Happy Valentine's !

SOOOOO behind on posting ! One of these days I'll go back and post our Christmas pics for all you relatives who were there ;>) In the meantime, hope you enjoy some of our Valentine's fun......

Samuel went to a little Valentine party; his friends Claire and Will were there too. They all received way too much candy ;>)


After the party, we all went out to eat and then Amy and I took our kids to the park.

Amy helped Samuel slide. I'm not sure Samuel really meant to go down it the first time. He belly-flopped halfway down the slide and came off the slide onto his belly ! He was pretty shaken up, but actually got back on it again later !

See-sawing with Amy

If at first you don't succeed, try try again.....I thought this was pretty brave of him !

Valentine's Day was full of cards/packages from Alabama and a few gifts from Mom and Dad.

Ben and Samuel with one of their cards

Balloons and candy (M&M's of course) rounded out the day....

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas !

Just sharing some pics from our exhaustive (exhausting?) Christmas card photo shoot.....


We went from crying......

....to hysterics....

....to hats falling down and tongues sticking out.

We've said it before, but those girls at Olan Mills don't get paid enough ;>) Despite snapping a huge number of pics, we never could get them both smiling at the same time. Here are the ones that did make the cut:

We've posted more of our Christmas activities below. From our house to yours, Merry Christmas !

Our Christmas Parade.....so far

Just some pics of our holiday activities so far.....


We plan to start some solids now that Ben's six months, but have been so busy with holiday activities we've not done it yet. He decided to take matters into his own hands by putting his face down in Mark's pistachio salad. You think that's a pediatrician-approved first food ;>) ?

Claire & Samuel take turns pushing each other around in the stroller.

Rosie was very sweet to make some Christmas cookies for the kids to decorate. Can you tell what was their favorite part ?

Yes, the S-P-R-I-N-K-L-E-S !! Poor Rosie had quite the mess to clean up !

Mark's brother, Michael, has endeared himself to Samuel by playing cars with him. Michael and Linda came up for a visit recently from Florida. It's the first time they've seen Samuel since he was about 15 months old. Samuel's changed a lot since then !

And, of course, they got to meet Ben for the first time; with Aunt Linda

And Uncle Michael

Samuel went to his first Christmas parade this year. This was the first time we'd ever seen a herd of sheep going down Main Street ! Samuel loved the fire trucks especially.....there were plenty to love too.......there were so many that Mark said he hoped nobody's house caught on fire during the parade ;>)

What's a parade without a flag to wave ? Most nights Samuel takes that flag to bed with him !

The birthday boys, Mark & Norm. Once again, Samuel's not getting too close to those candles ! I don't think we have to worry about him actually becoming a fireman !

Playing with Brian; Samuel just loved the Christmas village.

Ben with Lauren & Brian

This was at a Christmas party Samuel went to with his friend, Will. See what too much sugar does to them ;>)

First Snow, First Dates, & Disappearing Acts

Our sweet little Ben was 6 months old this week and went to the doctor today for his checkup and shots. Samuel has been skittish when Ben goes in for shots, but we read "Corduroy Goes to the Doctor" this morning and he seemed okay about it. When they took us back, we could hear a kid across from us crying and screaming his head off. He sounded older, I figured at least 6 or 7, and he was screaming things like "You hate me" and "Yes, I'm going to die" !! So much for my calm kids ;>)----they both looked very scared but at least didn't cry. When the nurse came into our room she apologized about it. She said the boy was 12 !!! (I think he needed something besides a shot ;>)

Anyway, our sweet "little" Ben weighs 3 ounces shy of a whopping 18 lbs ! (Samuel was about 19 lbs on his first birthday !) I can't believe how fast these 6 months have flown by (I probably wouldn't think that in the middle of one of our long, sleepless nights but those are becoming much rarer). Mark's mother was saying recently that Ben is acting like he will be crawling soon and she thinks he'll soon have a tooth. I told her I'm in no hurry for either of those things to happen! What's funny is that with Samuel it was all about "when" will he be doing x, y, or z. Maybe that's natural with the first. Now, with Ben, it feels like water slipping through your fingers----it's just going too fast and you can't hold onto it. Here are some pics of our much beloved "disappearing act" ;>) at 6 months of age:

"Whose bassinet is this; mine or Sophie's ?" (Sophie would say hers !)

