The Felkins

Cicada Party!

2011-05-10T11:28:00.001-05:00

At the bus stop Monday morning, we shared that the cicadas had come out in full force in our yard. The kids went to school and we went about our day. At the end of the school day, the bus dropped the kids off on the corner of our street just as it does every day, and all of a sudden I started to hear people talking, and it sounded like they were right outside the front door. When I opened the door, this is what I found! There was a party in our front yard. The kids were fascinated with them and I think really the adults were too. Seems like so far, we are the house with the most of these gross bugs hatching on our street. Oh Joy! It is kinda neat to watch them come out of their shell on the tree, but not so much when they fly at you!!! The last picture here is one John apparently got of me while the party was going on, and he likes to call that my "Oh please" look.

The Golf Star!

2011-05-10T11:19:00.001-05:00

We've spent many hours following Maison around the golf course! Golf is his thing. He asks to go almost every day after school. John took a picture at his tournament in April and the other is showing off his new hat...I just love that smile! We have lots of great pictures of Maison actually playing golf, so stay tuned for another post!

Kenzie and the Bonnet!

2011-05-05T19:24:00.000-05:00

Today, Kenz has a field trip where they will visit a couple Civil War sites. They are supposed to dress up. We borrowed a dress from a friend in the neighborhood and I went about the process of making a bonnet to match. Here's Kenz in her outfit! I think she looks adorable!!!

Noticing a Pattern?!?

2011-05-04T08:45:00.000-05:00

If the previous posts left any question, this is how we spend most weekends! Here are a few shots of Kenzie in action!

Salt Map

2011-05-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

Kenz had a school project to make a salt map of Tennessee. The first day it was assigned, she came home requesting supplies. For days she asked us when we would get her the large piece of card board she needed. She stayed on us until we had what she needed and then she finished it over a week before it was due! Kenzie did a wonderful job on it and seemed to enjoy getting to use her creativeness in the process. I love that she is loving school!

More Soccer!

2011-05-01T08:26:00.001-05:00

April Soccer Friendly

2011-05-01T08:16:00.000-05:00

Here are some pics of Kenz in action!

Trees!

2011-04-16T08:00:00.001-05:00

Some views of trees from around our house! John has gotten back into picture taking, so you might see more regular blogging from me!

Kenzie's Room!

2011-04-15T08:33:00.001-05:00

This week was spent prepping and painting Kenzie's room. She picked the color to match her bedding and I think it turned out pretty cute!!! She loves it and her room finally feels like it's hers. The color is called Center Stage, but after looking at it all day yesterday(while painting), I renamed it Granny Smith Apple. Regardless of the name, it is fun and bright just like Kenzie, so I think it's a great color pick!

Golf Practice

2011-02-28T09:37:00.002-06:00

Maison was set on getting some sticks from the hardware store this weekend. When we got back in town yesterday afternoon, he demonstrated their use for John! You can see for yourself in the video below. He's so ready to be out on the golf course...tomorrow is the day the course opens, so hopefully the weather will improve!

Knoxville!

2011-02-27T17:08:00.000-06:00

This weekend we traveled to Knoxville, TN for Kenzie's first soccer tournament with her new team. Yesterday was a beautiful day with a little cool wind, but enough sunshine to get some color on our lovely faces! Today was another story as seen in exhibits A, B, and C. The bottom fell out at Kenzie's first game and they called it with Kenzie's team up by one...it was their only win of the weekend. The second game they played today was in the midst of a torential downpour! It was probably Kenzie's best game of her soccer career, with a slide tackle (which isn't legal at her age, but it was beautiful!) and lots of great defense. She got a little muddy, but it was a great game and she had a blast!

School is F-U-N!

2011-01-06T09:19:00.002-06:00

Here Kenz is getting ready for school! You will see that her sock is on her hand and she has a ponytail on the top of her head. She didn't go to school looking like this, but we did have a fun laugh...she is always up to something! Maison school starts at 7:30 and Kenzie's starts at 8:30, so she has very laid back school mornings and plenty of time to entertain us and herself as well!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year

2011-01-06T09:17:00.000-06:00

Christmas was upon us so quickly, we were only able to enjoy our decorations for about a week, but since the decorations aren't the true reason we celebrate Christmas, it was kind of refreshing. We did leave the tree up with lights on it until after New Years. We changed things up a little this year and spent our first Christmas in our home. In years past, we've traveled every Christmas to be with family. This Christmas we went to a Christmas Eve service at our church and Christmas morning we woke up in our new home to breakfast casserole and monkey bread while we opened presents. Just before lunch we packed up and drove to my folks to spend a couple days with them. The boys enjoyed some hunting and the girls relaxed and visited with family.

