HAPPY BIRTHDAY, COLTON!

Kara, Kade, Pawpaw and I were able to be with Colton for his birthday. 13th!! He wanted to go to an "ese" restaurant...not sure if it was Japanese or Chinese. I'm not a big fan of either but it wasn't bad. He liked it and that's what matters! He's growing up too! He loves to play basketball and video games. He still has his first tarantula we caught for him and his snake. Yuk! Glad I don't have to feed the snake!

CASSIDY'S HOMECOMING

Kade, Kara and I made the trip for Cassidy's homecoming. Unfortunately, I used my old 35 mm camera with a really big lense but forgot the tripod. AND, as you can tell, I put black and white film in the camera instead of color. Old people shouldn't be given such tasks! The end result is a lot of blurry black and white pictures! She did a great job and I had a hard time not crying. I managed to have only a few tears. She said she expected me to cry. Some things don't change, I guess. Cassidy's biggest fan watches the football game. He is really into watching football on TV. He couldn't understand why he couldn't go on the field. "Just one time, PawPaw". He can really bargain. He felt sure they wouldn't mind if he rode in the golf cart.

What can I say...our baby girl is growing up! She looked so pretty! She said the shoes had to go as soon as she got to the dance. Haha! I couldn't have made it to the car!

BEAUTIFUL FALL!

This is the prettiest fall color we have had since we moved here. Doesn't show so well in these pictures but it is really vibrant!

PUMPKIN PATCH 2010

First pony ride! Practicing his parade wave. He would not get on a horse until now. He had lots of fun but enjoyed digging in the sandbox and swinging the most. Oh, and kicking dirt! No matter where we are, if he can find loose dirt he stirs up a dust storm!

Mimi made a pumpkin cake which Kade loved! We ate cake until we were sick of it. Makes a lot! Now I look MORE like a pumpkin!

The next big event is Kade's birthday November 8th. He'll be three but he tells everyone he will be 16! We were eating at a restaurant and the girl waiting on our table was a really cute, young blonde. Kade immediately started flirting with her. She made the mistake of acknowledging him so he never stopped flirting. He told his mom "I love her, Mommy". The next time the girl walked over to him, he suddenly said "I'm sixteen!" We all just about died laughing! What a mess!

THE NERDS!

Cassidy and Pawpaw pulled it off! They made it thru the dance at half time and did a great job! Mike loved doing that with her. They had a big fan club! Mema, Sid, Kaylyn, Colton and I cheered them on. Sadly, the team lost in the last quarter but it was a good game.

WE'RE STILL HERE!

Haven't blogged in quite a while. Everything is pretty much the same. We never got very far with getting the tile re-grouted. We hired a lawyer, spent a large sum of money, then decided it was way too stressful! So the attorney did NOTHING but made some $$$. Things seem to just go that way for us. We'll tackle that problem next year. Ha! We're still working on the large drop-off in front of the house. We had another set of steps put in. Now we have to have some rock work done and then start the retaining wall. That will be a HUGE job. We've been working a little on Kara's house. Not enough days in the weekend! This was the hottest, most humid summer I can remember. Thought we would die! Huge oaks & pines started dying. Was getting really serious...no rain at our house for a couple of months. Once we did get rain, the ticks and flies came out in full force! Yuk! Beau spent the entire summer on the side porch in front of a fan (with his cat). Kade is quite the character! Never sees a stranger which scares me to death! We pass people in the store and he says "hey, how ya doin'". His vocabulary is remarkable. The things he comes up with keep me in stitches. As soon as school started back, I started potty training...took 1-1/2 weeks. Completely potty trained...even wakes up in the night to tell his parents he needs to go. He's still crazy about trains. Great at putting puzzles together. Loves frogs, turtles, worms, the cows, dinosaurs and of course Beau. Calls him his "best friend Beau". He watches a PBS show called "Dinosaur Train". (Imagine that!) One of the little dinosaurs has a collection of rocks, teeth, shells, etc. So now Kade has a "collection". Never leaves home without it...sleeps with it. In an effort to fit in again, we have taught him to call the Hogs. He has his own spin to it..."pigs, where are you? woo pig, woo suzy". Personally I like it better. When Mike and I take him to town, people come up and say "hey Kade". I guess once you have kids and grandkids you never have your own identity! They get the suckers out at the feed store when they see him coming in the door. The worst place to take him is Tractor Supply. Mike has threatened not to shop there if they don't move the toys from the front of the store! Watering the cat. This cat has to love us!

Funny face! Cross face. (Probably the only kid who says he's "cross". (Thomas the Train)

Mike & Kenneth pouring concrete.

"The Collection"

Cassidy is on the drill team. Can't believe she's going to be 16! Where did that time go?! Mike will be performing on the field at half time with her next week. Needless to say, I've booked my flight! Cameras are ready! Can't wait. He's a little concerned about what he will have to do. (I know but I'm not tellin'!)