This is Melanie & Daniel's newborn, Cole, not even 24 hours old. We're very happy for them. He was so close to Ben's size at birth and he was born on the day Ben was exactly 6 months old, so it just reinforced how quickly these 6 months have flown by !

Mark and I went out last night to a concert. The Canadian Brass quintet was playing with the Symphony. They were our "first date" back in the spring of 1998 when they played the Ryman, so we thought it would be fun to "recreate" that evening. We had a great time (if you ever get the chance to hear them, they are wonderful!) but the "re-creation" was somewhat modified with the passing of time. That first time, we had a leisurely dinner at Demo's before going to the concert. This time, in a concession to nursing schedules, naptimes, & bedtimes, we quickly grabbed something from Wendy's and ate it in the car. That first time, Mark picked me up at my office in his new 2-door sports car; this time, we arrived at the concert in our 5-door minivan ! The jazz in the car's CD player from back then is usually replaced with "The Wheels On The Bus and Other Toddler Favorites". And all romantic thoughts driving home from that first date were replaced this time with 2 kids screaming in the backseat almost all the way home. I don't think either of us would change a thing though !

Grandpa with his boys; he and Grandma were on babysitting detail last night.


We left home around 5 pm yesterday, so imagine our surprise driving back from a snow-free area around 11 pm and encountering all this snow the further south we went. There was a big moon and it was a beautiful drive home (more or less, with 2 screaming kids in the backseat ;>). I got the kids out in it for a short while this morning, so Ben could see his first snow:

I think he looks like a seal in his snowsuit !

Ben was rather "underwhelmed" by it all ;>) He looks like he's thinking "Don't you know what the temperature is...?"

I took Samuel & Ben on a wagon ride through the backyard. No time for snowman building though since we had to go to the doctor's.

This is a pic from earlier in the week. Samuel & Will often love to "lead singing" when they get together !

Thanksgiving

We had a busy but wonderful Thanksgiving week. We have so much to be grateful for, but certainly the arrival of our sweet little Ben would top the list this year. We're also thankful for the friends in our lives; we got to have a playdate with a few of them just before Thanksgiving:


Who has the curliest hair, Claire or Samuel ??

It's hard for me to believe that Michael got over here on his own; I guess Ben will be there in a few months !

Will and Samuel goofing off.

Quite a few years ago, we began having some of our Thanksgiving celebrations with the Duggins, when we weren't able to go away for the holiday. It's come to have a special place in our lives and we were so glad to be there this year. Our longtime friends, the Boyds, were there and it was extra special because of the two new babies, Benjamin and Nicolai:

Yes, it was SPECIAL ;>) Actually, posting this first is misleading......this was toward the end of the evening when "tired and cranky" replaced "sweet and cuddly" !

We actually got some good pics of them together (and see who else squirmed into the corner ?) There's about a month difference in their ages, but Nic seems to be as healthy an eater as Ben !

We're SO thankful we do NOT have a piano at our house ;>)

Samuel found a playmate in Tracy.

Anybody who plays cars with Samuel is an instant soulmate ;>)

Not sure if Gary expects Ben to chew it or write with it ;>)

I think this is such a sweet pic of Tracy & Ben.

Dan & Nic.

Amanda & Ben.

Samuel with his buddy, Matt.

Ben knows a "Grandma" when he finds one ;>)

We headed out Friday morning early for Alabama and met family at one of the malls around 11am to snag some deals (supposedly). There were only a few things we were looking for and several of those were long gone to those willing to get out at 4 or 5 in the morning (definitely not us !). We still found a few bargains, but we mostly just enjoyed the time out and about with family. Around mid-afternoon we headed back to my Mother's for some turkey and the trimmings. Here are some pics from our visit there:

Ben with Grandma. In recent weeks, Ben has discovered his feet/toes. He thinks they're absolutely fascinating.....I should wrap them up for his Christmas !