After two and a half months of transition, it finally seems like we are settling in to our new home. The kids are off on their third day in their new schools (it is really quiet around the house)! The faculty and staff at both schools are super friendly and have made the transition a lot easier for all of us. So far we've gotten good reports from the kiddos!

We've Moved...And Are Still Moving!

2010-11-12T10:21:00.003-06:00

Well, we've been in the process of a move for about a month and a half now! Mid September, we got an offer on the house and John got a job offer on the same day and we decided we should probably be paying attention! Once we closed on our house at the end of September (we had 14 days to pack up and move out), we began looking for a house in Nashville, where John started working the first of October.

We closed on our house on October 29, the day before Kenzie's birthday. We're trying to make it until the end of the semester so Maison can finish up school and Kenz can finish her soccer season...even though I am dying to be in Nashville with my hubby!!! Here is a picture of our new house! The pods were delivered today and we are moving our furniture in tomorrow. I can't wait to make it our home! I'll write more later, but wanted you to know why the blog hasn't been updated in ages.

The big 4-0!

2010-08-23T22:00:00.002-05:00

Happy birthday to my best friend! John, you are an amazing husband and father. Thank you for providing for us and loving us well. I am so blessed to have you in my life!

A Year Ago This Month...

2010-08-17T09:28:00.001-05:00

Kenzie started her first season of competitive soccer, Mason started his first season of football, we celebrated John's birthday, Grammy came for a visit, we started school (3rd and 7th grades), and we all piled into Big Nasty (our suburban) for a road trip to Nashville to see John complete his first Ironman Triathlon!

Pickwick Tournament

2010-07-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

This was the first tournament of the season. John got a few great shots of Mas and one of Kenzie entertaining herself and us during the tournament! If pictures alone told the story of what these two would grow up to be, Mason seems to have a future in golf, and Kenzie appears to be leaning towards the circus!

Mason's B-day Cntd

2010-07-16T08:00:00.001-05:00

After his birthday dinner, we hurried home to eat some birthday cake! Kenzie added a decoartive touch to the candle arrangement and some serious singing took place. Mas-man blew out the candles and there was immediate pigging out and plate licking!

Happy Anniversary Babe!

2010-07-15T08:00:00.000-05:00

Four years ago today I married my best friend! John, thank you for four amazing years, for being my biggest fan and for loving me despite my many flaws! I could not have asked for more and I cannot wait to see what this next year holds!

Mason's Birthday

2010-07-14T14:35:00.001-05:00

Um, yeah, these were taken back in February at Mason's birthday dinner at PeiWei. He loves that place! Even though these are old pictures, I didn't want you to miss out on any of his birthday celebrations. Here are a few pictures of a typical dinner with us!

Latest Adventure!

2010-07-13T09:44:00.000-05:00

In most recent news, we have become the proud owners of a sailboat! John has been eyeing this boat for a couple years, noticing that it never seemed to move from its dock and dreaming of sailing it. He called the owner to see if he could clean it up in exchange for taking it out on the water. Ends up, they wanted to get rid of the boat and a dollar later, it was ours. Here are a few pictures of Mason and John's sailing adventure last week before John got to work deep cleaning it!

We Have A Winner!

2010-06-22T13:14:00.001-05:00

Mason won his golf tournament in Dyersburg yesterday! It was about 100 degree heat index, but with a new water bottle every few holes and four sandwiches, he hardly showed any signs of suffering in the heat. We are so proud of him, and he was super excited!

Gurrrrl!

2010-06-18T17:14:00.000-05:00

I am sad to say that my parents' dog, Joy passed away today. She was a great dog with lots of fun personality and best of all, she stole my Daddy's heart! He has never been much of an animal lover (we had a lot of really bad dogs), but over time, he really came to love her...so much so, that when I asked to have her after college, I was immediately shot down!

Joy or Gurrrl wandered up to an apartment that I lived in while in college, and I said if she was still there the next day, I would take her home so my parents could watch the paper to find out if anyone was missing her. Well, she was still there the next morning, so I took her for a long run and then over to my parents. I didn't live far from them, so every morning i would get up early and go run with Joy. Her stay at their house was supposed to be temporary, but after a while, she made her way into all of our hearts and became part of the family (the 4th born as my Dad liked to call her).

When my Dad called to tell me the news this morning, I got a little emotional, and we shared a special moment remembering how a quirky yellow lab stole our hearts. Some of my favorite things about her were that she was: loyal, gentle, majorly possessive of her food (how she got the nickname Miss Piggy), a great running buddy, always happy to see you, the maker of funny noises, jealous of your attention, a fierce digger of moles, and always ready with a present for you in her mouth (usually a leaf, but whatever she could find on the driveway, she would pick up and present it to you like it was something extra special! She will be greatly missed.

