Joey is four!

Jo-Jo is four years old! Hard to believe this little dude is a big 4 year old! He is a calm, quiet guy but when he is ready to be heard, you can hear him from miles away! He enjoys playing with his brothers but likes to play alone too. Joey likes small crowds and takes a few minutes to get warmed up but is super fun to play with once he gets started. He wants to be a police officer in Africa (not sure why). Joey LOVES sweets! The only way to get him to eat dinner is with the prospect of dessert. We played a game where the kids got to eat donuts hanging off of strings with their hands handcuffed behind their backs. He took this game VERY seriously! Not one crumb wasted. He brings lots of laughs to our family. 

Check out party pictures here.

Labor Day at Mammoth Cave

Aunt Melissa and Uncle Steve had to cancel their trip to Charleston because of flooding so we decided to meet at Mammoth Cave. We had a nice visit and a fun time playing with cousins even if Isla was teething!  We went to Kentucky Down Under, Dinosaur World, and a boat ride through a cave. 

Pictures here.

Jacob is SIX!

We can hardly believe our first little baby is already 6! He is a wonderful brother, son and kindergartener! We enjoyed a lego party with 20 of Jacob's closest friends! Yes, we limited to just his closest friends. He is fast friends with everyone he meets and loves to have a lot of people around. Legos are his favorite toy and spends hours building and playing. Right now he wants to be a zoologist. He loves researching and learning about animals. This is one special kid!

Check out birthday pictures here. 

Sledding 2015

Oh boy, winter 2015 has not been kind to us. We had our first snowfall in January. We went out early for some sledding and by noon it was 50 degrees and melted! PERFECTION! But alas, February did not go so well. It has been cold and we had an ice storm. The ice storm did provide some slick slopes and a fun ride but it was really too cold to enjoy for long. We did not leave the house for 5 days, by choice because it was cold and dangerous out. It did provide some pretty pictures.

Click here for photos

Christmas 2014

December has been a busy month from The Polar Express Train Ride to see Santa, to Marvel Super Hero Show, to making cookies, school parties, and finally Christmas! What a way to spend the last month of the year! Our boys are getting so big but sweet as ever. We had a beautiful time playing with cousins and spending time with the family!

Check out the pictures here...

Atlanta Trip 2014

We decided to take a little family trip to Atlanta to go to Lego Land and the Aquarium. We drove down Friday after Thanksgiving and went to Legoland and Taco Mac for dinner. We spent the night and went to the Aquarium the next day. We had a great time! (Not a lot of sleep in the hotel room but still a fun time!)

View pictures here...

A New Family Member

Look who followed me home from the park! I saw this sweet little kitten get dropped off at the park. It just broke my heart so I called her over and she came running and followed me home. She is the sweetest little thing. At about 20 weeks old she is a playful kitten but house trained. She is loving and gentle. The boys fell in love right away and were so excited to hear we could keep her! We are all a little smitten! After much discussion we finally agreed to call her Jetta- a mix of Jedi and Jada. She has the prettiest coat and lovely green eyes. 

Christmas 2013

We headed to Ohio again for Christmas. The boys were all sick and did a great job in the car! (We might just need to be sick before every trip to Ohio.) Beyond the drive the sicknesses kept us from taking our visit to Zanesville and visiting some other friends. I think the boys had a great Christmas overall.

Link to Christmas Pictures

Thanksgiving 2013

Uncle Robbie and Aunt Jane came to Nashville to visit us this Thanksgiving! The boys were very excited to be able to spend some time with their uncle! The high lights of dinner were the smoked and fried turkey and hot chocolate in my paternal grandmother Meme's china tea cups.

Click link for Thanksgiving Pictures

Summer 2013

Oh what a summer! I keep the boys home from school in the summer because there is so much that keeps us busy during the summer that we just don't have time for school! We have enjoyed a schedule of Projects, Library, Swimming, Field Trips and Parks. Keeping busy has not been hard in Nashville! Squeezing everything in is more of the problem!

