The Bonds Family

Safe Families! We need them!

2011-09-05T09:51:00.000-07:00

Bethany Christian Services of Mississippi needs your help! Please watch the above You Tube video for more information. Then PLEASE CLICK HERE TO VOTE for Bethany. Pepsi is offering a $50,000 scholarship for the organization with the most votes. There are a lot of great causes out there to support, but the Safe Families program is greatly needed here in Mississippi. We need your help to keep families together when possible. From the bottom of my heart...Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

Real Competition!

2010-12-22T11:14:00.000-08:00

No Bonds' family get together would be complete without a little competition. Therefore, on Thanksgiving night Papa, Abby, and Andrew had a "who can hold their breath the longest contest".
Note to cheaters...

when you have allergies it's not a good idea to cheat and breathe through your nose because

we. can. hear. you. Andrew!

It's getting serious now!

and the winner is...

Abby!

Katie and the tea party!

2010-12-18T08:02:00.000-08:00

Katie loved attending the Nutcracker tea party with her Meme and a few of her favorite characters before watching her sister's dance on stage! Brelyn and Katie

The Nutcracker

2010-12-18T06:56:00.000-08:00

Mississippi Metropolitan Ballet had their annual Nutcracker performance a couple of weeks ago at Jackson Academy's new performing arts center, and it was quite a production! I never realized how much behind the scenes man power it took to pull off a performance. However, it was a LOT of fun! Abby and Anna Claire are looking forward to being a part of it again next year. Moving right along for the reason behind this blog post...pictures of our girls acting silly backstage.

Taylor and Abby are the best of friends. These two had a great time backstage at the Nutcracker. Taylor was a china doll and Abby was a mouse.

(Greg was not loving his girls in their stage make up. A little too much too soon!)

Anna Claire the Angel

(one day she'll finally grow those two front teeth. LOL!)

Katie's Stone Soup program and I'm behind on blogging!

2010-12-15T08:04:00.000-08:00

Katie was a stone soup cook in her class program this year. Perfect role for her!
Cooking the soup for the traveling soldiers.
singing from her house

How fast they grow!

2010-12-15T06:23:00.000-08:00

When did Abby grow from this...

to this...

Just a little barre work. Abby with her best friend, Taylor.

Kylie and Abby in sync on landing their pirouette's

and her curtsy...

(I think she's looking at her teacher. I think they are supposed to curtsy to her and thank her at the end of every class.)

Moving right along to jazz class...

Okay, so here's the moment everyone loves...the "brag". It's really annoying when someone toots their own horn, but look at Abby! This is a difficult jazz step to complete gracefully for a 10 year old. She nailed it and looked graceful doing it! Jazz is her favorite. Wish I had video taped it for the full effect.

Get your tickets!

2010-11-16T12:40:00.000-08:00

Mississippi State-Alabama 2010: A New Focus, A New Goal

2010-11-13T08:07:00.000-08:00

In memory of Nick Bell...#36. This video is an amazing tribute to him and watching this reminds me of every reason that I love maroon and white and the people who come from Mississippi State! My prayers are with our team today as they travel to Alabama to play a very emotional game and with the entire Bell family. (allow the video to fully download before watching)

Lakeland's Reformation Celebration

2010-11-04T07:43:00.000-07:00

Well, we skipped out on trick or treating to watch the Bulldogs beat Kentucky in Starkville (that's what the kids wanted to do I promise), but we did have a great time at the Reformation celebration at our church. We have candy coming out of our ears now and got to spend time with some great people along the way!

Long gone are the days of the sweet costumes for Andrew. I tried really hard to dress him up as a puppy or dinosaur and he just really, really wanted to be a transformer. Sigh!

Carol, our Pastor's wife, is a hoot!
Maddie really wanted to carry Brelyn around like a baby. Good thing she's going to have a little brother or sister in June to pamper! Can't wait to squeeze Baby Adcock myself!

Millie Grace and Katie
Andrew cheated a little here but I think its okay for a 4 year old to get a head start
Maddie, Abby, and Taylor
Aubrey Kate and Andrew-neither could peel their eyes away from what was going on behind me to look at my camera
Anna Claire carefully choosing her candy
The sweets walk!
Katie is such a lil cutie!
Taylor went fishing
Abby
Hayride
Ann Harper Mardis was the cutest little owl
We did actually trick or treat one house. We stopped by the Renfow's after church and I must say that they had the cutest decorations ever! Kaitlynn and her mother were so sweet to make special treats for our kids. Kaitlynn is the best babysitter and our kids absolutely LOVE her!

The Renfrow's had their house decorated so cute. She had candles burning on her foyer table and Andrew could not stand it. He tried to blow out every candle including the jack o lanterns! He knows that fire is dangerous!

Mississippi State vs Kentucky

2010-10-31T12:41:00.000-07:00

Funniest and most creative costume of the night= the winner's of the student fan of the game!

Really tired kids

Fall party at school

2010-10-31T12:39:00.000-07:00

Dilemma!

2010-10-26T11:22:00.000-07:00

Bulldogs?
or
Ghosts and Goblins?
To be decided...

Update: We're on our way to see the Bulldogs play! The kids decided they would rather go to Starkville than trick or treat. Who would have thought? Don't worry, they're not missing out and we will have plenty of cute pictures of the kids in their costumes. On Sunday night we will have the Reformation party at our church and plenty of candy as well!

Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-24T09:02:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Wootton's K4 class
Andrew has the same picture face as his Dad- very forced smile. I laughed when I saw this because just by looking at it you can tell his saying "cheeeeeeese" in his I'm so tired of taking pictures voice.
Aaahhhh! That's more like it! Andrew really surprised me when he was picking out his pumpkin. He's VERY competitive, again like his father, and I thought he would have tried to find the largest pumpkin. Turns out he just wanted to be the first to find a pumpkin and put it on the truck. Go figure!
This was the hay bail slide that quickly became a launching pad for all the little boys.
Hay maze...notice how some of the kids cheated by climbing over the top! Shortly after this picture was taken the hay hit the ground. Not good.
Andrew loved the cows. Cows don't smell very good!
Note to self-never sit on the back of the hayride again. This is where they keep the treats for the animals and the animals are smart enough to know. This cow got a little too close for my comfort. She either spit or sneezed on Andrew, I'm not sure which, but he got a little wet. So gross!

Aaawwww...

2010-10-23T21:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, so I'm a sucker for proposal stories and being a State fan I can't imagine a better proposal. Our long snapper proposed to his girlfriend on the 50 yard line in front of all the fans after homecoming. I wish these two all the happiness in the world. So sweet!

Lots of Love

2010-10-22T13:19:00.000-07:00

What can I say? God has blessed us with some amazing friends and family. We have really had an outpouring of love this week after Abby's tonsillectomy. Our pastor, neighbors, friends, and grandparents have really shown how much they care for Abby. Thanks to all of you for your kindness, time, and phone calls!

The doorbell rang this afternoon and there was a man standing there with balloons, flowers, and chocolate from Mimi and Papa. She's had a really rough day today and that made Abby really perk up!
Notice the dry erase board on her bed? Thats from Granny and Paw and it has been our best friend over the last two days!
My dear friend, Amelia, made manicotti for dinner last night after she took the 3 other kids to the park to play. She ran out of the house before I could take her picture!
Amber brought a peanut butter and chocolate smoothie. Abby was thrilled to see her! Amber is so sweet to our kids and we love her!