The Masters

2010-05-20T09:29:00.000-05:00

My Dad took Mason and my brothers to the Masters back in April. I can't remember if I ever posted any pics, so here they are! Mason got 31 autographs!

Sewing Pillow Shams

2010-05-05T15:45:00.001-05:00

Kenzie and I have been talking about adding the big European pillows we have back to her bed, which meant I needed to sew some pillow shams that matched her bedding. I purchased the material a while back and just hadn't gotten around to doing any sewing. So, yesterday afternoon I brought out the old, trusty Singer to try my hand at these pillow shams. Yesterday, I did not give myself much time to get anything done, because I was cooking dinner, reacquainting myself with the sewing machine and getting everything ready for Kenzie's soccer game last night all at once. Frustration set in as the thread kept piling up every time I attempted to sew.

This morning, sitting opposite me while I was giving this whole project another shot, Kenzie asks, "what does that lever do?" Its funny what you can see sitting on the opposite side of a problem! It was the lever I had been looking for and the fix for my sewing problems! So, a couple hours and some tired shoulders later, here is what they look like! She was very pleased with the outcome and thrilled when given choices of multicolored pillows. I was just happy that she was happy!

Happy Easter!

2010-04-07T10:10:00.001-05:00

Happy Easter from the Felkins and Cousin Emi!

Math + Oranges =

2010-03-31T13:02:00.000-05:00

Silliness!!! Kenzie and I split an orange after lunch today. She came upstairs to ask me a question about a math problem...this led to lots of laughing from both of us!

Our Dinner Entertainment

2010-03-20T17:37:00.001-05:00

We went to dinner Thursday night with my folks when we got to Jackson. Here is some of the entertainment we enjoyed while eating!

Champions!

2010-03-14T16:43:00.000-05:00

Kenzie's team won the championship game this afternoon! They really played some great soccer. It's fun to see them come together and play so well as a team! And, as you can tell, they have fun together too!

Little Designer

2010-03-10T12:34:00.001-06:00

Getting Messy!

2010-03-04T08:00:00.000-06:00

And here is Kenz getting messy while digging the clay out of the bottle we used for our build a dam project. That girl is sure we can use the clay again for something or she just wanted an excuse to get messy...either way, she had fun!

Building a Dam

2010-03-03T13:24:00.001-06:00

Today our science lab for Mason was building a dam. We used a bottle, cut out the side, placed modeling clay on the sides to be our river banks and added toothpicks for trees. The first time we filled it up, the water was able to freely run out the neck of the bottle. After draining it, we put the cap on the bottle to represent a dam and refilled the bottle with water to watch what would happen. We also have been studying energy with Kenzie's science and talked yesterday about using water as a renewable resource. I made the connection for the kids that we get to see a real life example of both of these every time we go over the dam at Pickwick!

Captain Shifty Brows...

2010-02-25T10:47:00.001-06:00

We have the best dog ever! You may think you disagree, but it's not up for discussion. Scout has his own quirky little personality, which includes not liking the vacuum or broom or anything else that moves to quickly or catches him off guard. He's always a little bit nervous and terrified of thunder storms, which cause excessive amounts of slobbering, yelping, escaping from places that you are sure he never could and running all over the house looking for someone to tell him it is going to be ok. On a typical day, his main goal is to find a comfy spot in a room with his "pack," which is how we determined that his theme song is "I want to be where the people are!"

Over the past year, he has become part of our family. We made the decision to bring him inside full time last spring and have not looked back. Bringing Scout into our home also brought him into our hearts! So, yesterday, when he decided to go running with one of my parents' neighbors, and no one knew where he was, it gave us quite the scare! Mason and I hopped in the car and went driving around the neighborhood to find him. He was on his way back home, but had gotten distracted by the pond where he took a swim and overwhelmed with the plethora of animals he could chase!

Sometimes the hair accumulation on the floor makes me crazy, because he's a massive shedder and let's face it, I like a clean house. That said, I'd miss the hair if he went missing for real. So, instead of letting him run off again to seek out his own form of exercise today, I woke up and set out to help him use up some of his energy and maybe burn a few calories along the way!

Mini Meat Muffins

2010-02-16T10:31:00.000-06:00

Technically they are mini meat loafs, but they came out looking like muffins, hence the name we gave them. These were delicious, cooked quickly and made for easy leftovers. Plus, there are three variations of this meat muffin. We chose Italian for last night, but can't wait to try out the others!

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies!

