heavy, man...

wow, i just realized that it's been nearly a month since i've posted. it's not that i haven't had anything blog-worthy to share, quite the opposite! my days and weeks (and obviously months!) have gotten so jam-packed lately! i have a feeling that it will remain that way... at least until june!

beware - this is a photo heavy post (hence the title!)

cotton candy & games at the NCHS A-Fair during Homecoming Week

taking in some Chiefs football! 

Claire & the UNDEFEATED Natchitoches RoadRunners!

More FOOTBALL! Chiefs are 6-2!

fun at Wal-Mart

fooball is fun, but friends make it even better!

just a cute girl...

gobs of candy acquired at an early Halloween celebration!

We're also hosting dinner for the football seniors every Wednesday evening, hosting the coaches after games, visiting the orthodontist, completing major school projects, earning ALL As on the kids' report cards, volunteering at non-profit events, cheering for the Rangers in the World Series and having a lot of fun in the process.

We have a few more interesting and exciting events happening in our lives, but those deserve posts of their own. I now have to detox from the above-mentioned candy! 

love/hate

We don't use the word HATE in our house. Or, as the kids get older and certain words have become allowed, we highly discourage the use of the word. It's rather harsh, and we discuss if we REALLY hate something or not. 

This morning a list of things I love, and a few things I don't, are floating around in my mind. Perhaps I should have titled this post something else, but too late, I'm not going back! 

LOVE LIST

coffee. good coffee.

cool, free fonts

cool, fall days (they haven't arrived yet, but I'm waiting!)

funny blogs like this one

claire's soccer games

family movie night (we watched her last night)

nolan's full body hugs

authentic mexican food

beautiful fall photos (since I can't see it in real life)

my backyard

having someone else plan my meals

HATE NOT-SO-MUCH LIST

coffee without good cream

misuse of quotation marks

grocery shopping at the end of the month

washing my new cell phone

mosquito bites

lima beans

rude people

I could type plenty more in my hate list, but in the spirit of positivitiy, I will make sure that my LOVE list is longer! Happy Saturday!

Happy Fall, Y'all!

It's almost upon us! Fall... Autumn, whatever. It has been a record-breaking scorcher this summer, and we've had a little bit of a break this month. It was still 94 degrees today, but it was a balmy 94. Oh, who am I kidding?! It's still HOT and I'm ready for HOT chocolate weather. {Why is it I drink coffee when it's 110 degrees, but hot chocolate only when it's cold? Things that make you go hmmmm.}

We're rockin and rollin around the here. Football is in full swing, and we've had fun cheering the Chiefs on to victory the last couple of weeks. Claire & Nolan are knee-deep in homework, projects, soccer, AWANA & Running Club - which is to say that I am waist-deep in all the aforementioned endeavors!

I did take the time to do a little DIY on the ol bloggity blog and I hope you catch you up on the more exciting events soon. I am charging my camera batteries as we speak. Lots of memories to capture, so little time.

See you back here soon, but until then - HAPPY FALL, Y'ALL! {There is no escaping it - I am Southern!}

Picture Day

This past Friday was a special event... Picture Day! School picture day is an annual rite of passage each year. Uniforms are typically required at school, so when they get to wear what they want, it's special! Looking good, guys!

Who's Number #1?

 CHIEFS are #1!

ready or not...

Today is May 27th. Oh wait, it's not? But today was a school day, and we haven't had summer vacation... What? We did? Oh, I vaguely remember something that resembled summer, but it was awfully short. Hmm.

Today was the first day of school and it was great. All was quiet in my neck of the woods (the office) and Claire & Nolan had a great day. Truly, it's like we never left! I was a little edgy this morning, preparing for the stress of the day, but it was easy peasy rice and cheesy. Just like I like it.

Does anybody know the two big kids pictured below. I think they're in 3rd and 5th grade...

Where has the time gone?

Last Splash!

Yesterday, we hosted 25 upcoming 3rd and 5th graders for our 2nd Annual LAST SPLASH pool party. We swam, jumped (on the trampoline, and on each other, I'm certain), and snacked to our hearts content. Us moms sat in the shade and tried, unsuccessfully, to stay cool. I was so busy sweating, that I totally forgot to take pictures. Just imagine the scene below, filled with kids, laughter and good times!

Isn't our backyard looking good? We do love it, if we do say so ourselves!