the owens family and co.

"The Beach House!"

2012-01-19T09:30:00.010-05:00

ALMOST a YEAR later... I'm hopefully back to blogging...

but with 1000's of pictures to edit - this may take awhile!

We celebrated the NEW YEAR at St. George Island at:
"The Beach House!"

Here's a sweet picture of Jacob and me!

Micah really did chase those seagulls probably a 1/2 mile down the beach!
Thanks to Aunt Laura for going to get him!!

Here are the Ray and Owens cousins!

William and Benjamin had lots of fun together this trip!

Aunt Laura got lots of quality nephew time and helped me out LOTS!

I LOVE when I catch these two playing TOGETHER!

Thankfully Jonathan was able to join us for the weekend and made a fun sandcastle!

After Jacob ate fist-fulls of sand, I resorted to bringing crackers for him to eat!

Uncle Scott is pretty much a big KID! He LOVES building things...
and explaining things - even to Benjamin to asks a MILLION questions!
The "Great Wall" was just one of the many sand features that were made!

Enjoyed our time - like always at "the Beach House!"

Back to School!

2011-10-20T21:45:00.020-04:00

Benjamin started KINDERGARTEN this year and has a FABULOUS teacher named Mrs. Sheffield! He LOVES riding the bus and has learned to read pretty well!
Here is Benjamin with his first day of kindergarten BREAKFAST:
"K" toaster strudel and fresh Georgia peaches!

Here he is on his first day of school waiting at the bus stop!

My AWESEOME friend, Angie, took this picture on the first day! We were so blessed to have Elaina in his class - what are the odds that the only two LDS kindergarteners are in the same class!

MICAH started preschool! He too has a FABULOUS teacher, Mrs. Shannon who has even gotten him to FINALLY paint his hands or feet!

These two are learning and growing so much and we're so excited for a fun school year!

End of the SUMMER!

2011-10-20T21:45:00.017-04:00

We had such a fun summer with the boys and Uncle Albert who came and stayed with us for THREE weeks!

By the end of the summer ... Benjamin was really quite the swimmer!

We had lots of fun bowling but won't say who won (BENJAMIN!!)

Micah had fun for about the first 3 rounds...

Jacob was a trooper and even bowled a few times with Uncle Albert!

This is little Jacob on July 2nd ... when we celebrated the 4th of July!

This is our family on the Mountaintown Creek Trail ... it was quite the hike but the boys were troopers!

We enjoyed picking REALLY big blueberries at Mercier...

We celebrated the 4th on Saturday at the Blue Ridge Marina watching the fireworks show!

Here are the boys waiting on the fireworks:

On the actual 4th of July... the boys (minus Jacob) floated down the River up in Blue Ridge! Thankfully they were safe from a HUGE thunder and lightening storm - having to get out and huddle together to stay safe!

The boys took swimming lessons for two weeks! Micah cried everyday for the first week - but the second week he learned to LOVE jumping in to his "friend" = coach!

Jacob really learned to love Uncle Albert - especially when I was cooking dinner!

And just before the summer ended - we invested in an AWESOME $5.00 slip-n-slide - probably some of the most fun of the summer!

so many smiles...

laughs,

and memories!

Jacob's Blessing Day: July 17, 2011!

2011-10-20T21:44:00.010-04:00

Our Little Family on Jacob McKay Owens's Blessing Day!

Micah LOVES Jacob and loves kissing his sweet hands!

Although you can't see in any of these pictures, my Mom made Jacob's gown and it has an "O" at the bottom with 2 honey bees - symbolizing Jonathan and I - and three near the collar to symbolize the three boys! What a special and beautiful gown! THANK YOU MOM!!

We opted to take our big GROUP picture in the gym because it was so toasty outside...

Here is a picture of Jacob with me and two of his grandmother's!
We had a nice little "lunch" after church and then just rested the rest of the day! Jacob actually slept almost the whole entire day!

A day on the Farm... at the Lineback's!

2011-10-20T21:44:00.006-04:00

We LOVE the Lineback's!!

Despite Benjamin's face (it was REALLY REALLY hot!), the kids had a blast at the Lineback's farm! The kids enjoyed feeding the chickens and horses, walking the dogs, getting a horse ride and even painting charm! I wish I had the group picture!!

Here are the boys painting charm ...

and Tammy was even prepared ICE CREAM and all! We hope we get to go again next year!

Dollywood 2011

2011-10-20T21:42:00.006-04:00

Dollywood Family Trip 2011

Here's the big group picture... had almost everyone there!

Jacob did LOTS of sleeping...

Benjamin with his hands up even on the piggy ride!

Our family picture outside Dollywood!

Micah was THRILLED to drive the cars for the first time!!

Benjamin and I at the pancake house!

LOVE this picture of Uncle Christopher and Benjamin in the pink car!

Jonathan and the boys with Llama Llama Red Pajama!

Owen and Jacob are just 6 days apart!! This is their first picture TOGETHER!

Jonathan with Micah and Benjamin getting soaked on River Battle ...
Micah was NOT happy about it!

This is one of my FAVORITE pictures/moments ...
when Benjamin was "reading" to Eli!

Micah and Benjamin riding the bees!
So many fun memories at Dollywood ...
and I'm sure MANY MANY more to come!

Summer Fun and Benjamin's 5th BIRTHDAY!!

2011-10-20T21:41:00.008-04:00

Benjamin turned 5!! and requested a green cake with the #5 on it!

He got some fun presents and this basketball goal will make for
lots of fun times for the boys!

This is our little family on a hike to Long Creek Falls!
The sites and smells were HEAVENLY!

This little guy takes most of his naps (like his brothers!) in the swing!
We love him!

"Spring Break" ...

2011-10-20T21:40:00.009-04:00

We took a little trip to Savannah for Spring Break on our way to cousin Liam's baby blessing! The boys LOVED playing at the beach!

We also enjoyed eating along River Street and seeing an awesome SHIP!

Fun little trip before our little guy comes!

December Trip to Utah!

2011-04-12T14:42:00.005-04:00

Here are a few quick pictures from our little vacation to Utah in December! It was fun to see friends and family, go to the BYU basketball game and see the lights on Temple Square! The only downside was that Benjamin got a stomach bug ... and then passed it to our friends and me ... thankfully I made it home before it hit me though! We love our dear friends the Heidemans who put us up even with a sick kiddo!

Micah on the plane...

Laura and I with our kiddos watching the fire!

Benjamin and Micah inside the Joseph Smith Building...

Uncle Christopher (his birthday!) and Benjamin at the BYU basketball game!

The Owens Family at the BYU basketball game!

Our little family (EXHAUSTED) on Temple Square!

The Salt Lake Temple...

Jonathan and I on Temple Square...

Jonathan watched our kids so I could go to see the "Music and the Spoken Word" performance by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra!

Headed home... the boys watching the planes at the SLC Airport!

A little Christmas...

2011-04-05T15:44:00.006-04:00

I know... so LATE - but I've got to get caught up before the baby gets here... Here's a little Christmas! A true "love" for Santa!

We had an awesome time at the Christmas tree farm ... a little brotherly love!

Jonathan stopped by for a quick minute to put our tree on the car before heading out on a youth Temple trip!

Thanksgiving!

2011-01-10T22:47:00.006-05:00

We spent Thanksgiving Day at the Harrison homestead! We had a SUPER yummy dinner ... kids played a little Wii, played outside in the 70 degree weather, and took some family pictures!

Here's our little family picture that we sent out for our Christmas card...

Our WHOLE family...

LOVED this in my parents yard- and it made me think of some of the REAL Thankfuls of Thanksgiving! The beauty of the earth... and us having another little one coming to "our nest!"

Here's the "original" Harrison gang...

AND the boys loved a ride on the golf cart with Poppy!

A weekend at the CABIN!

2011-01-10T21:29:00.006-05:00

Such a fun weekend at the cabin with the Forscutts and McGuires! The highlights were the playground, walk through town and Uncle Jonathan (Dad) buying the kids a choclate and hanging out roasting marshmellows! Sad that Steph got sick - but so fun for the cousins!

I HAD to post my favorite picture first... Kinsley and Benjamin hoping to get to go into the candy store...

Kinsley and Benjamin in the tee-pee!

McGuires walking in downtown Blue Ridge.

Micah LOVED playing on the playground!

Kinsley and Benjamin having a race down the slide!

LOVE this picture of Stephanie and Allie!

Micah!

Eli - such a cute little guy!

Benjamin going down the big slide!

Marhsmellow time in the fireplace outside!

Benjamin and Jonathan roasting marshmellows!

Benjamin's T-ball Team!

2011-01-10T21:11:00.002-05:00

Benjamin's t-ball team had a little party at Stevi B's! Here are Benjamin and Jonathan with their trophies! I love that Jonathan has his at work!

This was about half of the team!

Here's Benjamin getting his trophy!

We'll see if he plays this spring...

Halloween 2010!!

2011-01-10T21:01:00.005-05:00

This year - unlike last year which we spent in the hospital - we had a REALLY fun Halloween! We even got to ride on the hayride through Grandaddy and Grandma's neighborhood with the other cousins/aunts/uncles!

Here's Micah and Jonathan ... Micah insisted carrying his bucket all night long!

The cousins ... with an aunt or uncle or two!

Our little family on the hayride!

Benjamin dressed up as Woody (in his $10 costume... we may upgrade next year!) and our little golfer for a second time around!

Benjamin as Woody and cousin Eli as Buzz!