2010-02-14T14:15:00.001-06:00

Oh my! Baked these little guys up this afternoon because I was craving something chocolate. To be honest, I have never had luck with baking cookies from scratch before...they always turned out as flat as a pancake. But these little cuties hardly flattened at all and were a yummy, warm, chocolaty heaven to the taste buds! I had to call John and request that he and Mason promptly return from the driving range to keep me from making myself sick from a chocolate incident!

Birthday Dinner!

2010-02-13T10:22:00.000-06:00

Last night we went out to dinner at Macaroni Grill with Gracie, Doc and Uncle Matthew to celebrate Mason's birthday! He specifically requested that John not mention that it was his birthday when we were there, and John agreed, but he never said anything to me about it. So, during dinner I whispered to our waitress that it was Mason's birthday, because I think Mason is worth celebrating and I just couldn't help myself. :o) The guy who sang did so quietly, despite my best efforts to get him to turn up the volume. He had a great voice, and Mason even seemed to enjoy it rather than be embarassed by it! John managed to pull off the pictures you see below while all of this was going on. The dinner was a fun way to wrap up the birthday week and, as always, it was fun to see Gracie and Doc!

A Boy and His Bow

2010-02-12T15:23:00.002-06:00

An Artist at Work

2010-02-11T08:00:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday Mason!

2010-02-10T10:57:00.001-06:00

Today is a very special day! It is Mason's thirteenth birthday. I cannot believe he is thirteen!!! He is one incredible, fun, caring, adventurous, athletic, bright, and active young man! His smile can light up any room and his fun personality is contageous!

Mason, we are SO thankful for you! We love you and hope you have an amazing birthday!

Kids and Snow!

2010-02-09T12:11:00.000-06:00

Cinnamon Rolls!

2010-02-09T08:00:00.000-06:00

We thought it would be fun to make cinnamon rolls ourselves. Saturday I started by making the dough, which was an easy process. Then, we let the dough hang out in the frig overnight. Sunday morning when we got up, Kenzie and I set about making that dough into something scrumptious! After sprinkling flour on the counter (which Kenz could not believe I was doing), we then added the butter, sugar and cinnamon. My helper did an excellent job! With a little more butter, we prepared the pans, placing about 7 cinnamon rolls in each pan and them let them rise. After hanging out in the oven for a while, they began to smell amazing! Here you can see the prep, how they looked pre-icing and post-icing and how well they were liked!

Snow Day!

2010-02-08T13:30:00.001-06:00

We woke up this morning to snow!!! I tried to let the kids sleep in, but once Kenzie saw the snow, she was so excited that she went immediately to wake her brother. We all put on our snow gear and went outside to make a snowman. Then the real fun began with a family snow war that attracted neighborhood attention and soon included the kids from across the street. It was out of control fun and a great work out! Anyone and everyone became the target. John stopped long enough to take a pic of me after receiving a face full of snow!

Sausage = Yummo!

2010-02-08T08:00:00.000-06:00

Here's a pic of the sausage we made yesterday! It is delicious!

Sausage Prep

2010-02-07T13:20:00.002-06:00

We spent a good part of Saturday trying out the new grinder and had to call for reinforcements (Uncle Matthew). Actually he was helping John with his computer and got pulled in to spending the entire day with us and sampling all the new recipes we were trying!

Pure Cuteness!

2010-02-05T09:50:00.001-06:00

This is a pic taken in the fall during one of our camping trips. Aren't they cute?! These two are quite the dynamic duo...they keep me on my toes, keep me needing coffee, keep me feeling young and add lots of love and entertainment to my every day! It makes me happy that they have so much fun together, even though that means I have to remind them to get back to their school work on a regular basis. :o) The fact that they have grown so close and enjoy each other's company is a true blessing!

It's Here!

2010-02-04T17:06:00.002-06:00

After much anticipation and one incomplete delivery, we have received the meat grinder. Isn't that what every girl dreams of!?! The first one arrived on Monday missing a few essential parts...the grinder plates, pusher and sausage tubes. Can't do much with a grinder that doesn't have grinder plates!

While John was on the phone with the beloved Amazon to sort this whole ordeal out, I happened to look back at the item we ordered only to notice that the price had been reduced by $47. "Whoa," I said. "Can we get it at that price?" Now that amount was speaking the number one love language of this frugalista (my mom calls it being a tight wad, but whatever, I've embraced my thriftyness, so I take that as a compliment). The helpful lady at Amazon recommended we return the item and order another one at the discounted rate.

