Kenny and Ginny Christmas morning-before anyone else was awake!
Kyle and Jordan in "deep" conversation!
Jess and her Aunt Becky
Uncle Kenny and 2 sweet great neices
Nathan checking out his cash on Christmas morning
Jess and her BABY cousins
These are just a few of the pictures we took during our Christmas and our time with the Holton clan. Hope you all had a great Christmas. We are going to try and finish ours this week-end as the Walkers all begin to gather in Quitman and Valdosta.
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We are getting ready for a full week-end with the Holtons and next week-end with the Walkers, so again we will be partying for a full week! Hope you all have a great holiday. We all have so many things to be thankful for, no matter what Santa might "forget"! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!
Please remember the Armstrong family in your prayers this week-end. Mike lost his battle with cancer. The funeral will be Saturday and the visitation is Friday night.
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Yesterday was Kenny's birthday! It just happened to come in the middle of all the confusion of a Tour of Homes and Samantha and Austin's basketball games, so needless to say-not alot of celebrating! We did eat dinner with his Mom and Dad before Samantha's game and arrived at the gym just in time to hear her name announced!! Kenny is a great husband and daddy! He always seems to find a way to get us just about anything we want! I was very lucky to find him-and by the way-I did take him out to Red Lobster today for lunch!
Happy Birthday, Kenny!!! I Love You!
In all the hustle and bustle of trying to get everything ready for our Tour of Homes today-last night there was the sweetest tap at our door. Kenny answered it and there was Sara Jackson and her precious kids! They were delivering Christmas goodies and we were lucky to be on their route! I think it is so great that every year Sara takes the time to cook and deliver goodies WITH her kids, when there was just one and now with 4! What a great tradition, Sara and thanks for including us!!! Merry Christmas!
Well, actually, my stocking are still in the attic...but everything else is probably just like it is going to stay! I have been working all morning getting ready for our Ladies Bible Class Tour of Homes tomorrow, while Nikki was cleaning my house. OK, OK...I do have a girl come in twice a month and clean really good for me. It gives me a chance to have EVERYTHING clean at once, no cleaning out drawers or going through magazines that usually slows me down and then I never get finished! OH, well, as long as I can work a day or two and afford it, I love it!!!!
Meanwhile, tomorrow is the Tour of Homes AND Kenny's birthday! With a ballgame tomorrow night and shopping to do Wed and Thurs. and Jessica's Christmas party at school on Friday-that about wraps up my week!! Can you believe that Christmas is a week from Thursday!! And here the weather is not cooperating! It is suppose to be 75-80 most of this week! So much for wearing Christmas sweaters!
Dad is having catarac (sp?) surgery today in Chattanooga so hopefully soon we will hear that everything went well and they will be home tomorrow.
Hope you all have a great week and try to enjoy...remember what they say,"It's the most wonderful time of the year!"
These are a few of my favorite holiday shots, so far...I am sure there will be MANY more!!!
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Actually she looks like, "What am I doing in this strange man's lap??Sorry some of these pictures are a little blurry. I couldn't figure out what setting to use to get the lights and the faces without blurring. Maybe if Terri Lee see this she could offer up some advise, seems like she is becoming quite the pro!
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I am going to go ahead and post this even though I was waiting on pictures. Kenny has "borrowed" my cord to my computer and I can't get them off my camera. I will try and post some pictures tonight! Have a good week-
Oh, my! Where is the time going? I promise, it seems like just yesterday school started and now it's Christmas!
The last day of school for Jess before Thanksgiving was very busy. They went bowling and then during the afternoon I went over and we made Thanksgiving cookies. They were Pilgrim hats that I got off of Melissa Lester's blog and they were so cute! The kids loved making them but ate them as fast as we could get them put together! We were trying to let them take at least 2 home, but I'm not sure that all got home with them!
Jessica was out of school all week Thanksgiving week so Sunday after church, Samantha, Jess and I too off for Tennessee! I had not seen any of my family there in years so I just decided to go. Kenny had class and a WHOLE LOT of work so he stayed home. We had a good trip and spent the night at Dad's sister's house. It was so good to see "Kankie" (that is what all of her nieces and nephews call her) and she just loved being able to see Jessica. It was rainy and cold all day Monday so Jess and I didn't even get out of our PJ's until 4 pm and only then because we were going out to Opryland Hotel to see the Christmas lights. It was really a nice day just to relax and get to visit!
Mom and Dad arrived in Nashville around 6 pm and Samantha, Jessica and I took off with them to Opryland. It was beautiful and Jess was amazed by all the lights. I am hoping that next year we can go and take Kenny. Karen, Ervin, Kristen and Walker all came up Wed. morning and were all going to be in TN for Thursday.
On Tues. morning, Jess and I got up and headed home. We didn't get to visit with Aunt Mary or Maribeth and did get to meet Holli but I hope we will be able to go back soon. Now that Kenny realizes that I AM capable of making the trip with just me and Jessica, maybe we can go on a long week-end even.
We returned home to Thanksgiving preparations well underway! Kenny's mom was getting everything ready and I had made my sweet potatoes before I left and put them in the freezer! Toni, Chris and Abbe came down from Atlanta and Jeff and Christal came out so we had around 12 for dinner. It was really good and as always-we ate TOOO much!