Micah and Benjamin trick or treating!

Mom and Micah Halloween Eve!

We had a fun night and the kids got oh so much candy! We STILL have Halloween candy!

Fall Happenings!

2011-01-10T20:43:00.003-05:00

A little behind ... but trying to get our happenings updated! Micah and I had a little date to Cagle's Dairy... we went on a little hay ride ...

and he LOVED seeing the farm animals! This little cow was so sweet!

My 29th birthday... Benjamin insisted that we wear Micah's Curious George hats!

We went to the pumpkin patch to pick out a nice pricey pumpkin!

And THIS was the best of our self-portrait pictures!

The boys loved this big-old pumpkin!

And here are the boys a few nights later carving OUR pumpkin!

Worth an Ice-Cream Celebration!

2010-10-13T15:22:00.003-04:00

In case you were wondering why Micah is SO happy to have this ice-cream cone...

it's because as Benjamin told him...

"Micah, you get to be the BIG BROTHER this time!"

Here's a picture that Benjamin drew for me ... of me ... don't you just love what's inside that TUMMY! (And the round object to the side is FOOD!)

Yes... we are excited to "announce" that baby #3 is on the way - due April 27th! Benjamin assures me that this time it will be a girl - "because we already have two boys!"

Keeping our fingers crossed (heartbeat of a girl at 168!) ... we'll love a boy or girl!

Mountain Air Apple Picking!

2010-10-13T14:06:00.002-04:00

We headed to Blue Ridge for a fun night at the cabin ... and stopped at Mercier for some apple picking! The Fuji apples are DELICIOUS!

Boys walking up the hill!

This isn't a mad face... it's an apple biting face!

Benjamin and Micah on the tractor!

Love spending time up in the moutains ... especially getting our fill of apple fritters, apple pies, apple sauce, apple cider and just GOOD OLD APPLES!

Farmer Day!

2010-10-13T13:34:00.003-04:00

Benjamin's class had Farmer Day at school...

This is his class before going on the super fun hayride ... SMILES all around!

Benjamin on the John Deere!

Benjamin trying to find THE BEST PUMPKIN!

Benjamin with two of his best friends - Tyson and Sayler!

Ten Years and Counting!

2010-10-10T20:16:00.002-04:00

I got to go to my 10 year class reunion last weekend ...

although our class was small (in comparison to most schools) -- this was actually about 1/4 of our class! We had a great evening catching up! Such good friends - who have turned into incredible adults (and some moms/dads)!

The Beach and the BYU Game!

2010-10-10T20:09:00.003-04:00

The boys at the beach... and yes - they're all COATED in sunscreen!

Uncle Albert playing with Micah

Our little family (as hot as can be!) at the BYU Game!
As many of you know ... BYU hasn't had the best season - but we did enjoy a nice long weekend to Florida! We were able to go to my parents beach house and LOVED being at the beach! We then headed to the BYU vs FSU game ... which was the HOTTEST game I've ever been to (including when I played sports in highschool!) -- Thankfully Jonathan's mom and brother were a huge help with the boys. We had fun aside from the heat and our poor Cougars losing!

The Sound of Music!

2010-09-25T10:51:00.003-04:00

Before we hit October ... I better do a little catching up! We had a wonderful GIRL'S NIGHT OUT and ate a yummy dinner and then went and saw The Sound of Music at the Fox in Atlanta ... it was AWESOME!

Happy 7th Anniversary from DC!

2010-08-31T20:29:00.004-04:00

What a WONDERFUL 7th Anniversary we had in Washington DC! It was a short, fast weekend but we got to see and do so SO much! Here are a few highlights!

Got to go to the Washington DC Temple ... and walk an extra mile to get there! (We took the Metro... and then tried to catch the bus - only to find out we had walked a mile in the wrong direction to the bus stop... BUT thankfully when we got to the bus with only a $1 bill and $5 bill - the bus driver said we only had to pay $1 because he didn't want to overcharge us by us putting in the $5 and not getting any change!) -- What a BEAUTIFUL Temple - inside and out!

We got to walk the "MALL" a couple times ... took a tour of the Library of Congress and Capitol...

Ate at some AMAZING restaurants (only 1 of which we took a picture at!)
And Saturday ... we spent most of the day with my college roommate, Ivy and her family! Christian (16 months old!) was such a trooper as we toured Mount Vernon...

Us at Mount Vernon...

And Shane was an even BIGGER trooper as he went to this DELICIOUS restaurnt not feeling so hot! Dinner was so yummy and we enjoyed so so much spending time with Ivy and Shane!

Our last day we were able to visit several of the Monuments... (lots of walking in!)

Go up IN the Washington Monument (which Jonathan waited in line, in the rain to get tickets for at 8am!)

View from atop the Washington Monument and we could even see the Washington DC Temple!

And here we are in The National Gallery of Art!

This was by far probably our most "fun" trip together... I guess each year we grow closer together and enjoy being together more! I ate so much yummy food I think I literally gained 10 pounds - you would've thought all that walking would've helped! I'm sure I left a LOT out ... and we didn't take pictures everywhere - we just enjoyed being together! Big thanks to my mom for keeping our boys!

Benjamin's 1st Day of PRESCHOOL!

2010-08-31T14:54:00.004-04:00

So Benjamin started his first day of 4 year old preschool (August 16th)... he is going FOUR days a week from 9-12! He is in Mrs. Jennifer and Mrs. Pat's class and really loving it! A BONUS is that his friend from church, Tyson is in his class... AND... Bonus for me - it is only 3 minutes from our house!

Updates!

2010-08-11T21:46:00.004-04:00

The last few weeks have been FULL -- I just haven't taken LOTS of pictures! I have so many "to-do" projects, I can't take the thought of having to edit/caption MORE pictures right now!

So here's a little of what's been going on... we went to the BRAVES game - and after a 2 hour rain delay - they FINALLY started playing - probably not our FAVORITE game over the last few years because they lost and it rained SO MUCH and the game just was so long! We were all EXHAUSTED and everyone slept until almost 10 am the next morning! Fun to be together though!

We had "the Owens" family pictures... and count them ... YEP - 23 grandchildren and that is just the BEGINNING! So so many more to come! This is only 7 of the 17 children who have had children! Aren't they all so cute!

AND ... we ALL went down the Toccoa River - including one of my mom's friends and my mom! Micah was not THRILLED with the incredibly TOO big life jacket - but he HAD to wear it - he can't swim! He was a trooper though and it was SO much fun going down the river together!

If you want to come hang out - or go down the river with us this fall - we're game! Now for LOTS more fun the next few weeks ... stay tuned!

The Cabin, Stone Mountain, and Coca-Cola Adventures!

2010-07-22T22:11:00.009-04:00

Jonathan's brother, Albert, came to stay with us for a WHOLE week - it was AWESOME! He was so great with the boys and a big help to me! Any other aunts/uncles want to come -- you're welcome ANYTIME - we would LOVE it! Here are the the three "big" adventures we went on!

Up to the cabin ... and a fun hike at "Fall Branch Falls"...

There really were lots of "fallen branches" - some Benjamin could just duck under!

Benjamin at the trailhead!

Our little family...

Since we were on "that-side-of-town" ... and had the raft in the trunk and Benjamin's lifejacket - we decided that the boys could go on down the Toccoa River...

Here they are IN the water ... think they had fun!

Here are my sweet boys at the TOP of Stone Mountain!

Here's our little gang at the top!

Albert "introducing" Micah to the sheep - he LOVES animals but wasn't quite sure at first!

Gotta love this one:

Benjamin: "Micah, say "cheese"..."

So Micah got BRAVE and did touch the goat ... but just with ONE finger!

Micah, Aunt Laura, Benjamin, and Uncle Albert at the TOP of Stone Mountain!

Albert, Coca-Cola Bear, Benjamin, me and Micah... the bear could even BLINK - that was awesome!!

Benjamin hugging the bears - he LOVES all dressed up people/animals etc.!

Micah, Me and Benjamin tasting the sodas!

Laura and my Mom at the Varsity -- a must go (and I actually like the food!)

Albert and Benjamin at the Varsity!

Micah's 1st trip to the Varsity - but he wouldn't eat ANYTHING - and hardly the food that I brought for him ... he was TIRED! - oh, and he REALLY does not like to wear hats ...

We had such a fun week! Now on for more adventures and fun with the family!

4th of July visit to Nana's!

2010-07-18T16:32:00.008-04:00

I know I know ... so far behind and oh so many pictures .... but this is mostly just so that ONE DAY ... I will put together a blurb book with all of my blogs!

We had such a fun time in Florida for the 4th of July and a few extra days! Here are a few of the things we did:

Benjamin of course got to ride the golfcart with Grampy and help him do some farm/yard work!

Albert and Benjamin shucked the $.10 corn for our 4th (3rd) of July BBQ!

Here's Micah and I at Aunt Jenny's before dinner...

We went to see the Fireworks over Lake Butler:

Spencer, Albert, Cheri, Benjamin, Jonathan and Micah

Love this picture of Jonathan and Micah!

Here's a fun picture of the boys!

4th of July family picture...

The boys with Nana - both being silly!

Grampy played "Green Eggs and Ham" with Benjamin: I just L-O-V-E these moments!

Benjamin and Albert eating 4th of July dinner with the missionaries!

Grammy and Grampy with Micah before they left to go to Orlando!

Albert, Jonathan, Rachel, Benjamin and Cheri (*and Spencer) ... about to go rafting/tubing down the Ichetucknee River - COLD!

