My Azaleas

When I got back from New Mexico I had a great surprise, my Azaleas had all bloomed. The flowers are now fading and falling off but I have these beautiful pictures to remind me of them to last until next year.

Dogwood Festival and once again another BIRTHDAY!

I will start off with the birthday. Today my grandfather(Poppy) turned 80. Though a few girls have said that he doens't look a day over 65. He still plays golf every week day and continues to make Gigi swoon. Every time we visit Gigi and Poppy he takes the boys on a golf cart ride and he even lets them drive. I learned how to drive the golf cart at a very young age as did my sister and brothers and now he is teaching my boys.


Yesterday was Fayetteville's Dogwood Festival. We went last year and had a blast so it was only fitting to attend again this year. Upon arriving we cought some belly dancers about to start their show so we decided to watch.
The boys actually paid attention and Carter giggled and said "I see their bellies."

After the show we walked over to the kid area and saw the sea lions and rode some rides.





After piddling around in the kid area we were getting hungry and walked to the food area, and as tempting it was to eat a funnel cake with chocolate we left. It was actually pretty hot outside so we thought going to a resturant would be a lot more fun.

Here is a video of Bryson and Carter going through the fun house. We had so much fun with the last fun house we went through we had to do it again.

And then here is the video from last year. At the very end Carter hits the glass hard.

How long could you run?

Yesterday was Pope's Endurance Relay Run. There was the 24 hour run and the 12 hour run. This was Joe's second year participating in the 12 hour run. Their 10 man team placed second again this year with a combined total of 92.5 miles. The 24 hour race started at 3pm Thursday afternoon with the 12 hour race starting at 3am Friday morning. Joe woke up just before 2am and went to work before heading to the track. He was one tired boy last night. He a little sore today but very pleased with their finish.
Joe running his last mile.

Here are a few pictures of Carter, Kate and Bryson at the run.

Happy Birthday to me....

You guessed it....today is my birthday. Happy Birthday to me!! I am getting old and I only have 364 more days until I am 30. Holy Cow!! That's not to far away. So, to those of you that called me, sent me something, or just thought about me today thanks.

I did have a wonderful lunch today...let me tell you about it and I will start from the beginning. Joe once again was being a wonderful husband and brought me Starbucks in bed and Carter still not feeling to well was watching cartoons with me. Joe and I finally around 11 decided to get up and go to Olive Garden. We get dressed and are off. We get to the OG and there is about a 25 minute wait. I stay with Carter in the car while he is watching a movie and Joe waits. Finally its our turn and we head to our table. After a couple bowls of salad and quite a few bread sticks we start to wonder where are food is. We look around and notice that two other tables that sat down after us have their food and we are still without. I am actually still pretty calm, which for me is amazing. If anyone has ever had the opportunity to dine with me should know that was amazing in itself. I am probably a waitresses worse nightmare. Not really...I just feel that if we are paying good money to eat in your establishment than we should get good service. Alright, back to the story.

Our waitress just so happened to be walking by at that exact moment and I asked very nicely "Do you know when our food will be out?". Mind you we had been there an hour by this point. She said "Let me go check but sometimes different plates take longer than others." I then told her to go ahead and box it up we were ready to go. A few minutes later a manager came by and she said "still no food?" I said "Nope not yet." Then I threw in the magic words..."This is my birthday lunch." BINGO!! She told us she would be right back. After another long 10 minutes our waitress and the manager comes back with our boxed up lunches, a celebration cake, a gift card for 30 dollars and she took care of the bill. Wow, what a great surprise. I was just expecting her to take off my meal. The cake was also pretty big, it's wasn't just a slice it was a whole cake.
Have I mentioned how much I love the Olive Garden. Thank goodness I didn't loose my cool.

After the OG we made our way to the Mickey Mouse store. I had to do something special for my special boy. We bought him some super cool PJ's and Joe even picked out a cute shirt. Nothing for Bryson, we couldn't find anything that we knew he would love. They did have an awesome Pirates of the Caribbean swimsuit but I knew it would fall right off his waist. He is just too skinny.

Once we got back home I sat outside with my friends had we had a little gossip session and the little kids played in the water while the big kids rode bikes. After eating our wonderful boxed up lunches for dinner my family sang happy birthday to me and I blew out my candles.

I had a good birthday and like my brother Jimmy said "Its the last one in your twenties." I think it went something like that.

2 more BIRTHDAYS!

With all that was going on yesterday I didn't get to mention that my father-in-law had a very special birthday yesterday. Happy Birthday Norm!

Now on to the second birthday. Robyn my niece turned 4 today. She had, so I have heard, a wonderful "Enchanted" birthday party this past saturday. Happy Birthday to a special girl!

On a side note: Carter is feeling a little bit better. We had to get some stronger pain meds. Hopefully they take more of the pain away from our little guy.

For some reason I could not upload photos. I will try again a little later.

Chuck E Cheese, Disney World and a "Hotail" please.

Carter and I headed to the hospital at 5:50 this morning. He wasn't to hard to wake and seemed quite excited it was just the two of us getting into the car while it was dark. Joe stayed home with Bryson until it was time for him to go to school and then joined me a little after 8.

In the halls of the empty hospital.


We sat around for about an hour then we were called back. Carter ended up in the same bed as Bryson was the previous year. It must be a special bed. I put on his gown but we had to leave his pants on, Carter's instructions!
Shortly after getting him settled and verifying he was Carter they gave him a little versed cocktail and that is were the fun begins.

The videos below were taken one right after another in the span of probably five minutes. That is how fast the medicine works.








I thought this picture was just to cute to pass up. These manly men and then little ole' Carter.


Carter waking up after surgery and not a happy camper.


