Cades Cove Picnic

We had a relaxing day yesterday afternoon in Cades Cove. We spent several hours just enjoying the scenery and watching the kids play in the streams. We grilled brats and had some mouth-watering watermelon. It was a really pretty day! When we got home, I hi-lited Savannah's hair. Thankfully, she really likes it!

Conley and Savannah are almost through with this school year! They've been very busy this spring with sports. Conley finished basketball in March and went right into baseball. Savannah is finishing up with tennis and has started volleyball practice already. They will have some practices during the summer. Savannah will also be taking some art classes this summer. They are really looking forward to going to Florida to stay with my parents for a couple weeks. Then Grandma will bring them home to us and stay with us a few weeks. Conley recently was Orville Wright for his class play. It was about famous Americans. Enjoy the various photos!

Spring Break in Florida

We got home Friday night from our trip to Florida. We got to spend a lot of quality time with my family! The week went by so quickly, though! Gregg was able to be with us for a long Easter weekend, but had to return home to get back to work. The kids and I stayed the whole week. We went to my Aunt Karen and Uncle Donnie's home on Saturday for a family party. It was great to see everyone there! Sunday, we went to church with Becca (at West Milton- where we grew up attending) and were able to see so many people I hadn't seen in forever! Then we had a huge Easter dinner and hung out with the family. Later that day, we did some family photos. We actually had everyone in the immediate family there so we couldn't pass up that chance! During the week, we visited with my grandmother in the nursing home, spent the night with Becca and the girls, saw the Blue Angels fly at NAS, went to the beach, and ate dinner at La Hacienda (the kids favorite restaurant in Pace). I took so many pictures- over 400! Hope you enjoy the ones I've uploaded!

This past weekend, Savannah and Gregg were in Gatlinburg for Winterfest. Around 12.000 Christian teens and chaperones gathered to enjoy a weekend of praise and worship. Our group had 3 baptisms as a result. Gregg and Savannah both were worn out from a lack of sleep, but they had a great time! Conley and I had a fun and relaxing weekend. We went to dinner on Friday night then had his basketball game on Saturday and rented some movies. We woke up Sunday morning to a couple inches of snow. Conley wanted so bad to get out there and sled, but by the time we came home from church it had melted. You may remember recently that Savannah won a motto contest for the local rotary club. Her motto "Gorgeous Views, Great People" would be on the new "Welcome to Seymour" sign. They had the unveiling of the new sign on Monday. She made the front page of our local newspaper the next day. Here are some photos.

Conley Is Enjoying Basketball and Savannah Won Another Essay Contest

Conley has had two basketball games. They lost their first game by only 2 points and won the second game. He sure likes to play! I'm posting pictures from both games. Savannah won another essay contest. This one was about Martin Luther King and was judged by Judge Dwight Stokes in Sevier County. We obviously have a talented writer in the family! She was one of several winners. The contest included both essay writing and poster contests. We had snow today and the kids got to play a bit on their sleds. They have canceled school for tomorrow due to snow and ice conditions. Needless to say, the kids were thrilled!

Savannah's Birthday Party

I'm finally sitting down to post pictures from Savannah's birthday party. She had a few friends from school over for a slumber party. They made homemade pizzas, had chocolate cupcakes, did a craft, watched a movie, and stayed up till 3:30 am talking! The typical teenage girl stuff! The following day was cool, but sunny, so they enjoyed jumping on the tramoline and being outside! Savannah's been waiting awhile for me to post these so she can show her friends! I'll post more soon because Conley had his first basketball game this past Saturday.

Savannah's Birthday and Christmas

It's always a busy time right at Christmas! We had quite a few parties to attend, Savannah's birthday to celebrate, and Christmas to enjoy. Our Christmas week began by eating lunch after church with our minister and his family. Then later that evening we took Savannah for her traditional birthday outing to The Melting Pot. Tuesday was our baby girl's 13th birthday! Can't believe how she's growing up! I guess I rid myself of the tears before her actual b-day because I didn't shed a tear that day. She and I went through her baby book together and laughed alot! She got the biggest kick out of one thing she read- when her baby brother was brought home from the hospital, she called him "Mr. Syrup". When I asked her why she called him that she replied, "Cause he's so sweet!". AAHHH! And they STILL get along great! Well- most of the time! But she sure doesn't think of him as Mr. Syrup anymore! HA! She requested chicken penne for dinner with a cookie cake for dessert. She loved all her b-day gifts. Christmas Eve was spent hanging out together. I was busy all day- doing laundry, bathing the dog, baking and cooking ahead for Christmas day. Conley woke us up at 6 am Christmas morning! That was a long day! They were thrilled with every gift- and every gift was open by 7:30 am! It was a very mild day so they spent it outside shooting Conley's bow and arrows and pellet gun. Savannah loved his bow and arrow set so much she had Gregg take her to Bass Pro to get herself one with some gift money yesterday! The kids have decided to pool their money to purchase a WII system. They are just waiting for the stores to restock since everyone sold out. We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Love you all!