We no longer need you nor want you!

2010-10-21T10:24:00.001-07:00

Abby's tonsils that is! She's had strep throat about 9 times in the last year so we said adios to those unnecessary things. She's feeling awful today but she's been such a great patient. Anyway, she had a big smile on her face yesterday when our neighbor and church friends, the Walker's and the Mardis', put together this care package for her and brought it over when she got home. They are the most thoughtful friends and we are so fortunate! Thank you so much!

Bedazzled

2010-10-21T09:52:00.000-07:00

It's all fun and games till someone gets hurt. Abby had a ball rollerskating at a friends birthday party last weekend even though she ended up with a cast on her arm. Nothing broken, thank goodness, but the Doctor wants her to keep it still for 2-3 weeks. Abby wanted a "girly" cast and all he had was navy blue with black velcro. Yuck! Not "girly" at all! She wanted to glue rhinestones on her cast and paint peace signs on it so we stopped by Hobby Lobby on the way home. We spent a little time with our friend the hot glue gun and voila...we have the bedazzled cast.

Anna Claire's 8th Birthday!

2010-10-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

Anna Claire had a really fun birthday this year. When we asked her what she wanted for a present she said she wanted to ride in a limo. So, that's what we did. We surprised her party guests with a limo ride, dinner at Sal and Mookies, and then back home for cake and slumber party. Fun times!

Mathers, Ryleigh, Railey, Katie Bonds, Allie, Abby Bonds,Megan, Anna Claire Bonds, Olivia, and Andrew Bonds (the lonesome boy)

Katie, you crack us up!

In true diva fashion, Anna Claire had two of her friends escort her to the restaurant.
Sal and Mookies
It's a tough job being admired by your grandparents but someone has to do it!

Katie thought her Daddy needed a little something extra.
Patiently waiting to dig in to the chocolate fountain. Thanks Em for letting us borrow it!
Making her wish!

Cheers to Anna Claire!
Ryleigh
Movie Time!
Andrew and Paw
Granny is always cleaning something!
This was a first...Olivia lost a tooth. Our tooth fairy has obviously forgotten our address because she forgot to leave money under her pillow!
Abby and Megan

Ahhhhhhh...Bedtime!
The girls woke up bright and early and ready to play. They started the morning with a round of dress up and had a "fancy" breakfast in their dress up clothes.

Katie
Mathers
Allie, Megan, and Olivia
Katie and Anna Claire
Abby, Anna Claire, and Railey
Abby was in such a goofy mood that day. She was cracking us up!

Go Dawgs!!!

2010-09-07T06:56:00.000-07:00

Okay, so this is it! This is the only picture that I took all day long and I'm kicking myself now. We had the best time at the game and the kids can't wait to head back to Starkville. Neither can Mom and Dad!

What happened to August?

2010-09-07T06:47:00.000-07:00

I'll tell you what happened...Abby turned 10 and the kids started back to school! It was a blur!

How do you like Abby's cake? She designed it herself. Of course, she wanted a peace sign.
Andrew is in K4...I can't believe it! I'm still looking for the pictures of our girls first day of school. Abby's in 4th grade, Anna Claire's in 2nd, and Katie's in 1st. So far everyone is having an awesome year.

All Aboard!

2010-08-02T07:23:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun on our church (Lakeland Pres.) play date last week. Our children's director, who is fabulous by the way, scheduled for us to take the train from Jackson to Brookhaven. Short ride but just enough to keep the kids entertained. We stopped in Brookhaven to eat lunch together before loading up to come home. The kids had a great time and are looking forward to riding the train again. Andrew LOVED it!

Anna Claire, Andrew, and Katie
As we were waiting to board sweet baby Mary Kate was trying her hardest to get that hair bow off Anna Claire's head.
Katie, Abby, Sarah Hellrung, and Aubrey Kate Dew

Who knew Buggs were so cute?

2010-07-29T13:47:00.000-07:00

Ha! Ha! Sorry Bugg family I couldn't help myself. We had such a great time visiting with Brian, Molly, Sophie, and Stella (my Nashville cousins). I miss them already! Molly and I were so close as kids and we hope that our children will be also. It's such an awesome experience to see our kids playing together the same way we did years ago. Molly sent me so many great pictures, and if I can ever figure out how to attach them I will. Until then I attached a few to highlight our visit.

Anna Claire and Katie wanted to feed Stella every meal. Future babysitters!
I love that Anna Claire has her mouth open while she's feeding Stella! Why does everyone do that?
Sophie and Andrew playing ping pong. Continuing the competitive tradition.
Stella loves shoes already. Poor Brian!
Sophie reading to Andrew. Well, actually she's making up her own story. Too cute!
Brian and Stella
Our girls were totally smitten with Stella. She's such a cute lil bug. They followed her all over the house.

King Family Watercolor Vacation

2010-07-27T13:04:00.000-07:00

We had such a great week at Watercolor with my family. I thought I would post a few of the 300 pictures I took over the vacation. Can't wait to go back!

Bonds/ Enis annual 4th of July celebration

2010-07-07T15:26:00.001-07:00

Bonds' Family Beach Trip

2010-07-06T22:24:00.000-07:00

Congrats to Abby!

2010-07-06T19:56:00.000-07:00

Abby has made the Company at Mississippi Metropolitan Dance Academy. She has worked really hard and has a love for dancing. She was so nervous before her tryouts and had to wait 10 days before receiving a letter in the mail. I thought we would share the moment she received her acceptance letter with y'all. Way to go sweet girl, we are so proud of you!

Even more...

2010-06-16T07:47:00.000-07:00

I found these pictures on my friends blog and hers are a million times better than mine. Maybe I need to take some lessons from her! Thanks Amber- these are too cute!

MMDA Recital Pictures...better late than never

2010-06-15T10:46:00.000-07:00

Dress rehearsal ran a little long so Katie started coming up with silly ways to entertain herself!

Abby with Taylor Binkley
Sweet Katie
Anna Claire
Allie Zwiers with Anna Claire

Meme and Papa were so proud of their girls!
The girls posing on the stairs after the recital
Anna Claire, Taylor Binkley, and Abby

Andrew's "Battle" with Papa

2010-06-14T07:53:00.000-07:00

Katie's zoo field trip

2010-06-14T07:40:00.000-07:00

Tutu Much

2010-06-14T07:18:00.000-07:00

Saturday afternoon tea!

2010-04-27T10:24:00.001-07:00

Last week when the weather forecast was not looking too good I started trying to come up with things for the kids to do indoors for entertainment. Katie had been begging me to have a tea party for quite some time so that's what we did. We decided on Saturday morning to invite over several little girls to join the festivities. I grabbed some decorations out of the closet, made mini sandwiches, cupcakes, tea of course, turned on some classical music, and we had a party! The girls were so cute! They wanted it to be just girls so anytime Greg or Andrew would walk into the dining room they would all scream. I'm really not sure who enjoyed it more...me or the girls!