Albert and Benjamin in the water -- the water is so clear! We got to see some turtles and a few other fun wildlife plants/animals!

Jonathan, Benjamin, and I all on this one little tube!

The boys playing in the rain and hose ... so fun!

Benjamin riding on Albert's back in the pool!

Micah is really getting fun in the pool!

Both boys swimming at the same time!

Nana made snowcones for us - the boys were in heaven (me too!)

We had such a fun time - Jonathan and I even got to go to the Orlando Temple which was AMAZING! We love our visits to see family in Florida and treasure all of the memories!

Summertime memories!

2010-06-30T15:28:00.002-04:00

So the boys have really enjoyed playing in their little pool this summer ... I sometimes wish we had a REAL pool in our neighborhood - or better yet - in our backyard, but needless to say, this is pretty close!

Monday we were in the pool and an airplane flew overhead, just a normal plane, but a flood of memories came into my mind of the many many days we'd be in the our pool with airplanes flying overhead, the clouds passing by and the summer afternoon showers coming down as we hid under the floats! (** we did get out for thunder/lightening storms!!)

Now that I'm a mom/grown-up, I sometimes find myself wishing I were a kid again. I feel so blessed to have these two sweet, rambunctious boys that truly fill my life with joy and a husband who loves playing witht them ... oh happy day for the many more memories for them and US to come...

Dollywood 2010!

2010-06-30T15:02:00.004-04:00

Kinsley and Benjamin at breakfast!

Us on the train ...

Jaxon, Benjamin and Paige on the bees!

Benjamin and Micah ... Micah didn't want to go to sleep because he knew he'd miss a ride!

Kinsley and Benjamin after our train ride!

Jonathan, Micah and Benjamin on River Battle ... just before being bombarded by water from the brothers/uncles that were hiding out!

All wet but lovin' life (Micah did cry the whole time ... but so did Benjamin a few years ago!)

Go kart riding with dad!

Miniature golf ...

So glad for more fun memories!

SUMMER NIGHTS ... Laser Show at Stone Mountain!

2010-06-25T21:37:00.003-04:00

This is ONE of our favorite summertime "traditions" ... including the picnic ... chicken strips (*courtesy of Chick-Fil-A), mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and salad!
You have to arrive EARLY to get a spot - so after dinner, Jonathan took Micah on a walk - and then BOTH boys to get their swords!

We sat in our camping chairs some ... and some on the blanket!

Micah and Benjamin with their swords...

AND THIS is what the laser show is really about -- FAMILY TIME!

Camping out with MOM!

2010-06-25T21:20:00.003-04:00

So ignore - I just took a quick shower after the gym... Benjamin and I had our first Mom/Son Campout! I invisioned more stars, a little cooler evening, and LOTS of sleep... but instead we had a blast... *minus calling 911 at 4:15 am because the dogs barked for half hour incraments starting at 11:30 pm -- almost 5 hours of on/off barking ... the police must've come to the rescue because we DID get sleep from 5 -6:30 am!

Here we are ready for sleepy time ... hince SCOOTER is tucked in too!

We had a blast finding our one and only lightening bug that I could actually catch! All of the others were hoovering in the trees - but it really was a site to behold! It looked as if the trees were lit up for Christmas - simply AMAZING!

Here's Micah "inspecting" our little guy in the morning...

I don't think lightening bugs live very long...

Benjamin is such a fun little guy ... you can just listen to him for hours - because he can surely talk THAT much! He's hillarious though ... NOW - if I could just remember that all day/every day, I'm sure life would be much BETTER!

The GRASS is tickling me!!

2010-06-25T21:01:00.002-04:00

So here's a Benjamin quote:
"The grass is tickling me!"

...and I happened to have my camera! He was giggling and laughing so hard as if the grass was really tickling him on purpose!

Since we have SO much of that ticklish grass... it warranted buying this exciting TOY for all 3 boys... better than a 4-wheeler ... it cuts grass too!

Pirates: Happy 4th Birthday Benjamin!

2010-06-25T20:21:00.004-04:00

Benjamin had a PIRATE Birthday party ... I have to admit I wasn't thrilled about the skulls - but the kids had a fun time and they LOVED the treasures inside the treasure boxes!

Benjamin... birthday boy, pirate...

ALMOST all of the little pirates...

So excited to find their treasure chests inside the chest...

Benjamin ready to blow out his candles...

A so cute baby pirate... he did keep his patch on for a bit (backwards that is...)

Fishing for the fish in the waves...

And can I say how much I LOVE kid birthdays and parties in general actually ... the kids are always so excited to see what's inside! I think we opened and played with almost all the gifts before the party ended!

Love all of these little boys!

GEORGIA Aquarium!

2010-06-25T20:01:00.002-04:00

More pictures to come ... but MOM MOM and Aunt Laura took us to the Georgia Aquarium for Benjamin's 4th Birthday - a day early - so he really got to have 2 BIRTHDAYS!

Cherry Pickin'!

2010-06-04T21:28:00.005-04:00

Memorial Day weekend we headed to Blue Ridge ... and filled our bag and tummies with cherries! Here are a few favorite pictures:

Benjamin was an awesome helper!

Micah helped a little and ate a LOT ...

The oh-so-yummy cherries ...

Here were are (minus Jonathan) who took our picture! We had a blast TOGETHER!

Fun in the RAIN!

2010-06-04T21:02:00.003-04:00

It's been raining a little more ... SUMMER rain which I LOVE! I even love the smell ... the boys LOVED playing in it!

Puppy Love

2010-06-02T10:16:00.004-04:00

One LOVED Puppy...

These little things: bunny, patch and blankie are the three MUSTS for bedtime and naptime!

Last day of Preschool!

2010-06-02T10:09:00.002-04:00

Benjamin's preschool class...

Benjamin with his Certificate of Completion!

Benjamin LOVED preschool this year - and so did I, aside from the half-hour drive! We are excited for him to go to a new preschool only 3 minutes away ... but he had WONDERFUL teachers, friends and learned so much!

The Avenues ...

2010-05-27T22:58:00.004-04:00

Because I couldn't choose just ONE favorite ... here are a few fun pictures of Micah at The Avenues!

Always interested in what is what...

Really... there is a ROCK hidden in his hand...

He's a CLIMBER ...

Wishing he could splash in the water ...

FAVORITE: he discovered his shadow!

THE CABIN!

2010-05-17T14:01:00.005-04:00

This will probably be the FIRST of a THOUSAND posts about trips to "the cabin!" My parents recently bought a new cabin in Blue Ridge, GA - which is just about an hour and fifteen minutes from our house! Over the past few months we've been trying to get it "READY" so that we could actually stay the night... appliances, furniture, gas hooked up ... and a few live-in friends out from under the cap on the roof! WE DID IT ... still a few more things needed - but it was ready enough! The mountains of Blue Ridge are beautiful ... and we are thrilled for all of the memories that this little place will bring! We kicked off the weekend with a trip to the strawberry fields at Mercier Orchards! The boys HAD to jump up on the train ... that we hope to ride in a few weekends ... and the other pictures are the only pictures I snapped AT the cabin ... more coming!

The creek is just RIGHT down the hill ... can't wait to campout on the porch and listen to the rushing water!

Strawberry Pickin'!

2010-05-17T13:59:00.008-04:00

Strawberry Pickin' 2010 was at Mercier Orchards ... they are very well known for their apples but we enjoyed their strawberry patch this year!

Here is my sister, Laura, and Benjamin LITERALLY skipping off to go pick strawberries ... I'm not quite sure who was more excited!

Micah, Benjamin and I in front of the fields... check out Micah's very happy and RED face!

Our little family at the patch ... AND we got a fabulous wagon ride too!

Here's Benjamin (and Jonathan in the background) ... hard at work picking!

My parents, sister and our little family at the patch ... with the mountains in the background!

Micah was a trooper and spent a good bit of the time in his stroller - so long as he had another strawberry coming!

Can't wait until CHERRY season!

CIRCUS DAY!

2010-05-17T13:44:00.004-04:00

Benjamin's pre-school had the BEST Circus Day...

I have ever been too!

So many fun festivities ... free food ... and even "good" prizes!
Here is Benjamin so exicted to ride the pony...

The boys REALLY enjoyed their snowcones!

Micah not so excited or sure about riding on this pony!

Benjamin with his friend Porter at their "booth" -- BOWLING!

and ... Benjamin was a MONKEY for the day...

Micah's 1st Birthday!

2010-05-12T09:44:00.003-04:00

Micah turned ONE on April 28th ... but had a fever and was cutting teeth - so we waited until the weekend to celebrate!

Here is Benjamin reading Micah the book he got for his birthday!

Here are the boys opening gifts ... isn't it great to have an older brother ... or BE the older brother!

Here's a family picture ...

ANOTHER favorite ... Benjamin helping Micah blow out his candle! (SIDE NOTE ... this just may possibly be my LAST homemade cake ... I'm giving up and would much rather buy a cute one ... it would be 110% worth it to me and less stressful!)

Micah getting his first bite of his cake...

Don't you love the green zebra stripe mouth!

ONE happy Birthday boy!

Micah can actually sound like a MONKEY -- "ee-ee-ah-ah" hince the reason we did a little Curious George party!

