The sound of quiet amongst the past chaos...

It has been a wonderful Thanksgiving break but hectic and chaotic. Mike and I were both down for the count Thursday after the run and all day Friday. Somehow, I think my girls night out we all caught something. Kim and Les were also sick with the crud and my poor kids had to fend for themselves on Friday, just kidding, only a little. Thursday we had Turkey and birthday cake with Mikes parents. It was nice and quiet which was helpful since Mike and I were absolutely miserable. Zach had a blast opening presents and eating cake twice that day with Memaw and Papa. The Grandparents spoil the kiddos but I guess that is what they are there for. We left and retreated home to bed. On Friday, we woke up even worse and had to call in a favor to one of our Dr. friends, since no doctors were working except urgent care. He is a great friend and saved our kiddos from complete boredom all weekend. We tried to go out and have lunch with the kids and a cookie at the infamous "Tollhouse brothers", yes they know my children. Then off we went to lay on the couch why Zach and Gavin played with all their new toys and Reese slept until 5:30. I think she was as pooped out as us. The medicine actually felt like it kicked in a little but we laid around the majority of night except to finish decorating our porch. I will post pics soon as it is almost complete. We did not want to go to crazy since Christmas is not at our house this year. On Saturday, we got up and went and took pictures on this old bridge and wooded trail area. The kiddos did okay. I am trying to get our Christmas cards out so below I posted a couple of pics of our day but I have learned with 3 it is almost a miracle to get the perfect shot. We ended up spending the day with the kids and then cleaning because Mommy and Daddy had a date night planned, however, due to our illness the date night ended at 10:00 since Mommy was pretty tired. Yes, Mike thought I was a wimp but we climbed into bed and ended up staying up till mid-night watching tv. Today we went to church, which was such a wonderful service and now I am amongst a quiet house. Mike took the boys to a birthday party and Reese is a sleep. I promised the kiddos when they got home we would decorate the house, play Christmas carols and maybe make cookies. I better go and enjoy my last hour of quiet time. I hope everyone else had a wonderful holiday and is enjoying the festivities for the holidays.

My big girl-every time I see pictures I cannot believe how big she is..


Attempting at a side view. Do they look the same?



This is out of order but "hooray Zach said as we shot the last pic"

This is the end of our shoot and everyone is done, really "tears".

Horseplaying, how fun.

I am over that girly bow, Daddy's hat is way cooler.

Brothers, they love each other.


Take 2 -attempting to have all eyes on me but always looking at something cooler.

Trying to strike a pose.

We really do love each other occasionally.

All giggles at the beginning.

Aren't we cute.

I finished....

I finished the 8 mile Turkey Trot and ran the whole time!!!! The last 1 1/2 was a little tough due to the fact I had a problem with too much water and all the lines to the stand alone restrooms were horrible. I then had problems with my sock which I had read in long runs to wear moisture resistance socks that fit. I decided to wear all cotton bigger socks because my running shoes are a little newer and rubbed some ouchies on my back of my ankles. Any hoo the socks were bunching up under my toes and ouch it did not feel good so I had to stop quickly and take off my shoe and reposition my socks but ran in a little pain the last mile. The funny part of the story is there were 37,000 people and boy did my first mile take along time. I think it took 35 minutes since I did not position myself at the front. I had to dodge dogs, strollers and walkers but I feel great. I am sore today and did not feel great yesterday as I developed a sinus infection and did not eat enough so needless to say I felt sick after the run but it has taught me what I need to do to prepare better for the run. It was such a high during the run especially when I ran 2 miles across the bridges. I will post pics once the photographers have them on their website.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Turkey Day as we did. Our oldest son turned 7 and he had so much fun. He is growing up so fast and we love you Zachary!

What we have to be Thankful for...

