Canon Turns 4!

Today Brent took Drew to Canon's birthday party in Hernando, MS! Canon is one of Drew's classmates from SBEC and one of his best buddies. I was not there, but from the pictures Brent took, it looks like they had a blast! There was a huge blow up water slide and electric automobiles for the kids to drive:) The theme for his party was Kung Fu Panda. . .they had an afternoon of fun activities followed by presents and cake and ice cream! Happy 4th birthday Canon!

Drew going down the waterslide. . .head first!! Go Drew!

Canon going down the slide. . .WHEEEE!

Drew, Landyn, and Canon. . . they look up to something!

Hold on tight Landyn!

Typical boys. . .always eating!

Landyn, Tyler, Canon, and Drew. . .Big Buds!

Urology Chiefs Banquet

Last night we attended a banquet for Brent's work. The banquet included a nice dinner, followed by a roast of the senior residents by the junior residents, speeches made by the chiefs, and the "seniors" receiving their diplomas! This banquet occurs every year and is held in honor of the residents who have completed their training at the University of Tennessee (Memphis.) This year the senior residents were John Malcolm, Chris DiBlasio, and Matt Kincade. What a great group of guys! John and his wife, Julie, are moving to Norfolk, VA. . . he is going to train one more year in laproscopic surgery. Chris and his wife, Alissa, are moving to Long Island, New yourk. . . .he is joining his dad's urology practice. Matt and his wife, Angela, are moving to Tyler, TX. . . he joined a private practice group with three- four other urologists. We want to wish each of these couples the best of luck with their new jobs, and want them to know that they will be greatly missed! Our night out would not have been possible if it weren't for my friend Amanda and her husband. . .they kept our kids tonight. . .We just want them to know how appreciated they are!!!

The three senior residents. . .John, Chris, and Matt!

The UT residents and most of the attendings/faculty!

Me and Brent!

Brent and David. . .his partner in crime:)

Brent with Dr. Derweesh. . we are sad to see you go,

but San Diego is lucky to have you!

Justin and Jeremy getting one last lecture from Matt!

Be careful Chris, John, and Matt. . .don't drop Dr. Derweesh!

Maddox Turns One!!!

Yesterday our family went to Maddox's 1st birthday party! We are friends with his parents. . .Brent also works with his mommy and went to med school with his daddy. What a small world:) He had a "baseball" party. Everything was outside in their backyard. . . .there was a moon bounce, a tree swing, blow up baseballs, hamburgers and hot dogs, cake and ice cream, and lots of friends and family. We had a blast! The kids really had a good time, too:) Happy 1st Birthday Maddox!!! We look foward to birthday#2!

Dana trying to get him to eat some cake instead of just playing with it! Yummy!

I think he was finally done. . .no more cake mom!

Jack had a big time, too!

The kids loved the swing. . .Go Drew Go!

Kendall holding on tight. . . what you don't know is that right after my picture she fell off the swing and landed in the grass by Brent's feet! She was OK:)

Brayden Turns 2!

We have recently started hanging out with some college friends of ours: Amanda Nason Lemonds. . her husband Jay. . and their two kids Karis(3 1/2) and Brayden (2)! How amazing it is to go such a long period of time without seeing old friends, and pick right back up where you left off! Tonight we are helping celebrate Brayden's 2nd birthday!!! He had a pool party with a baseball theme:) We ate hotdogs and hamburgers (YUM. . . Thanks Jay), the kids jumped on the large water slide, did a little swimming, hunted small frogs, and ate yummy cupcakes! The party was a hit! We have been so blessed to have this family come back into our lives. . .what an amazing group of people. When I say family. . I mean the whole family! Amanda has an amazing family and our family is blessed to get to spend such quality time with them. Thanks for all the great times thus far! We look foward to many for activities together. The kids absolutely love their new friends, Karis and Brayden, and are now getting used to all the grown ups too! (Lolly and Jay, etc)

Drew going down the big slide! He is fearless!

He looks sooo cold!

Kendall was brave, too! Way to go!

I think she was proud of herself!

Jack was getting some special love from Mrs. Jane!

He absolutely loves her!

Karis was all warm and cozy. . .Thanks Uncle Matt!

Ashley and Mary Taylor Clark!

The adults! Allen, Matt, Amanda's parents, Jack, Jay, and Brent! If you are wondering. . .they are smiling because someone said it would be funny if I fell in the pool while taking this picture:) Thanks guys!

House Full!

Today was a first for me! Although I have three kids of my own, and am used to taming chaos, I had never attempted what I did this morning: 5 kids (all 4 and under) by myself! I watched some friends of ours little boy and girl (Preston and Emily). Of course I don't have to tell you that there was absolutely no schedule to our day. . .the kids spent most of the day playing (and having a blast). . .we did manage to sneak in a few necessary events. . lunch, potty, and for the two babies, naps! Yes, I admit that the kids had Mac n Cheese for lunch, which they loved, and had marshmallows as an afternoon snack, but at least they were fed. . . RIGHT! Overall the day was a success. . .we had loads of fun, everyone ate something, nobody got hurt, swallowed anything they were not supposed to, and I know there were a few hairs left on my head at the end of the day:) I guess what is really important is that we all survived the day and had loads of fun!!!

Kendall had a blast with Emily!

Emily finally passed out in the exersaucer. . .