Knowing that the new one was going to be delivered today, we were all listening out for the UPS truck and noticed the minute it arrived on our street! I was so excited that I went out to the UPS truck to pick up the package in the rain! Due to the previous disappointment of missing parts, Kenzie and I opened it up to make sure everything was in the box before the boys made their way down to check it out. So, without further ado, the long awaited meat grinder! Isn't it lovely!

Kids Cook!

2010-02-03T21:40:00.001-06:00

Tonight was kids cook night, and their mission was taco salad. Kid number 1 lept clear off the ground when the mission was announced, because excitement like that cannot be contained! Kid number 2 came whining, over exaggerated I might add, all the way down the stairs, clear into the kitchen and a few minutes into the food prep. I'll leave you to match the correct kid with his/her repsonse!

Once food prep was under way and things were really flyin in the kitchen, there were smiles enough to go around...I even saw kid number 2 laugh and appear to enjoy himself...oops, did that give it away?!?

Of course, all food tastes better when prepared to music, so we cranked up the tunes and rocked out while preparing ourselves for a culinary masterpiece. Mason did an excellent job of chopping the lettuce, while I sat across the counter from him terribly afraid he was going to lose a finger! From where I was sitting, chopping lettuce has never looked so fun! Kenzie offered to prepare the tomatoes and, in doing so, learned how to use the can opener and strainer. Mason then began the browning of the meat which cooked "quickly." It was about this time that he also had a revelation as to where all those peppers (and other healthy things we try to "sneak" into his meals come from)...dun...dun...dun...the salsa jar! At least that's what he thinks. Kenz did a fabulous job of mashing those unruly tortillas into submission before baking them to a crispy goodness. Once Mason's meat came to perfection and the tortillas were fully submitted, we were served up a meal that would delight any taste bud!

Winter Weather

2010-02-02T10:27:00.001-06:00

We got a couple inches of snow/sleet last Friday and Saturday. Here is a picture of how the kids enjoyed the weather. Kenzie went out and tried to have fun in it, but the sleet was packed tight and she didn't last long out there! With crummy weather, we enjoyed a relaxing weekend eating dinner with friends and playing the Wii! Also included in this post are a few pictures John took as the ice was melting on Sunday. That ice did not want to go away! Monday we went for a run and all of us, including Scout, spent much of our run slipping around on and crunching through the packed ice. Though there is still ice on the houses and in the grass, most of it has melted off the streets and sidewalks. Those of us here in the Felkins' house all agree that if it is going to be cold, then we expect a big snow...otherwise, we are ready for spring and summer!

Project Magazine Reduction

2010-02-01T12:00:00.000-06:00

This is how we spent most of our morning. With more magazines than we could ever need or store, we set out to reduce the amount of clutter above the sink. Kenzie, John and I spent a couple hours flipping through magazines, selecting recipes and organizing them in binders. Kenzie decorated some cute pages to slide into the fronts of the binders so that we could easily tell what was in them! Now we have a well organized recipe area and a lot less magazines!

Biscuits for Breakfast!

2010-01-31T16:11:00.001-06:00

This morning, I heard lots of banging around in the kitchen from back in our bedroom. When I came out to see what was going on, Kenzie and John were well on their way to making homemade biscuits! They were delicious!

Thumbs...

2010-01-26T12:50:00.001-06:00

Today Kenzie was studying joints in science. One of the activities was titled "I Can't Live Without My Thumbs." She spent some of the afternoon experimenting with what life might be like if she did not have thumbs. We are finding that life would be much more challenging. Here she is trying to put her hair into a ponytail followed by a picture of the finished product. Usually, Kenzie is very talented at putting her hair up!

Johnny Cakes!

2010-01-25T15:15:00.001-06:00

Kenzie and I finished up a novel unit on The Sign of the Beaver today and decided to wrap it up with a cooking experiment. We made something that was mentioned in the book...Johnny Cakes! Kenzie measured out and mixed all of the ingredients which were then placed in a buttered skillet. We enjoyed them with blackberry jelly and honey! It was a fun way to end the unit and spend some quality time together!

The Hunt

2010-01-19T13:55:00.000-06:00

The following pictures were taken during the youth hunt in Jackson. As you can see, Kenzie got really excited about the lack of deer and the steady rain that was falling! John said she fell fast asleep, but since he didn't see any deer, she didn't miss much. The following day Mason went with John, but yet again the deer did not show up. Thankfully we already had two deer in the freezer for the year! I told John and the kids that I will be pushing them out the door to go hunting as soon as deer season starts up again. We ordered a meat grinder for the deer John got this year and future deer so we can begin processing them ourselves! You may be looking at the exclamation point at the end of that sentence and asking yourself, "what woman would be excited about that?" This frugalista sure is! I think there is something rewarding about eating the deer that my boys have provided for us, and look forward to adding to that when we have put in the work to process it too.

