Logan's Top 25!

Ok, so I am a horrible mom! I have let this go for almost a month now! It has been on my to-do list, but once his birthday was actually over, it was hit the ground running with Thanksgiving and Christmas. Sorry, Buddy! Here it is for your viewing, Logan's Top 25!

1) Logan now stands at 49 1/2 inches and weighs 90 pounds! The doctor said he is trending towards at least 6'2"!
2) He still loves football and is currently begging to play tackle...we say no!
3) One of Logan's favorite things to do is to cook. I am trying to train him to cook all dinners now:-)
4) His favorite food is pasta of any kind and homemade chicken noodle soup.
5) His least favorite food is hamburgers and hotdogs.
6) He is in the 4th grade and having a fantastic year!
7) His favorite color is hot pink.
8) His favorite TV show is anything on Animal Planet or Kickin' It
9) His favorite movie is Fast and Furious 7 and the Maze Runner series.
10) His favorite book is still Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.
11) His favorite thing to do in his spare time is anything outside.
12) His least favorite thing to do is sit still.
13) Logan absolutely loves animals of all kinds and has even talked me into taking him and his brother to volunteer at a local pet rescue center every Wednesday. They get to walk the dogs and play with the cats. They love it!
14) Logan's best buddies include several kiddos from the neighborhood, several from class, several from his flag football team and several from our former city, Charlotte. He is very social:-)
15) Logan absolutely loathes taking his allergy pill and having his nails trimmed. He also freaks out about getting shots.
16) His current shoe size is a 9...
17) Logan currently serves as Junior Usher at our church on Sunday mornings.
18) He also works for his former teacher every morning before school.
19) In addition to flag football, Logan also runs for the Stinger Bee Cross Country team!
20) Logan recently acquired a pet lizard named Zeus.
21) He has a love/hate relationship with his brother. He can be very sweet when he wants to be. He can also torture the crap out of Luke as well just by whispering one or two words.
22) He has decided he wants to work with animals in the future along with possibly owning a restaurant. He also would like to be a billionaire.
23) He has been and still is my cuddler. Logan never minds me kissing him in public, even in front of his friends at school. I hope he always remains affectionate.
24) Logan loves people and feels like he is missing something when he is alone. He thrives on the energy of others. I love this about him.
25) Logan has such a strong, intense personality (he is a Scorpio), but it is this intensity that will push him far in life. He doesn't back down and works hard for what he wants. He doesn't listen when someone tells him he can't do something (something that gets him in trouble), but it is this quality, I believe, that will bring him much success in whatever he chooses to do. He has a huge heart, and he loves with everything he is. I am so proud of the year he is having in school and on the field. He is proof that his intensity and hard work make a huge difference. Keep it up, Kid! We are proud of you and love you endlessly!

Halloween 2015!

Halloween 2015 has arrived!

A garage sale find. The top of his head used to have something on the top of it, but it was falling apart. I found this little hat at Michael's and ribbon at the Dollar store. I also added some moss on top of his head to cover the rough spots. He looks much happier!

This was a garage sale find that really needed some TLC. I glued it back together, gave it a coat of paint and put some Christmas lights in it.

My favorite lady has returned!

Beethoven's Halloween look. By far one of his creepiest!

My Dollar Store Halloween village that cost me about $30. I had one piece, the cemetery, from a few years ago, but I got the other pieces from the Dollar Store and Goodwill. Lyndon donated the mountain background from his Christmas village that he no longer needed. I spray painted it black:-)

The above two pieces were Goodwill finds that I spray painted black.

Another piece from Goodwill.

The Dollar Store piece.

Goodwill find!

Some of the people were from the Dollar store and two were splurges I got at Michael's. The rest cost me between $1-$2 a piece! It isn't as big or elaborate as Lyndon's crazy Christmas village, but it will do:-)

Boys' Party!

Just wanted to share a few pics from the boys' birthday bash! We rented a giant blow-up slide, one very large popcorn machine, cooked about 60 hot dogs, prepared 8 gallons of lemonade and had a giant, double-layered cookie cake! In all, I believe we had about 40 kiddos and a group of parents that celebrated Luke's 8th and Logan's 10 birthday! Surprisingly, it went off without a hitch, and everyone had a great time:-) Here are some pics!

And we are good for two more years! Happy 8th and 10th to my babies!!! You are loved endlessly:-)

Luke's Top 25!

