Happy New Year!

I guess this is a day to reflect on the past year and look forward to the one ahead. We have been very fortunate this year. We have had lots of time to spend with both families and enjoyed time just with ourselves. I am very lucky to have a husband who works so that I can stay at home and be available for Jessica. We have 3 sons who add alot to our lives, even though we don't see them enough and then we are blessed with Jessica. She is definately the "light of our lives." She brightens everyone's life that she touches. Some days her light is brighter than others but it is always shining. Times when I think I might have reached the end of my rope, she will climb up in my lap and give me a big smile and her "I'm not going to let go" hug.

We have been surrounded with family and friends who enrich our lives everyday. We are also blessed to have a church family that loves and supports us through good times and bad.

2007 has been a good year for us, as no one has been seriously ill and we pray that will continue into 2008. As this year ends tonight and you reflect on your blessings, try to take some time and thank someone who has been special to you that maybe you have forgotten to thank. It will help them and you start off 2008 feeling good.

From our house to yours---HAPPY NEW YEAR! May 2008 be a terrific year for you!

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Christmas With the Boys!

In all the excitement of trying to recap our Christmas Eve and Day, I forgot to tell about our day with the boys. On Sunday, Landon (and his girl friend), Nathan (and his "future wife") and Jordan were all at the house for our Christmas with them. We were all in Gatlinburg last year so this year on Christmas Day they were in Tallahassee with their Mom. They came up after church on Sunday and spent the day. It was really nice to have them all together because that is very rare! Nathan and Heather are getting married on November 8, 2008, at least that is their plan now. She is really a sweet girl and we think they are really cute together. Landon and Brooke have been dating for several months and seem to get along really well. Jordan is trying to finish up at Faulkner-with no real steady at the moment. Jessica was, as usual, the center of attention as each one of the boys wants her to come over and see them. She really likes them all being around-and so do we. I just wish it could happen more often!

Christmas At Our House-2007

Is It Over???

Is it just me...or does it seem like Christmas comes and goes quickly? I mean, all the planning what to buy-so everyone will be happy; wrapping it up-so your tree looks so pretty-if you can keep the kids out of them; then getting EVERYTHING ready for Santa's visit. Then, Christmas morning, in a matter of minutes-IT'S OVER!!! Don't get me wrong, I am ready for it to be done-it's just kind of depressing. Seems like with all that work, we (especially Moms) should be able to enjoy the moment alittle longer--at least before we have to get up and start dinner!!!!

Oh well...we had a great Christmas. We went to my Mom and Dad's on Christmas Eve and had dinner with them and Karen and Ervin and all THREE of her kids. It is kind of hard these days to get all 3 of them in the same place. It was nice-we are celebrating Christmas with them and Don and his family the 1st week-end in January. So it is not over for us...just prolonged! We are looking forward to seeing the out of town fam
ily and getting to spend time together.

Christmas morning, Jessica woke up around 4:45. I assured her that it was TOO early for Santa so she went back to sleep until around 7. She loved her stocking but was a bit confused with the tree. Since Thanksgiving, we have been telling her to leave the tree alone and "don't bother the presents". Then Christmas morning-everything changed! She finally sat down with Kenny and checked everything out.

After tearing into everything, we walked across the street to Kenny's Mom and Dad's for breakfast. Then we came home and cleaned up and went back across the street for lunch! It was a small group at the Holtons this year, we only had 10 for lunch-Jessica was asleep. Toni, Chris and Abbe came down from Atlanta and Jeff and Christal came out from Valdosta, Kenny's mom and dad, Heather (Kenny's neice) and us. It was a great dinner and then we opened gifts. Everyone was happy and I am sure, we all got more than we deserved and certainly more than we needed!

Kenny's brother from Nebraska and his family are coming in tonight. It will be nice to see them. They are staying until New Years Day.

Hope everyone had a great Christmas-got tons of "toys", had plenty of food and got to spend ample time with family and friends!

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!!!!!

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All Clear From the Dr.

Jessica had a follow up appointment at the Dr this morning. She got a good report. The Dr. said it was probably just bateria that "attacked" her system while she was trying to catch a cold. She is back at school and we are planning on going to see Samantha play basketball this afternoon. After 2 years of HATING the games, this year she love it! All the music and activity just gets her more and more excited! I am glad since Samantha is a junior this year and only has these last 2 years. Hope you all have a great week-end.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

MERRY WHAT???????

Well, for us "black Friday" turned into a "black couple of weeks"! I did make it through shopping on the Friday after Thanksgiving but did not buy much, except clothes for Jessica-who was the one that I really didn't need to buy for! Karen's girls went with us and they were ready to come home by 11 AM. Needless to say, we didn't get a whole lot of bargains. Since then I have gotten most of my shopping done. I am shooting to be finished when Jess get out of school next Thursday! I hope most everything will be done-except I always enjoy going and getting last minute things, You know the things that no one needs but you think would be sooo cute for them!

Between the shopping we have had our group from church over for lunch and had to replace our washing machine!!! Don't you just love to spend your Christmas money on a washing machine?!?! I did upgrade to a front loader which so far I am really enjoying. Hope our electric bill refects the savings that everyone says we should have!But it is fun to watch your clothes wash--I am easily entertained!!!!

Yesterday, they called me from Jessica's school and said she was shaking like she was having a hard chill but no fever! I picked her up and took her straight to the Dr. We were all afraid that it might be a seizure but it really didn't seem like one to anyone ( school nurse, teacher, asst. principal, or me). The Dr. sent us to get a full range of blood work done and then bakc to her office at 2. Finally decided on a bacterial infection somewhere. So we got 2 shots and a perscription. She seem to be better today but I kept her home since we have a follow-up at the Dr. in the AM at 8:45. Just let me say that with the shakes and the bacteria-it still has not slowed her down.