Abby, Katie, Ansley, Brelyn, Anna Claire, and Taylor before all of the guests arrived.
Anna Claire

Abby made place cards for the girls.
Taylor Binkley
Abby is so silly!
Brelyn Binkley being sassy!
Katie Bonds
Ansley Tomkins

Millie Adcock
Olivia Stodgill
Dessert time!
Ummm...Katie, that's not lady like!
Greg and Andrew were banished to the "man room".
Andrew had the best time messing with the girls!

After tea time the girls watched an Americal Girl doll movie and had a dance party. They were soooo much fun and I loved every minute of it!Anna Claire and Olivia
Katie, Maddie Adcock, and Millie Adcock

Abby, Taylor, and Brelyn

Oh happy day!

2010-04-20T08:55:00.000-07:00

Andrew had favorite hat day at school and what did he choose?!?! None other than his father's Mississippi State visor of course! He makes us proud! It's a great feeling to know we are raising our kids right!

Easter weekend 2010...finally!

2010-04-20T07:37:00.000-07:00

Mimi and Papa couldn't make it down for Easter weekend so she sent Easter goodies in the mail. Obviously this made for a very exciting Saturday morning. Thanks Mimi! Katie let out a scream that broke the sound barrier!
Abby was thrilled to get a shirt with a peace sign. Thanks again Mimi. It's uhh hmmm "lovely"!
Poor, sweet Anna Claire. She fell on the playground the day before and not only busted her lip but knocked all 4 of her front teeth loose. She was a trooper and her new happies made her smile!
Andrew loves books so we've read this a thousand times already!
Dying eggs!
Anna Claire and Katie worked really hard on cards for Peter Cottontail. LOL! Katie even clipped a silly bandz to hers!Kids are so funny!

The Easter bunny left a trail of eggs in our yard so naturally we had to hunt in our jammies before church.

Sunday afternoon we were in Carthage hunting eggs with our cousins.

Andrew found the "Silver" egg which had $1 inside. He was thrilled and immediately put it in his pocket!

Abby found the "Golden" egg.

Graham and Abby

2010-04-20T07:27:00.000-07:00

I tried snap a few sweet pics of these cousins but Graham had other ideas. As you can see he tried his best to pester Abby with bunny ears, moose antlers, and a poke or two in the side. She wasn't having it at all! These two...what a pair!

A day in my life...

2010-04-06T16:09:00.000-07:00

Andrew and I set off on our simple adventures of the day which were to include a dermatologist appointment, a haircut, and then home to fold the laundry that is out of control. Well, all didn't go as planned. On the way home from little man's haircut (which is crooked and not at all what I asked for) the phone rings. On the other end of the phone is Abby calling from school. Uh oh...I immediately know this is not good. Our conversation: Momma (in her sweetest, sickliest voice). Hey Munchkin! Momma, I don't feel good. Oh no, what's wrong? Well, my head hurts, my stomach hurts, and I can't stop coughing. Okay, let me call your doctor and I'll be there to pick you up soon. End conversation. Already I know the diagnosis because we've had these symptoms in our house a thousand times. If only I had the authority to write a prescription! Me, Abby, and Andrew make it to the pediatricians office. Diagnosis, Strep throat. AGAIN!!! The doctor and I discussed giving Abby a shot, but opted for the alternative route due to Abby's adverse reaction to the news. We decided that since she was not trowing up then oral antibiotics were the solution. Two hours, one throat swab, and three prescriptions later we leave. Two hours is a long time to sit anywhere with an active, healthy, four year old! Luckily I had a tennis ball in my purse so between that and those swivel chairs that the doctors sit on in the exam room we were covered. We leave there to drop off our prescriptions and head home after stopping to buy some lunch. All appears calm. WRONG!
Andrew was really wound up after being trapped in a 6 x 6 room most of the morning. He and Lucy (our dog) proceeded to chase each other through our house and all the while Andrew is carrying his chocolate Easter bunny from Peter Cottontail. GREAT! Melted, chocolate fingerprints on the walls and floors is just what I wanted to clean up today. Did I mention already that I have a splitting sinus headache from the obscene amount of pollen floating around? They were quickly tossed out in the backyard.
Now, its finally time to pick up our medicine at the pharmacy and the other two girls up from school. Again, all appears to be calm. WRONG! Pick up the girls, head to Walgreen's, and I hear this from the backseat. BLLLLLAAAAHHHHH! Momma, I just threw up! Friends, the stuff just kept coming. All over Abby, her seat, the seat in front of her, and the floorboard. Poor child! Gross! So gross! Windows go down and I speed up hoping to make it home before another attack! All the while, I'm replaying the conversation with the doctor about how she really doesn't need a shot unless she's throwing up. A little foreshadowing maybe? Insert scream, sigh, and the chucking of the cellphone here! All I can say is that praise God for the water hose and the wet/dry vac!
What to do? I'm covered in vomit. Abby's covered in vomit. And the car is covered in vomit. Abby really needs to go back to the clinic to get a penicillin shot to cure the infection, but with three other kids at home I had to call in for backup. Greg left work early to take her back to the doctor for me. (of course she had a bath first) Sweet Daddy! He doesn't know yet what I've asked him to do. Have y'all ever been at the Doctors office and heard the whaling child down the hall? That was most likely Abby reacting to getting a shot. She's a tiny girl, but quickly turns into a mad bull when you bring out the needles. Like I said, sweet daddy!
So now, Momma's clean, Abby's clean and on her way to healing, and the car's clean. All is calm. WRONG! As I'm stepping out of the shower here comes Anna Claire. Momma! My mouth is bleeding again! She fell and hit her mouth on the playground slide last week and knocked her four front teeth loose. OUCH!!! Well, she bumped them again today. I call the dentist and she wants to see her asap to get an x-ray. I'm still soaking wet so again I call for backup. Greg was on his way home from Abby's appointment and agreed to take Anna Claire to the dentist. Great timing! All is okay with her because she needed to loose those baby teeth anyway. Whew! All of this happened before 4 o'clock today and I'm exhausted. Just a typical day in the life of the Bonds' house. Wonder what will happen tomorrow or maybe even before we make it to bedtime? All I can say is thank God for my really great husband!

10 Years and Turks and Caicos!

2010-03-16T10:51:00.000-07:00

Greg and I just got back from celebrating our 10 year anniversary in Turks and Caicos. We had such a great time and neither of us were ready to come home, but we did miss our babies. We have been so blessed in our short but busy life together. The last 10 years have really flown by and we both can't wait to see what's in store for our family in the next 10. I'm the luckiest girl in the whole world!