I promise I did not leave her here for very long:)

She slept beside me on the couch while I fed Jack. . .and he napped, too!

Jack had to occupy a little of his own time. . .but he didn't mind!

Boys being boys! Of course dinosaurs!

Although I think "Cars" was the true hit of the day!

A Day to Always Remember!

It is hard to envision yourself growing old. . . as I think back to events in my life, many of them seen like "only yesterday" but the reality is that it has been 5-10-even 15 years since they have occured. Where has the time gone? I am brutally aware that death occurs at any age of life, but as I get older I know more and more people who are dear to me are going to leave this earthly life and go to live eternally in a glorious place! Just as Jesus comforted the disciples before his death, I am comforted by his words:

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God, trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. . . . John 14:1-3

Today is the birthday of a dear, sweet friend (Amber Donovan Mathenia) from my college days at Union. She would have been 29 years old. She was killed in a tragic car accident back in January. What a shock to hear of her passing, yet a joy to know that she was a believer and that God had prepared a room for her! It has been about 3 1/2 years since I had seen Amber. . .I saw her at a local hospital as she was coming to visit another dear friend who was having her first baby. I was so glad to get to see Amber and even more excited to meet her little girl, Ellie:) Amber was so much fun, always had encouraging words, had a positive attitude toward every situation, and had the kindest heart! She was everyone's friend! So on this day, the day of her birth, I will try and reflect not on her death, but what her life brought to me and everyone she came in contact with! I will continue to pray for her husband Anthony. . .and her two precious children (Ellie and Isaac). . .I know that they miss her dearly!

Sweet memories from All Sing!

ZTA Big/Little Halloween

Amber with her Big Sis Jeanna and her Lil Sis Michelle

Another All Sing Picture. . So much Fun!

Relaxing Day at Home!

So far this summer has been packed full of many fun days. . .trips to the zoo, sunny days at the pool, play dates with friends. . . exactly what summers are for! We love getting to do fun things with friends, but sometimes it is nice to have a restful day at home. The kids get to lounge around and play with their toys, watch movies, play in the yard, and just relax:) Today was one of those days. . .Drew goes to day camp at SBEC on Tuesday and Wednesday, so he was not here, but Kendall, Jack, and I had a restful day at home. We had no plans for the day. . .first Kendall helped me give Jack a bath (of course she decided to get in the water to help), then Kendall spent a little while playing in her room. . . Jack and I joined her after his morning nap:) They were having a blast. . .as you can see from pictures below Kendall loves her baby brother very much. . .He is just like her dolls except more fun! We played for a little while, ate some lunch, snuggled on the couch and watched some TV, I did a little laundry, we baked a cake, and all three of us took an afternoon nap:) What a wonderful day! Shortly after we all woke up, Brent got home with Drew. The rest is as most nights go: dinner, playtime with dad, bath, and bed! We have alot of fun being on the go, but we do enjoy a relaxing day at home every once and awhile:) Here are some pictures from our playtime in the morning:)

Jack loves his floor mat. . .

especially if Kendall is playing on it with him!

All smiles. . . these kids have so much fun together!

I told you Kendall thinks Jack is just like her dolls!

Sweet Jack!

Kendall was having so much fun!

We do miss Drew very much when he is at school. . .playtime is just not the same without him. . although Kendall likes her alone time with mommy. . .she is always asking when "Dew" is coming home!

Pool Day!

My friend Amanda and I have decided that pool day is going to be a regular event:) We had another fun outing today including our usual picnic lunch! The kids' swimming skills are getting better every day! Today we ran into some of our neighbors, the Price's (Stephanie, Adam, and Austin). They provided great entertainment and assistance with the kids! The kids loved having "big guys" to play with. . . I guess "moms" sometime get a little boring:) Jack played hard early in the day and the took an almost 2 hour nap with Amanda on the float. We had a blast! After swimming everyone came to our house to play for a while. Nap time bypassed us, but Drew and Kendall were fast asleep in their beds (voluntarily) by about 7:00. As always, we look forward to more fun days at the pool!

Kendall doing the splits!

Brayden in the open water. Look at him go!

Drew comes up for air:)

Adam showing Kendall some cool tricks!

Jack found a comfy place to nap:)

Karis and Kendall taking the babies for a stroll:)

Kendall and Karis in the backyard playhouse

planning the next step of their adventure!

Dinner and Dessert!

Saturday night we met our friends Nick and Haylie Mulliniks for a fun night on the town. We met them for dinner at On The Border (Yum) and then decided we should go get some ice cream. We went to a local Baskin Robbins. . . .what a yummy treat! The kids have not had a whole lot of ice cream in their short little lives, so you could only imagine that choosing one flavor was not easy for them. I guess with kids you should always stick with simple: Drew chose chocolate and Kendall had strawberry:) We took a few pictures of the kids and their ice cream. . . I think they ate as much as they wore home on their clothes. . Who knows? Our kids love getting to hang out with Nick and Haylie. . .so this was a fun night for all. . .as we have been busy lately and our time together has been limited! Thanks Mullinks for a fun night:)

Drew and Kendall ready for dinner!

Me and Haylie with Jack (wearing Nick's hat!)

Drew and Daddy:)

Kendall and Mommy: Yeah for Ice Cream!

Haylie entertaining Jack with "Itsy-Bitsy Spider"