All Good Things Must Come To An End!

 Hello, friends!

Despite the fact that our family vacation did not take us to some exotic locale,

it was by far one our best ever.

Why, you ask?

Let's see:

1. Lots of family togetherness relaxing and goofing off

2. The kids got along REMARKABLY well

3. The backdrop was a perfect for a family of active boys

4. Did I mention the kids got along really well?

The boys loved that the neighbor's dogs were all over the place! 

And I do mean ALL over the place.

Going out on the boat never got old.

Just hanging out

I love these boys!

And this man.

Be still my heart. =)

When not on the boat,

the boys were still on the lake.

Pushing each other in:

But then helping each other out

And finally passing out at the end of the day...

It truly was a blast.

Even the car trip home was fun.

I was a little nervous about not having the DVD player to keep the boys entertained during the ride,

since our rental car {mine is STILL in the shop} was without one, but it was great!

Get this: 

We actually laughed and talked as a family instead of driving in silence

while the kids' ears were attached to headphones.

Amazing.

I know.

One thing that really touched me was when Austin told Ryan how much he loved him being his step father.

Friends, it was awesome.

Our little family has come a long way over the past 4+ years.

It just keeps getting better.

When you're a blended family,

the time you have together is precious because it doesn't happen every day,

and taking the time out to talk about the good things is priceless.

Warmed my heart for sure.

Until next time, Lake Hamilton...

We love you!!

Hello From Lake Hamilton!

Hello from Lake Hamilton!

We are having an absolute blast.

As I said 2 years ago when we last visited as a family, the lake house is a boys' paradise.

They're in their element.

Sweet boys.

Lots of UNO games taking place as usual.

And LOTS of time on the boat.

Doesn't get much better!

Trysten and I

Brothers!

Food on the grill at the lake is perfection.

The usual minor surgeries are taking place.

What kind of surgeries you ask?

Why getting splinters out from the deck of course.

We brought both of our dogs,

which means dogs from all over the hood are at our back door wanting to play.

Speaking of the neighborhood dogs,

2 of them are obsessed with giving the boys "piggyback rides" as Carter says.

Observe:

Trysten is keeping us entertained as always.

Such a sweet kid.

Ryan once again managed to surprise me on vacation.

Seriously.

How did I get this damn lucky?

A card?

On vacation?

Yes, please.

I'm a lucky girl.

We ventured away from the lake house for a bit of action of a different sort.

We're quite a large crew.

Time for some go karts!

"The Teenager" has been so much fun to be around this trip.

Such a handsome kid.

Sweet little Carter.

Trysten was so excited that he was tall enough to drive all by himself.

Maybe next year, Preston!

Next up, bumper boats!

This is Austin's friend, Ryan, that came with us.

Great kid.

Love these boys...

Miniature golf, anyone?

Okay!

We took the boys to eat at The Fisherman's Wharf right on the lake.

The fed the ducks while we waited for our food.

Love =)

Herb encrusted talapia, grilled shrimp, catfish, clam chowder, oysters

Let's eat!

I heart this family!

More fun on the way tomorrow

with another big day on the lake!

See you later, friends!

A Look Back & A Look Ahead!

A Look Back:

Lots of family time over the weekend.

Let's start with a Christmas craft why don't we?

How about some candy cane ornaments?

Annnnnndddddd DONE.

Even "The Teenager" made one.

Be still my heart.

Glad you got dressed for the occasion, Preston.

The final result!

 I was downloading pics on my camera and found this picture that Carter took...

He took it with his right hand while making
Joseph and a shepherd make out with his left.

Nice.

Should I be worried?

Also, while he was coloring yesterday, he was singing, "boobies, boobies, boo-bies."

I'm scared.

 Sunday the boys wanted to make the mini gingerbread houses my mother gave them.

Once again, "The Teenager" partook.

He had to go to his room midway through the fun for a short timeout

due to MAJOR hyper activity.

It's gets crazy when 4 boys all want to do the same thing at the same time.

Patience please.

 Remember I mentioned they were mini gingerbread houses?

Well, they were so MINI that it was nearly impossible to get them to stay together.

We decided to improvise, and the boys decorated gingerbread cookies instead.
Awesome.

Thanks, Mimi!

A friendly game of Candyland took place between Trysten and Carter.

Well, friendly until Carter got upset over having to move back 8 spaces.

It required a discussion about the importance of good sportsmanship.

All was well with the world after that.

Elfie "showed up" on the clock in the foyer early Friday morning.

He stayed there until Sunday night.

Because he liked it there.

For real.

No one forgot.

We set the alarm, Casey.

It's all good now.

He changed his resting spot late Sunday night.
He kind of creeps me out.

A Look Ahead:

Thursday morning Ryan and I will board a plane bound for

NEW ORLEANS, BABY!!

Cannot wait.

So much fun to be had.

Food to eat, people to watch, drinks to drink,

shops to shop, ghosts to haunt and much, much more.

Can't wait to see NOLA all decked out for the holidays!

Ryan and I decided not to pack any of our Razorback T-shirts.

Might not be a good idea to don that gear in the French Quarter

considering the beating we gave LSU on Saturday.

Maybe we're just switching off winning every other year.

LSU one year and UA the next.

Seems fair, right?

Have a great week, my friends!!

Mystery Reader!

This past Friday was "Mystery Reader" day at Trysten's school, and guess who the mysterious guest was...

My dad!

It means so much to me that my parents have made such a concerted effort to make Trysten feel just as important as all of the grandchildren in our family, as if he has always been part of us. It was never even a question. Ryan and Trysten were welcomed with open arms from the very beginning, and for that I am blessed.
Happy Monday!!!

Happy Birthday, Mama...

Happy birthday, Mama...I can't imagine life without your sweet heart, your kind words, your graciousness, your unconditional love.

You have taught me to be independent and strong...

You have taught me how to be a mother...I can only hope to be as good as you...

You have taught me how to laugh and enjoy the simple things in life...

You have taught me the importance of family...

And you have taught me that in life we will all make mistakes, but it's what we learn from those mistakes that matters...

I love you, Mama!

All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother. ~Abraham Lincoln