All the things I am thankful for and more

We have had a wonderful Thanksgiving even though we were missing many of our family members. None of my brothers were able to make it home this year and it wasn't the same without them. We had more food than usual, (something not right there), but less people. More leftovers for us. YEAH!

T and B have been keeping our fridge stocked with deer meat. They both got a doe this past week. The girls have helped me prepare most of the food for our Thanksgiving feast. This is the first year in 13 years that I haven't had a baby or toddler to tend to during the holidays. How nice it is to be able to enjoy the festivities without the responsibility that comes with the sweet little ones. =)

Black Friday was taken to new heights this year and so were the crowds. I made it through with great success and can now sit back and enjoy the season. Actually, I can enjoy the 3 birthdays we have to celebrate before Christmas.

I wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and send love too you all.

Mythbusters Braden Style

Braden had seen this experiment on Mythbusters and thought it would be fun to reenact. The trick is that you must us a diet drink, it's the aspartame that causes the reaction. He put one mentos in the first time and got four in the second time. We had a crowd of neighbor kids watching the fun. It was really amazing how fast the reaction happened and how high the coke shot up in the air. With one mentos it went about 10 feet and with the four mentos it shot about 15 feet. It was quite amusing.

Steve, you're the MAN!

This weekend Steve took on the project of fixing our van. He had researched the problem and felt like he could fix it himself, (something to do with the security feature). As he began taking the car apart he started doubting his ability. I stayed positive and was all for him doing it. The project took half the day and a trip to Auto Zone but was successfull and I am so proud of him. Here's a peek at a job well done.
This was the part that needed fixing. The hard part was getting to it.

All this had to go back together some how. After getting things in place and running again he only had 1 extra screw. Lol

Best wishes John and Emily

We are so grateful for the memories we've made this summer with my brother and his wife.

Here are a few of the highlights:

-Sleepovers

-candy in abundance

-John playing the trumpet

-GUM

-movies

-homemade ice cream

-grilling out

-venting to each other

-the long walk to the cottage

-yard sale

-Popsicles

-SBD's

-"you don't remember......."

We wish them safe travels to Portland, OR and hope they get "real jobs" so we can see them in Idaho, for Christmas. WE LOVE YOU JOHN AND EMILY!

Dove Season

It is hunting season again. Steve, Tanner and Braden have been dove hunting the past two weekends and we almost have enough meat for a meal, well, maybe h'dorves. The boys really enjoy the time with their Dad. It's great for male bonding.

milestone

Well, for some of you this may be no big deal but for me it is. I have moved the sippy cups to the second self in my cupboard. This means that they are not getting used as often. This means we are growing up. This means we are moving on. YEAH!!!! I really wondered if I would ever get to this point in my life. I have finally done it. I AM OUT OF THE BABY STAGE! And it feels good. Almost 13 years of it will do a person good. :)

1st Day of School

It is here, the first day of school. Lane was the only one in our family looking forward to this day. We have a few adjustments this year to deal with. Tanner is now in Jr. High and we have a school uniform. Some people have not been very happy with it, I support it. I was thankful that we started with a two hour day. I have to readjust every year to a quieter, emptier house during the day. It's always hard for me to get back into the swing of the school routine. This year I am not babysitting, I am working at a preschool on Tuesdays and Thursdays. It's time for MJ and P to have some structured and educational playtime.

Look out Shirley Temple!

We have discovered sponge rollers. Our first try was a disaster. It really would have been funny to see pics of it. We have studied the art and I think we've got it. MJ had no trouble posing for the camera. :)

Ha-Ha

Jeni --

[adjective]: Extremely flatulent

'How" will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

I found this on a friends blog and thought it was funny, especially after typing in my name!!!

Baseball Fun

Last weekend Tanner and I, yes just the two of us, went to Owensboro, KY, for a baseball tournament. We had a great time. The team tied for 5th (out of 16). On Monday we went as a team to Santa Clause, IN, to Holiday World amusement park. I highly recommend it for a family trip!!!!!! Great roller coasters, very reasonably priced food, free soft drinks, and fun for all ages.

Conner and Tanner at the ball park.
Kellie and I just chillin'.

The team, in numerical order. :) Our coach's idea.

Big B fishing at Long Branch

After dropping Tanner off at Boxwell for scout camp Braden and I stopped and did a little fishing. Braden definatly out fished me!

Happy 8th Birthday!!

Gracie had a very special birthday on Wed. She turned 8 and was baptized. She was so excited. She was baptized in the dress that I wore on my baptism day, a few years ago:). We were fortunate to have most of my family attend and many of our friends. Gracie is such a sweet girl. She is loving and thoughtful. She really tries to do what is right. We love you Gracie!!!!!!!!!!
Our sweet Gracie after her baptism.

This ones for you Dad!

We didn't know if this was going to be a good place for tomatoes so we planted a lot (18), in case they didn't produce much. Ha-ha.
The whole family has been watching our first tomato ripen. It has been difficult for MJ and Paige to NOT pick it.
Looks like we are having BLT's for lunch today. We wish you were here to enjoy it with us.

we were dancin'

This year all four girls participated in the Prima Performance recital. I somehow ended up with many more pictures of MJ and Paige, wonder why? :) They have really enjoyed dancing this year. We are so fortunate to have Ms. Jessica, a friend of mine, as their teacher. Gracie and Lane are looking forward to adding hip hop to the schedule next year. Braden says he wants to try it too.

SUMMER...SUMMER...

Yeah, schools out! We made it through another year. We celebrated this morning with a nutritious and delicious breakfast. Well, maybe just delicious! I can't believe how fast the year went by.
MJ licked them clean, amlost.
Tanner is hairless. He cut it all off when spring football started two weeks ago. I keep calling him Braden. LOL
Lane told her teacher she was going to stay in kindergarten, her teacher said she would love for her too and Lane thought she had it made. :) Gracie's teacher is looping to 2nd grade with her class. We will have a very hard time saying goodbye next year since it will be Gracie's 3rd year with her. Braden told us he doesn't want to play sports because it takes up to much of his playtime. LOL I think he's going to have a bit of a shock when he realizes that even though he isn't playing he will still have to go to practices for everyone else. Tanner is busier than ever. Oh, how I wish I had the energy. He has basketball practice from 3-4:30 four days a week and baseball from 5-7:30ish twice a week. In just a few weeks he will add football conditioning from 8-10:00am twice a week. I hope he eats right! Next week we plan on taking it easy and catching up on some house and yard work. Then we move right into summer activities, camps, etc.

striking out no more

Lane has figured it out! She has struggled to hit the ball this year. The league that the girls are playing in is 4-8 yr. old coach pitch so it's been a bit of change for Lane. She has tried hard and a week ago she got it. YEAH! Steve was getting a little discouraged after practicing over and over. He said "I haven't had a Simmons kid yet that couldn't hit the ball." LOL Lane recieved a game ball after her first game of not striking out. She was 3 for 3, single, double, single. Way to go Lane!!!

YUMMY!

Can you tell which basket MJ and P picked and which one we bought prepicked? :)
This is only a quarter of the cake on a dinner plate. It really is HUGE!

They might want to concider weighing the children before and after picking!

The Simmons and Myers families made our 2nd annual trip to Pott's Strawberry Farm in Wartrace. It's a great outing. We pick, we eat, we pick, we eat some more, and then we have a picnic there at the farm. This year we splurged and split a deliciously huge strawberry cake. I wish I had taken a picture of it before we split it and I wish I could download it's wonderful aroma. We were able to dodge the bad weather and had a lovely time. The strawberries are going fast and so is the cake. I love finding hidden treasures like this one, check it out.