Micah is MUCH MUCH more quiet than Benjamin but can still communicate pretty well! Here are a few FACTS about this little guy that we love and adore:

FAVORITE FOOD: CANDY (fruits are second)

SLEEPS: 12 hours (at night)

NAPS: 2 (at 1-2 hours each)

WORDS: mama, dada, ni-ni = night-night, bye-bye, hi, ee-ee-ah-ah, mowa=more, du=done, ben-min=Benjamin, ta-da, baw=ball, and about 5 or so more!

SIGNS: done, more, thank you, YES, NO (head nods), night-night, bye-bye, blow kisses, please

LOVES to give HUGS AND KISSES (especially if he bites ... he's a BITER!)

WALKING: almost - has taken a few steps

CLIMBER: will crawl and climb onto anything and everything - has MASTERED up and down the stairs like a pro

LOVES: playing outside and riding in the little car

ENJOYS reading books

LOVES pushing cars/trains and making the sounds

FAVORITE TOYS: remote controls, IPOD, cell phones, and anything with a cord

IS JUST A FUN SMILEY little guy - we SURE do love him!

SURPRISE!

2010-04-27T15:47:00.007-04:00

HAPPY 30th BIRTHDAY!

We had a SURPRISE birthday party to celebrate Jonathan's 30th birthday ... AND he never figured it out!! He went on a 20-mile hike with the scouts ALL day and was dead tired! Aside from being exhausted -we had a wonderful evening with friends and family!

I LOVE that all of the kids wanted to help him blow out the candles!

Here's our little family ...

does it look like Micah is EXHAUSTED or what!

Love all of the smiles on the kids faces ... and Jonathan's - those are the "I'm happy through and through smiles!" The cake was AWESOME ... probably the best I've EVER had ... AND we ate every single bit of it that was left-over!

I loved this picture of my dad and Benjamin! My dad was incharge of the snow cones - so of course Benjamin frequented him!

Thanks to everyone who came, helped and kept an AWESOME secret! We LOVE LOVE Jonathan and all that he does for our family ... 30 years and so many more to go!

A Taste of Heaven

2010-04-14T10:29:00.003-04:00

A Taste of Heaven

The cookbook that I've been working on the past couple of months is finally HERE! Many of you have pre-ordered 2 books so that I had enough orders to print the book ... but I still have some extras that are "FOR SALE!"

They are $7.00 plus shipping. I really liked how they turned out and they really do have so many yummy and WONDERFUL recipes!

A big THANKS to all of my friends and family who were so supportive. Let me know if you are interested in buying a book or two... great for gifts as well!

AND ... if you haven't noticed ... I FINALLY updated our blog 10 posts all together - but with lots of pictures for those who enjoy "picture reading!"

STONE MOUNTAIN for a NIGHT!

2010-04-13T23:11:00.006-04:00

Since we had a free night at Mariott to use BEFORE April 12th ... and couldn't go TOO far with all of the yard work and house work we've been doing (and did this past weekend...) we headed to Stone Mountain! Upon entering the park - Benjamin woke up from his power nap and couldn't stop talking about everything he was seeing outside his window and what all we were going to do!

One of the first things we did was went to a 4-D movie ... Benjamin wasn't even scared and liked the dinosaur slobbering on him ... he really liked the rain too!

We rode the Sky Ride to the top of the mountain ... we're planning to hike up next time when we haev a little more time!

.
We rode the train ... Micah was especially excited to see it coming down the tracks!

Here we are on the TRAIN!

AND ... Benjamin, our trusty 3 year old photographer, took this one of Jonathan and I ... didn't he do a GREAT job (it is edited)!

Love this picture of the boys at the top of the mountain - MEMORIES!

We ate breakfast at the hotel the next morning ... for FREE ... and it was probably the 3rd best breakfast we've had since we've been married -- close behind our Boston and Honeymoon trips!

EASTER SUNDAY!

2010-04-13T22:58:00.004-04:00

This year we were blessed that Easter Sunday and General Conference fell on the same weekend! This doesn't happen very often - but it is always amazing to hear from the Prophet, President Monson and the other apostles and leaders of the church on the weekend we remember the Savior's Resurrection! This year headed to Ringgold for a family Easter Dinner!

Here's our little family...

Jonathan and I eating dinner!

Micah thrilled to be outside!

Benjamin hiding behind one of the trees.

As good as it gets when trying to get pictures of the boys together!

And just to show you what Benjamin was really feeling about taking pictures... here are the boys - THRILLED as usual to take pictures!

BUNNY MORNING!

2010-04-13T22:41:00.005-04:00

So the EASTER BUNNY comes to our house on Saturday morning to drop off all of the eggs and a basket with candy and a fun spring toy!

Here's a close-up of Micah's basket ...

Here are Benjamin and Micah ready to see what the Easter Bunny brought - although Benjamin had already passed through the living room TWICE and knew that the bunny brought him a SCOOTER ... he was SO excited!

Micah got a helicopter that he enjoys pulling around and pushing all of the buttons! Benjamin was a big help and showed him how it worked!

Benjamin was happy to read to Micah ... as you can see Micah is enjoying a big gum ball in his mouth ... the kid LOVES candy!

LASTLY ... we didn't let him EAT the gumball ... but we did give him ONE M&M before breakfast!

Tucking Benjamin into bed that night, I said: "Guess what tomorrow is? ... Easter!" Benjamin said, "But the Easter Bunny already came!" Me: "I know but he comes to our house on Saturday so we can think about Christ on Easter!" Benjamin: "YAY!!! Tomorrow is EASTER!" I was glad that he was so excited for the day JUST to be Easter ... aside from all of the bunny stuff and to really focus on the Savior!

Uncle Leo's Funeral...

2010-04-13T22:15:00.004-04:00

Jonathan's Uncle Leo passed away on Palm Sunday after a 2 year fight against cancer! He was definitely a FIGHTER and kept going even when doctors said he wouldn't make it! It was really nice to be at his funeral and hear of all of the amazing service he gave and the wonderful husband and father he was... he will surely be missed! His funeral was on Good Friday ... two special days for one who served Christ!

They had a luncheon at church afterwards -- and Kinsley and Benjamin had a WONDERFUL time picking up the "popcorn" under the popcorn tree! Kinsley and Benjamin are exactly 6 months apart and great pals!

School Egg Hunt and Party!

2010-04-13T15:21:00.004-04:00

Benjamin's class had a little Easter party ... which was lost of fun!

First of course the egg hunt:

Christian, Benjamin, Danielle, Elizabeth Kate, Porter, Mrs. Nancy, Cash, Mariana, Karly, Mrs. Vickie and Bianca!

The kids could only get the eggs with their names on them...

Benjamin and his friends eating their bunny food, cupcakes, and Chick-Fil-A chicken nuggets -- everything you'd have at an EASTER party!

(NOTE: Elizabeth Kate to Benjamin's RIGHT ... is his best friend!)

And here's Benjamin searching for HIS eggs!

BEACH... pre-SPRING BREAK 2010!

2010-04-13T15:14:00.005-04:00

We headed to the beach for our pre-Spring BREAK! It was my sister's spring break ... so we went along to enjoy the beach as well!

Does anyone else think Micah looks like my mom in this picture??

Here are the boys enjoying a light lunch out on the balcony watching on the teenagers swim!

A Sunday picture on the beach...

We visited the historic St. George Lighthouse and climbed ALL the steps!

Micah playing with his bucket and shovel...

Benjamin chasing the blue herron.

Benjamin hiding behind the reeds... still can see him somehow!

The boys on the beach - it was a little chilly/windy the first day!

A favorite...

The weather was SO nice and we feel so blessed that we can enjoy this lovely place on EARTH!

Atlanta THRASHERS Hockey Game!

2010-04-13T14:59:00.003-04:00

Benjamin and Jonathan went to an Atlanta THRASHERS Hockey game with "Grandaddy" and some of the other uncles! I THINK they lost -- but they had fun anyways!

These two rode the M-A-R-T-A downtown ...

and ate lots of hockey game food!

Deciding they didn't want to wait the 15 minutes on the next "train" ... they decided to walk through downtown Atlanta at 10:30 pm ... thankfully they did stick to the lit ROADS and no alleys or side streets! ADVENTURES with dad!

Cousins, Nana and Uncle Albert visit AND the ATLANTA ZOO!

2010-04-13T14:32:00.005-04:00

A few weekends ago ... we had LOTS of family come! Jonathan's Mom and brother, Albert flew in from Florida - and his sister, Kathryn, brother-in-law Sean and their 7 children came for the night! I was actually in the musical Receive These Things that night - so it was really special that we had so much family to come and watch!

Here are 3 of Benjamin's 19 cousins (with 4 on the way)...

Patrick, Paige, Benjamin and Madison.

We did make it to the Atlanta Zoo ... Albert and Benjamin brushing the goats.

Benjamin commenting: "That is a Bii-iig" Ostritch!

Benjamin and Cheri watching the "elephant show."

Micah, Uncle Albert and Benjamin in the birds nest!

One of the awesome panda bears!

Our FAVORITE probably was the oragatangs ... the mommies were giving piggy back rides and they were doing somersaults all over the place!

Uncle Albert did get to go and see Benjamin's classroom ... and he was just doing a little dress up as the BEE!

We had a great time with them all here -- aside from Micah having a fever for 4 days - poor guy - turns out he had Roseola - who would've THOUGHT!

Daddy's NIGHT!

2010-04-13T14:27:00.004-04:00

Benjamin and Jonathan went to a special DADDY'S NIGHT at Benjamin's preschool!