AHH...SPRING!

Well, we have finally thawed out and are really enjoy spring. It's great to have longer days since we have so many projects to do outside. Mike & Kenneth worked on drainage around the house this weekend. Job well done! Kade was a BIG help...

Kade is still crazy about trains! We have Thomas, of course, & now Disney has a new show, "Chuggington". It is really a cute show. We record it daily so that we can watch at any time. Learning Curve has started making the engines but they are only available in the UK until 2011. Being the avid ebayer that I am, Kade has already started his collection. Now he wants to check the mailbox for engines everyday.

He is such a boy! He loves to be outside, kicking rocks or dirt, throwing rocks (he has quite the arm), riding his bike or his Little Tikes car or pushing his yellow dump truck around. He told me "it's a great day for kickin dirt, Mimi"! He loads the dump truck with all sorts of valuable things...rocks, horseshoes, leaves, "floweries" (flowers), plastic bottles from the recycling bin, & misc. toys. If we are missing something, that's where we look!

Kade never stops talking. Almost everyday he comes up with something that surprises us. This weekend he said "I need eight dollars, Mimi". Then he asked a neighbor the same thing. We don't know where he heard that! He gets "weedeas" (ideas) all the time. He told me while I was cutting his hair, "Mimi makes Kade crazy!". (I do know where that came from. Haha!) After a day playing outside I have to strip him down to his birthday suit in the garage. His pockets & shoes are always full of rocks & dirt! His mom loved to play in sand. I would have a tub full of grit after everyone of my softball games. (There was always a big pile of sand at the ballpark.)

We planted a garden this year. The outcome will be interesting. So far, with the help of some deer repellent & a hot wire, we still have all our little plants. While digging, we unearthed a rather large earthworm. Kade's first response was fear but soon decided it was the greatest thing. Not sure the worm survived though we finally convinced Kade to let it go "home".

(Thanks Grandma & Grandpa B for the Easter cash. Kade shopped & picked out the "really cool" truck you see in the photo! It worked great for digging the garden!)

Cassidy & Colton came Easter weekend with Mike. We were all so glad to see them! Their second cousins, Erich & Josy, were in town to visit so we all went to the new pizza place. They had fun playing games. Kade, being a bit competitive already, was right in the middle of all of it. He finally found an air hockey table just his size. He really could play. Erich showed Kenneth a thing or two about playing the guitar! Sorry, Kenneth, we didn't tell you Erich was THAT good!

We did manage to save some of the dogwood trees when they cleared the lot for the house. They are really pretty. Mike & Kenneth have been working on clearing some of the trees in front of the house...then we planted some more. Mike didn't quite get that! We planted dogwoods & redbuds though. We lost five huge pines to pine beetles. That was a big disappointment but seems to be a common problem here. We're still trying to settle the tile ordeal. We ended up filing a lawsuit against the installer. Don't know how that will turn out! Mike's mom was hit by an underage driver...totaled her car. She had some minor injuries but at her age recovery was slow. She's better now & wanting that car back!

REALLY BAD BLOGGER!

Wow...I haven't blogged since November! The holidays always stress me out. The cooking is way more than I can handle! Not my cup of tea! We did survive and really had a nice holiday season. Kaylyn and kids were here for Thanksgiving. Mema (Mike's mom) was out for a visit and no one got sick from my cooking. Christmas was really fun with Kade. He's into Thomas the Train and Kenneth made him a table...he never stops playing trains. I had a table built for my house so he can play wherever he is. Mike was here for quite a while. We had family out for a visit and really enjoyed that! We have had a couple of days with snow flurries but this week we got a good snow! Kara is in Ft. Smith for a volleyball tourney so Kenneth and I took Kade out to play this morning. He had a great time until he got "snowing" in his boots and couldn't get us to understand that his piggies were freezing off! I really felt bad when I pulled his boots off. His little feet were beet red!! I finally got the piggies thawed. Here are a few pix to catch up...

It starts at an early age...asleep in the recliner. Where's the remote?

Daddy's houseshoes!

Just a random scene on our property.

Kade teaching Beau to make "snowings" (snowballs).

Our house up in the trees.

Playing in the snow.

Chunkin' snowballs on the icy pond.

Grandmother Willow at the pond. I love this old tree...guess I can relate to her!

The barn!

Always on duty guarding the house (or chasing deer)!

Tanner's wondering if being in the warm house is worth the torment.

Okay, this isn't sooo bad!

Bike ridin' in the snow!

THANKSGIVING...

KADE'S BIRTHDAY AT THE PARK...

All the toys and he had more fun with the stick. We go to the park during the week while no one else is there. It is a beautiful park with great playground equipment. But his favorite thing is to go down to the edge of the water and draw in the sand...and throw things in the water.