Christmas at Fort Loudoun

We had a great time...it was FREEZING...but they had little fires all over so we kept warming up and then going back out for more fun.

Our little elves

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Keegan is Here!

One more post...then I'm done.

I go through spurts....right now photography has died down so I'm actually able to blog about my family. I love this time of year. We made some ornaments this year and the boys loved it...not to mention that our house still smells like cinnamon...I love it!

Christmas Tree!

I couldn't wait to go get our Christmas tree this year. We went Friday to a tree farm in Greenback. It was a little disappointing...the boys were all excited to help Chad cut one down...but the guy came over and cut it down with a chainsaw in a matter ofa couple of seconds. Oh well....they still had fun running around and pickig it out!

Sequoyah Museum

Since we were learning about the indians for Thanksgiving...we thought we'd go down to the Sequoyah Birthplace Museum with our friends. It was pretty fun. We had a great Thanksgiving with all of our family too. It's been fun teaching Ethan about Thanksgiving...and I've been learnig a little myself too! :o)

Sunset

I put my poor family through so much! It was freezing. Luke was freaking out because he's terrified of anything small flying around him (ever since the yellow jacket attack). But, they let me get my sunset pics anyways. :o)

I love Fall!

Fall is my favorite season. Today we went and bought a couple of pumpkins to make a pumpkin scarecrow. This year Ethan really got into it. He helped clean out the pumpkin that was to be the head so we could roast some seeds. He did a great job. Luke was more interested in seeing how he could best destroy it when we were done.

John Deere Green

Ethan rode around with Chad in his spiderman underwear. When Chad was done Ethan got up, kicked his feet up and relaxed!

Peekaboo!

Ron Paul's Press Conference Today...please watch!

My New Favorite Picture

I got this picture today of Ethan...he hardly ever takes a nap anymore. But, today he fell right to sleep. He just looked so sweet...and look at those eyelashes! He seems so grown up lately and I just love how "little" he looks here.....

MUD....a little boy's dream come true

Jr. Ranger Ethan

Ethan is officially a Jr. Ranger. He was "sworn in" on Sat. after our last program for the summer. They found all kinds of cool stuff in the stream...salamanders, craw dads, water bugs, frogs, etc. We all learned a lot. Then we had a picinic and walked up to the Walker Sisters Cabin. We learned some stuff up there from a nice lady. She told us that they used to paper their walls with flour paste and newspapers. I would've never noticed the newpaper on the walls if she hadn't pointed it out. It was great day!

Junior Ranger Program

Today we went to the Little Greebriar School for the jr. ranger program. It was really neat. "ms. robin" was raised by one of the walker sisters and had a cool presentation about the school. She was very knowledgeable. Before that we went on a little walk behind the school where Ethan saved my life. I stepped off the trail to get a pic of spider web and he started yelling "snake!". I looked down and a snake was about 12 inches from my foot. I've been told it was a copperhead. Afterwards we went to walk up to the walker sisters cabin but were told that a bear was on the trail headed our way so we turned around. We still had a lot of fun.

The Revolution Has Only Begun

Just for fun

The boys and I found some new spots for taking pics yesterday. They were good sports....of course, they had to be bribed!

Baby Ryan turns one month old

Little Ryan is now one month old. He is the sweetest and cutest baby. Ethan and Luke just love him. Ethan wants to hold him so bad. He would just sit there with him as long as you would let him. Now, everywhere we go that there are babies he is just dying to hold them. It's so sweet. Here are Ryan's one month pics.

Potty Training Victory!!!!

I've never been so excited about my child going poop! Sorry if this is too much info...but, we've been potty training for about 2 weeks now...it's gone pretty well. But, going #2 in the potty is always a big hurdle. Well, I was just blow drying my hair when Luke came in with no pants on. He ran into the bathroom and was pointing at the potty. He had gone poop all on his own! I just can't believe it. Well...I'm sure no one is as excited as I am...but, just had to share!

Independence Day

We spent the day yesterday up at Metcalf Bottoms. It was my first time going there. It was so pretty. The boys had fun playing in the river. After our two picinics with family we drove up to the Little Greenbriar Schoolhouse. It was really neat. We walked around in the woods for a little while. We came home and the boys were exhausted. We didn't see any fireworks at all but it didn't matter. We had such a great time. Here are a few pics.....

My little bakers

Today has been a nice day. We've stayed home and played, read, sang, and baked bread. The boys wanted to help so bad so I just stopped worrying about what a mess there was going to be and let them help. I'm glad I did...they had so much fun!

Mud pies and bubbles

YEE HAW!!!

