It's a Baby Shower

This past weekend I drove up to my mom's house in North Carolina so we could shower our newest family member with lots of wonderful gifts.

Miss Mallori Jane is due to make her arrival in November so we had to help Mom & Dad get ready.

We all know how much equipment comes with those itty bitty babies - tons.

Here are some pictures of our party and when this family gets together - there better always be a camera handy cause you never know what's going to happen.

(I left out most of the crazy pictures, though.)

We ate (of course).

This beautiful (and delicious) cake was made by the sweet lady in the orange. To us she's Betty Jean but prefers to be called Betty - I just can't seem to do it. Here she is with my mom and Aunt Rita.

Here is the lovely mother-to-be, my cousin, Tori.


She opened gifts.

We played games.

Out of all the grown women at that shower, it took an 8 year old girl to correctly guess what size string would fit around her tummy. That's right, G won!

At the end of the party, little Miss Ava even made an appearance.
I don't get to see her often so this was an extra treat.
(Love that red hair of hers.)



Thanks for coming to our little shower.

I'll keep you posted on Miss Mallori's arrival.

First Signs of Fall

Do you know what today is?

It's officially The First Day of Fall!!

I don't know about you, but for us, it's been a long summer.

I'm ready for the cooler temps, warm drinks, and the smell of apples & cinnamon floating through the air.

I've still got a ways to go, but Autumn is starting to make an appearance around our home.

Take a peek:

I'm just getting started and still have lots to put out so beware there will be more Fall to come.

One other favorite thing about Autumn is all of the good food that comes with it.

I saw this on Darlene's blog and thought I'd give it a try.....Taco Soup.

It was delicious (although I did make a couple of minor changes to the recipe).

I highly recommend it if you're trying to mix up your dinner routine.

Yum.

So, tell me......Have you put out your Fall fufu yet?

They Found the WebCam

These pictures speak for themselves.

These kids of mine are a mess.

Do you ever have those days?

I just thought this was cute......enjoy and have a great day.

It sneaks up on us doesn't it?

Let the Fall sports begin!

This weekend kicked off the beginning of a busy fall sports season for our family.

As you can see, B is playing soccer this year. He hasn't played this sport since he was a little guy, but our neighbors needed more players on their team so......here we are.

He's also playing fall baseball this year (instead of football). Those games get started this week as well and should be fun - in practice he's already hit 3 homeruns. Let's hope that streak continues.

G also got her gymnastics season started this weekend by attending a compulsory clinic in Columbia, SC. Some of the moms hit the malls during this four hour training session - I think this was my favorite event all weekend. Her competitions don't really kick off until the end of October - she's got a little more training time.

Here are a few pictures from the soccer game - I'm sure there will be lots more sporting photos in the coming months.

What's your family doing this fall?

Always Remember

Let us never forget what our country went through eight years ago today.

Take a moment and say a prayer for those who lost their lives and those whose families were changed forever on 9.11.01.

May we never forget.

Decor change

I'm restless again and piddling with my blog look.

It's been a while with the old one and I wanted a different look.

Around here, you never know what it'll be next.

Hope you're having a great day.

Labor Day Weekend

Hope everyone had a wonderful and restful Labor Day weekend.

We were able to travel to Tennessee to visit some friends and enjoy the beautiful mountain scenery.

Here's a glimpse of our weekend activities.

Their lake house - so beautiful & peaceful, but what a climb up from the lake.....whew! You better make sure you have everything you need cause you sure don't want to hike back up.

The girls getting ready to go tubing.

These girls have sure missed each other.

We don't live in the same town anymore so it's the first time they've seen each other in a year.

G getting the instructions on knee-boarding - didn't exactly work out right so she said she went belly-boarding instead.

The younger girls watching M show 'em how the wake board works.

Beautiful mountain views.

This is my favorite view - from the deck with a cup of coffee in my hand.

The girls made smores after dinner.

They formed a band while we were there called The Butterfingers.

Care to know where the name came from? Let's just say they thought it up while making their own breakfast one morning.

On the way home on Sunday, we ventured over to Pigeon Forge for a little shopping. What a great place. I've never been before & couldn't believe all there was to do.

Here are a couple of pictures of the older part of town.

Wish I could've had more time to explore - maybe next time.

I'd love to hear what you did for the weekend.

It's Kick-off Time

I'm so excited! College football time is finally here.

We're a family divided.

My hubby and son are big NC State University fans.

and

I'm a huge University of North Carolina fan.

and

I went to East Carolina University so of course I want them to beat Appalacian State this weekend....bad.

Even though we all cheer for different teams for different reasons, we just love watching no matter who's playing.

If you love football, I hope you enjoy this kick-off weekend and if you're lucky enough to actually get to attend a game....I'm jealous - we live too far away to get to ours.

I'd love to know who you're cheering for &

have a great Labor Day weekend!