He loves it.... They love it!

Doug tried out the new mower tonight and the kids were so excited for the chance to catch a ride. I don't know who was more excited about this mower - Doug or the kids! ;) Thanks again Papa!

Celebrating 30

Yep, that's a lot of candles! The kids loved it! It did take me and the kids to blow out all 30 of those candles! Today I am back in the even numbers (big sigh of relief). =) Big #30 - everyone has asked me if I feel any different or if it bothers me to turn 30. It's just another number. Perhaps the number 30 is ominous sounding enough, but in reality I feel just the same as I did yesterday and probably not much different than I will feel tomorrow. I really had a great day today. The kids sang to me and Noah kept saying "WOW Mom! You're 30 years old!!!" It was pretty funny and cute. Doug took me out to a very nice dinner and he was feeling better tonight, so that was gift enough in itself. He did surprise me though with a new purse and wallet. Very cool! I am just thankful for my family and the people they are and the blessings they are to me. They are what make my every day a happy day.

A very big HAPPY BIRTHDAY going out to my niece Olivia who I share a birthday with - Olivia is 5 today and I hope you had a wonderful, wonderful day Sweet Girl! =)

Georgia Aquarium

We had a great day today. We spent the day with Marshall, our good friend from high school who actually introduced us, at the Georgia Aquarium. Marshall flew up to Atlanta yesterday by helicopter with a couple of Marine Corp buddies and it was good to get to see him again. The kids were just in awe of the aquarium and yes, I admit it, so was I... I adore stuff like that. I could spend hours in an aquarium or places like the zoo. The kids were so cute though - the last aquarium we attended was the one in Gatlinburg when Noah was 3 and Rachel was 3 months, so they both were very excited about what they were seeing. I think every exhibit I was whispering to Doug that this was my favorite as well... ;) The Beluga Whales and the Whale Shark exhibits were amazing. We rounded out the day with visiting at our house, dinner at a japanese steak house and then the guys headed off to a Braves game at Turner Field. It was definitely a very good day. =)

New Bows

Rachel received a special package today from Grammy and Papa full of pretty new bows. She and I had a lot of fun opening them up and checking them out. Rachel's favorite is a pink and white poodle bow with little pink bows of her own on her ears. Very cute. I love them all. I had been wanting to get her some bigger bows as she is growing herself and these are so cute! ;0) THANK YOU Grammy!!!

Also a very, very special HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY going out today to Miss Lydia Gail!!! We hope you have a wonderful, wonderful birthday baby girl!

Thinking about Halloween -

First of all - HAPPY BIRTHDAY PAPA!!!! We love you!!!! Hope you had a wonderful day today!

Since returning home we have lots of boxes stacked in our garage that need to be unpacked... Luckily one of the top boxes said Halloween on it and I opened it up and pulled out some of the costumes the kids have worn in the past. I love Halloween. It is definitely one of my favorite holidays... Rachel was playing with the costumes while Noah was at school yesterday and I had fun with her modeling everything. Noah had decided (quite a while back) that he wants to be Indiana Jones for Halloween (that was easy, which is always good). Thanks again Grammy and Papa for his outfit! He loves it so much! Rachel on the other hand seems to go back and forth, although usually settles on Ariel. It will be interesting to see if she changes her mind at the last minute. She tried on several outfits and though I still adore the Elmo outfit that Noah wore on his third Halloween, she has come to the realization that Elmo is for babies... Although she had no problems with trying on the costume. Ha! ;) Anyway, you can see the look on her face in the Ariel outfit. She was very, very pleased to discover Ariel hair in the costume box. =) It's funny we were in a store last night picking up a new alarm clock and saw their Halloween stuff was already displayed. Rachel was asking all day to go to different stores and look at all the costumes... Our little girl just loves to dress up.

Very Tired Kids

After a long weekend of non-stop playing hard, the kids (and Phoebe) were sooooooo tired. Rachel slept halfway home and Noah slept almost the whole way home (which is almost unheard of for him - he never naps anymore). The kids were sacked out and Doug and I definitely enjoyed the quiet drive. About three quarters of the way home everyone was awake and the constant chatter began again. I really do know why so many people have dvd players in their vehicles now -- Sanity. =) We also unloaded most of our stuff from Doug's parents basement and hauled it down to the house. It is good to have almost all of our stuff back home. Thanks again guys for letting us stash it in your basement!! We appreciate all the help. Oh and Darla.... is there any more banana pudding left....? Yummmmmmm! ;)

Labor Day Weekend

We had a good long weekend we got to spend with family in Tennessee. The kids enjoyed playing together as usual and I should have picked up my camera a little more than I did. I got a couple of good shots though and thought I'd share. We spent time with both sets of cousins and had a good time visiting. It was great to relax and enjoy time with everyone. =)