 Check out the pictures of some of the fun we have had this summer! Click here.

4th of July 2013

This year we staying in Nashville for the 4th of July since Mama couldn't travel. We were a little worried about finding fireworks that we could go see and avoid the crazy crowd of downtown. After asking everyone we know, Josh's co-worker told us about a perfect little show. It was at a local Catholic School/Church. And it was just what we wanted. Small area but included a playground, live music and a  lot of kids!We brought a blanket and sat on the ground with a few friends!

The boys really enjoyed the show, which by the way was AMAZING!! It was 45 minutes of endless fireworks. We did not expect it to be so great. Jake was worried before the show but did well during. Joey thought the fireworks were bright, but loved watching them. The best part was being able to get out of there in a few short minutes!

The show was the Sunday before the 4th but worked out well since it was pouring down rain the entire Fourth of July! We did have friends over on the 4th for a cookout that ended up being a cook-in! It was fun nonetheless!

Pumpkin Patch

We headed out to Gentry Farm for some fall fun! The boys got to take a tractor ride, play in corn, go through a hay maze and picked pumpkins. Check out the pictures, click below.

Pumpkin Patch

Family Baseball Trip

We hit our first baseball game today! We went to the Nashville Sounds game. It was miserably hot but we got some seats in the shade and tried our best to keep cool. Jacob was really into the food found at baseball games! He enjoyed a hot dog, popcorn and the infamous ice cream in the plastic baseball helmet. After eating all of that he was ready to go home! Boy after my own heart! Joey did well with the heat. He stayed cool by holding onto Mommy's beer.

Johnna and Brad's Wedding

We went to Ohio to share Johnna and Brad's wedding day with them! It was absolutely beautiful and oh so much fun! Aunt Johnna asked Jacob to be the ring bearer, he was very excited! She had the brilliant idea that he could be a "worker" so he toted his hardhat, boots and toolbox- with the rings safely inside! Jacob did his job superbly! (Ok, he was a little early with the rings. After walking down the isle and sitting for a few minutes he looked over at me and said, "Jake ready to eat!" I told him he needed to wait until he gave them the rings. He promptly jumped up and walked over and handed Johnna the rings!) :)

After the ceremony Jacob was so good! He worked the room like a celebrity talking with the guests. Then he sat in a corner and played legos while he waited for dinner! He sat at the table for dinner and ate like a true gentleman and then the party started!! He danced like a champ all night!

It was a gem of an evening!

Year in Review- 2011

2011 was an amazing year! We welcomed a cousin and a new brother! We went to the beach and to Ohio, Jacob started school and we did a lot of playing!

Jacob's personality has really come out this year. Plus he has an amazing work ethic! He spent most of the year mowing and building- we enjoy watching every minute of it!

Joey entered our family making us a family of four and we could't love him more! Jacob loves his little brother and they have already started playing together. Joey is the sweetest baby!

Merry Christmas!

Thanksgiving

We had Johnna and Brad come down and visit for Thanksgiving! It was a great long weekend! We went to the dig, dig park, ate some yummy food, Josh and Brad fried a turkey and we just visited! The best part was all the playing we were able to do with the boys!

Frankenjake and Taffy Daddy

Having some fun on the new Mac.

Folly Beach 2011

Here are some pictures and videos from our vacation to Folly Beach, South Carolina. What a wonderful trip and Jacob's first experience with the ocean!

Building

Jake spent some time working while we were in Ohio. Aunt Melissa and Uncle Steve were building a patio and a fence. Jake wanted to get right into the mix! He spent a lot of time outside 'working'. We are not quite sure what exactly he was doing or thinking but he knew! Look closely at the pictures and you can see his mouth puckered, he is making the sound of a motor. Each piece of wood was some kind of motorized tool! :) Ah, to know what goes on in their little minds!