Organized!

2010-01-13T09:34:00.001-06:00

My handy man installed this wonderful shelf system in our pantry, which allows us to put things we use regularly in the door for easy access. Oh how I love to be organized!!!

Brownies with Sprinkles!

2010-01-10T10:00:00.000-06:00

Kenzie and Jaycee made a menu, took orders and prepared a sweet treat for us one night!

What We Found...

2010-01-09T10:00:00.000-06:00

A Day of Exploration!

2010-01-08T10:00:00.000-06:00

Playing in the Pacific!

2010-01-07T10:00:00.001-06:00

After we left the aquarium and had lunch, we went for a stroll on the beach. The kids had fun playing around on the rocks and trying to out run the surf!

Aquarium Part 2 & Lunch

2010-01-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

Monterey Bay Aquarium Part 1

2010-01-05T10:00:00.000-06:00

We all had a blast at the aquarium!

Day after Christmas Party

2010-01-04T10:00:00.002-06:00

The day after Christmas, there was a big party, where we ate too much food! John got several great pictures, including some really neat ones of the sunrise! Here's one of the sunrise, one of the kids, a classic shot of Jackie and Grandpa being silly and John's Grandparents, Gram and Grandpa, by the tree!

Fun Hat!

2010-01-03T13:48:00.001-06:00

I saw a hat that I just loved at Target and wanted to figure out how to make it. After trying to figure it out, I finally gave in and bought the hat so that I could study it. Lots of great ideas and links were posted on a site that led me to try it out! Here it is!

More Christmas Eve Pics

2010-01-03T10:00:00.000-06:00

Christmas Eve Fun!

2010-01-02T09:54:00.001-06:00

We took a walk down to the river from Grammy and Paw's house on Christmas Eve. On the way, Kenzie, Jaycee and I played follow the leader on and off and we all enjoyed getting out for a walk...even Jesse dog!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T23:23:00.003-06:00

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! We have had a great time with family in Tennessee and California! Here are a few pics of all the kids on Christmas morning!

Cookie Decoration Continued...

2009-12-15T12:00:00.002-06:00

Gingerbread Men

2009-12-14T12:00:00.000-06:00

We spent a little time decorating cookies the other night. Kenzie did most of the decorating, but John, Uncle Matthew and I each got to decorate one too!

Hammond Holiday

2009-12-13T16:56:00.000-06:00

We spent the weekend at Gracie and Doc's and celebrated Christmas with them! The boys went hunting and had success, which added to the weekend of fun. We also went to a concert at my parents' church where the focus of the evening was the birth of Christ. It was a wonderful time of celebration and fellowship with great friends! While we were together, my mom wanted to take advantage of a photo opportunity, so here's a pic of the whole crew!

Hunting Success!

2009-12-03T10:09:00.000-06:00

Here are a few pics John took with his phone of the fun he and the kids had hunting this past weekend! Mason got a doe and when it was Kenzie's turn they didn't see a single deer, so she is anxious for another try. I did not join in on the actual hunt, but am excited about cooking some venison burgers and meatballs this winter!

The Hunters!

2009-11-28T08:27:00.000-06:00

Here's a pic John took of the brave hunters! They went out in the cold this morning to hunt. This was the first time Kenzie has gone along, so I'm excited to hear what she thought about it! She has been asking to hunt since last year. Looks pretty cozy in there with all those cute smiles!

Last Fall Season Game

2009-11-24T14:38:00.000-06:00

Wedding Pics!

2009-11-24T11:46:00.000-06:00

Here are some pics from our wedding...better late than never! Thought I would share a few, since I just now got them!

Mama Mia!

2009-11-23T10:00:00.002-06:00

Last night we went to Mama Mia's Pizzeria to use Kenzie's birthday present that Uncle Matthew had given her. Uncle Matthew joined us, while we all enjoyed some yummy pizza and Kenzie got to make her own as you will see in the pictures below!

Camping Trip!

2009-11-19T11:46:00.002-06:00

Kenzie Skates

2009-11-10T08:00:00.000-06:00

Kenzie got inline skates for her birthday and those wheels are going to some great use! She loves to skate! Hope you enjoy the great shots John got of Kenz sporting her new wheels!

Boo and His Buddy

2009-11-09T08:00:00.000-06:00

Scout gets to play with his friend Cash from time to time. John took advantage of their obsession with getting inside and took these pictures through the glass in our back door. I think they turned out really well!

Kenzie's Creation!

2009-11-08T08:00:00.000-06:00

Kids' Pumpkin

2009-11-07T08:00:00.000-06:00

The kids carved this pumpkin together!