With Aunt Stacy.

With cousin Brooke.

His cousin Trennis tried all kinds of things to capture Ben's attention.......

.....unfortunately what worked was offering his hair to Ben, who's recently discovered pulling hair and was happy to give Trennis more attention than he wanted !

Something sure is funny !

Ben with cousins Peyton and Trennis.

With Uncle Wayne before he and Stacy head to the Alabama-Auburn game.

You'd probably have to be from Alabama (or maybe be Daryl W ;>) to understand that the Alabama-Auburn game is a MAJOR BIG DEAL. And it was so nice to actually be in the state of Alabama on the day they won it big (after many years of losing to Auburn) and be surrounded by all that CRIMSON (versus normally being surrounded by all that "Big Orange"). It only made the wonderful Thanksgiving weekend that much better ;>)

The only unfortunate part of our Thanksgiving was that Mark developed a really severe toothache before we left Alabama, so we had to postpone Part 3 of our Thanksgiving, which was with his parents. We hated that, but Mark was really in a lot of pain. However, we got some clove oil from Janet and since using that yesterday afternoon, he has gotten much better. If that's what cured him, a big "Thank You" to Dr. Janet !! Here's hoping it doesn't recur !

Special Visitors

I'm so behind on posting; we've had such a busy fall and I have so many pictures, but in lieu of wading through those tonight, here are some pictures from our combination potluck/baby shower last night for Marcie & Lee and their son, Nicolai, who are back from Hungary for a visit over the holidays. It was so good to see them and finally meet 4 month old Nicolai !!

Two of the guests of honor ^. Don't know how it happened, but somehow we failed to get a picture of the proud dad----oops ;>)

Such a sweetie, although an exhausted little sweetie ! There's quite a time difference from Hungary to Tennessee.

We had a very good turnout and lots and lots of food.

Samuel's found a new friend in Melanie----although anyone who'll play cars with him automatically qualifies!

High fivin' with Lauren.

Shane took his turn with both Nicolai and Benjamin.

(1) Any guesses which baby spit up on Shane ?

(2) Any guesses what Shane did after that?

If you said (1) Benjamin and if you said (2) "gave him back", you would be correct ;>)

In addition to Shane, there were several "babysitters" helping me out, which was nice. I think Joe dazzled Ben with his orange.

I like to think Ben is laughing because he's thinking "how can anybody wear all that UT orange THIS season" ;>) I'm sure Mark appreciates that caption ;>)

Happy HalloweeK !

The scariest thing about Halloween.......;>)

"Peace, man !" ....... But hey, we won the best costume prize.......all the credit probably goes to that 'fro ;>)

Our Halloween turned into HalloweeK; we seemed to be on the run all week with various Halloween activities. It was a lot of fun, but glad this is just once a year ! Although I wouldn't have believed it when I was a kid, I think watching our kids do these things was more fun than when we were little and did it ourselves.

Couldn't resist a shot of Benjamin in the leaves with the pumpkin that Samuel finds SO scary (if any of you remember from last year's post). Maybe Ben will feel differently about it next year. We couldn't even get Samuel to come out of the garage when we got this pumpkin out !!

We went to visit Mrs. Robertson earlier in the week. We decided to "let" Samuel wear his costume, both as a trial run and because we thought Mrs. R would enjoy seeing him in it. "Let" implies he wanted to wear it; "forced" would be the more appropriate word. He was so pouty when we got there, but she brought him out of his shell. He took the costume off after we were there a little while, but she even convinced him to put it back on when it was time to go !! We decided maybe we should bring her to our house Halloween to get him dressed ;>)

We also did some Halloween activities with Samuel's friend, Will, in the week before Halloween. At the Halloween party he went to the day before Halloween, Samuel was perfectly happy to wear his costume.

They made these shirts by dipping one foot in white paint and putting it upside down on the shirt to make a ghost. Of course, my child was the only one shrieking about having to dip his foot in paint ;>)

They also went trick-or-treating at the little party. Samuel and Will make cute penguins and giraffes, don't they !