It is a great question that I do not ever ask myself but I am thankful for.. My wonderful husband. I have the most non-selfish, loving, helpful and wonderful provider of a husband. I do not show him this very much but he is definitely my soul mate. My children who make my life complete. Each of them have the different and wonderful personalities. Zachary is turning 7 tomorrow and he is my sweet and sincerely kind child. Gavin is my loving and wildly crazy, but I love it. Reese is also very sweet and definitely sassy or "2" but she lights up my life. My family is also what I have to be thankful for. My friends and family who always keep me grounded and cheer me on. I could go on an on but these are my top. On a lighter side, I am ready for this 8 mile run tomorrow. Keep me in your thoughts as your sleeping on Turkey Day and I am running. My BFF's minus Pam went out this weekend and it was awesome. We forget sometimes how much fun we have and how important they are in my life. I do not think I have laughed so much.

Cheesy Poses by the fire on Girls Night with Kim & Les

Be Back Soon

I am taking the week off to get ready for the big run. I know this sounds silly but I am going to force myself to go to bed by 9pm and get rest. My plantar fascitis has flared up a little and I am trying to train and rest. I will finish this 8 mile run but I think mentally I am a little scared I will re-injur my foot. Wish me luck and I will return with lots of photos Thanksgiving week.

My baby turned 5!!

Wow-it is hard to believe Gavin is 5. He is becoming so big and looks so grown up but he still loves his mommy. He started his birthday with a donut hole cake which included glazed, chocolate and sprinkled donut holes. It was very cool but bad Mommy forgot her camera at school. We then decorated the house for when he woke up it was special and that night we ate dinner at his Memaws and Papas house. He was allowed to open our presents. We had such a special day and then had the Party with the rest of the family on Saturday. Zach also had his last baseball game on Saturday and party. However, I have no pictures since I was home cleaning and getting everything ready for the party. He had a blast and ended it with his Cousin Haley spending the night. They are so fun. They all get along great and she slept between Zach and Gavin. I wonder if it will be the same as they continue to get older as they seem to have such a bond. On Sunday, we all woke up and went and had IHOP as the kids were craving waffles and we had no food. We then headed to the Castle Park for some last minute fun until it was time to take Haley home. The kids were officially pooped and all fell asleep in the car on the way home. I cannot express how much I love my kiddos and watching them grow. Gavin, Happy Birthday and I cannot wait to see what the next year brings us.

The boy (Zach) loves his Papa-Gavins birthday Party!


Missed this pic in the previous blog. Haleys birthday Party. All the Dallas cousins. We are only missing Connor and Ian.

Birthday Party-Neighbor Friends sharing in a delicious cookie cake!

Aren't we the cutest Cousins? Sleepover-Reese was so excited.

The boys minus Gavin-we could not find him. My nephew is the older one and Zachs idol!

Who does not love bear hugs from the Grandparents!

One More...for tonight (Is this a sight?)

I was going through the rest of some pics and found these from the end of the summer. Across the street 2 girls live. One is in Zach's class and they are best buds and the other is Gavins age. Of course Gavin my little lover is a little gaga over the older one but on this particular day, Mike caught him with the one he is always running from and notice Zach and his friend are sitting separate. It just made me think that Zach will be my shy, sweet, gentleman. Gavin will be the true lover and maybe player??? Time will tell.

Hanging out with friends. (Don't look at the messy playroom they rearranged)


How cute, Gavin is always running from Chels but today laying with her is okay.

Birthdays and fun-Catch up Post

My sisters birthday was in September but due to everyone's incredibly busy schedules, we celebrated it with her Husbands birthday in October. We had so much fun and Mike was of course the chef. He pre-made that morning Green Chili chicken enchiladas, Mexican corn souffle and we packed it up and headed over to her house. She just purchased another home over the summer and my Dad had not been able to see it and it looks so good. She has an eye for picking out homes with lots of potential. Her backyard is so quaint and to die for. However, I think our future rock band had more fun. The kiddos think Aunt Sylvia's house is the best. Reese even chants that she wants to go to Aunt Syl's house.