Trick or Treat and Trade!

2009-11-06T14:11:00.004-06:00

Here are a few pictures from the night of trick or treating! The kids came home with pillowcases full of candy and a few friends, sat down in the den and began the process of trading candy. They had a blast. It was fun to hear about the excitement of the night and to see them have fun all together! Kenzie and Mason's friends were much more excited about the camera...so, sadly we did not get one of Mason hamming it up for the camera this year!

Birthday Fun...

2009-10-31T09:39:00.001-05:00

Here are a few pictures from dinner last night with Gracie, Doc and Uncle Matthew. Doc surprised Kenzie with some green, glow in the dark vampire teeth at dinner. Then the kids had fun wrestling before bedtime. All in all, it was a very fun day for a very special 9 year old girl! We love you Special K!

Soccer Birthday Bash!

2009-10-29T08:00:00.000-05:00

Football Awesomeness...

2009-10-28T12:00:00.000-05:00

Title by Kenzie and pictures by John. Here are a few pics of Mason playing football! He is the one bending down to pick up the ball in the picture where the boys are too far away to tell.

Pumpkin Carving

2009-10-27T12:00:00.001-05:00

These were taken a week ago when we spent a fun evening with our friends Ryan and Liz! The kids enjoyed carving and John got a few fun shots of the proud pumpkin carvers!

First Place!

2009-10-26T12:44:00.001-05:00

Kenzie's team took first place this weekend in their soccer tournament! They have only been playing together since this summer and previously came in second in one of their tournaments. This was their first time to finish in first place! The girls were so excited, as you can see in the pictures above!

More Soccer!

2009-10-26T12:36:00.000-05:00

Soccer Star!

2009-10-26T12:33:00.000-05:00

Felkins Academy Wrestling Practice!

2009-10-21T10:38:00.002-05:00

Mason and Kenzie tried to hide from John when they heard him come in the door a few minutes ago. Kenzie made it to John's office and hid underneath his desk. Mason never made it anywhere, so he collapse in the middle of the floor and threw a blanket over himself. John saw him and started messing with him, and this is what happened! A wrestling match started where much laughing and stubbornness was had! It takes a LOT to get Mason to tap out! He is a tough one! The first move John pulled was the shirt over the head, followed by the wedgie extreme, then followed by a mixture of laughing and screaming for mercy until Mason finally tapped out...which he quickly took back and jumped in for some more!

Party Planning!

2009-10-19T13:20:00.002-05:00

A little girl in our house is going to turn 9 in 11 days! I cannot believe it!!! She was just a tiny 5 year old when John and I got married, and now she is in 3rd grade, reading, writing in cursive, doing multiplication and developing the cutest, most fun personality. In years past we have had a pumpkin carving party to celebrate her birthday since it is the day before Halloween. We started having slumber parties a couple years ago instead. When we asked her what she wanted to do this year, she wanted to have a party that would involve her whole soccer team, which is 13 girls...we decided that was a few too many to have sleep over. Can you imagine ever getting that many girls to go to sleep!?! So this year, we are back to pumpkin carving and hoping for good weather and a fun turn out! Kenz and I sat down together and created her Evite, which of course, she wanted to do from scratch! She got her little creative juices flowing and came up with a cute birthday cake pumpkin theme. She has requested some homemade cupcakes...the same ones I made for John's birthday in August. Dark chocolate cake with peanut butter icing = Deliciousness! So, now we just have to come up with a few other fun snacks, activities and party favors!

Growing Up Fast...

2009-10-06T11:33:00.001-05:00

These are some old pics of the kids that we found on John's laptop this weekend. Seems like they were taken just yesterday! They are just growing up so fast...I keep telling Mason to stop growing, but he doesn't seem to be listening!

Bargain Hunting Gone Bad!