Sunset we watched from our room.
This is us on our Caicos Dream Tour snorkel and island excursion. Prepanic attack! Keep reading!
Hey Greg!
Not sure if you can see it, but SHARK in upper left corner. I did the worst thing possible which is start screaming, flipping around, and totally panicked! Pretty sure that I saw my life flash before my eyes. It took a lot of guts for me to get into the water and now you know why. The tour guides on our boat, and Greg, found my reaction to be hilarious. Me, not so much! I'm pretty sure that it's possible I was swimming so fast back to the boat that I was no longer in the water.
Sadly, I opened the camera before I rewound the film so we lost a ton of pictures. Who uses film anymore? Why did they not sell digital underwater cameras? I'm such a dork! Greg wasn't too happy that we lost the shark pictures! Me either because that was the first and last time that I will ever snorkel again. That shark was too close for comfort and I'm not big on life threatning events.
That's Leke! This was hysterical! We were just floating along in our boat and all of the sudden he just jumps in, starts swimming around, and disappears. All 12 of us on the boat were like "where did he go and what is he doing?". The next thing we knew he was throwing conch shells over the side of the boat that he had to dive 20 feet down to pluck off the ocean floor.
Leke taught us how to clean the conch and make salad. Which, by the way,was our lunch!
Looks gross doesn't it!
Greg was the first brave soul to try conch fresh out of the shell!
The uninhabited island that was ours to explore for a couple hours.
This was probably the craziest thing we saw on the whole trip. Iguana Island has that name for a reason. It was truly their territory. They were everywhere and they would just run out in front of you. Crazy! I wouldn't get any closer than this.
Ha! Ha! I know! Laugh your little heads off at my out of control, dried in the breeze, just finished snorkeling hair. I did! But, oh my gosh, it's beautiful scenery here.
We made some new friends at our resort. They are as follows: Bryant McFadden, Travis Johnson, Me, and Greg Jones. Of course I had no idea who they were but Greg recognized them immediately and started up conversation. Greg can sit and talk sports theories and history with anyone. :)They were really sweet guys. All played football together at Florida State and are now NFL players. Greg Jones was also there celebrating his anniversary.

We chartered a small boat to take us out on a private snorkeling, shell hunting, sunset cruise. Well, the snorkeling never happened because I was still too scared out of my mind from the too close shark experience the day before. We did, however, make it home with some nice shells. We had so much fun just riding around and taking in the scenery. I kept thinking that some point in our trip I would get used to the clear blue water but it never happened. Just beautiful! I just thought this was cute! It's a "locals" shopping center and restaurant.
Finally, a picture of us that we didn't have to take ourselves. Ha!

Da Conch Shack and Rum Bar is a "must do" in Turks and Caicos. Without a doubt the locals have embraced the Conch and it's considered a delicacy there. We had so much fun sitting out the picnic tables and just taking in the scenery.

Snow Pictures!

2010-02-18T19:15:00.000-08:00

Katie SPArty!

2010-02-18T09:13:00.000-08:00

Katie's wish for her 6th Birthday was to be pampered. She wanted her nails done and to have a facial. We found the perfect place! It's the Salon Too on Lakeland Drive. Great place! They took care of everything from the invites, even mailed them for me, to the pampering. All we had to do was show up! The party rooms were precious and the service was great! Katie and her friends had a terriffic time and it was so much fun to watch!

You know what really annoys me...

2010-02-10T13:05:00.000-08:00

Construction workers blocking the exit gate of our neighborhood! Especially when it's during the time that I'm supposed to be picking the girls up from school. Yes, we have a back exit, but we live at the front. Ugh! I always forget about it until I get there.
You know what else...LAUNDRY! Oh my goodness it never ends. I wash, fold, and hang, wash, fold, and hang all day everyday. Will it ever end?
My last annoyance of the day...Thieves! Yep, my debit card was stolen a few weeks ago and I'm still dealing with the annoying little changes here and there. You know, all the little automatic drafts that I forgot to update like the girls school lunch accounts!
A little side note. None of the pictures are actual photos that I have taken. Can you imagine what those constructions workers would have been thinking if I had jumped out of my car with my camera to start snapping pictures of them. Also, my laundry basket looks much worse than this one at the moment, and my name is not M. Brady. I also know that there are much more important things going on in the world today and that these things that "annoy" me are very trivial, but none the less I was annoyed! I am now finished with my complaining!

Time for cake and presents!

2010-02-10T11:41:00.000-08:00

Andrew's birthday party redo was a hit! A redo because he woke up with the stomach virus on the day of his party. To make it up to him we picked up his "bess fwend Bwandon", went bowling, ate Chick-fil-a, had a little homemade cake, and opened presents. I think it might have been the most low key birthday ever! Anyway, I can't believe it but our baby is now a 4 year old. Where did the time go? (FYI...I'm really behind on blogging. This was Jan. 19th. Andrew's actual birthday.)

Granny and the girls
Andrew decided to have a seat and watch. It took a while for his ball to roll all the way down to the pins.
Check out Abby in the background. LOL! You think she loves the camera? :)Also, in case you didn't notice, Andrew decorated himself in Star Wars stickers. He's all about the Star Wars!

Happy Birthday Andrew!

2010-01-19T07:15:00.000-08:00

He's 4 today! We celebrated this morning with chocolate chip pancakes complete with powdered sugar and a candle. He got a little teased when I sang happy birthday to him, but he's so happy that he is now 4! Bless his heart, his birthday party was supposed to be on Saturday but he woke up Saturday morning with the stomach virus. Yuck! So to make up for it we are trying to fill his day with favorites. More pictures to follow.
The Tomkins gave Andrew this Saints jersey. He LOVES the Saints! Especially Drew Brees, Shockey, and Reggie Bush. He know all about them and looks forward to watching them play on TV. He has not wanted to take his new jersey off since he got it. He even slept in it! :)

We don't want to hear it!

2010-01-17T12:48:00.000-08:00

Last week we were hoping for snow and no school. Well, we were not so lucky! Last Thursday morning the girls jumped up, got dressed, raced into our room to watch the morning news just praying that their school would be included in the schools closed list scrolling across the bottom of the screen. As they were intently watching a horrible story about a horrible person was being reported on and they all covered their ears so they didn't have to hear about it. LOL! 15 minutes later they were out the door.
:(

December so far...where did it go?

2009-12-23T16:32:00.001-08:00

What a month we've had so far! Here's a quick recap for you. We celebrated Greg's birthday and for his present it snowed. :) Happy Birthday to my man! We love you! Our good friends, the Clark's, were in town for the state tennis tournament and we had a fabulous time. Their boys are precious! Don't you just love being around people who smile all time?!?! Then, we had a Christmas party, a Christmas party, a Christmas party, ballet observation, school Christmas parties, shopping, and a visit with Santa Claus. I spared you all the little details, but all in all it's been a busy December and there is more to come. We wish you all a very Merry Christmas as we celebrate the Birth of our SAVIOR!
Lucy was quite fond of the snow.
Abby, Katie, Anna Claire, and Rives Clark
Andrew and Charlie Clark hit it off immediately! So much so that Charlie now wants to marry Katie so he can be Andrew's brother-in-law. LOL!

Katie, Rives, Andrew, Charlie, and Anna Claire

Obviously we didn't have the right amount of candles. Ha! Ha!

Anna Claire had her own personal cheering section. Umm, Katie, your sign is upside down!

The annual cookie decorating party at the Zwiers house. I think there were around 22 kids taking part in the organized chaos this year. Ha!

Our sweet neighbors, the Yarbro's, bought each of the kids a stuffed bear for Christmas. They are so good to us and the kids just LOVE them! The kids tore into their presents, notice the tissue paper strewn across the driveway.
Our wait in line to see Santa was finally up and the kids could hardly stand it!