Ethan dressed up like a "bad cowboy" today. I caught a couple of pics and thought I'd share.

Junk Yard

We went to an auction last night with Christy and Justin....Luke got squirmy so I took him out for a walk. I just had to grab my camera. It was the perfect place for pictures!

Ryan Gage

My new little nephew arrived yesterday. He's so cute. Him and Mommy are both doing great!

Bears!!!

Sunday night we went up to Cades Cove. It was so much fun. We saw four bears and were those "idiots" you see getting way too close! We saw lots of deer and turkeys of course. The boys got to pet and feed a horse. Also, we saw a cicada shedding it's shell...it was pretty gross....but, also kind of cool.

Strawberry Pickin!

Camping at Santeetlah Lake

We had so much fun! We went to Santeetlah Lake in NC and stayed in a little cabin/bunkhouse. The boys had a blast fishing, swimming, and just enjoying the great outdoors. It was beautiful there and so nice to have quality family time together. Ethan got a weird rash from watermelon juice, the boys both got lots of boo boos, and of course I took way too many pictures. I hope you enjoy them.

Eddie the Caterpillar

Tonight Ethan found this caterpillar and named him "eddie". He was funny...he played a little joke on us and acted like he was going to eat him!

Check-ups

We went to the Pediatrician for the boys' well visits. Ethan is in the 80th percentile for height and Luke was in the 40th. Ethan was talking up a storm and spelling words for the dr. and Luke was referred to a speech therapist! :o) It's crazy how different the boys are. Anyways...she said they are both very healthy little boys.

Dogwoods and Little Boys

We went over to Papa's house and took some pics with the dogwoods and my new thrift store chair.

Ethan's Soccer Game

Today was Ethan's second soccer game. He's not really into it....he actually has a melt down after playing for a few minutes. I think it's going to be a good learning experience for him. Today was a LITTLE better than last time...but, not much. At least he's not the only kid that randomly lays down in the middle of the field, hangs from the top of the goal, or stands on thier head! It's pretty fun to watch.

Sunset

Chad let me go have some time to myself tonight. So...of course I took my camera and got some pictures of the sunset and some cabins and stuff on the way home.

Our Day

The boys are loving being outside. They were blowing the dandelions yesterday....Luke had a hard time doing it without eating them. Our eggs hatched. There are two baby birds in the nest. Then Ethan hit Luke with the baseball...of course he had lots to say about it.

Fishing Derby

Feeding the Ducks, Hopscotch, and Rock Climbing

It's been a rainy day but we managed to squeeze quite a bit into this morning. When is started to rain we headed over to the library and hung out for awhile before we checked some books out and made our way home. The boys seemed to enjoy it.

Daddy's Boys

These two wanted to be out there with Chad soooo bad. But, he was trying to get the lawned mowed before dark. They stood and watched him and yelled "Daaaaaaddddyyyyy!" over and over. And then Ethan started goofing off and dancing around. He's so funny. He likes to do these silly little dances lately...like out on the soccer field.

From Watching Daddy Mow the Grass

From Watching Daddy Mow the Grass

From Watching Daddy Mow the Grass

Adventure to a new place

We went to Fort Kid today for the first time. It was so much fun! We can't wait to go back with the boys' little buddies. We also found an old train depot that was pretty cool.

Our little soccer player

Ethan is having so much fun at soccer practice...granted he's not actually paying too much attention to the soccer part of it...but, he's still having fun. He spends most of the time on the field in song and dance or wooing the girls. It's pretty funny to watch. Who knows if soccer will ever be his thing...but, he's for sure not too serious about it at this point...which is totally fine seeing as he's four years old!

Sickness

Ethan is finally over this virus but Luke is really struggling with it..the poor thing is just miserable. We won't all be able to go to church tomorrow because he's just too sick. I don't know if we've ever been to church on Easter since the kids were born. They always seem to be sick on Easter. Anyways...hopefully he will start to get better.

Sam Houston Schoolhouse

We went for awhile the other day. It was nice and quiet. The boys just ran around throwing stick in the water and trampling all the flowers! IT was nice!

Soccer

Ethan had his first Soccer practice Tuesday night. It was interesting. Ethan's personality came shining through! He was eloquently elaborating on the game of soccer for the coaches. He was more interested in telling them what he knew than listening to what they knew! It will be a great teaching opportunity. He was also a little clown out on the field. During devotions he had one little girl cracking up the whole time. The poor coach is a very soft spoken older man. Anyways...I'm sure we'll have lots more stories as the season goes on!

Another Egg!

Today I went out to retake the pictures of the egg becuase they weren't that great and to my surprise there was another one!

