My Team!

These are my most precious team members.  I am so thankful for them, despite any grumblings you may hear.  I look forward to the day when I can tell them that their mommy is CURED and that I have KICKED SOME BREAST CANCER BOOTY!

Sweety with a little creepy. OK, it's really Doo Doll.

He is just so stinkin' handsome IMHO.

Precious pose-r.

This is now my favorite picture of them...ever!  Love it!

Had to share this one of my silly girl!

Updates to Minimize 2012!

Please check out the latest on my "Minimize 2012" page.  I decided to post it to the page rather than as a post on the main blog page.

It's almost FRIDAY!

Eight Chain Restaurants Where You Can Eat for Free

Eight Chain Restaurants Where You Can Eat for Free

Check out some great information about where you can get a few steals and deals to feed the family.  **Note: Not all locations are in Knoxville.**

Brother's Bad Dream

Clark apparently had a bad dream and I struggled to get him calmed down. Unfortunately, Troy had gone out to Home Depot and I even had to call him to let Clark hear Daddy's voice. Then he decided that he needed to see "the girls" so we went to their room for some comforting that only siblings can offer. All three piled into Kendall's bed and the girls immediately went to work trying to get him to feel better. Kendall soothed him with her words and kept patting his head. Emma got out the Richard Scarry book, Busy Workers, because she knows that he likes that particular book.

It was actually such a precious exchange that I didn't want to forget so I grabbed my camera, turned on the light and got a few shots. Sure, they were annoyed that it was TOO BRIGHT and the flash made things worse. And Kendall was more interested in making silly faces. But I will never forget this particular time when he sought out his sissies for some snuggle-time.

Praying for Lucy

Please pray for Lucy, her sister, her brother and her mommy and daddy.

H2O + Uncles + Mr. Jerry + Daddy = FUN!!!

I only have this one photo that I feel like I can post without being punched in the face. But I had to post a reminder for our family that we had an amazing Memorial Day celebration together.

Poo Pa, Uncle Albert, Aunt Tami, Nanny Barb and Mr. Jerry, Auntie Karen and Uncle Tom all joined us for a potluck cookout this evening. The food was great. The desserts were awesome. And we had lots of laughs.

The kids have enjoyed lots of moments in the sprinklers and even the pool (our blow-up version) this weekend because it has been HOT-HOT-HOT! We dug out the water shooters (a Dollar Tree spectacular deal - not guns, but longer tubes that squirt water) earlier today. I thought I'd be cute and squirt Daddy. But little did I know that Emma was sneaking up behind me and got me soaked! I couldn't even be mad because as our neighbor, Mr. Watts said "Values are caught, not taught." And Mommy was shooting Daddy with the water gun so it was only fair that Emma got me too. :)

But this evening was even more hilarious at the adults (men, of course) were trying to be fun and squirt the kids, only to end up soaked by the end of the evening. Uncle Tom finally gave in and jumped in with the kids. Kendall was not a big fan of the craziness as she just wanted to keep her pool water IN THE POOL. Emma and Clark, however, were sharp-shooters and seemed to enjoy all of the fun of chasing the big guys around the yard.

Thank you to all who serve our country to keep us safe.

And thank you to our family and "family" for joining us today. It was truly a great evening!

First Recital

The girls had their first (only?) dance recital today. It has been a busy weekend with a block rehearsal on Friday, dress rehearsal yesterday and then the actual recital today. The girls have taken part in Wee Dance which is a mix of tap and ballet for the little ones, which lead to two different costumes and two different dances.

All of the girls in the class did such a great job. They were just beautiful and we loved watching them. We were lucky to have Aunt Tami come for the weekend to see them perform. Also in attendance for the rehearsal was Ms. Sue and Alex. Today, Daddy, Uncle Stevie, Auntie Karen, Uncle Tom, Tommy and Stephanie came to see the actual recital. Nanny Barb graciously offered to manage the backstage duties since my range of motion is limited following my surgery. She was a real trooper, though I'm sure she will not be volunteering to do the same job for any future performances.

Anyway, we were so proud of their performance. And mommy was on the other side of the camera as Aunt Tami had her camera out to get some shots. Even Emma was in on the photo-taking. While the makeup had to be pretty dramatic, in the end, they were just beautiful.