My favorite was the story that came home:

My daddy is 6 years old and weighs 48 pounds. He drives a gray car with no windows in the back. He works by the house and helps people work on their teeth. He likes to watch the news on television and read (his) Scriptures. He likes to eat everything and drink apple juice. I like to play games with Daddy. I love him because he plays with me.

Love, Benjamin

FHE Egg Hunt!

2010-03-31T22:22:00.005-04:00

For FHE (Family Home Evening) - an evening set aside to do things as a family (or in this case - families!) ... we invited some friends over for an Egg Hunt, a few fun children's songs, and cupcakes! I JUST LOVE LOVE Easter and that we celebrate the birth of our Savior. The kids had a blast!

Here are our little hunters:

Benjamin finding an egg in the bush:

Cheri holding Micah with the egg he found!

The kids with their eggs and starting in on the cupcakes!

Micah LOVES to be outside ... and the eggs made it all the better!

Can't wait for a bigger and better egg hunt next year!

St. Patrick's Festivities ... before March is OVER!

2010-03-31T15:27:00.000-04:00

Digital collage customized with Smilebox

FINALLY ... a GIRL!

2010-02-25T22:50:00.004-05:00

Finally we have a GIRL amongst the Harrison grandkids! My sister, Charity, had a baby girl ...

Diana Catherine yesterday! She weighed 7 lbs. 10 oz.!

She felt SO so light ... and warm and cuddley!

Here we are "meeting" for the first time ... (about 5 hours old!)

Little Diana...

Charity and Diana cuddling!

and her tiny toes-ies ... my favorite!

Benjamin was HEART broken and sobbing that he didn't get to go with me to see her. He's been praying for THEM for days ... and is now praying that she is growing and that we will ALL get to go see her this weekend! The kid LOVE LOVES his cousins!

Happy Valentine's to the Laundry Room!

2010-02-25T22:44:00.002-05:00

Our Laundry Room was happy to get it's Valentine's gift (as were we)! Our poor dryer was on it's last leg - and I even held out doing laundry for a few days as we waited on these!

AND for the record ... Jonathan HAD to be the first to try them out!

Tellus S'more!

2010-02-24T13:34:00.003-05:00

Just a quick post of a day last week! We spent the morning with the Hurdles at the Tellus Science Museum! The boys loved finding gems, fossils and especially uncovering the dinosaurs!

Here are Tyson and Benjamin digging...

Here is Benjamin in front of a cool helicopter...
AND ... for our "craft" of the day ... we made these s'mores ... lollipop sticks, marshmallows, melted chocolate and graham cracker crumbs! I got everything ready - but Benjamin was able to do everything else himself!

Snow FAMILY!

2010-02-19T22:46:00.006-05:00

So exciting ... we got LOTS of snow last Friday and after putting Micah to bed - Jonathan, Benjamin and I played for a long time until Benjamin was so so cold (although he wouldn't tell us!) He was so sad and crying as he thawed out! Poor kid -- should've dressed him in his ski clothes on day 1!

Jonathan pushing Benjamin in our "sled!"

Benjamin making a snowball to "get dad!"

I had this awesome "VISION" of taking so many fun pictures of the kids in the snow the next day ... but both boys were crying and cold before I could even get started - so I gave up (very disappointedly...) and these are the few pictures that we have of the AWESOME snow!

Micah almost ready to go outside...

Benjamin and Micah in the snow house!

Micah escaping back to the house - or somewhere off of the cold snow ... as you can see - Benjamin is already out of our snowhouse!

Our 4 snow people really were so fun - and they even had a snow house behind - made of HUGE blocks of packed snow (thanks to Jonathan and the recycling bin) ... but the picture is on Sunday morning heading out to church (see ABOVE) ... maybe we'll get lucky and have "GLOBAL WARMING" again next year and get lots of snow!

ps... a few "I spy's" -- see the golf club next to the Jonathan snowman, "Micah" is standing next to Rachel, some of the grape "eyes" have fallen out ... and oh - Jonathan was originally STANDING ... guess he got a little tired!

SKI Trip and MORE!

2010-02-03T22:09:00.010-05:00

Our ski trip to Utah ...

and visiting friends was so much fun this year!

Here's Benjamin and I on the chairlift at Alta...

We got to visit Hannah and Mia (and Hayden and Brooks)! Benjamin had so much fun playing with the boys!

Here are our kiddos - minus Hayden: Benjamin and Micah AND Brooks and Mia!

I also got to go to dessert with some of my bestest friends: Emily, Shelley and Laura!

Here's another fun picture of Benjamin and I together - about to get on the chair!

One of the few group pictures I got ... Mathew, Lindsey, Jordan, Travis, Me and Christopher! Unfortunately ... Travis broke his collar bone the FIRST morning - poor guy! He was a trooper and hung out in the lodge after x-rays etc!

Here are Jonathan, Benjamin and I ALL up on skis -doesn't Benjamin look like he's sandwiched between us!

I love this picture of Benjamin and Jonathan!

Here's Me and Lindsey headed up on the chairlift at Alta!

A favorite picture of Jonathan and I at the top of Alta! The weather was AMAZING but we kept our faces mostly covered so we didn't get sunburned!

Here's a fun picture of most of the gang in front of us!

Here we are for a picture in the snow! Benjamin LOVED skiing with Jonathan in the thick fluffly snow!

Benjamin and Micah watching BYU BEAT Utah!

Here is our little family at the BYU-Utah game!

And lastly -- a SNOWFLAKE celebration when we left the Marriott Center!

The trip was tons of fun! We got to spend time with family, see friends, go to the Temple, get Micah's pictures taken, go to a BYU basketball game, eat Tucano's, Jamba Juice, Cafe Rio - what more could we ask for! Can't wait until next year! A big THANKS again to Jonathan's DAD! We had a blast!

COOKBOOK DETAILS!

2010-01-26T14:37:00.003-05:00

So I'm going to give the cookbook a SHOT ... even though I don't have enough "BUYERS" yet... I'm hoping for more! I've got a back-up plan if we don't get enough buyers to print it ... BUT... if ANYONE wants to be a co-author and pull in their friends/family ... then we'd probably hit our 100! I'll still do all the leg work - as far as the book and collecting recipes goes ... we'd just have a bigger circle of friends! Give me a call/email - I'd love a helper!

Here are the categories:

Appetizers and Beverages

Soups and Salads

Vegetables and Side Dishes

Main Dishes

Breads and Rolls

Desserts

Cookies and Candies

This and That - which will include BREAKFAST recipes!

I would love for these to be your FAVORITE recipes ... including family recipes that you are hopefully willing to share!! Everyone is "allowed" to share as many or as few as they'd like ... but try to stay within 2-3 per category (but if you have a few extra AWESOME ones... exceptions allowed). Some ladies are just wanting to submit 1-2 recipes TOTAL while others have LOTS to share! Either way - I think it's going to turn out GREAT!

Please email me as soon as you can ... let me know if you need my email address! Our INITIAL deadline is going to be:

Friday, February 5th!

I will send out a reminder email towards the middle of next week! I'm EXCITED!

Re-cipes!

2010-01-21T22:35:00.003-05:00

So ... I think I'm going to put together a friends and family RECIPE BOOK! I LOVE getting good recipes from friends and family - and thought it would be fun to collect them from YOU ... and put them in a book! I'm hoping to get this little project going soon ... so let me know as soon as possible if you're interested! I may bug some of you ... just because I know you are amazing in the kitchen! I will probably come up with a "category list" soon ... it would be great if everyone wants to participate! Feel free to comment or email me!!

A Snowman FRIEND!

2010-01-18T08:35:00.003-05:00

It snowed... and along came with the snow ... came the best dad in the world home from work EARLY!

After a quick chili dinner ... it was SNOWMAN time for Jonathan and Benjamin!

Micah was so anxious to get out and help! But we just stayed bundled up inside most of the time - coming out for a quick minute here or there to bring the eyes... nose... mouth... buttons and of course a HAT!

LOVED seeing Benjamin peer into the window!

And just before we headed in - Benjamin had to give his friend a HUG!

Benjamin is CONVINCED that Santa, RED (the Elf), Reindeer, The New Years Man, the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny and Snowmen are all VERY real and have feelings, personalities and friends. While building the snowman - he said two SUPER quote worthy things:

1. B: "We forgot to give the snowman some food."

J: "Maybe he can eat his chocolate buttons."

B: "Yea, that will work."

2. B: "I think the snowman needs a friend... (pause)... I could be his friend!"

A sunBEAM a sunBEAM!

2010-01-12T22:07:00.002-05:00

Benjamin is OFFICIALLY a sunBEAM in primary ... unfortunately - church is at 1:00 pm - right when he usually naps! He has melted the past two weeks... but LOVES his teacher, Sis. Seng and his class!

I am the new primary pianist ... so I've gotten to enjoy him from a distance ... and even though he's not singing YET - he is learning the songs as he has been singing them at home!

Christmas Extras!

2010-01-11T14:41:00.003-05:00

Since we were all sick prior to Christmas... we had to push our gingerbread houses and Christmas present "for the birds" until after Christmas!!

I think it was about 20* when we hung the bird feeders ... but we fed the birds none-the-less and they are enjoying it!

New Year's in Florida!

2010-01-11T14:39:00.007-05:00

We had a REALLY fun New Year's in Florida this year at Jonathan's Mom's and Grandparents'... here are a few pictures!

Benjamin giving Albert a hug after he had completed the YOUTH 4 day pioneer trek!

Benjamin and Micah could play for HOURS at Nana's house with all of the toys!

Nana and Micah!

