Some more hard evidence.

"Your children are so well behaved..."

....says the lady in line at the grocery store and the couple in the booth behind us at the restaurant. Then again at church I overheard those same words, or was it at the movie theatre; or both places? And I believe it, I really do, understanding that it's continually a work in progress. For example, we're at the park and I like taking pictures of my children, especially in winter wearing summer clothing so those enjoying a REAL winter can envy our weather. OH wait, I got off topic...pictures at the park, OK, now I'm back on track. So I'm snapping some shots of the children and it's really sunny out, (remember the summer clothing?) so I can't really see them very well. Now they're quite old enough to smile without me telling them to do so, so I'm just snapping away. In trying to get a closer angle, I step out of the glaring sun and into a nice shady spot where I can actually see my angels faces, you remember the ones that are so well behaved, only to find them NOT smiling at the camera but doing other stuff at the camera. So one goodish one out of five shots isn't too bad, until I download the pics at home and find a few other pictures of my well behaved children. Alright, so we're not looking for stardom here just some memories for the family and friends to enjoy of my darling babies growing up. I'll share some more of their shining moments. Hey, if you dare to flaunt it, then know that it will probably be posted somewhere!

Santa and his elves...

Lions and tigers and bears....

Or I should say, "Snakes and iguana and ducks, Oh My!!" The younger two are in the back yard exploring when they notice our resident snake in 'his' tree. Chace immediately starts plucking BB's from the fence so he can shoot him a snake. He manages to hit it, only to see it and another it slither off into the water, leaving behind yet another snake. UGH Upon returning to the fence to dig some more bullets the two notice an iguana sunning in the back yard. I tried to take a picture of Iggy because I don't mind him visiting us. He's hard to see but if you look really hard you can see his head above the grass line. OK, so I've added the pictures and you really can't see him at all. Can you just imagine with me for a moment?? Anyway, on the top picture he's in the shade now about an inch in front of the white fishing bucket.

In the bottom picture you can see the tools my children have been using to try to make a fire in the backyard. We sat around a fire at mom and dad's for Thanksgiving and my children enjoyed it as much as I always did as a child. I've made their attempts very difficult by not allowing matches or lighters. They've resorted to using mirrors to reflect the sun and a bicycle to warm up a stick. No such luck for them. Maybe some day we'll roast us some marshmallows in our own backyard.

Things I learned while on vacation...

I learned that...

--the elderly cat is a much better traveler than the kitten,
--I also have white hair in the back; not just the front (thanks Laura),
--I don't really like mincemeat pie,
--one of my nephews wants a Rubik's cube for Christmas (just like his cousin Chace),
--my brother can fry a turkey and it tastes yummy,
--it's hard to get red GA dirt out of clothing, but it can be done,
--my children wake much easier at the hands (or voice) of a cousin, than they do for me,
--Chace really does get car sick, even with his head hanging out the window.

And I'm sure there was more but that's all I can remember right now.

Chace's Grand Prix

This is the, 'you spelled my name wrong' face.