a good weekend & a good sunburn

We spent the Memorial Holiday weekend at the Lake! We love going to the Lake - the easy & no time frame to do anything! The grilling, boating, swimming, laying out, and even a sunburn are worth the trip. Jamie & his family have had a place up there going on 10 years. About 3 years ago, the trailer was up-graded and now has a covered deck. Early that weekend we were joined by my sister & her family. Love all my memories of the Lake! Ellie sporting her "I Love the 80's" look. The bright, neon colors on her swimsuit match her hideous crazy cat sun visor. My mother purchased this visor for her during a shopping trip, and there was no bargaining power I had. Ellie says it reminders her of her cat, Peppers, b/c it has their crazy cats on it.
At the beach = tanning & cooling off in the water. Great place to dock, swim, lay out, toss a football & frisbee, eat lunch & just be ...

Jaxon - aka Mr. Safety - always asking if life jackets were ready, if the boat was sinking, etc. I love this picture of him!

Ellie floating on the innertube ... too bad it had a hole in it & we couldn't do anything but float on it. I love to innertube! It was especially fun when Jamie owned his red Crownline ski-boat. But I guess those days are over (for now) ... we've moved on to pontoon boats w/ shade & room for kiddos, food, water toys, beach chairs ... basically everything including a kitchen sink!

Jenna w/ the kiddos. Ellie L-O-V-E-S her some Jenna. Jenna has her own fan club!

My sister, Paige, her hubby Jeffery & son #1, Jaxon, joined us for a fun weekend. Normally, they are in the middle of ball season, but luckly they had the weekend off. Also, Jeffery's sister, Jenna & her bf, Roger, joined us. I believe a great weekend was had by all!

Ellie taking a break from swimming to eat a pizza lunchable. I always craved pizza after a day of swimming when I was little. I don't know why, but it always sounded soo yummy!

Ellie & Jamie driving the boat. Good thing there was lots of open water b/c she drove it like she does her bike - not looking where she's going.

After the Hays' crew left, Jamie's parents & Harrison (our nephew on Jamie's side) came & joined in on the Lake fun! We grilled out that evening, drove around & visited & even stopped & got a scoop or two of ice cream - yummo!

Our nephew Harrison acting goofy!

A quick shot of Jamie & myself. The one time I run around w/o makeup & my hair fixed is at the Lake, hence the big Jackie-O sunglasses.

We did a little fishin'. Ellie is turing into quite the fishing expert.

Jamie's dad, aka Peepaw, & our nephew Harrison driving the boat. Harrison maning the steering wheel is a scary thought!

It was cold on Day 3 of our weekend - Harrison was covered up with his blanket.

Summertime, And the Livin' is Easy ...

Summertime is here! Well, maybe not the official season, but the West TN humidity has arrived, schools are out for the summer, and baseball, s'mores, and lake fever as hit our home. We are excited about getting up to the place at the lake, riding on the pontoon boat, and the new to us golf cart that we have recently purchased. Ellie absolutely loves going up there! So ... with us having the summer fever, I went through last year's pictures to find my favorite memories from 2009. Atlanta Braves game ... As I have mentioned before Jamie is a huge Braves fan. Last year, we went on a mini-vac to ATL to see them play on their home turf. I was so excited to get this shot because it reminds me of a photo I would see in a travel brochure.
Fishin' Season - If you look real closely, Jamie is fishin' with Ellie's pink Princess fishing pole. I guess not only do "real men" wear pink, but fish with pink fishing poles as well.

Ellie listening to her daddy's fishing advise. She caught her 1st fish all by herself last year on this trip. This year, she is already telling "fishing tales."

This is still one of my favorite pictures of Ellie. We were on our way to see the bison at the Land Between the Lakes. The ride was waaayy to long for Ellie & boredom quickly sat in.

The zoo, corndogs, and sleeveless shirts!

And Now Presenting ...

Lately Ellie has enjoyed playing in her dress up clothes & prancing around in high heels, in particular - my high heels. It reminds me of all the fun my sister & I had when we were younger walking around in my aunt's boots. Man, I loved wearing those boots! Our grandmother, on the other hand, would hide them from us because they made black marks on her kitchen floor. Ok .. now back to the other night. Well, Ellie also loves to sing. So the other evening she put on a concert for Jamie & I. It was quite impressive & funny. Her bed was the stage & she & her stuffed animals each did a special song. Here is Elmo singing "Twinkle, Twinkle". Ellie reminds me of a version of "Rhinestone Cowgirl".
Next up ... little monster. I think he did a dance or something.

As last on the concert venue, Winnie the Pooh. American Idol has nothing on Ellie!

Practice Makes Perfect

Ellie reached another milestone this evening - riding her bike w/o training wheels! Yep, that's right! Another right of passage into Big Girl world - she is growning up way to fast! Her daddy just took off the wheels & it was off she went. She caught on super fast & had about 3 wipe outs. But, as you can see - no bumps or scratches - we have elbow & knee pads as well as a helment.
She is setting up to take off! Go Ellie Go!