Here we are after being transferred to our room. Thank goodness we didn't have to stay the night. Good thing they put him in this bed, because he kept falling over to the side.


After the wooziness wore off we took Carter to the cute little play room they had in the pediatric ward.


Then we took him for a little stroll before being discharged.



Tonight as I laid him to bed he said that he couldn't kiss me because his mouth hurt, but that he wanted to go to Chuck E Cheese, Disney World and a "Hotail" tomorrow.

Tomorrow is the BIG day!

Send Carter a few prayers and wish him luck. Tomorrow he will have his adenoids and tonsils removed and then he will have tubes put into his ears. This is a big surgery for our little two year old but we have great doctor. Dr Doolittle is the one that removed Bryson's adenoids and tonsils last year.

This is a picture right before they gave him something to make him a little more relaxed.

Here he is singing after receiving the very drowsy, giggly medicine.

Poor Bryson, here he is waking up from the anesthesia and not enjoying life.


We took Carter to Chuck E Chesse yesterday. He had been asking to go for two weeks straight. Serioulsy he asks to go there about 8 times a day. It could be on the upwards of 20 to 30 depending if he gets in one of those moods where he will ask over and over as in...I want to go to Chuck E Cheese, I want to go to Chuck E Chesse, I want to go to Chuck E Chesse. Do you see what I mean, and I say the same thing over and over...this weekend, this weekend, this weekend. So, yesterday we made his dream come true and took him after Bryson's baseball game. Which is a whole other story in it's self. I will have to get to that a little later. Anyway, Carter has not asked to go to Chuck E Cheese all day today. Yippie!!

Here are a few pictures from, as Bryson says, Where a kid can be a kid!

New Mexico Vacation Part 2

We love Uncle George

Bryson, Carter, uncle Jimmy, cousin Robyn and uncle George.

Robyn 3 and Carter 2: They are just over a year apart.

Playing in Mimi's chair.

Sliding down Mimi's stairs.

Uncle George is so much fun.

I think there were some punches thrown as to who could hit the mole first.

Everybody relaxing at Mimi's house.

Papa I am the same height as you now....thanks to uncle George.

Coming up next: Carter's Alamogordo early birthday celebration.

Happy Birthday to....

My one week old seedlings. I have broccoli, red cabbage, sun flowers 3 different varities, bell peppers, jalapeno pepper, serrano chili pepper, cayenne peppers, cucumbers, beans, sugar snap peas, gourd mix, birdhouse gourds, watermelons, vine tomato plant, grape size tomato plant and strawberries.

I have high hopes for my garden. Last year my garden was the talk of the block. I have a lot to live up to, or my seeds do.

I hope my garden this year is just as big or better than last years. But like I said I hope they know what they are in for. Here are pictures from my garden last summer.

Another T-Ball game and surgery date set.

Yesterday we had Carter's pre-operation appointment. Carter did very well and behaved for the most part. The appointment was three hours long, that is why I said he did a good job. His surgery date is set for next Monday the 21st. They say he may or may not have to stay the night. It just depends on how well he does and how he comes off the anesthesia. We do not have a time yet, but they say mostly we will have to be there in the 6 o'clock hour.

On another note...Bryson had his second game of the season tonight. The team did very well and I did better with my video camera. Though I did not get any pictures. I have come to the conclusion its either one or the other. In between coaching and recording, my ever so active toddler hurt his gums and was bleeding. Poor little Carter hurt himself and I don't even know how he did it. He says he hurt it at the baseball player. Which means the baseball field. I think he might have fallen off the bleachers. Luckily our friends were there to scoop him up and give him squeezes till I could come off the field. At the time I was helping the kids batting off the tee. I help set up the tee to their height, get the kids feet situated, collect the bats and move the tee when the kids come in to score. Bryson played pitcher the first inning and he got all three outs for that inning. He would get the ball and tag the hitter as they were running to first. He did a great job, as did all the other kids on our team.

Our next game is this Saturday.

Opening Season for T-Ball

Yesterday was the opening season for T-ball, actually for the whole league of Spring Lake. It's their annual Spring Fling. We had opening ceremonies, along with music, hot dogs and hamburgers, rides, and more baseball games playing then on T.V. The newspaper article that came out in today's paper put it best. If you would have taken a box of crayons and dumped it out that is how it looked on the main field yesterday at 9am. Their were shades of every color out on that field. Bryson and Joe were also interviewed so this morning Joe bought a paper and guess what.....they made the cut.

They were the only "none important" people mentioned in the opening season baseball section. Their were two other baseball opening season days going on in Fayetteville. We are Spring Lake, then there is Hope Mills, and finally West Fayetteville. The other people listed in the article were mayors from the other areas. This is the first time we have made the Fayetteville paper.

I also wanted to share with you how Joe will look if he ever goes bald.

Some of our good friends thinks he looks like the guy off the movie Sling Blade. I think he looks pretty funny and thought you all would get a kick out of it also.

Here is a picture of Joe's old bosses kids, Garrett and Bailey. We talked them into joining Spring Lake's baseball league instead of Fort Bragg's.


This gives you an idea of all the teams.
This is our sponsor this year. U 1st Financial

The start of our very first game of the season.
Since I am helping Joe coach I really didn't get to take very many pictures during the game. I also didn't get to record much either. I am very sad to say that I missed recording Bryson hit a triple. I barely witnessed it at all, I saw him running to second and third. I will have to do better at helping coach, recording and taking pictures, and keeping an eye on Carter. Because we all know how Carter likes to keep you on your toes at all times.


Here are the boys after the game playing on some of the festivities. Carter is wearing Bryson's old uniform from last year. He loves it and must wear his baseball clothes when ever Bryson is wearing his. I need to get him his own shirt with his name on the back.