Andrew refused to smile so Katie was trying to tickle him! It didn't work.
The kids were able to take turns telling Santa what they wanted for Christmas.
Precious outfits...sewn by our sweet Meme!

Riquewihr, France

2009-11-29T08:59:00.000-08:00

This was my second favorite spot (Next to Lucern). I should have been born 500 years ago. Riquewihr, France was this quaint medieval village complete with a torture chamber. (well, I could have lived 500 years ago without the torture chamber) It looked more like a movie set than an actual town. I was so amazed by the way of life here. No large supermarkets here! Beautiful, Beautiful architecture. I will go back someday! This was the trip of a lifetime and I'm so thankful that I was able to go! Next time, I'm taking my family! FYI...wear flats when touring Europe. Cobblestone streets and heels are not a good combination.

Who is this crazy lady?

2009-11-12T12:36:00.001-08:00

Well, I never! I cannot believe my eyes. I started snapping pictures! This has to be a clinically insane person. It is freezing cold here. I mean there is snow here and your swimming in the lake. She wasn't even wearing a wetsuit. To top it off she stripped down naked right there on the dock and changed into her sweatsuit in our backyard. Only in Europe! (By the way, she's still wearing a swimsuit in the following pictures. I would never post pictures of naked people!)

My Mom's Here...in Switzerland!

2009-11-12T12:26:00.000-08:00

Carter couldn't wait to greet "Granny" and show her his VBS t-shirt. They didn't see me snapping pictures of them snuggling. Sweet!

Lucern, the Glass Factory, a Castle, and The Black Madonna

2009-11-12T11:24:00.000-08:00

Yet another sunrise over the Alps. I can't get enough!
Rapperswil Castle and Village

Einsiedeln Monestary- Just beautiful! Hand painted ceilings, ornate carvings, singing Monks, and the Black Madonna.

The Black Madonna. I wasn't supposed to be taking pictures in the Cathedral or of the Black Madonna. That's why it's blurry, but I couldn't help myself. It was beautiful!!!
Lucern Day Trip

Me and Tricia
I know it's weird, but I was at the glass factory and I got to make my own ornament. It's really pretty.
Strange how they are using fiery furnaces to melt glass and make plates while wearning flip flops. Seems a little unsafe to me, but as I said in a previous post the Swiss people are very different!
This guy made vases while smoking a cigarette. Hmmmm...not sure if that would fly in the States. They must not have very many ambulance chasing lawyers here!
Tricia and Mikki touring glass factory.

Just a few randoms!

2009-11-09T15:35:00.000-08:00

Mikki playing peek-a-boo with her favorite blankie. Ísn't she a cutie?!?!
Oh no big deal, just my future home!-why is it so overcast?
Mikki and Adam
Me and Tricia

View from the ferry boat that we took from Zurich to Uericon. Look at the beautiful tile on the roof of the red house. It amazes me how much time someone put into hand laying that!Carter wrote this lovely letter to God while we were on the boat. Sweet! Sweet! Sweet!

My precious Godchild Mikki. She was giving me lovin while we were up on the "Balcony". That's what the locals like to call it. It's so beautiful up here and you have amazing views of the vineyards, the Alps, and Lake Zurich. I still can't believe my eyes. This is the most beautiful country in the World!
Sunrise over the Alps!
I know it's blury! We were driving down the road and I had to quickly pull out my camera to take a picture of this vineyard. It almost doesn't look real. Who knew Switzerland was such a wine country?

Rabeliechtliumzug!...?

2009-11-08T11:04:00.000-08:00

Last night we went to a very traditional European event. We spent a couple of hours at a local Swiss winery and carved turnips, sorta like pumpkins, and made them into lanterns. After dark many of the local families gathered at a bon fire and sang songs, to which none I knew what they were saying because it was all in German. Afterwards we walked for about a mile with our lit lanterns following a lit wagon pulled by kids and musicians. Pretty interesting folks these Swiss!
>

Abby, the peace sign is for you. Anna Claire, I know you love hearts. Katie, I carved a flower on the top for you and I'm sorry that I don't have a picture. I'm constantly thinking of you and I love you!When we were loading up the kids to leave, this precious Swiss baby was crawling nearby and decided he wanted to go along with us. He was the cutest thing! Well, all of the children here are beautiful. If I'm lucky maybe they'll let me leave with one! Watch out Greg! ;)

Tricia's Birthday dinner

2009-11-08T09:09:00.000-08:00

We had dinner at an Italian Restraunt to celebrate Tricia's birthday. Great food! Well, so far everything has been yummy. It's not like other places in Europe that I have been to where the food is awful. I find it interesting that on the menus they show where the food comes from. If they did that at home I would probably never eat! (hmmm...well, maybe they should) All the food is very fresh, especially the vegetables, and locally grown. Anyway, we had a great time! The waiter dimmed the lights and brought Tricia's cake out with sparklers while singing Happy Birthday in Italian. Fun!Shhh...Don't tell anyone but she's actually 40!
We later discovered that there were fingerprints on my camera lens. This explains the smudge over Carter's face!

Tricia and Adam
Carter giving his Mom a Birthday toast.
Kennedy and her Birtday kisses.
This is just too cute! Kennedy wanted to give her mother an extra special present. So sweet! She filled her bag with random things from around the house like an orange, a leaf, sparklers, and money from Tricia's purse. She was so proud of her gift!

Mikki lovin' on her Daddy!
After dinner treat! Sparklers!

I'm here! I can't believe, it I'm here!

2009-11-06T12:52:00.000-08:00

Tricia is celebrating the 1st anniversary of her 39th birthday today and for her birthday surprise Adam flew me over to Switzerland! She was completely shocked and it was so fun to pull one over on her. He's a very sweet husband! I'm so thankful to be here! Their home is on Lake Zurich and the views are breathtaking. You can actually see a castle from the backyard. Happy Birthday Tricia!
Me and Tricia
Can you see the castle? We're going to tour it this week.

Steps going from their back yard to the lake. It's just beautiful!

/Beautiful view from their backyard and by the way, that's the Swiss Alps!
Dotty- Swiss dog in a Texas sweater :)
Their home was built in 1935.

Trick or Treat!

2009-11-01T09:15:00.000-08:00

Halloween is never dull at our house and this year was no different. There was a point in time that we thought trick or treating would not happen. Just about all of us were sick. Anna Claire has an ear infection, Katie and Momma have strep throat, and Abby has swine flu and strep! Yuck! I had to talk Abby into putting on her costume. She looked lovely and was a good sport about taking pictures. She was so sad that she didn't get to go door to door, but her sweet sister Anna Claire carried her bag for her and made sure it was full of candy. We missed our dear friends, The Witcher's, Halloween party, but all in all it was a happy Halloween.
Katie the Fairy Princess!
Andrew the Buccaneer!
Abby the Angel!
Anna Claire the Kitty Cat!

Trick or Treating the Yarbro's! They are really the greatest neighbors ever! We are not going to be happy when they sell their house. (if you know anyone who's looking) Mr. Mike and Mrs. Sue are so sweet to our babies. They each got a special treat for Halloween. All of them got a whole BAG of suckers. To which Mr. Mike joked that Andrew wouldn't have to come over and ask for one for at least a week. He goes over to their house daily! The girls got beautiful bracelets and hairbands and Andrew got a hotwheels car. If you look closely in the following pictures you will see him carrying it while trick or treating. He loves it!