It is that time of year again, well it was two weeks ago, but better late than never! Here, for your enjoyment, is Luke's top 25.

1) Luke is now the big 8!
2) He officially hates being called Bubba, but we do have the right as we are his parents.
3) Luke is in 2nd Grade and loves it.
4) He is very good at math, something he must have gotten from Lyndon!
5) He loves reading, something he got from both of us.
6) He really dislikes writing, though.
7) He is a hoarder especially of anything paper including books, paper menus, receipts and money.
8) His favorite food is gnocchi with pesto.
9) Luke's least favorite food is STILL anything green with the exception of green beans and pesto.
10) His favorite candy is anything sour.
11) Luke loves Halo and Minecraft.
12) He loves his cross country team at the school and can't wait for it to start up for the season.
13) He is not a morning person despite the fact that he still wakes up at 6:30 even on the weekends.
14) Luke's favorite color is still blue, and he insist on the blue plate with blue cup and blue straws.
15) Luke loves the TV show The Middle. 
16) He also loves Maroon 5 and even opted for a haircut similar to Adam Levine's.
17) His favorite thing to do outside is jump ramps on his bike with this friends.
18) His best friend is still the one and only Trent, but he has a few close friends here that he loves.
19) His favorite toy is still his collection of Big Boots.
20) His favorite book is actually a series, The Weird School.
21) Luke has a wonderful sense of humor and is very witty. He can really deliver the one-liners!
22) Luke has officially become embarrassed of us. He will only give short hugs and no kisses in public.
23) At home, however, he very much wants to cuddle and be loved on.
24) His favorite sports team is the Caroline Panthers...we are working on this.
25) Luke has been and still is full of surprises. His little personality is one of the funniest and most interesting, perplexing, and sincere I have ever been around. I really hope the world does not step in to change him. He has always gone his own way, one of my favorite things about him, and I am excited to see what the future holds for this guy!

We love you endlessly, Luke! Please don't ever change:-)

Just Because!

I also had a bunch of random pics that I love and really wanted to post, so here they are! 

Our friend who lives in our passion fruit vine. He scared the shit out of me one day while I was weeding. I don't mind snakes as long as I see them first!

Some friends of mine and I took our kids swimming at one of the lakes close by back in June. This bird was pretty calm about 8 kids with fishing poles standing by. He pretty much hung out the whole time we were there.

We also ventured out with friends right after school got out so Lyndon could take part in the Warrior Dash! This one is not as crazy as the Tough Mudder, but it is as gross!

And on a personal note, I was very excited to have been a part of this project. My good friend published her first book. She asked me to help her as her copy editor, and I was thrilled to get the chance. I loved the work and was so happy with the book. I am excited to help her with the next one coming soon! 

This guy is our neighbor's dog who we would like to adopt! Sometimes they leave for day trips, and we get to keep him for a few hours. He is hugely entertaining and loves the kitty cats! Molly likes him, but Mason could do without another dog in the house. His energy is contagious, and he keeps Maddi feeling young!

The boys also got to participate in Vacation Bible School and LOVED it! I was so excited to get to take them this year as it has been two years since they were able to go to one. They learned a lot and had so much fun at our little church. 

A random pic from crazy hair day at VBS! Luke's hair "hurt" at the end of the day. I can't imaging why:-)

This gem is a pic of my sweet, bald husband up on stage at Cirque du Soleil:-) He got picked by the clowns because his bald head is a beacon in a sea of people. I loved seeing him on stage; he played into their hands very well!

Another critter from the porch. 

I FINALLY gave in and let the boys go to the beach. In case you don't know, I am terrified of the ocean, especially sharks, and it has pretty much been our rule this summer to stay out of the water with all of the shark attacks between here and NC. But, their friends begged, and the boys begged, and I was starting to feel like we were the only ones who had not been to the beach. We gave in, and I am happy to report that they all came back safe and sound. Logan even hooked a shark while fishing...it was small which means the larger parent was waiting and watching:-( 

This is a favorite pic!

We also took the train to Winter Park for Lyndon's birthday which was August 7th! It is about a 20 minute ride, lots of sightseeing and fun for the boys. 

There was a pretty cool tree the boys found, so we took advantage and got some pics:-)

And that's all folks. I hope you are enjoying the last month of summer!