Jordan came in during the afternoon and stayed until Sunday and Nathan and Heather came by on Saturday on their way back to Savannah. It was nice to get to them but we missed Landon not being able to come.
Holidays are such a special time and my only regret is that so often we spend so much time getting things ready that we don't have time to really visit. I am looking forward to Christmas because alot of Kenny's family will be around that we have not seen in awhile-but let me go ahead and prepare you for the post-it will be a ZOO! We are going to have 8 kids, all under 7!!! It will be fun Christmas but what do you do with all of them before and after the gifts are opened??
Have a good week-
Please remember Amanda and Ryan Lee in your prayers as their son, Jack, went to heaven this morning around 7. Baby Jack has put up a valiant fight and we all know that he is with God now, but for those of us left-it's going to be hard! To the Lee and Fiveash families-you are in my thoughts and prayers! Love you all!!!
Well, it's finally over...the much anticipated 50th birthday bash! We celebrated on Saturday at Kenny's mom and dad's house with Jordan and our families. Karen, Ervin and Samantha came over and Toni and Abbe came down from Atlanta. Kerry was here and Jeff, Christal and Austin came out to help celebrate! Jordan and I have shared our birthdays for the last 10 years and I can't think of anyone better to share with. We had a "dual" cake this year that was very creative and very good! The gifts and card were enjoyable and most of mine were very 50ish! We had a good time and as soon as the party was over, the men took off for our house to our house to watch OU play football! Most of the ladies stayed at the Holton's and just enjoyed visiting. We missed everyone who couldn't come but truly appreciate all the "well-wishes"...you know I really need them now that I have joined that 50's club!!!
It's funny though because I really don't feel like I am 50. Maybe it is because I am still having to chase a 7 year old around-someone said maybe that is the advantage of having kids later-no time to get old! I must admit that I do have a few sore muscles and joints that ache , but that is not something that just hit me at 50! So I guess all I have to look forward to now is getting old enough to get that ever popular Sr. Citizens Discount!!!
I'll try to post pictures later!
Today is Jordan's 23 birthday! He came home last night and is planning on spending the week-end! It is always nice to have him home! It is hard to believe that he was 12 when Kenny and I got married. He lived with us until he went off to school so I feel like he is part mine, anyway! He has "fit" into the Walker family so well and all the cousins love him, too! I hope that he will be able to graduate from Faulkner in the next year and find a job that he will enjoy-maybe with today's ecomony, I need to just hope he finds a job-period!
He is a great young man and deserves much happiness in his life! I love you, Jordan!
HAPPY BIRHTDAY!!!!
Happy birthday, Jamie! Sorry we can't spend our "big days" together! Hope you have a great day! Make Don take you somewhere besides Cracker Barrel!!! Love ya-
Well, we finished "trick-or-treating" and I have to say-Jess seemed to enjoy it this year! She didn't even fuss much with having to wear her wig! Hope everyone had a good time and I am looking forward to seeing lots of pictures on other blogs. Hey, La, Lo and Le-Tucker came to our house!! Happy Halloween-
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On Monday night, Mom, Dad, Karen, Ervin, Kristen and Samantha all came over for dinner. The girls had bought pumpkins to carve and Jessica dressed up in her costume for all to see. Mom and Dad left yesterday for the Phillippians so we wanted them to get to see her. We had enchilladas, beans and salad and a Blackberry cobbler for dessert! Not a very exotic dinner but everyone seemed to enjoy! After dinner it was too cold for Jess to join in the carving but Kristen and Samantha had a great time and did some super jack-o-lanterns. They left them for us to enjoy throughout the week-THANKS,Girls!
I heard from Beverly earlier and she said Avie is out of surgery and that Audrey and Donald were in the room with her but she was still sleeping. Please keep her and Audrey and Donald in your prayers. I am sure she or Amy will post when they know more!
Well, I have more than a week to catch up on so let me begin with Jessica's Basketball day. They had 3 events that they did and on the last one they had to throw the ball against a wall. Hitting it in the "taped off" square, got ya one point and catching it when it bounced back got ya another! We did pretty good the first 2 times but the 3rd time it bounced back and hit her in the face...she was through with basketball!!! I hope by the time Samantha starts playing she will be able to look at the ball without being terrified!!! She had another good day and as in all Special Olympics...we are all winners! That was on Thursday, Oct. 16.