2009-10-01T13:11:00.009-05:00

This little jewel has been a huge hit around our house this week! While out shopping for the week, I came across the jackpot of peppers. They were on mega sale, so I could not resist! We almost always use peppers in our meals each week, plus we had just rediscovered our Foodsaver that had been hidden away in a piece of furniture in the playroom. Tuesday afternoon, when I got home from the grocery store, I set out to wash, slice and vacuum pack my abundance of peppers. The first peppers I sliced up were the jalapeños, which looked so cute in their tiny little pockets all sealed up...that is until I began to feel some heat on my upper lip and then just inside my nose. With some milk and soap, I managed to get the strong burning sensation to stop, on my face, but not before those vicious juices made their way into the pores of my fingers and up under both thumb nails...ouch!!! The worst part of it was that I was pressed for time with Kenzie's soccer practice fast approaching. With a few washes with soap and water to try to dull the pain and a glass of milk to go, we loaded into the car still on fire, because apparently the wicked juices did not know they were now officially getting in the way of my afternoon! During the practice the pain lessened with some hand sanitizer as my method of soothing my spicy fingers. When we returned to the house, the pain was gone. But the first time I washed my hands before cooking dinner I must have reactivated the little buggers! I sat through the meal with my right hand in a large cup of ice water and followed that up with a hand milk bath before bed. The pain disappeared some time in the night, but once again came back around lunch time the next day. The final solution was to spray everything in the kitchen with Clorox bleach (because I think I had spread the love around the kitchen the night before) and spend some good quality time with my hand in a glass of milk! Two days and a half gallon of milk later, I am happy to report that the pain is officially gone and I won't cut up jalalenos without a glove next time!

On a good note though, we have lots of red, orange, and green bell peppers vacuum packed away in our freezer as well as some of those unruly jalapeños!

Making Memories

2009-09-29T09:17:00.001-05:00

We went to the lake with some friends this past weekend and had a very fun time playing games, eating and enjoying the beautiful weather outside! I'm pretty sure there were lots of pictures taken, but I'm not sure if they've been downloaded. Every post needs a picture or two, so these pictures were taken last March when John's parents came for a visit and we met my parents at the lake house. John's dad, Paw, and Mason spent many hours fishing together. It is fun to see the kids making memories!

The weather is getting cooler here, so we enjoyed some open windows this morning, until I got too cold and had to close them. The sun is back out after about 3 whole weeks of rain. We are all enjoying this fall weather. It is a nice change from the humidity!

Table Swap!

2009-09-21T21:12:00.001-05:00

We have been talking about changing out the kitchen table for a long time. The one we have had all along was a large 6 seater table. This weekend, we went shopping in our attic and brought out a hidden treasure! After a little work with the wood soap and oil, we have a new kitchen table...new to us anyway! John's grandpa found this table and put a lot of work into fixing it up. John's grandparents then gave it to him, so I am glad we were able to put it to good use, and it has been fun to sit closer together during meals!

Support Crew...

2009-09-21T20:55:00.002-05:00

These pictures were taken by Dian during John's race in August. Just thought I would post a few pictures on here of some of us who were there cheering John on as he acommplished a major life goal. Dian is the only other supporter missing, since she took these! I couldn't have done it without her!!! They had a great area where the families and friends of athletes could make signs for them. We all had fun with that!

John is still recovering from his race. We have started back on Body for Life, but he is taking it easy on his legs until they are a little more well rested. That said, he has helped me move some furniture around this week, which I love! More on that in my next post!

Count Your Blessings...

2009-09-16T14:48:00.002-05:00

I've been inspired this week by the repeated, gentle nudges from the Lord to begin keeping a list of the blessings in my life. John and I talked at lunch today about how neat it might be to begin doing this as a family on a large dry erase board, where we could just walk by and write things on the board throughout the day. I'm keeping my list in a journal so that I can take it with me throughout the weeks, months and years to come! The site below was part of the inspiration. I hope her writings will bless you as they have me!

http://www.aholyexperience.com/

Kenzie Scores!

2009-09-13T20:00:00.002-05:00

We spent the weekend at the soccer fields, where the girls played in a tournament and came in second place. It was exciting to see them go all the way to the tournament championship in their first season playing together! Kenzie made her first goal yesterday of her competitive soccer career! Thought I would share it on here!

Weekend at the Lake!

2009-09-09T12:21:00.002-05:00

Here is a glimpse of a weekend at the lake from the eyes of John! We enjoyed playing games, knitting, eating a lot, relaxing and just being together! For some reason there are not any pictures of Stephen, Cecilia and Emi. And we also did not manage to take any of the kids tubing or zip-sledding. They had a blast out on the water, with lots of laughing and smack talking from the tube!

Avocado Experiment...

2009-09-03T13:20:00.000-05:00

A while back, we decided to try to grow an avocado tree from a seed. John and I had been eating lots of avocados, so John looked up how to grow an avocado tree online and here you have it! The kids have enjoyed watering it and watching it grow!

My Ironman!!!

2009-08-30T18:11:00.001-05:00

Football Practice

2009-08-29T12:59:00.000-05:00

Here are a few pics from Mason's football practice on Thursday! He's loving it!

Tournament Last Weekend

2009-08-21T21:17:00.001-05:00

John took these pictures at Kenzie's soccer tournament last weekend. They played the boys team that is the same age as their team in their club and tied them! We have another tournament this weekend, so hopefully I'll have some more pics to post soon!