Signs of Spring

Today I got to take some pics of the blooms on the pear tree in our front yard...I discovered a nest with an egg in it along the way. It was nice. Ethan has been really sick since Friday. The poor thing is miserable. Hopefully we'll see the end of it soon.

Snowy Creek

Saturday was so pretty out here. It snowed all morning. Here area few pics of the snow.

Birthday Party

We had Ethan's Bday party Saturday at JumpZone. He had a blast. He has so many cute little friends and I think they all had fun. He got lots of cool toys. It was a great party!

Ethan is Growing up!

Ethan turned 4 years old yesterday....it's so hard to believe! He seems to be growing up so fast. He has started saying that he wants his own car and his own house and than he wants to be a daddy just like his dadday. Then he'll say, "Mama...it's taking TOO LONG for me to grow up!". He's so funny. He's really turning into a neat kid. He loves being a big brother...for the most part. We went today and let him pick out a bike for his birthday. He was so excited! His favorite part is "the cup holding thing that's a cup holder that holds a water bottle". He also thinks the brake on the handle bars is pretty awesome. Of course...he got a Spiderman helmet to top it all off. I just love him so much. I think I might end up being one of those overbearing mother in laws someday that just can't let their little boy go....I know....he's only 4....but, it's going by SO FAST!!! Okay...enough of that...here are some pics of him and his new bike.

Mater?

Luke

Bubble Bath Time!!!

Practicing Photography

A couple of friends and I went to Cade's Cove Saturday morning to practice some stuff we've been learning...we thought it'd be good to give our families a break from having the camera in their faces...it was a lot of fun!

Fun at the park

Don't eat yellow snow!

We finally got a "good" snow. The boys went out for a little while and had fun. Ethan had his mouth wide open and his tongue out almost the entire time trying to eat snowflakes. Luke didn't like that the snow kept flying in his face. While he was running around he kept waving his hands around and kept trying to dodge the snowflakes. It was soooo pretty!

Blustery Day!

It was so windy today but it was actually warm enough to play outside. They boys had fun!

Just a funny picture for the day!

Sunrise

This morning was a beautiful sunrise. Sometimes we get frustrated living here because of neighbors and stuff....but, this morning reminded me how blessed we are and what a beautiful view we have.

Luke and Mama at the Park

Piano Lessons

Free At Last

Thank You! Thank You ! Thank You!

Just wanted to say thanks to everyone who has prayed for and supported us. Chad said the other day that one good thing that came out of this was realizing how many people really care about you. It has been mind blowing what people are willing to sacrifice to help us out. Thank you and God bless!

Update

We are doing good. It seems like the medicine is going to help Chad. The seizures are not nearly as often as they were. We are just adjusting to the changes that this all brings with it.
The boys are as wild as ever. I think being cooped up is getting to them. I took them to Chik-fil-a today and let them run around with some other kids. I think it helped them get out some of that engery! Other than that nothing is new. Thanks to everyone for the prayers and support!

Home at Last

Chad was discharged from the hospital today. From the EEG results they determined for sure that he has epilepsy. We are just glad that the medicine is going to help keep it under control.
We had a crazy week. My grandparents were up from Florida and I only got to spend a little bit of time with them. But it was really good to see them. It feels so good to be home!

We have officially moved into UT Hospital!

Just a quick update while I'm at home letting the boys get a nap in thier own beds....Chad is okay...he's still in the hospital and they're going to keep him another night. They've stopped the seizure meds since he responded well to them...they need him to actually have the seizures while they are doing the EEG...whatever that is?? He's holding up, but definitly ready to come home. We are happy that he responded well to the meds! That is great news. We really appreciate all of your prayers and support!

Prayer Request

Last night Chad was taken by ambulance to the E.R. He had a very bad siezure at about 9 pm. He had been having some "episodes" and had a dr. appt. for tomorrow. We didn't know until last night that those "episodes" were also siezures. He is doing okay. He has had a few more small siezures today, but they put him on a medication and he will go next week for some more tests and to see a neurologist. They did diagnose him with epilepsy. It's all so scary. Knowing, that it can happen at any time. But, I'm so thankful that things worked out the way they did last night. I had just dropped Ethan off at my mom's house and got home twenty minutes before it all happened. Please pray for healing and for peace. It's not only scary, but, it's going to take a lot of adjusting. I don't want to leave him alone right now and he can't drive at all. People have been so generous. Justin has offered to take him to work every morning so I don't have to get the boys up. That is going to be a huge help. So, anyways, I'm just asking for your prayers. I know that God can heal Chad. Thanks in advance for all your prayers!