The New Year's Man brings you a little toy to start off a FUN year if you remember to put your shoes under the Christmas tree... Benjamin even made sure to put Micah's shoes under too!

Benjamin had a WONDERFUL time roasting Marshmellows with Grampy in the fireplace since it was raining outside... although he didn't like any of the ones with the brown stuff and chose to eat his COLD!

Daddy playing with Micah!

Micah and Benjamin LOVE their Grampy... (check out those bead necklaces!)

Christmas Day!

2010-01-07T22:02:00.003-05:00

This was our first Christmas at OUR home ... which was really special!

Here are the boys for a quick picture before they head in to see what surprises Santa brought!

The fun things that Santa brought to Micah and Benjamin!

Benjamin, Rachel and Micah on Christmas morning!

Aunt Charity holding Micah after his nap!

Benjamin and cousin William playing in the playroom!

We had a really fun Christmas ... filled with many memories! It was wonderful to have my parents, Laura and Charity, Scott and William come for dinner! Kids really make Christmas come ALIVE!
I also had to capture a few pictures of Micah in his hand-me-down Christmas jammies that Benjamin wore ... I LOVE them - and I love those two sweet little boys!

Christmas Traditions... Lights, Reindeer food, and Christmas Eve Cookies!

2010-01-07T21:39:00.006-05:00

Here are just a few of our favorite family traditions!

Going to see Christmas lights in jammies!

The Christmas camel at the Christmas lights!

Christmas lights at Pettit Creek Farms!

Benjamin putting out his reindeer food on Christmas Eve!

The boys eating the Christmas Eve Cookies!

First tastes!

Micah having a blast and enjoying every bite (and crumb!)

STILL more cookies!

Micah checking to see if there are ANY more!

Big brother (Benjamin) saying NO MORE cookies!

Red the Elf and Letter from Santa!

2010-01-07T21:24:00.003-05:00

So we have a special ELF named... Red the Elf who visited our home! He is a special little elf that has red hair and LOVES to paint all of the toys RED in Santa's workshop! He's since had to be strictly put on "red toys" ... he's a special little elf though - because he is the one that thought to make Santa's RED sack and RED suit ... so he is often chosen to be Santa's special helper!

This year he brought the boys a present a few days before Christmas ... which was:

their (why of course) RED Christmas jammies!

Benjamin also wrote Santa a letter ... and you better believe it because he WROTE Benjamin back! Benjamin was so excited and thrilled about the whole thing!

Santa's letter to Benjamin!

Oh Christmas Tree... Your Branches Green Delight Us...

2009-12-18T21:22:00.008-05:00

Green branches at least a week or so longer... HOPEFULLY! We went to a real Christmas tree farm to cut down our tree this year ... only to learn that the furthest south they grow Fraser Firs is North Carolina ... so we bought a pre-cut tree and went back to cut down a tree for the boys (and ME!) I always wanted a kid tree - and we got one! Benjamin and I had a little date to the Christmas tree farm ... saw Santa, went on a wagon ride and cut down WHICHEVER tree we wanted!

We have been SO busy trying to get it decorated! We made a fruit loop chain, glitter star, jingle bell ornaments, snowmen with our pictures for the faces, tin-foil painted ornaments, wrapping paper ornaments, a navivity,tinsel, candy canes and tonight... cinnamon ornaments! We are planning to make a FEW more as well!

The boys tree in their playroom ... as decorated through tonight! (note: it is anchored by packaging tape in a pickle jar which is inside a glass bowl ... all weighted down with DIRT ... poor guy didn't and DOESN'T get any H2O ... we're investing in a stand after the holidays!)

So here are a few pictures of OUR tree... the boys at the tree farm (Benjamin PRETTY excited!):

The ornament Benjamin made for our tree this year!

Benjamin took this picture of us at the tree farm!

Micah's first Christmas ornament...

And our tree decorated in our living room!

A most WONDERFUL time of the year...

2009-12-18T10:09:00.006-05:00

We are so excited for this WONDERFUL time of the year and all of the festivities that it brings! We started the season off with a WONDERFUL gift from Jonathan's mom ... a bag and notebook filled with Christmas Family Home Evenings ... and more for the year! Micah got his first taste of opening presents and LOVED IT!

Micah was NOT so excited to sit with Santa - as he just turned his hed into his shoulder and cried! Bottom line - he's not being picky about what he gets for Christmas!

Micah has found the tree and the presents and thinks it is so much fun to pull on the branches, lights, ornaments and anything that he can scoot to!

Here are Benjamin and Micah trying to figure out who's gifts are who's!

We went to my parent's to see Laura in the Nutcracker -- but you can't take pictures of the ballet ... but we did get a few at their house - Micah enjoying a few snacks (and yes he does have the orange "I'm eating baby-food now" nose!)...

My grandma reading to Benjamin - they were trying to hide behind the book!

On a COLD day this week... I let Benjamin play on the screened porch - Micah thought it was HILLARIOUS -- hopefully you can see Micah's reflection in the glass!

AND ... my Grandma promised me a picture with Micah! Here we are at the Cyclorama in Atlanta ... she's been wanting to see this "historic piece of art" for many years ... so my mom surprised her and brought her! We had a WONDERFUL visit -- I love my Grandma!

A THANKFUL Thanksgiving recap!

2009-12-08T15:47:00.006-05:00

The ONE and ONLY ... red-headed INDIAN!

We had a WONDERFUL week full of Thanksgiving festivities which included:

1. Benjamin's Thanksgiving program - which Grammy and Grampy came to and were a HUGE help with Micah so that I could record Benjamin NOT even singing one single word ... oh well :)

Here's Benjamin, Me and Micah (a very TIRED little guy!) ...

2. Mom Mom, Laura, Nana, and Albert coming to spend a couple days and give their FULL attention to the boys!

FHE turkey cookies...

Nana and Benjamin making "turtles"...

Albert playing with Micah - do they look related or what?

3. A delicious dinner at the Owens's in Ringgold ... I wish I had the big group picture - everything was SO yummy and so fun to be with family!

Benjamin and his cousin Kinsley!

I am so grateful for our many many blessings -- but LOVE being married to Jonathan, having two amazing little boys and a wonderful extended family!

ALABAM-ER!

2009-11-22T13:18:00.009-05:00

We went to Alabama with Jonathan for a quick weekend ... he took an implant course and we saw a little of Birmingham. We went to a hydrangea botanical garden: Aldridge Botanical Garden ... and there obviously isn't too much blooming - but we really enjoyed being outside, the pond and the walking trail! I'd LOVE to go back in the spring! We also went to the Barber Motorsports Museum ... which was especially fun since I have TWO boys! Benjamin hopped and skipped happily through the WHOLE 5 floors of motorcycles and cars! Here are a few favorite pictures!

The three of us in front of the "biscuit" delivery motorcycle. The motorcycles with the side-cars were our FAVORITES!

The boys in front of LOTS of the motorcycles...

The three of us in front of this awesome convertible!

Benjamin watching the race cars race on the track from inside the museum!

I LOVE this picture of Benjamin trying to figure out who or what lives in this tree hole!

Benjamin throwing pine straw into the stream.

Us in front of this BEAUTIFUL lake with the fall leaves!

Jonathan was also able to go to the Birmingham Temple! We stayed about 45 minutes from the Temple - so next time we are planning to stay closer and BOTH get to go!

Father-son ... GAME!

2009-11-21T21:41:00.004-05:00

Jonathan and Benjamin were so SO excited to go to the Georgia game vs Tennessee Tech! They had a blast - Benjamin especially enjoyed all of the extra treats and candy that they got! A big thanks to Grandaddy/Dad for the tickets!!

Our sick little boy...

2009-11-15T13:51:00.004-05:00

Our little Micah got VERY sick on Friday October 3oth... so no Halloween for us! Here are a few pictures for those that just like to glance at the pictures ... and I'll share his story at the end!

Micah being transported via ambulance from Kennestone to Scottish Rite's Children's Hospital.

Micah on the ambulance (picture from my phone.)

Uncle Daniel was Micah's first visitor... as you can see he still felt pretty yucky!

Day TWO: Mommy and Micah at the hospital...

Dad came to be the best D-A-D ... and Micah fell asleep!

Dad and Micah hanging out.

Mom Mom came to visit and she even brought Micah 2 new PLASTIC (washable!!) toys!

Micah playing in his bed...

Micah and Mom just before Mom Mom left...

Day 4 (no pictures on day 3!): Micah finally no longer on IV fluids and got to play on mom's "bed" - if you can call it that...

Day 5: Mom let Micah do the honors of taking the sock off of his hand - YEAH!

Micah SITTING UP and playing just before getting his IV out and heading home!

This year our Halloween brought a "scare!" On Friday, October 30th at about 3:00 am, Jonathan went to tuck Benjamin back into bed (as he has been getting up LOTS since we've moved) - and noticed that Micah was moaning and went to check on him. He brought him down to me and he was BURNING up!

I told Jonathan to grab a thermometer - in the meantime - the alarm went off and Jonathan thought someone was breaking in ... I proceeded to exclaim: "please get me a thermometer, no one is breaking in!" ... funny moment looking back!

The thermometer read 105.1* - we gave him some Tylenol - took his clothes off quickly and realized that he was very lethargic and not very responsive. We quickly got him in a cool bath which he still hates baths because of the trauma it caused him - and got some cool Gatorade down him as well. We wrapped him in a blanket and Jonathan gave him a priesthood blessing.