That same night, we went trick-or-treating at the grands and at some friends. Unfortunately, Samuel was back in "anti-Halloween" mode and it took quite a while for him to warm up, but he finally did.....

He's starting to catch on that that penguin suit = CANDY !

Ben was a little pumpkin, both figuratively and literally !

Grandma's got her orange on too

With Grandpa

We also went to visit Aunt Renita and Uncle Norm. Just like at the Grands, Samuel got double handfuls of candy. His pail was full after just 2 stops !

Okay, now for Halloween day. For the first time since we've been together, we had a chance to dress up for a Halloween party. It was really a lot of fun both for the kids and for us.

Believe me, I am SO glad he's a better dresser and goes to the barber in real life ;>)

We stopped by to trick-or-treat at the Duggins on the way to the party. I think we were their entertainment for the week ;>)

This is Prince Charming and one of the seven dwarfs; Sadie's so content whenever I've seen her, she must have been the dwarf Happy.

The sweetest skunk ever with his grandpa

Wicked witch Jessica needs a nose job, don't you think! She reminds me of that hilarious "I Love Lucy" episode when Lucy has a fake nose. Shelby made a sweet Snow White.

Thing One and Thing Two

Our fun hosts, Tiger, Pirate, Ladybug, and Skunk......

If you notice, Adam has a big earring in one ear and I had big clip-on earrings too, so we were commiserating on how sore our ears were, which is not a conversation I ever thought I would have with Adam ;>)

Snow White and Prince Charming. They got my vote for best costume. Lindsey looked so authentic, I could just imagine the cartoon bluebirds and butterflies around her head. I think the other Snow White (Shelby) thought this Snow White was the real deal !

King Tut and the missus (Adam's parents got Mark's vote for best costume)

"Jimi Hendrix" teaches Samuel & Will how to play the guitar

"You want me to go up WHERE and do WHAT ?" Samuel was a reluctant trick-or-treater at first, but quickly got the hang of it and was soon knocking on doors with the rest.

Once he figured out there was loot (candy) involved, I think he'd do it everyday!

The whole bunch of little monsters

Adam and Rosie had fun stuff for the kids to do----you'd think a penguin wouldn't need a pole to go fishing ;>)

Cleopatra helps Samuel paint his pumpkin

Will seems to be trying to copy Mom's hair ;>)

Samuel's trying the Jackson Pollack method of painting----just throw it anywhere !

Ben says "boo" (or his feet do ^)

Just like in the Disney movie, all the creatures fall under Snow White's spell.

The "wicked witch" after her nose job with our sweet little pumpkin ;>)

Jessica got our little penguin to eat grapes, something we've not had any luck with !

Prince Charming also worked his charms on Samuel and Ben; of course, WHO could resist a guy in crushed velvet and a cape ;>)

Thanks to Adam and Rosie for a fun evening and some wonderful memories !

Climb Every Mountain

WARNING: You are entering a very long post ;>)

...or just one, once a year, especially if you're taking a 2 year old and a 3 month old. As the song says, we got by with a little help from our friends. The weather was absolutely perfect, cool and low humidity, as opposed to the prior year's sticky heat, which made such a difference, as did staying off that beautiful, but wicked Rainbow Falls trail. We took the shorter but steeper Alum Cave Trail, which was only about 5.5 miles.

We had a friend repeatedly offer to carry Samuel up to the top in the weeks prior to our hike. However, Mark thought we should "bear our own burdens" ;>) and had no intention of accepting. The plan was for Mark to carry Samuel in our back child carrier and I would carry Benjamin in our front carrier and the backpack on my back. I really had my doubts about whether I could do it, but decided to start up the trail (with the car keys), knowing I could always return to the car and go back to our luxurious other cabin (the one with electricity). However, dear sweet Mike was waiting for us at the trailhead and insisted he would carry Samuel. Thankfully (for me anyway ;>), Mark agreed, so Mark carried Ben and I carried the backpack. I really don't know whether I could have gotten to the top carrying Ben----if I had, it would have been much later and with much more pain and suffering during and afterwards ! My new hiking boots were great----kept all of my toenails for the first time in several years. And because of Mike, my shoulders and back were still functional ! This was my 10 year anniversary (although I missed a few years here and there)----the first time I went, Mark and I had been dating about 6 months, and it was something like his 7th time to do it. We did Rainbow Falls and I can still remember throwing down my walking stick somewhere near the top and declaring "I will NEVER do this again"! I wouldn't have dreamed then, that 10 years later, I'd still be doing it and we'd have two kids with us----never say never ! This was also Samuel's third year in a row!