Okay, on another topic, I have a dilemma. What do I wear for my 8k run in 2 weeks. I know it sounds silly but I am stumped as I get really hot while running and it could be cold. Also, I have to look semi decent for the pictures I have asked my hubby to take a picture of me finishing this great feat. I know many of you are probably tired of hearing this but I am so excited. I have been working so hard and with my feet giving me so much grief this summer, I finally feel this high. Running is addicting. It gives me such a wonderful feeling to run and listen to the wind, birds and even the cars. I think it is my one time to escape and think about life or just be silent. Hmmm...if you have any thoughts on my wardrobe, I am all ears.

Cousins-the beginning of a band??


I am not sure what Reese is singing but Haley must be enjoying/hating the way she is looking at her. I thought Reese and Haley look so cute together.

Zach, Gavin, Haley -Oooh scary and Reese, ummm she is not too scared.


Practicing our Singing with the help of Reese.



Zach and Tony (my nephew) Rocking..Of course Zach wants a electric guitar after this experience and is now going to be a Singer when he grows up.

I love it- Cousins. They are so close and we love that on of the Aunts is close. We miss the other Aunties.

I am imagining she is looking at me tell her do not get too close. My children love water and I was waiting for her to fall in. That would be the Wofford "way".

Hallooooween-What fun!

What a weekend of fun. After being sick all last week, I welcomed some fun. However, I told Mike we do need to settle down soon. I am tired of running all weekend. We started...okay I started the weekend with a much needed massage on Friday and followed by my sweet hubby and children meeting me for dinner. On Saturday, I woke up bright and early, 6:30am to be exact to run since I took a week off from being ill. It was bitterly cold here but I actually ran my 3 1/2 miles good. I had planned to run 6 miles on Saturday but since I was still getting over my upper respiratory infection, I figured I should hold off. Yes, if you did not know I am training for a 8k Turkey Trot run and then 1/2 marathon. I am having so much fun and finally losing weight. It is awesome to wear clothes that are falling off or trying on clothes that have not fit in years and seeing them fit. I still have a long road but know this time I will succeed. Okay, back to my post about the kiddos. We went to baseball after this and it was so much fun. Zach is loving it and is doing so well. He had a couple weeks where he was struggling and you could tell he was frustrated but it has finally clicked. My little baby is growing up and I love watching it. After the game it was a mad dash home to clean the house for guests that night for Halloween. I have to say Reese looked adorable and the pictures do not do justice. She actually had a stranger from our local paper take her picture and asked if they could publish. I take all the credit as spend weeks trying to figure out what she could be and that kitty tutu was awesome. That night we had friends come over and Zach had one of his good friends Connor and his 3 year old sister over. We had so much fun and the kids were crazy but it was fun. I have to say the men were a little worn out by 9:00 with all the commotion of the kids. They should of joined the girls on the porch, drinking their red wine, we had no problems. On Sunday, we started with breakfast and my little nieces Birthday Party. I cannot believe Haley is 6! The kids are growing up so fast but we love her and had a blast at the party. Gavin is turning 5 this week and it makes me a little sad but he is counting the days. The funny thing is when Zach turned 5, he was a lot more independent. Gavin still loves Mommy to dress him in the morning, which I secretly love but give him grief. He still gets mad if I do not kiss him at least twice in the evening and he still loooooves to cuddle. Well it is late and I still have 500 posts to catch up on with all the pictures I need to update, so keep checking back.

All smiles while decorating for Halloween:




Best Buds-they can do no wrong in each others eyes...yeah right.


Help, we are tangled. Reese is just one of the guys. From L to R Zach, G man, Reese and Connor



Look who is scary..... Reese and Campbell seem bored with this.

We are just hanging with friends (yes below is a girl as MJ and she is super cute and we think her and Zach will be each others first kiss) She has been in his class for 2 years and now lives right across the street and they always play together. Her younger sister is the clown.

My super cute kitty and she actually meows but prefers growling, maybe a lion next year, much feistier than a kitty