I am always amazed at the power of the priesthood. Micah's little body was blessed that the fever would "leave his body"- which from that moment on - it truly did. We re-checked his temp. which was 104.5*.

I fed Micah and we waited about an hour to check his temperature again. It had gone down to 102.6* but within 30 minutes was back up to 103.3*. After talking with our doctor's office - Jonathan and I both had the overwhelming feeling to take Micah to the Emergency Room.

We arrived at about 6:15 am - and Jonathan came about 7 am with Benjamin. His temperature was then 102.6* and they gave him some Motrin. After many "quick tests" - blood test, x-ray, ear-infection check etc. - Jonathan went on to work. We waited for the blood work to come back and his white blood count was 40,000 instead of 14,000. They continued to do more tests including a urine test, flu test and spinal tap - at which point I called Jonathan to tell him to come back!

We were told that he would be transported to Scottish Rite Children's Hospital via ambulance and we would be admitted for at least 48 hours ... WHAT? ... Okay ... MUST call my MOM! By then most of our family knew kind of what was going on - but from then on, the word started to spread that Micah was really sick. Within hours our whole family knew and his name was on atleast 2 prayer rolls at the Orlando Temple and Knoxville Temple. My mom hurried up and came to take Benjamin home (who was still VERY sick with strep throat!) -- what a trooper that little guy.

I rode on the ambulance to Scottish Rite and Jonathan followed closely behind on a very rainy day in downtown Atlanta - which EQUALS ... TRAFFIC! Micah thankfully slept the whole way and the guys kidded him that he missed out on his ride!

Our stay at Scottish Rite ended up being from Friday October 30th until Tuesday November 3rd! I finally did figure out that the chicken salad, baked cheetos and bananas weren't too bad to eat - but a big thanks to Paul and Sarah who brought me dinner one night!!

MICAH was diagnosed with a bacterial blood infection called strep pneumonia - which if not treated can cause Menigitis. He had actually had two of the four vaccines to prevent this - but his body just wasn't quite strong enough to fight it off! Hince the reason I am a stronger advocate of VACCINATIONS! Trust me - no one wants their 6 month old poked and pinched and bugged as much as he was - although I know it was to make him all better! Prevention is much better though than all of that!

The doctors and nurses were all great and took very good care of us. We also had his CT scan done while we were there and we BELIEVE that he will not have to have surgery as the bump on his forhead is simply part of his skull. Definitely a blessing from the whole experience!

As for the blessings that we gained from this experience:

1. I think the first will always be that we are truly blessed by our Heavenly Father.

2. Jonathan and I are closer to eachother because of this trial we went through together.

3. The power of the priesthood is REAL. Micah's fever never returned once we got to the ER. The doctor's were amazed that it never returned - and I know it was truly the power of the Lord.

4. My mom is WONDERFUL. We never had to ask her to come - she just said, "I'm on my way!" She loves these little guys as much as she loves me I think :) I knew that Benjamin was having a great time with her and he was well cared for - especially since he was sick too!

5. The Lord has a plan for each of us. Thankfully we have the wonderful advances of medicine - but by the same token - our little one was really SICK. Heavenly Father has a special plan for him and has preserved his life.

I have truly gained a greater love for my family. It was really special to hold him in the hospital at 4 am again. He has been sleeping through the night for about 4 months - but I couldn't hug him and hold him enough. I think he may have even gotten a little spoiled while we were there. Within a day or so - he was all SMILES again... and smiled at everyone except someone giving him a shot! We hope to stay well for AWHILE - and we won't be moving again anytime soon ... because we seem to end up in the ER within a week of moving!

HUGS to each who emailed, texted, facebooked, called and prayed for our little guy!

A Utah vacation for MOM and the BOYS!

2009-11-11T09:44:00.008-05:00

This is ... UTAH!

and there are just so many things I love...

We started our trip off in our new "limo-like" stroller! It was a HUGE help!

We had a wonderful time staying with the Heideman's as usual ... and somehow I forgot to take pictures with my Smith's buddies - Shelley and Emily - I just love those two!

The fall leaves were AMAZING!

Micah enjoyed some new texture time!

Benjamin love-loved Savannah - they were two peas in a pod. All of the kids were so great to Benjamin and Micah ... built-in siblings/baby-sitters! Here are: Micah, Savannah, Benjamin, Brock, Thomas and Briana!

Lynette and I took Micah and Thomas to the BYU-TCU game ... it was a little rainy and cool at first but did clear up. Micah didn't hold up as well this game - we headed at half-time since they weren't doing so hot and the boys were SPENT!

Of course we had to enjoy a little Jamba juice! Benjamin thought he was SO special because the worker guy split ours into TWO cups so we could both have our own! Also enjoyed Cafe Rio - a MUST and Kneader's!

The boys and I went to Temple Square on Sunday - as you can see it was a BEAUTIFUL day - a little chilly - but it was AWESOME! The spirit is always so strong and I love sharing the feeling with my boys. We were able to tour The Conference Center and The Beehive House!

COUSINS... Benjamin, Samuel and Micah...

Benjamin in front of the Provo Temple at night -- another favorite site!

Of course I a MUST was visiting Laura and her little ones ... especially new little Claire (not pictured because she was sleeping!) -- but here's the rest of us!

Romney, Benjamin and Micah ... future roommates eh?

This was Micah's take on the pumpkin patch...

Benjamin in the clown...

Benjamin's only trick-or-treating this season - as he ended up with strep throat. ALthough the pirate was out for this year... at least he did get to be Tigger -- maybe a pirate next year! He and Bri are so cute!

Despite the fact that within hours I'd be giving Benjamin Tylenol/Motrin on the plane for a fever- which we found out TWO days later was STREP ... we were thrilled to make it to the airport safely and have SNOW falling on our heads!

If I could live anywhere .... and have all of my family with me - it would be Utah! I just love the climate, the people and that there's SO much to do! I am so grateful that we were able to see friends and family ... we had a yummy dinner at Lisa and Dan's and I was also able to go to the Provo Temple - a big thanks to Lynette for keeping my boys ... how come I cry when I walk in there?? Dan also took the boys pictures... which will be the HIGHLIGHT of our Christmas cards ... can't WAIT! We LOVE Utah!

So SO excited for our ski trip in JANUARY!!

October beginnings...

2009-11-09T14:27:00.008-05:00

As you can see ... I am very behind in posting - BUT - I do have good reasons! Here are a few of our earlier October happenings!

We headed to the fair for a family home evening activity. The funnel cake was tastey, Benjamin could've riden the rides all night we had lots of fun as a family... but it was a little dirty and germ-y for my taste!

My mom came up for Benjamin's grandparent's day... he felt very special!

Fun Sunday matching outfits ...

and I turned 28 the day before we left for Utah and Jonathan moved us into our new house... more of that to come later!

Apple Pickin'!

2009-10-10T15:41:00.009-04:00

So we had an APPLE PICKIN' fun time!

We first went to the little town of Ellijay to the Apple festival and enjoyed going in the shops and getting a tastey "apple pie" - which was more like an apple fritter maybe??

Here's Benjamin enjoying his...

Then we headed to the Hillcrest Orchard for an awesome wagon ride...

Apple picking...

cow milking (this is Benjamin milking BUTTERMILK) ...

John Deer trike racing ...

and much much more fun!

Here are a few other pictures of us...

Me, Micah and Benjamin picking apples ... Benjamin had to get a TASTE!

Benjamin found a good spot on the underside of the tree!

Our HARVEST... as you can see all different kinds and we have no clue what is WHAT... but I'm sure it will make the BEST apple pie EVER!

T-BALL time!

2009-10-10T15:16:00.004-04:00

After four weeks of soccer ... Benjamin is THRILLED to be playing t-ball (and me too!) By the end of the 4th week - no threat, bribe, beg or time-out would keep him focused!

T-ball is going much better and he really enjoys HITTING the ball. Some of the other children are having a little more time focusing this time ... and it's not just Benjamin in LEFT FIELD! The best is when all of the kids run after the ball, or they are standing around with gloves on their heads - please focus note in one of the pictures - OR they are throwing the cones - oh well - I guess what comes with coaching 3-4 year olds! CUDOS to Coach Carlos!!

Boys and their TOYS!

2009-10-10T13:55:00.003-04:00

I can't believe that FALL is already here ... we've had a LOT of rain here in North Georgia - but lots of nice weather as well!

Here is Benjamin giving Micah his first ride in THEIR car :) Just the beginnings of things that they will share!

A new casa...

2009-09-18T12:51:00.004-04:00

So here's a quick picture of our new house ... yes - we're moving again - but to a home of our OWN! Our new house will just be 7 miles from Jonathan's work -- which is much better than the hour commute now (2 hours round trip)!

We should move sometime close to the first of November ... just in time for the holidays! Now is the fun (BUT STRESSFUL) time of picking out all the lighting, paint, appliances, carpet and all that fun stuff! Please stay tuned for a final PHOTO! We will have LOTS more space ... so come visit ANYTIME!

Owens family vacation!

2009-09-09T15:21:00.003-04:00

So this was a VACATION ...

Benjamin was showing Micah the other airplanes before taking off!

We had a wonderful family vacation to Texas - mostly to go to the BYU vs. OU game and see our friends the Heidemans! Here are a few highlights from our trip!

Benjamin and Micah at the airport - Micah's first plane ride!

Benjamin, Jonathan and Micah with Cosmo -- also pronounced: "Cos & Mo"

Benjamin watching the RODEO!

