A BIG FIRST GRADER!!!!!

Well the day came my little boy entered into the FIRST GRADE!!!! We had a great morning. Tom's mom Grandma Heaton watched Presley and Tom and I took Carsen to breakfast and then to his first day of school. Every morning like clock work he has gotten up at 7:00 am this summer until this morning at 7:30 am I had to drag him out of bed because he was "so tired". Isn't that the way it always works!!!! Then we took him to Burger King for breakfast where he ordered his famous egg and cheese sandwich, hash browns, and milk. Once he finished his sandwich he looked at me and said "Mommy can I have another one?" Well, of course I didn't want him to be hungry so I got him another one which he ate!!! I think someone told me once that boys will eat you out of house and home!!!! Once we got to school he went right in like he owned the place took everything out of his backpack and took his seat. When I picked him up this afternoon he told me that he played Pac Man in gym and he LOVED school!!!! We are so proud of him and are so thankful that God answered our prayers for a great teacher!!!!

Meet the teacher at Dacula

Well, today was the day for Gwinnett County Schools to "Meet the Teacher". Carsen's first grade teacher is Mrs. Walker. I loved her from the moment I heard her voice on our answering machine. When Carsen walked into the room she came up to him and gave him a big hug and told him how excited she was to be his first grade teacher. Even as I type the words "First Grade" it is so hard for me to believe that my sweet little boy is that big. With every year he grows I become more and more proud of him. He has one of the biggest hearts and loving personalities that I know. He went through so many changes last year with a move and new school and he took it with the best spirit he could. We have big plans and great hopes for this year and God has put a peace in my heart that Carsen is going to have a great first grade year. His teacher Mrs. Walker has taught first grade for 20 years and is one of the most organized teachers I have met so far. For those of you who know Carsen well know that he works very well in this type of enviorment. Presley loves going to Carsen's school and getting to see all of the big tables and classroom fun. It is sad to think that next year I will be doing Kindergarten with her!!!! My how time flies!!!!!! Carsen, I can't tell you how proud I am of you and how much I learn from you on a daily basis. I know in my heart that God has big plans for you so stay on his path daily. You are a great big brother and wonderful son and I am honored God choose me to be your Mommy!!!! I love you!!!!!

Family Vacation at Big Canoe

It is that time of year again for us to make our family trip to Big Canoe!!! We started this family tradition last year and the kids loved it so much that we decided to keep it up. We went back and forth this year about maybe going somewhere else but we have so much fun up here and it is so close to home (Which Tom loves!!!) that it keeps us coming back. We are so blessed to be able to spend this time together as a family and Tom and I cherish the memories that come out of it for us and the kids. One of the biggest blessings is that we are able to share this with my mom and dad (known as Ommie and Granddaddy!!!) Last year we also enjoyed it with Tom's family (known as Grandma Heaton and Poppie!!!) These family memories are ones that can never be replaced and it is such an honor for both Tom and I to have such wonderful grandparents for our children that are willing to take the time to make these memories. We love you all and really hope that this is a tradition that will last a lifetime. It is after vacations like this that we realize that you can never put a price tag on family. These kinds of memories will last a lifetime and could never be replaced by the material things that this world tries to offer. We thank God everyday for blessing us with our savior his son and allowing us to raise the wonderful children he has given us. Next year we look forward to sharing this memory with our newest family member Camden!!!! Thank you Lord for the beauty you place in front of me daily!!!

Paddle boat Fun!!!!

Granddaddy enjoyed taking a ride on the paddle boats!!! Doesn't he look so cute in his life jacket!!!! Ommie didn't want to try her luck on the paddle boats so she decided to help Carsen and Presley find a butterfly on the beach. That is a little less risky for Ommie!!! We all enjoyed spending time with each other and relaxing!!! Granddaddy maybe enjoyed it a little too much!!!Wake up Granddaddy you are supposed to be watching me!!!! (Ha!Ha!)

Fun in the Sun

This year we really had a good time at the pool because Presley is swimming without her famous "Buzz Pack" (in other words her life jacket!!!!) We are so proud of her. She just started doing that with the help of her big brother and of course her DADDY!!!! The kids have so much fun at the pool with the kiddie area where there are buckets of water that fall on them and lots and lots of other water fun. The other pool is just as fun though because there is a beach where Carsen and Ommie found a butterfly that Carsen was holding on his finger and trying to let Presley do the same. Plus there are other things like paddle boats, canoes, and the famous rock slide. Lots of opportunities to make family memories at Big Canoe!!!!

The Famous Rock Slide

I think that this is Carsen's favorite part of big Canoe. He thinks that this rock slide really "ROCKS" his words of course. He loves that when he lays on his back and goes down he turns around in circles until he hits the water. Presley has decided that she is not ready to go down the rock slide but has told us that she will "probably" do it when she is 5!!! She really gets a kick out of watching Carsen do it though. The very best is when Daddy goes down!!! I think he has more fun than the kids. I promise he laughs like a 5 year old. I don't have any pictures of Daddy because he made me promise that I wouldn't take any!!! I did however manage to get him on video without him knowing!!! (SHHHH!!! don't tell him!!!) We have the best family vaction at Big Canoe!!! We look forward to going back next year with Camden!!!

