Something Very Cool

I have 2 very awesome, beautiful big sisters. My oldest sister, Gina, has some cool and exciting things happening in her life right now. It involves an upcoming mission trip to Ethiopia and possibly, maybe even more. I am praying for her and her awesome husband and sweet kids. I just thought you might want to join me. She has just started a blog so I will not say more. If you are curious, go see how God is working in the Payne family's life. It's amazing and I have a feeling it is just the beginning!

Click on the picture to visit their blog...

Beach Sneak Peek

We are home from the beach! Lots of fun was had but that makes for one sleepy family. So, here is a sneak peek of the fun on the beach. The kids all LOVED playing on the beach and in the water. When I feel recouped (hmm...that might take a while!), I will post more...

Wordless Wednesday...in the air!

One Hoppy Day

Addie performed in her first dance recital this weekend. She was so excited and had a great time! Her class danced around as bunnies. It was SO cute! They were all cute but I think Addie was the cutest bunny on that stage! The cutest part was when they wiggled their bunny tails. :) She was excited about performing on a real stage but she was even more excited about me putting make-up on her.

Look at our bunny ballerina...

She is wiggling her bunny tail...

Ok...Carrissa was just as cute of a bunny as Addie...

A family picture without Sam. Uncle Jon was our "manny" for the night. Thank you Jon! Sam is so happy you held him all night! :)

Mommy and Addie...

Logan was proud of his sister too. He picked the pink roses out for her!

Grammy and Papa Skip made the trip to see the bunny...

Cousin Ashton came to support Addie too...

Nana and Pop were there too. I didn't get a picture of Pop but I did get this cute picture of Nana and her girls...

SO CUTE COUSINS...

Claire (our other favorite cousin) came too...

The ballerina was sleepy at this point but she was still posing for the camera when we got home...

Aunt Jenn, Aunt Tonya, and Pop were all there to show their support but did not make it in a picture. Thanks so much for coming to see her. WAY TO GO ADDIE!

First Grade Memories

Another school year has passed and you know I am so happy for summer break, no doubt! Now I have a 2nd grader! I can't believe it! Logan is not supposed to be as big as the kids I teach. We were also sad to say good-bye to his sweet, wonderful, fabulous teacher and his great, great, great class! First grade has been a GREAT YEAR of learning and fun. Thanks Ms. Knapple for everything! :)

Here are some pictures that did not make the blog earlier in the year...

Ms. Knapple won Teacher of the Year at school. Her class surprised her by all showing up at a Predators game during Christmas Break. She is a big sports fan and it was a special night for her and the kids!
Logan and Ms. Knapple...

First grade program...

Logan's time to shine during the program...

Field day with one of Logan's favorite people...

End of the year picnic with some more of Logan's favorite people...

To top the great year off, they said good-bye with a fun pool party. What a way to end the year and start the summer...with a bang!!

First grade was great. A great teacher with some great friends made it a year I don't think Logan will forget! He is a great little reader. I'm looking forward to some summer reading with him (and some math flash cards too)!!!

2nd GRADE...HERE WE COME!!!!!

2 Wheels!

Addie is just growing up way too fast! She just doesn't play dress up near as much as she used to and now she is riding her bike without training wheels. I should be proud, and I am, but it also just makes me sad. I feel like biting my lip a little bit, as if I can slow down time!

Look at how big she is...

Yes, I do have a video, just in case you are interested. She wanted to be sure Grammy could see...

Now, if you noticed that her wheels are 2 different colors, it is just because her daddy had to do some work on them. The back one was wobbly so he replaced it with a wheel from Logan's old bike. And, did you notice that her helmet is Spiderman, her knee pads and elbow pads that she does wear but is not in this picture are Spiderman as well. I wonder who those belong to?? She doesn't care! She is just proud to be riding her bike like her big brother! We can hardly keep her off her bike now! YAY for Addie!

Firetruck Fun

Over the last 2 weeks, we have made a few trips to see David while he is working. These first few pictures are from a windy day that we thought we could fly a kite with Daddy's help. The kite didn't work out so good so the kids played on the firetrucks and then played some ping pong. They were happy and I was happy I had my camera!

This is a face that is made all too often by Little Miss Addie. She is saying NO in her head but trying to smile and do what she is told because she doesn't want to hear me say "BE NICE or ELSE...!" If this was on video, I'm sure there would be a little bit of growling to go along with the scary smile! She is a mess!

Now doesn't she look sweet here! She can be as sweet as she can be stubborn!

I scream, you scream, we all screamed for 31 cents ice scream scoops from Baskin Robbins. Yes, we got 6 scoops of ice cream for no more than $2.30. The firefighters were scooping out ice cream to raise money for fallen firefighters. Baskin Robbins was packed but the ice cream was well worth the 30 minute wait. Plus, the kids got to see their Daddy and play more on the fire trucks.

This is Tower 6...

Family picture plus our neighbor, Carissa, who is Addie's BFF and she might as well be part of the family...

Happy, happy kids...

She is just too cute and looks so tiny in this truck!