On Friday, Kenny and I got up and took Jess over to Mom and Dad's and we took off for Gatlinburg! This was suppose to be a time for just Kenny's brothers, sisters and parents to have together-of course, spouses were invited, too! We got up there in time for dinner on Friday night and Toni (Kennny's sister) and her husband, Chris, were just behind us. Beth (younger sister) and Scott, her husband arrived on Saturday after lunch. Neither brother was able to make it, so we just enjoyed ourselves. We visited, played Wii, ate, shopped...shopped...shopped, anyway, you get the picture. We really had a good time. Beth and Scott had to leave on Mon and Chris had to leave, too. So for the rest of the week it was just Kenny, Toni, their parents and me. On Wed., Kenny and I met Mom and Dad in Chattanooga and picked up Jessica. She had been having some "bathroom" problems and not sleeping very well. Samantha and Kristen were suppose to keep her from Tues. night until we got home on Fri. After talking to Mom, we felt like they might not be able to handle all of that and keep up with school and work-so instead of us coming home, Mom and Dad were heading to TN so we just picked Jess up and took her to Gatlinburg! She really did well and I have to say I think EVERYONE was glad to see her!!! Thanks to Kenny's Mom and Dad for planning this week-we throughly enjoyed it! (I had forgotten how to eat, shop and even visit without having to watch for or take care of Jess. I love her but it was nice for a few days!!!)
We came home Friday and have been trying to "catch up" since then! Mom and Dad and Karen and her family are coming over tomorrow night for dinner. Mom and Dad are leaving Wed. morning for the Phillippians so I am going to dress Jess up in her Halloween costume!
Hopefully tomorrow I can get some pictures of the week posted! Have a good week!
Today we arrived at the bowling alley at 9:30. Opening ceremonies began around 10:00and then the real fun started. We had "practiced" on Friday using the ramp. Well, today we got there and found out we had to "roll" the balls ourselves. Why couldn't they have told us that on Friday, surely the people at the bowling alley knew that! Well, we survived and in fact we did very well! The kids all had so much fun. To watch a bowling alley full of special needs kids having such a good time was GREAT! They would all walk around talking to you, or in some cases, just smiling at you and it would just make you feel good all over! This was my first time to see the Special Olympics and I loved it! I would encourage everyone to find out when it is in your area and volunteer or at least go watch!!!! Suddenly where the stock market is doesn't really matter...there are so many things so much more important! If you have healthy children-thank God and if you are like me and have a child with special needs-thank God, too. We have all been so blessed and sometimes we just need to be thankful for the blessing that we have! Jessica has blessed our home in so many ways and I am thankful that I was able to be apart of her first Special Olympics today! We will be participating in Basketball on Thursday...that ought to be an experience, too!
Today Jessica's class went bowling. They were "practicing" for Special Olympics, which they will participate in on Tuesday. It was great fun! We are fortunate, again, to have such wonderful teachers. There were 6 kids so we had 3 on each lane. We only had one that tried to run down the lane and he was "caught" before he fell the 3rd time!:) This was the first time the most of them had been bowling and it took a few frames for them to stop looking around and realize that their ball was knocking down the pins! After 10 frames, I must say that they were not the only ones who were tired! Hope you enjoy the slide show and I will post about the Olympics on Tuesday!
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I may be a month late but let me tell you about my sister. She celebrated her 48 birthday on Sept. 5-exactly one month ago. To say that we have been through alot together doesn't even begin to tell the story. We "enjoyed" our childhood, I guess. We really didn't argue that much and even though I didn't always want her to go with me, it was easier to get out of the house if both of us were going-so off we would go. We were so excited when nieces started being born and I know we were responsible for spoiling those girls crazy!!!! When Karen had her first-born, Walker, needless to say, he was special---the first and only boy until Jordan joined the family! Let me correct that, he really wasn't any more special than the rest but he was a boy! Then came Kristen and Samantha and I know I must have driven Karen crazy because I was always buying them something or wanting her to do something for them, with me! But some how she put up with me...then came Jess-you know what they say about payback??!!!!
Samantha and her Papa and Nana...do they ever miss a game???
Kristen and Samantha-cute sisters!!!!
[PICTURE-Finding money from the tooth fairy!!!]
One more thing...while we were at the game we were sitting in the shade with a small group that included Audrey, Avie and Amelia-part of the time! So as Audrey and Avie were relaxing in the shade-Avie sat up by her self. Well, Audrey propped her but Avie "held her own". We got a picture of that, too. GOOD JOB, AVIE! And good luck in October with your surgery-We love you!!!!
Well, I think that about takes care of Saturday. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed getting to see ALL the exciting things that happened! We did miss Louise and Leigh being here-BECAUSE THEY DID SAY THEY WERE COMING!!!!!! But we will get over that in a few days! Hope you all had a good week-end. Maybe your football team is doing like Kenny's Sooners, of course we can't all be #1 like OU but don't you think the Vols could at least get an SEC win?????! But I have to say that Saturday was topped off by a great victory from OLE MISS!!!!
HO! HO! HO!-Steve!!!!!!!
Maybe Christmas is over EVERYWHERE!!!!!!
I always heard the older you get, the faster time goes by...I must be getting old! Ten years ago I met, fell in love and married Kenny. It is hard for me to believe that it has been 10 years. We have been through alot but most of our life together has been wonderful. Kenny is a great father-I knew that before Jessica by just watching him with his boys. He works hard so that we have everything that we need and more and so that I don't have to work full-time outside the house! Kenny is a great husband and friend, too. We enjoy spending time together and I can't imagine my life without him now!!!
Just alittle tired of taking pictures!!
Aunt Toni and Jess at the beach.
Jessica watching the sunset!
Thanks, Toni and Chris for a great week!