Mrs. Sue! What lovely new teeth you have!

Abby's throne for the evening. A.K.A. the middle seat of our car. She looks great considering she has a 101 temperature!

Katie, Anna Claire, Andrew, Darby Tipton, Mary Martin Murray, and Molly Tipton. Poor Abby was waving from the car and she was so sad that she couldn't get out to see her sweet friend Darby!
The kids were super excited when we arrived at The Renfro's house. Kaitlynn has been our babysitter for several years now and we really miss her since she's gone off to college. So happy she came home for the weekend! Abby mustered up the strength to get out of the car to say hello, even though she had to keep her distance.
The Wartes's down the street really get into Halloween. They were the neighborhood clowns. They decorated their house with balloons and turned their golf cart into a clown mobile. Fun!

Oh my goodness Katie! What big eyes you have!

All that trick or treating made Andrew tired. He was nodding off on the rug while eating a sucker!

Front yard Fun!

2009-11-01T09:03:00.000-08:00

He's so stinkn' cute! Look at those muscles!
Katie and Andrew racing around the driveway!
Anna Claire was playing hard to get with my camera but Ha! I got her!
Abby and Taylor Binkley (B.F.F., Super Dancin' Divas, or Peace Sisters, whatever they are calling themselves today?!?)

He hit a home run and then ran the bases!

Andrew and the Pumpkin Patch

2009-11-01T08:41:00.000-08:00

Andrew with his "best friend Bwandon". They are attached at the hip. Andrew got a haircut immediately after leaving the pumpkin patch!
This is so funny! How do you take a picture of a class full of 3 year olds? One is picking their nose, one's not looking, and the other is about to fall off the hay! This was the best of 5 pictures!
This is April the Zedonk. She's half Zebra and half Donkey!

Andrew with his teacher Mrs. Cary. She's so sweet to Andrew!

"Weeee...this is fun!" He loved hanging upside down on the swings.

Andrew with his buddies Thomas and Nathan drinking pumpkin juice. (or orange kool aid)
He loved the animals at the farm. Especially this pig! Smells great!!!

31 Today

2009-10-25T16:21:00.000-07:00

I've had a great 31st Birthday! Greg let me sleep in while he made breakfast in bed, folded laundry, made a birthday cake, and cooked dinner. My family has totally spoiled me today. I got homemade cards from the kids that were precious! Tomorrow is likely to be the longest Monday of my life! We've had a very low key day which is exactly what I wanted.

My birthday cake was made by my loving husband. Isn't it pretty? : ) No really, he has made a birthday cake for me every year since we've been married. (except for last year when he threw me a surprise party) I know, I know...my husband is the greatest!!!

Yesterday our kids were playing with neighbor friends and Katie and Anna Claire came home with these beautiful bouquets. My sweet thoughtful babies really wanted to do something nice for me but poor Amelia is now flowerless on her front porch!

Homemade Fun!

2009-10-25T16:10:00.000-07:00

What do you do on a lazy Sunday afternoon? Well, if you're Katie then you find a great stick, attach hairbands to it, find a penny, and make your own guitar. Obviously the hairbands were for the strings and the penny was her guitar pick. I always wonder what is going through her head when she comes up with these ideas. She spent hours strumming that "guitar" today. I'm just going to say it... I think she is the smartest and most creative kid that I've ever met! Katie makes our lives so much more interesting!

Anna Claire's 7th Birthday!

2009-10-21T17:58:00.001-07:00

Anna Claire celebrated her 7th birthday last week with a costume party. We had so much fun, made a huge mess, and ate lots and lots of sweets. The kids all looked so precious in their costumes and Anna Claire was the princess of the party!

Anyone interested in Beth Moore tickets?

2009-10-08T14:04:00.001-07:00

I happen to have 2 extra tickets to the Beth Moore conference in Memphis this weekend. I'm looking forward to going and it should be wonderful. If you're interested then send me your email or phone number!

Seriously cute and funny! Watch! Watch! Watch!

2009-09-24T19:02:00.000-07:00

I have no idea who this precious child belongs to. I randomly stumbled across this on you tube and if you want to be in a great mood then you should watch it too!

If only...

2009-09-24T10:22:00.000-07:00

If only I had the energy of a 3 year old. They are all like the Energizer Bunny. How is it that they just keep going and going? The energy level that Andrew has exhausts me! He wakes up jumping, eats breakfast while dancing, brushes his teeth while climbing, and runs everywhere. He loves for me to time him! Ha! Ha! I mean seriously, he can't just walk over to his favorite chair and sit down he has to get a running start and flip over the side. He is all day, everyday, non stop energy!

65 years together!

2009-09-17T09:38:00.000-07:00

Today my Grandparents are celebrating their 65th wedding anniversary. (In Vegas LOL!) 65 years...that's a really long time! It amazes me that they are still so in love. Googly eyes in love. Congratulations Grandma and Papaw Davis! We are so thankful for you and we love you!

The Tripp on a Dump Truck

2009-09-17T09:17:00.000-07:00

Two little boys having too much fun! I think Tripp Witcher could have done this as long as Andrew was willing to push him. They are both so cute and Tripp is so squeezeable and sweet!

Check up in room 1- paging Dr. Tiffany!

2009-09-14T08:37:00.000-07:00

This is how you know when you have selected the best pediatric dentist ever! Andrew fell and hit his mouth while we were at the beach this summer and we have been to see Dr. Tiffany Green several times since then. She is so great with the kids and they actually get excited about going for their check ups. Last week our girls had a cleaning and they were thrilled. Andrew, however, was very unhappy that it wasn't his turn. Although, Dr. Tiffany did come out and take a look at Andrews teeth that we have been concerned about just to make sure that things were going in the right direction. Not many Doctors would take that extra time! Anyway, she's made quite the impression on Andrew. He decided the other night that Lucy needed a check up. "I'm Dr. Tiffanyyyyy...come here Lucy let me see!" He proceeded to thoroughly examine her and she was a good sport.

Andrew kept saying, "come ere Lucy" :)
"Looks pretty good!"

If Lucy could talk I bet she would be saying "Good grief, get him away from me please!" Her eyes say it all!

Family fun Labor Day!

2009-09-08T07:28:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend! The Bulldogs won, we spent time with really good friends, ate the best hamburgers in the world from Mugshots, and went bowling with the kids!

Andrew was soooo sleepy. He crashed minutes after we got home from the bowling alley.

Greg gave Andrew a little coaching lesson before he turned him loose!

Look at that tongue. It must help him concentrate!

Serious Table Tennis!

2009-09-08T07:11:00.001-07:00

This is what you get when you have two full grown professional men with a competitive spirit and a ping pong table. Andrew Neely vs Greg Bonds!

This must have been Andrew's intimidation tactic.

Look at that concentration!

The crowd! I think Larry got in on the action also.

In true competitive Nikki fashion, she was talking strategy with her man. Hate that I missed this moment, but it was complete with a chest bump.

We had a really fun Sunday afternoon with two of our favorite couples. The Tomkins and The Neelys came over for some grillin', football watchin', and some competition!

