.

Please keep them in your thoughts & prayers.

I just realized that I haven’t blogged about the newest addition to our family - that’s definitely a whole ‘nother story for a whole ‘nother post! Anyway, meet Nathan - “Nate” - he’s 9 years old & has been with us for 2 weeks now. He’s super fun to have around, but is eating us out of house & home!!! I’m amazed at how much a 9 year old growing boy can eat! =)

So… I come home from work yesterday & Vickie, my mother-in-law, informs me that the boys have devised an evil plan to get some extra money…. Extortion by Extraction. Yes, you heard that right. Each took a turn pulling a tooth from the other! Where in the heck do kids come up with this stuff???

On the flip side, she did say that they had been fighting all day EXCEPT for the last hour while they worked on their teeth, HAHA!!! =) Here we go - pardon the snapshots By the looks on their faces, they endured lots of pain & suffering…

Totally unrelated, but little brother was getting jealous of all the attention the big boys were gettin’!

Did their evil plan WORK??? =)