Changes

We finally decided to cut some trees down after the major storm damage a few months ago. Ok, so we cut down 31 pine trees and another wild cherry. Our yard looks totally different now and it looks like we have a HUGE front yard. We also had to have some dirt work done in the front yard in order for it to drain right after the rain. We have been spending quite a bit of time out there working lately. We decided to lay sod in order to keep the ditches from washing away with the rain. Here is the new and improved yard.

Oh and of course we can't forget about what Kitty has been up to. :)
She loves popsicles. They are her favorite treat right now. And she cracks me up when she's eating them. She even knows how to bite it on the side then use the front of her mouth to get it out. Who has the smartest and coolest dog??

4th of July

I know I am way behind but I have to post this just for my Uncle Terry! Back in July we went to spend time with my family and to celebrate the engagement of my Uncle Terry and his girlfriend Debbie (long overdue engagement I might add :) ) While staying the weekend in Viola at my Uncie's we had a bit of excitement. Somehow a dead skunk found it's place of rest in the pasture right beside Uncie's house. After Tigger (dad's pooch) decided to roll around in the fresh and wonderful carcass we decided it would be best to get rid of the remains. Soooo... Terry decided that bleach would be good to pour on it to help with the smell. Did you know that bleach + dead skunk = some type of chemical reaction that smokes?? Yes, I saw it with my own two eyes. So after dousing it with bleach Terry scooped it up with the shovel while Spank drove extremely fast across the pasture to dispose of the dead skunk properly. Little did we know that as the weekend rolled by the wind direction would change and we would experience the aroma once more. :)

So here is the deserving picture of Uncle Terry, the bleach bandit!

..and the getaway mobile!

... and we can't forget the newly engaged!

Uncle Terry - you have officially MADE the blog!!

Storm Damage!

Where do I begin??? Friday I came home to find that several trees had been uprooted and a few more broke in half in our front yard. The cause appears to be 70-80 MPH straight line winds and lots of rain!
Saturday morning we got up early to assess the damage to some of our neighbors yards. There were power lines and trees down every where. We worked all day Saturday cleaning up the yard. (Thanks to Billy, Debbie, and Nicholas for all of their help!) We also were without electricity. (Thanks to Mom & Dad for bringing us a generator so that we didn't lose any of our food in the refrigerator or the freezer.) Our yard looked so bad that at one point I actually saw someone stop to take pictures. On Friday afternoon people were slowing down almost to a hault right in front of the house to look at all of the trees that had been uprooted. Saturday night was Brandon's 1o year class reunion. I had to go by Julie's to fix my hair because the generator would not power my hair dryer or straightener. (Thanks to Julie for the electricity!)
Sunday we were still out of electricity so we didn't make it to church. Brandon and Billy worked in the yard again trying to get all of the trees cut up and cleaned up. During Sunday's clean up Kitty got bumped/run over by the truck when Billy was pulling the trailer across the yard. She ended up running off for a period of time. So needless to say I was boo-hooing because I thought she had run off to die (too much tv for me I think). We finally found her after much searching she made it back to the house to find us actually. Sunday night we went to Mom & Dad's to eat supper. (Thanks for the A/C and supper!) When we got home Sunday night the lights were back on! HALLELUJAH!

BEFORE THE STORM
**Notice the trees in the background between me and the house.

AFTER THE STORM

We have so much to be thankful for in this situation. Our house, shop, and fence survived the winds! No structural damage, just a few trees. I'll try to take some pictures of what it looks like now that we have cleaned it up.

Riley is 2!

Riley turned 2 years old on June 7th!

This is Riley with his new kitchen

He kept saying "fire" when we were singing to him. :)

Cardinals t-ball

Reid absolutely loves baseball.... I would be willing to say that he is OBSESSED with baseball. He takes it very serious too. It's not just a game to him. It's life or death and more than likely tears will be shed before the game is over! :)

Graduation

Well, it is official... SPANK HAS GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL! So, look out real world 'cause here he comes!

Taking Kitty for a hike

This afternoon after church we took Kitty for a hike to enjoy the great weather. Here are a few pictures of that. We only saw 2 snakes and thankfully they were going the OTHER direction of me. We heard a few deer, but never really saw any wildlife while were out there. It sure was nice to get out and about on a pretty day like today. We have alot to be thankful for!

Small waterfall along the way

Kitty taking a break... we were gone for 2 hours!

Kitty loves to ride in the car... (the Lumina that is) notice who's sitting in the back seat in order to take this picture... yep!

Riley

Brandon and I kept Riley for a few hours yesterday.... he is so funny and BUSY!!! Here is a picture that I took of him playing at B's house. I don't think he stopped the whole time he was here. My favorite thing are his new words "ow" and "help".... you don't think he learned that from having an older brother do you?? :) We had a great time playing with him, but boy were we tired!

Brandon's First 5K

I'm a little behind, but Brandon ran his first 5K in February. He ran the entire thing without stopping in 27 minutes and 37 seconds! Here is a picture of all of us after the race... it ended up being quite a family affair... Judy, Frank, Grandma Jean, Brandon and myself all ran and finished the race. FYI: I beat Frank! :)

Playing with my new camera

I had the opportunity to take the afternoon off today and since it was really a pretty day I decided to go play with my camera and take some pictures of an old barn and iron bridge near our house. Here is a link to a few of my pictures that I took.

Martinville

Reid & Riley

I went to watch "Marley & Me" last Saturday with Reid and Sister. After the movie I stayed and played for awhile with Reid and Riley. Check out the link for the pictures. I think the boys are getting tired of Aunt B's new camera! Oh well... It's only the beginning! :)

Reid & Riley

Happy New Year!

It's a new year already!! I can't believe it's already 10 days into the new year. My how time flies!
Oh what busy lives we live... We both are staying busy at work. Upward Basketball has started and so now on Tuesday nights I am coaching Kindergarten children. It is so sweet! Such as blessing to have the chance to teach the little ones about the game of basketball AND about the Lord. They are soooo cute! Last week was our first real game and every time they got the ball they got so excited that they would forget to dribble! :)
I still love my new camera... here is the newest picture that I took of our dog, Kitty..