Soakin' up the rain and the victory!

2009-09-06T09:24:00.000-07:00

It's that time of year again and it feels good! Our beloved BULLDOGS defeated JSU in the rain yesterday and it was FUN!!! Aside from the MSU halftime performance that is. We loved the Sonic Boom of the South, but uhhh... what was our band doing? Anyway, the kids had a ball playing at the tailgate with our usual crew and all of their kids and cheering on the DAWGS! We are really looking forward to the new era in Starkville and spending time with our friends this season!!! So, Thoms, Witchers, Powers, Tomkins, Robertsons, Dabbs, and Mic were looking forward to LSU!

Our girls!

Andrew was a bit of a pill. He wouldn't let me take his picture! He would hold something in front of his face or turn his back so this is what I got.
Anna Claire

Jay Witcher arriving at the tailgate on his chariot. (a.k.a. Reed Nelson and his golf cart)
Griffin Enis- I wish I had video of him dancing with Greg at the tailgate!

Abby, Meme, and Anna Claire reading about the American Girl dolls.

Katie expressing her artistic abilities. Is anyone else impressed by our 5 year olds talent?

Our girls with the pom squad.
Andrew didn't want to take his picture with the girls, but he couldn't stop checkin em out! Ha! Ha!

The Bonds' girls and the Robertson girls soakin' up the MSU band as they headed to the walk through.

Abby's slumber party!

2009-08-24T07:01:00.000-07:00

I finally finished Abby's cake!
The party guests!

Abby blowing out her candles. You know how when you're watching someone put on lipstick and you make weird lip movements like you're going to somehow help them put it on better? Well, why is it that we do the same thing with blowing out candles? Anna Claire wasn't actually blowing but she had the face down pat!Taylor made a card for Abby and it was hysterical. It was all about her B.F.F, peace, and her dancin' diva friend! LOL!Abby was opening her presents with her eyes closed so she could be even more surprised.
It's all about the Peace right now. Check out this reaction when she opened a pair of peace sign earrings.The girls went a little crazy before the scavenger hunt started. Here they are waiting for their first clue and I have to say Greg and I were a little nervous. We finally just got out of the way while they ran through the house like a pack of wolves.The last clue of the scavenger hunt conveniently led the girls outside to the garage where we had a treasure box filled with jewelry, glow sticks, markers, make up, nail polish, hair accessories, and most importantly silly string. Let the festivities begin!We served doughnuts for breakfast. Look how tired Abby is! They stayed up really late having a dance-off, shaving creaming Katie's face, decorating the ceiling fans with clothes, and giggling!

3:00 AM

2009-08-21T06:57:00.000-07:00

That's the time I was awakened this morning by two wiggle worms! We didn't get much sleep from that point on in what clearly seemed to be a remake of the scene from Uncle Buck where he was confined to the edge of the bed with little to no sheets. I eventually made my way to the couch!

Darn you Cake Boss!!!!

2009-08-20T14:35:00.001-07:00

Why do you make it look so easy? It's not, it's really really not! Why have you inspired me to create our daughter's birthday cake? Why is fondant so hard to work with? What was I thinking? This is turning out to be a disaster! Do y'all watch his show on TLC? Greg and I are addicted and he is ridiculously talented!. I promise to post a picture of my completed effort whether we use this cake or not. In the mean time, back to work!

It's a Big Day for Katie!

2009-08-20T14:14:00.000-07:00

Katie's tooth fell out while she was brushing her teeth last night! She said "I was brushing my teeth too hard and it just came out. It fell in my hand and I started screaming my tooth came out, my tooth came out!"

Birmingham Zoo

2009-08-19T07:04:00.000-07:00

Our trip to Birmingham also included a stop at the zoo. We had such a nice time with our girls, but next time we're taking Andrew with us. I felt quilty all day because I was thinking how much fun he would have had seeing all of the animals and riding the train. I love the ages of the kids right now. They are so much fun and I wish we could freeze time!
Katie literally made a "happy plate" with her breakfast!

Anna Claire was the map Nazi at the zoo. She walked at least 10 feet ahead of the rest of us for most of the zoo. She kept saying follow me to the reptiles, etc. and when we would get to our destination she would give us about 2 seconds to look at everything before we were off to the next animal. I can't wait to see what she's going to be when she grows up! Whatever it is, she'll be in charge! LOL!

JONAS BROTHERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-08-18T12:53:00.000-07:00

Abby's 9th Birthday is next week and we have been racking our brains over what to get her. When we heard that the Jonas Brothers were coming to Birmingham this weekend we knew that was it! She was so excited when we told her the big news that she ran into her room a screamed into her pillow! Ha! That's what little girls do! The concert was awesome and even Greg and I had a great time! The Jonas Brothers are truly talented and very entertaining. We would go see their show again tomorrow!

In preparation for the big concert, we made signs.

We had dinner before going and the girls could not sit still. They were soooooo excited!

Our hotel was connected to the convention center where they were playing and the girls ran the whole way!

Yes, we were in nose bleed section but the girls didn't seem to mind at all. With the big screens and lighting we could see pretty well.

This would be the time when the ear splitting screaming started. That place was filled with SCREAMING girls!

You can't tell from this picture, but it was raining shapes on stage. They somehow made it rain shapes of hearts, pictures of Jonas Brothers, and the words to "Lovebug". Pretty cool!
Katie was exhausted. The concert wasn't over until 10 PM and she managed to somehow sleep through the last 10 minutes.
Luckily, she woke up in time for some post concert cotton candy!
Happy Birthday Abby!

?

2009-08-18T12:36:00.000-07:00

Our youngest daughter Katie is the funniest kid! I don't know what else to post other than "?". We never know what she is going to do! Last weekend she was working in the flower beds with her dad and decided that our trees needed to be decorated. She tied together toy pots, bracelets, and a Ken doll dressed as a woman. Throw in a PVC pipe and we're good to go! Ken looks a little creepy in a ball gown! I don't know where she comes up with this stuff!?!?

Here he is everybody!

2009-08-14T06:49:00.000-07:00

The little man of the house is off to preschool. He couldn't wait to get there and play with Mrs. Cary's tractors. This morning he kept saying "I'm ready to go!". I kept saying things like, "but we need to put your shoes on", "school doesn't start for another 30 minutes", and "just wait a minute, Momma can't go in her pajamas"! I hope it's always this easy to get him off to school!

Let the grooming begin!

2009-08-13T06:15:00.000-07:00

Greg is working really hard at grooming Andrew into the biggest football fan ever. Last night before bed Greg read the Football Preview magazine to him as his bedtime story. It was hysterical because he was reading all of the stats about the players to Andrew and then telling him whether they were good or bad. It was a very serious story and Andrew was really into it!

Alright, so those pictures were taken at bedtime last night and this is what we woke up to this morning! Obviously Andrew will be a morning shower kid. Look at that bed head! Momma's turn to do the grooming!

I have a question...

2009-08-13T06:03:00.000-07:00

Why do we buy toys for our kids? Cardboard boxes are much more entertaining!

It was fun while it lasted...