Fun at the Park

It has been so hot around here during the day that it is hard to get the kids outside for some fun. If you do go out in the afternoon you have to be near water to be able to cool down. So last night Tom and I took the kids to this new park that opened up near us after dinner. At least it is a little bit cooler around that time. This park is so nice because it has two playgrounds one for bigger kids and one for the little ones. Of course my kids like them both. Carsen being the monkey that he is LOVES the monkey bars. Presley will pretty much do anything since she has an older brother she knows no fear. Hear are some cute pictures that Daddy caught while we were there. Hope you enjoy them as much as we do!!!! We were only there for about an hour when Carsen came up to us and told us that he wanted to go home because it is too HOT!!!!! Hopefully fall is around the corner!!!

Playgroup Pool Party

We had a fun visit at Mrs. Melanie's house today at our Playgroup Pool Party!!! It was so nice to be able to see friends that we haven't seen in awhile. All of the mom's starting talking about how neat it is that we all knew eachother even before kids came into the picture!!! Now there were 10 moms and over 20 kids!!!! So we have all done our part on adding kids into the world. The neatest thing is to be able to see all of them grow up together and stay so close to eachother. It is such a blessing to have a group of families that all have children around the same age that raise their kids with the same values. I thank God on a daily basis for having these women in my life to be able to pray with and raise my children with. I know what a rare thing that is. These kids have grown up with eachother since they were born. It is so nice to know that their are parents out there that are going through the same milestones and are able to offer support and prayers. It is an even bigger blessing to be able to see these children grow and watch the way that God is working in all of their lives. I know that he has big plans for all of them and I can't wait to see that play out in their lives as they get older. Thank you again Melanie of hosting this at your house it was a great day and it meant a lot to me and my children.

Brother and Sister Tea Party

It was a rainy day the other day and Carsen and Presley decided to have a little tea party. It was the cutest thing because everytime Tom came out of his office Carsen would act like he wasn't playing tea party with his sister!!! You know it is a boy thing. They really are so close to eachother and everytime I see them playing like this it warms my heart. Now what you don't see is that usually 1 hour into this we are fighting!!! (Ha!Ha!)

A little while after the tea party my parents came over for dinner and it started to storm really bad!!! My kids got scared and ran to the bedroom downstairs and grabbed blankets and told Granddaddy to hide with them and stay safe!!! Of course, Granddaddy will do anything that they ask him to and what you can't see is the dog abbie is under the blanket as well. Everytime thunder and lighting would come they would say "Grandaddy get under" and under they would go!!!

Backyard fun with Daddy

Here is what happens when Daddy is left in charge. I was inside getting some things done when I looked out the window to see Carsen standing on the fence!!! Yes that is the road behind him!!!
Daddy was in charge of outside time. When I came downstairs to see where Daddy was he was sitting on the steps well aware of what was going on. No wonder they like it so much when Daddy watches them. Meanwhile Presley is riding the Gator with Carsen's baseball helmet on!! It doesn't matter that there is great big pink hairbow underneath it!! Presley will always be Presley!! She is not afraid of anything and will not let her brother get the best of her for a minute. I guess that is what makes her my P-pie Pony!!!!

Fun with Friends at the Pool

Here we are at the pool with our friends!!! My kids love the pool so any chance we get we head to the pool for a little fun. This day was a real treat because we got to go with some of our closest friends!!! I tried to get a good picture of all of them together but you can imagine how that goes with kids ranging from ages 2 to 7!! Any way you spin it they are always cute!! It is such a sweet blessing to see all of the kids grow together and love one another. I hope that is something that will not change.

Here is Presley's new haircut!!!! Guess who did it? MOMMY!!! She is getting to be such a big girl. We love her hair like this even though it makes her look so much older. I had to snap this picture of her looking out the window. It just looks like it was meant to happen. Don't let her fool you she loves it when mommy gives her a haircut. What a cute little angel.

Magical World of Disney

Well we made or first family trip to Disney and it was amazing. The kids had a great time and being that it was Danielle's first trip there in over 25 years she was amazed as well.

We went to Magic Kingdom, Disney Studio's and Animal Kingdom. Magic Kingdom was great the kids got to see all the characters that they were hoping to see and we were able to take a lot of pictures. Carsen going on Space Mountain was a major highlight of the day but the parade at the end of the night was wonderful to see.

Disney Studio's was Carsen and Presley's favorite park. Carsen was able to meet all the Power Rangers and Presley was able to see Beauty and the Beast and she loved Belle. The big highlight at Disney Studios was Presley getting to see HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL. She just stared in awe.

The final day was spent at Animal Kingdom. This was a pretty fun day as well. We got to go on a Safari and see all the big animals. It was pretty awesome to see a gorilla right up close. They had some great shows like Lion King and Its Tough to be a bug. Animal Kingdom was a great way to end the trip and by the end of this day the kids were just about done.

We look forward to heading back to Disney we took lots of pictures and video so for now that will have to hold us over.