I love this expression - surprised mixed with excitement!

Now, we have to keep our promise of a new "bigger girl" bike ... off to WalMart we go!

Ellie's school year ends...

Ellie had her end of year program for Mom's Day Out Preschool this weekend. She is so excited about being out for the summer! She has thoroughly enjoyed going to school & making new friends. Her teachers, Ms. Rita - Ms. Kathy - Ms. Tabitha, have taught her and the other students not only classroom skills, such as counting & spelling, but about The Bible as well. Ellie had to memorize several Bible verses and learned Bible stories and songs. She also got to tour a fire truck, police car, and go on field trips throughout the school year. Plus, she was worn out and ready to eat lunch & nap when she got to the babysitter's house after school. Special thanks to her teachers for all they did! Ellie's 1st day of preschool picture. Ellie with one of her teachers, Ms. Tabitha. Ellie told us the other night she wanted Ms. Tabitha to come spend the night sometime.
Some of Ellie's favorite things about school:

playing on the playground

singing the songs - especially the "Peanut on the Railroad track" & the Star Silkin' Banner (that is what she calls the National Anthem)

writing her name & spelling words

Ellie's end of school year picture. She is standing in front of a school house that was the backdrop of her program.

Way to Go Ellie on completing your 1st year of Preschool! We are proud of you & love you very much!

fun weekend

This weekend has been so much fun! We love it when the "Alexander crew" comes to visit West TN! Jamie's aunt & her family came in for Whitney's college graduation - Way to go Whit! So, while the family was entertained by the graduation ceremonies, we were entertained by Mr. Max! Max (20 mths old) is the son of Jamie's cousin, Courtney & Brandon - And boy, is Max fun! I kept trying to get a picture of him & Ellie, but I must say it is very hard to hit a moving target. The above picture makes me laugh because it captures him at is normal pace - on the move! Ellie has a love-hate relationship with Max. She loves to be around & play with him, but hates it when he barrells through her building block projects. OCD Child vs. Max can be eventful!
Also, Jamie's cousin Adam came down to see his baby sister graduate. Adam & Jamie had "jam sessions" the 2 nights they were in ... I know our neighbors appreciated it. Above is a pic of Ellie & Adam having a deep conversation about Granddaddy's horses. Adam also show us more of his musical talents by playing Ellie's 2 recorders at the same time - He is such a BIG KID!

One of my fav pictures of Ellie looking at Granddaddy's horses. She loves them so!

Ellie, Courtney & Max petting Sam. Max is a little unsure of the horse.

Ellie longing to saddle up a horse. I love this pic of her too!

Mom Knows Best

Happy Mother's Day!

In a tribute to all the special women in our lives we call Mom, Meemee, Meemama, Granny, & Memaw - I have posted photos of our mothers & grandmothers. We love you all & you are very special to us. We appreciate all the meals cooked, ball games attended, and wisdom & advice you so kindly give. I was blessed in 2005 to become a mom. It is the most rewarding and challenging experience.
My mother w/ Ellie this past Christmas. She allows my daughter to do things I would get in trouble for. Not fair!
Jamie's mom & Ellie in St. Louis a few years ago. She spoils us every Sunday with lunch.

Jamie's grandmother, Ms. Peggy - who makes the most delicious old time spagehtti. It can never be duplicated because I have tried!

My grandmother (Granny) - see a previous post on all of her wisdom & grann-isms.

My other grandmother, Betty, that kept my sister & I when we were smaller during the summer & made the best chocolate chip milkshakes. yummy!

Duck Crossing Ahead

Ellie loves taking a trip to "Farmer Brent's" house to see his ducks. Brent is one of Jamie's buddies & raises a variety of ducks & geese. During the spring & summer we usually take weekly trips to his house to let Ellie feed them, play with them, hold them, & just watch them - they are very relaxing. He has recently had several eggs hatch, so now she has the baby ducklings that she loves to feed & hold. She loves feeding them shelled corn & laughing when one tries eating her toes rather than the corn.
Here she is hearding the baby geese.

flyin' high

After a weekend of rain & weather alerts, Ellie enjoyed the beautiful sunshine this afternoon! She & her Daddy decided it was kite flying time, so she decided she needs to dress up for the occassion. Yes, she is flying her kite in a glamorous play dress. She is such a diva!

Flood 2010

This past weekend, we saw a down pour in West TN to say the least. It began raining Friday evening & did not stop until sometime Sunday. I'm sure you have seen national coverage of the Nashville area (for pictures and more information visit The Tennessean website), but our area saw flooding as well. The only words I can use to describe it is INSANE! I have never seen this much water before! Rural towns and communities are having to evacuate - Dyersburg, Milan, Trenton, Kenton, Rutherford has been impassable. My heart is heavy for all the flood victims having to deal with their personal tragedy and loss. I have taken some personal pictures that I will post later, but if you would like to see the local newspaper coverage, visit the websites below.
www.jacksonsun.com
www.thetennessean.com