2009-08-10T09:47:00.000-07:00

but all good things must come to an end. Summer break that is. Sniff, sniff! We've had an absolute ball this summer. Now that our kids are getting older it's so much easier to go places and see things. For years, other than our yearly beach trip, we really just entertained the kids at the house and made life much less complicated by just staying home. This summer we went and did everything. Well, almost. I would be lying if I said that I am excited about school starting back. Strange I know, but I really have enjoyed our day in and day out togetherness. They just grow up way too fast! Don't get me wrong, I definitely had my days of repeatedly saying "you're driving me crazy" or "if I have to clean up one more mess I'm gonna loose my mind". What I'm speaking of is our little tornado named Andrew and our over sized tornado named Lucy the dog. Andrew went through this button pushing phase where he thought it would be fun to color on his new bedding and walls and carpet with permanent marker. He can thank God, the bleach pen, and good ole rubbing alcohol for his life. There were many other incidents that I just don't have the time to blog about, but it was a daily occurrence. Kids will be kids! Anyway, back to where I started. School is back in session as of today and I think it's going to be an awesome year. I've prayed all summer for our kids to have wonderful teachers and God has answered that prayer. All four have been placed in the best hands possible. I'm very grateful for that! Our youngest daughter, Katie, started Kindergarten this year and she was so excited to go to "big kid school" today. Nothing could have wiped that smile off her face! Anna Claire was really nervous about starting 1st grade so I can't wait to go pick her up this afternoon and hear about her day. I think she is going to love it because not only does she has an awesome teacher, but her class is stacked with precious little kids including her best friend Ryleigh. Abby is a 3rd grader! My goodness that's hard to believe. She is looking forward to learning how to write in cursive this year! LOL! "So, what are you going to do all day with the 3 girls in school and Andrew gone 3 mornings a week?" That has been the most popular question from my friends and family. My answer, " Well, 1 of 2 things, I'm either going to be really in shape with a very clean house or get a part time job." Hmmm....let me see. Clearly the in shape thing with the clean house is the best plan. I'll keep you posted! Let's get down to it shall we. Here are some pictures that I took this morning before the girls left for school. They are so cute!

Center Stage!

2009-07-23T10:20:00.001-07:00

For those of you who don't have little girls, this is for you. This is what they love to do. Make up dances, giggle, sing songs, and put on a show. As of lately, our front yard has been the center stage of the neighborhood. Here they are showing off their best dance moves and breaking it down for the world to see. By the way, this went on for over an hour! LOL!

From the left we have the talented Abby Bonds, Maddie Adcock, Anna Claire Bonds, Millie Grace Adcock, and Katie Bonds. Abby was doing her signature spin move in this picture. Too bad I didn't have my video camera out for this!Maddie would stop every time she caught me taking her picture!Millie Grace was the funniest! She was really serious and didn't hold back at all!Thank goodness Andrew is not into the whole dancing thing! Instead, he was spraying me and the girls with the water hose. I guess this is what little boys love to do? Terrorize the girls!

2009-07-23T10:12:00.000-07:00

After the neighborhood art camp yesterday Darby and Molly Tipton came over to play. They have been together nonstop all week and they are getting along famously! All of them are really sweet little girls!

Molly and Anna Claire
Abby and Darby

Just a typical weekend at the Bonds' house!

2009-07-20T07:39:00.000-07:00

We have had so much fun this summer in our neighborhood making new friends and reconnecting with old ones. On Friday night, the Adcocks came over for a cook out and our girls had a sleep over with Millie Grace and Maddie. The kids put on a parade and I can assure you that if any of the neighbors were watching they were well entertained!

Katie and Anna Claire were cheerleaders and picked flowers off our crepe myrtle trees to use as pom poms. Millie Grace played the drums, Maddie was the guitar player, Abby was the leader, and Andrew was just Andrew. Such clever little girls!

Katie, Andrew, Millie Grace, Anna Claire, and Maddie all lined up and ready to go!
Saturday morning our girls set up a lemonade and brownie stand with the Adcocks. They also made up a dance to entertain their customers!

Abby found some shade to rest in while she sang karaoke! LOL!

Now that's a car load. Notice Andrew is still wearing his goggles!

On Saturday night, the Tomkins came over to cook out. Katie and Ansley picked more flowers off my crepe myrtle trees! Katie made confetti and Ansley gave them to her Momma.
Anna Claire singing karaoke in the front yard.
Greg and Landon playing horse. They were very competitive! The more impossible the shot, the more they tried it!Landon actually drained a shot from here. In the back on the truck, over the crepe myrtle, and nothing but net! Greg missed:(

Andrew attacked all of us with the noodle.

Tracy finally got him back!
Andrew got a bobo while playing basketball. Batman band aids make everything better, even if it's on the nose! He's so funny!

A little trip down memory lane...

2009-07-16T09:31:00.000-07:00

Anna Claire at 18 months old. I ran across this video while trying to organize some of our older photos of the kids. It's so funny to me how much things have changed yet stay the same. I laughed while watching this because Anna Claire wanted to be the big helper even then. She loves to do chores around the house. She was the sweetest, chubby cheeked, busy kid 5 years ago that she is today. (minus the chubby cheeks) This video was taken at our very first house that was so tiny that I could vacuum the whole house while never having to change outlets. LOL! We were so proud!

Aqua Man!

2009-07-12T16:50:00.000-07:00

Andrew and his goggles! (laughing while sighing) He had a brief obsession with this look. He must have worn those goggles around the house for a week straight. We couldn't help but post this when we snuck into the office to check in on Andrew and Katie's computer time and this is what we found!

Silly girls!

2009-07-12T16:40:00.000-07:00

I snapped these pictures a few weeks ago of Katie and Ansley playing dress up together. These two are hilarious! We hear lots of giggling out of them when they are together. Ansley is the daughter of our best friends, Larry and Tracy, but I guess you could say that she is like the fourth sister. Aren't they cute!!!

5th of July!

2009-07-07T14:20:00.001-07:00

After leaving the Enis house on Sunday we stopped in Etta to visit with Memaw and Papaw. The family "farm" is one of the happiest places on Earth. Life there is just simple and easy. The kids climbed trees, traveled the nature trail, played baseball, caught lady bugs, and fished. Lots of fun!

Goodbye Memaw!

4th of July!

2009-07-07T09:44:00.000-07:00

We traveled to Corinth, MS for the 4th to visit the Enis family. Ryan, Meredith, and Griffin are very special friends and we love spending time with them. Ryan and Greg have been really close since college and I scored big time when he married Meredith. She is hilarious and so much fun. It has always been an easy friendship. Their son Griffin is just too cute for words and he's funny like his momma. He loves our girls! Thanks for having our supersized family for the weekend! We had such a great time!

Ryan and Anna ClaireGriffin and Andrew "squeezing"The race is on! After we shot fireworks the kids raced around the yard. Horrible! This is the only proof I have that I was actually there all weekend. Sorry to torture y'all with a no make up me!My how things have changed since college!Greg shot a dud firework that landed in the only patch of dead grass in Ryan and Meredith's backyard. It quickly became not funny! :)Good thing we had Meredith there to put out the fire. The rest of us just stood there and watched the flame grow in amazement.Meredith and Griffin. He's such a cutie pie!Watching fireworks Griffin and Andrew swimming with their "muscles" on!