Ben traveled like Samuel did two years ago, except Samuel was old enough to face outwards.....Ben didn't have quite as good a view ;>)

Samuel with BFF (at least in Mom's mind), Mike. This is when we stopped for lunch at the bluff. Mike and Samuel went on without us, as I needed to feed Ben. I worried whether Samuel would cry when he discovered we weren't around, but apparently "out of sight, out of mind", as evidenced in one of the pics further down.

Ben with his "Aunt Renita"

Ben with Mom at our break

We're getting closer.....somewhere around here, we met a man hiking up and he stopped to chat. We found out that this was his 9th trip up this summer, it was 8 weeks since he had broken a rib in a fall while climbing Machu Picchu in Peru, and he was 66 years old. He passed us on his way back down before we ever got to the top. He made us feel about 96 !

A view from near the top

The last little bit, Dad took Ben out of his carrier and carried him in his arms; you can see that made Ben happy.

When we got to the top, this is what we found ^. Samuel was happily occupied with S & J and apparently had forgotten all about us !

......of course, this is ALSO how we found Mike !! He wasn't dead, just dead tired I think !

Relaxing around the stove

With friend Steve, who happily corrupted Samuel by RE-teaching him where his body parts were----elbows on the leg, knees on the arm, etc.

The menu never changes and it all comes out of cans, but it's one of the best meals we eat all year !

Ben with his "Uncle Norm"

Samuel's entertaining Ben on the bunk

Our happy camper

After supper, Mark and I loaded both kids up and hiked the 0.2 miles to see the sunset at Cliff Tops; of course, we got there just AFTER the sun went down. It was still beautiful with streaks of color in the sky and a crescent moon already up----one of the prettiest I've seen there and, naturally, our camera died just as we tried to take a pic ;>)

Later, standing at the water pump, brushing my teeth, and looking up to watch the sky, I lost my balance and landed on my rear. The "rearview" was great though----the sky was SO clear that night, with no electric lights around and very cold, so you could see what looked like billions of stars. We got through the rest of the night pretty uneventfully. I hope our cabinmate wasn't too disturbed by us or our kids. Ben got extra feedings to keep him from crying and Samuel got to sleep with Dad, so both kids were happy.

Getting ready to head back down----at least we're still smiling

We joked that Mike would sneak out of camp extra early the next morning before we got up, but he was still there after all ;>) We stayed together until the bluff and then he and Samuel left us and, once again, "out of sight, out of mind".

Ben will find this pic embarassing one day, won't he? Guess who had a blow-out diaper on the side of the mountain ? Wasn't Mark sweet to clean him up? (Each of the next 2 Sundays, Ben had blow-outs in my lap in "church" clothes, so I got paid back.) Of course, I had to tote the smelly stuff down in the backpack.

As we neared the bottom, Ben enjoyed another break from the carrier.

Reunited at the bottom. Samuel was busy eating Renita's Skittles, so I don't think he missed us at all !

When we got back to our "electrified" cabin, we all got baths/showers, had a good supper, and spent the evening playing games, being entertained, and just relaxing.

Samuel snuggles with Mom while the band plays on.....

Our kids did not lack for attention from all the friends in the group. It was nice to have all that extra help around ! Here are just some of our friends & kids:

We went to eat one night at Apple Barn^----apparently I'm the only person in the Western Hemisphere who had never been ;>)

We also had an extra treat that weekend. Family from Alabama, who had never seen Ben in person, were vacationing in the Smokies, so after Sunday services, we were able to spend time with them. It was a really nice day to end a really nice trip !

Ben with Mom's Aunt Patsy

Samuel had a great time playing with all the kids around.