We're not finished yet...this morning our AC sstarted leaking and now the crew is out checking our unit. When it rains...it pours!

Though all of that our "stocking are hung" and our "halls are decked" so it is "beginning to look alot like Christmas" around our home. Hope all of you are enjoying the season and looking forward to spending time with your family and friends-we sure are!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hope everyone had a nice Turkey-Day. Ours started as most of Kenny's days off-a major project! He decided to tackle putting new shelves in Jessica's closet. We had so much, I'll say stuff-Kenny says JUNK, in her closet to take out before he could even begin. Then after 2 1/2 hours he was finished. It does look alot better and gives her tons of more room-but then there was the clean-up!! What to throw away, what to put in the attic (with all the other junk) and what to keep! We finally finished and fortunately I didn't burn the corn or the sweet potatoes!

We headed over to Kenny's Mom and Dad's around 1 and had dinner and then just visited until time for left-over. I have to say that I think the left-overs are my favorite part-not near as much to clean up!

Jessica and I had spent Wed. at Mom and Dad's. We had breakfast with them and Karen and Ervin and then helped Mom get her Christmas Decorations up. Today (Black Friday), Jessica and are heading to Tallahassee with Mom, Karen and her girls. I told the girls the only way that Jess and I would go is if they would help with her. Of course, they are probably better with her then me, so that was no problem.

We did get some exciting news yesterday-Sean and Jessica, Kenny's younger brother's son and wife, are expecting. She is due June 5, feeling good and they are both so excited!!!!!!! They are going to be great parents and Jeff is pretty excited about being a Granpa!

Guess I better get Jess in the car and head toward Tallahassee (it's 6:30 am). Hope you all had a great day yesterday and find whatever you are looking for today. Unless your like me and you just go for the fun of it!

Busy Week

Well, needless to say, since I have not updated in awhile-you can guess how our week has been. We have had birthdays after birthdays-Jamie's, Jordan's, mine and Ervin's. Kenny's nephew, who is living in Africa, and his wife had a little girl on the 6th. Mom and baby seem to be fine and Dad and her 2 brothers are doing OK, too. If you notice in the pictures, we had Thanksgiving Dinner at school with Jessica and her class on the 8th. They had the room decorated cute-table cloths with all the kids hand prints made into turkeys and paper bag turkeys the centerpieces. We really had a good time. She is really enjoying her new school and we really like her teachers.
Kenny's sister, Toni, is in the process of trying to move down here inthe next year. His Dad had the lot next door to us cleared and so they were trying to burn the HUGE roots that had been pulled up. Friday morning, we woke up to a fire truck on the lot-the fire had blazed during the night and some of the ambers had caught the pine straw on fire! So all week-end, we were trying to keep the fire under control. Kenny and his Dad spent about 2 hours Friday night trying to wet everything down so it wouldn't burn during the night again. Kenny and I tried to sleep but we both took turns getting up during the night to be sure it wasn't coming toward our house!!!
Several of the pictures in the slide show are just snaps of Jess. My favorites are the ones of her trying to "swim" in the little water feature we have out front. She stuck her head in and them started splashing around. Guess she is going to miss the pool this winter! All for now-have a good week!

I'm Learning

One day I will be able to get my pictures on with the tags that are suppose to go with them. You can see in the slideshow that Jess wasn't as in to making the cupcakes as she was licking the spoon. Thanks to Laurie for trying to talk me through some of the details of getting the slideshow to the blog! I have some great nieces and a nephew that I never dreamed would be more fun as they grew up than they were when they were younger. They have really been special in my life and I love them all!

Happy Halloween

PICTURES

I finally got the pictures up, I just tried 2 maybe I do more later. I need to figure out how to make it a slide show!

TRUNK-OR-TREAT

We had a great time Saturday night at our Halloween party. There were around 150 people at the McMullen's clubhouse. We had games set up outside for the kids to play, hot dogs and all the trimmings for dinner, a haunted house for the older kids and trunk-or-treating for everyone! It was really fun and Jessica really seemed to have a good time.

Sunday at lunch we met the Sloans and Mom and Dad for lunch. Mom and Dad left Monday morning for a few weeks in the Phillipians. This is their 3 trip, I think, and they really seem to enjoy it. They work hard, since it is a mission trip but it seems to be very rewarding for them.

I am going to try and include pictures of Saturday night. HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO EVERYONE!!!!

I NEED HELP!!

Good Grief! I never thought getting a blog set up would take so long...of course I am as close to a computer dummy as you get! Laurie has been telling me just to do it, that is what she did-but her's looks way better than mine!

Jessica has started school this fall in Valdosta. She had been going to Quitman but since we moved, I was having to take her back and forth. She really likes it and has a great teacher! Last week-end she was "ill" and so I doctored her and after no results, I took her to the Dr. on Monday. She had 2 ruptured eardrums. It it sounds painful-it was, but she didn't fuss alot and probably not as much as I would have! After a week of ear drops and Augmentin, I think she is on the road to recovery!

We are having our church Halloween get together tonight, so Jess and I have been making cupcakes!!! That was alot of fun!

Most of you know that Kenny and his Dad and brother build houses. They have 2 being built down the road from us and hopefully 1 is SOLD!!!!! The only thing better will be when #2 is finished and sold!!

If you are reading this and don't know us, let me tell you about our lives. Kenny and I have been married for 9 years. We have a 6 year old daughter who is the center of our lives ( and just about everyone who knows her!) She was born on 1/11/01 and has Down Syndrome. We did not know it before she was born and after the shock---she has been our little angel!!!

Guess I better close now-Jess is ready for some lunch!