Our little fam on a hayride at SUNSET!

Us with Ty Detmer ... minus Micah (he was sleeping!)

Our family in front of the NEW Dallas Cowboys Stadium ... it is LOTS bigger than it appears in this picture!

Lynette, Thomas, Micah and I at the game ... (the boys were hungry - oh and they are 8 days apart!)

The boys and I at the game!

Micah was SO tired -- and finally did sneak in a nap!

Our little gang at them game cheering the cougars on!

Benjamin eating his cotton candy!

Back on the plane ... and smiles all around! It was a fun FAST weekend ... and all 4 of us slept the ENTIRE hour and a half flight home!

A little bit of this and that!

2009-09-09T14:45:00.005-04:00

So here's a bit of our end of summer ... start of FALL happenings!

Benjamin's taking a little soccer/t-ball class!

Preschool open house ... where he got to see his classroom and meet his teacher, Mrs. Nancy and friends!

Bejamin and Mrs. Nancy!

A little hike ... along the river - so refreshing to get outdoors!

I love this one ... see Micah and Benjamin's faces!

BYU vs. OU!!

2009-09-08T21:35:00.003-04:00

I know I'm REALLY behind with posting ... but had to post this!

GOOOOO COUGARS! I will do a big post of our trip to Texas - probably one of my favorite family vacations! We love the cougars and being around so many great fans! Can't wait until the next game!!

Congrats to BYU for pulling off the 14-13 VICTORY!

Jared's Mission Farewell!

2009-09-02T15:36:00.004-04:00

Jared left for his mission a few weeks ago - I've just been really SLOW about posting pictures! He left for the Provo MTC -- and will hopefully be on his way to the Bangalore India Mission SOON! He's waiting on his visa (I believe) -- and serving in the Salt Lake City area - although I'm not 100% sure on all of the particulars! Benjamin is CONVINCED that he has a NEW name - which is "Elder" Brand now ... and not Jared Brand!

a good bit of the extended family...

Benjamin leading the music for Jared's last FHE...

Grammy, Benjamin and Grampy watching as he boards the plane!

FLORIDA!

2009-09-02T15:08:00.009-04:00

See... I am a fun mom ... but not as fun as some! I'm not a very good bouncer... we had a really fun time in Florida when we went down for Jared's mission farewell! Jonathan took a short flight home so we could stay longer -- here are a few of the pictures!

Pictures at the Museum... we love DINOSAURS!

Benjamin and Nana in the cave...

Albert and Jared

Albert and Benjamin on the tramp!

Serious swinging ... check out that face!

Micah and Grammy...

Benjamin helping Grampy collect the eggs ...

even though one of them cracked!

Orlando ... TEMPLE!

2009-08-20T13:02:00.003-04:00

While visiting family for Jared's farewell, we were able to go to the Orlando Temple with lots of our family! It was WONDERFUL to be there - especially since the Atlanta Temple will be closed for the next 15+ months! Thanks to everyone who helped with keeping Micah and Benjamin so that we could go!

Mission Accomplished!

2009-08-20T12:52:00.006-04:00

So... 150 books... Mission accomplished!

And we couldn't even count books we read twice! Benjamin got to choose a book, got a certificate AND stickers!

(and LOTS of "learning" all the while!)

Pizza Pizza!

2009-08-07T00:42:00.005-04:00

Benjamin was a big helper making these "easy" biscuit pizzas!

He LOVED picking out the toppings for his pizza!

Maybe he'll be a pizza boy one day!

Waterballoon FHE!

2009-08-07T00:29:00.006-04:00

We had a FUN Family Home Evening tonight! We were so excited about our $.98 waterballoons ... and played lots of fun games!

Rachel and Benjamin racing to "splat" the waterballoons!

Micah with his waterballoon...

Jonathan and Benjamin playing waterballoon baseball...
Check out that distance :)

Benjamin and Micah with their waterballoons

Water... balloons - and family time - do a family good!

Mayfield Dairy field trip!

2009-08-07T00:27:00.006-04:00

We went on a fun little trip to the Mayfield Dairy with the Crosby's!

Here we are ... stylin' with our hairnets ... Micah was lucky and got a BEARD NET!

The kids loved the Mayfield cow ... but couldn't figure out why there were no REAL cows at this dairy ... and they only made the milk! (side note ... Benjamin thinks they make the milk here to take back to give to the cows to drink!)

Benjamin with his SUPER COW ice cream!

Of course I had to get some as well... blueberry cream pie!

(speaking of... Kristine I still forgot to give you $$!)

Little Blondie!

2009-08-07T00:22:00.004-04:00

So this is our little blue-eyed, blondie! He is so fun and ALMOST rolling over! He sleeps most of his night on his left side -and will find his thumb to put himself back to sleep!

Not a huge fan of tummy time -but he's getting better!

HOMEMADE - shake-it-make-it ICE-CREAM!

2009-08-07T00:17:00.005-04:00

So here's a quick and EASY recipe to try:

Put in QUART size zip-lock bag:

2 T. sugar

1 c. half-and-half

(or milk will work - I even used skim ... it was just healthier I guess)

1/2 t. vanilla

Put in GALLON size zip-lock bag:

6 T. Rock Salt

Your milk-mixture (above in the quart size bag)

ICE

Shake for about 5-7 Minutes!

FINAL RESULTS:

Tastey- but - C-O-L-D!!

Dad's OFFICE outing ... to the DENTIST!

2009-08-07T00:14:00.004-04:00

So... Benjamin was pretty excited at first to go to the dentist and be able to watch whatever he wanted on tv...

then the CLEANING part started ... and well - needless to say, he only got the top row cleaned...
and bargained with Jonathan to floss his own teeth!

Next time ... we'll have the hygienist clean the bottom row - and Jonathan can just CHECK his teeth :)

Gold Rush!

2009-08-06T22:29:00.006-04:00

Dahlonega Gold Mine...

We had a blast going to Dahlonega ... initially to the museum for FREE -- but also spent $9.50 to go to a super fun gold mine! Benjamin was free - so it was like 2 & 1/2 for the price of ONE!

It was a little misty that day - but the temperature was PERFECT.

Here's Benjamin, Micah and I panning for gold - Benjamin REALLY did have fun - don't get confused by the face!

They had ALL kinds of farm animals... we took a special liking to this little donkey guy!

Struck GOLD ... although there's none really on his finger... but I didn't have the heart to tell him it was STILL in our bowl!

Wagon Ride!

Benjamin mining for his gold!

Benjamin, Rachel and Micah in Dahlonega ... a very cute little town!
Benjamin could NOT figure out how this piano was playing by itself...

The Dahlonega Gold Museum ... for free!

Benjamin enjoying one of his FIVE candy sticks... this one was blue raspberry and he loved it!

I'd HIGHLY recommend it ... you get a bucket of "dirt" as well and we did find a few gemstones!

Just the boys!

2009-08-04T22:55:00.005-04:00

Just thought I'd share this FAVORITE picture of the boys - not that they are 100% smiling or anything - it just makes me happy that they love eachother!

Benjamin is such a GREAT big brother ... and is such a big help ... he is the burpie boy (runs to get a burpie just in the nick-of-time), diaper/wipe boy -- always willing to get those if they are across the room, and is even getting pretty good at "baby-sitting" or playing with Micah! He is pretty patient - but hates for Micah to cry. A favorite line: "It's o-tay buddy.... it's OOO-tay."

Micah is a DOLL - and still, all-in-all, SLEEPS a TON - at least in comparison to what Benjamin ever slept! I hope the trend continues! He slept throught the night for a week, took a week off, and knock on wood - maybe back to sleeping nights again! We'll see how tonight goes. Last night - 9:30 - 7!! I didn't know that REALLY happened! Micah is so giggley and will cuddle which makes me so happy! I love LOVE when he laughs -- it makes the day all the better!

Amicalola Falls!

2009-08-04T22:53:00.003-04:00

We took a nice "day" trip to Amicalola Falls ...

The weather was 100% PERFECT -- I think 63* when we started out that morning! There are LOTS and lots of steps up and down the falls - Jonathan and I did about 1200 ... and Benjamin was a trooper and did close to 800 -- which is a ton for such a little guy!

Jonathan packed Micah most of the way, and I held Benjamin's hand ... the last few steps we were playing follow the leader and everything we could think of to make it to the top! We had a nice picnic at the top before heading back down! Jonathan carried Benjamin down ... and I had sweet little Micah as he slept!

Benjamin was pretty excited to see the falls up close and personal - and was trying to show me where the water was coming from ... somewhat of a mystery to him from the bottom!

The falls were splendid - as well as the fresh air and being outside on such a perfect day!

If anyone's interested in going on a hike there - they do have hiking trails as well! Wednesdays are FREE into the park, or we could also check out the passes at the library!

A Hero's Station!

2009-08-03T15:24:00.005-04:00

We went to the fire station for a Hero's Day! We took them a watermelon (see below in between the two car seats...) and they gave us a WONDERFUL tour - and lots of goodies to bring home!

Benjamin and Rachel in the fire truck!

Benjamin and the fireman on the Water Rescue truck ... they are incharge of the rescues on Lake Lanier and have to be "divers" sometimes...

Benjamin, Rachel and Micah sitting on the fire truck bumper!

Benjamin in front of the fire truck!

Benjamin, Rachel and Micah on the fire truck!

We had a great time and I would recommend it to ANYONE! They were so nice and explained any and everything! I think most fire stations will give you a tour - and we didn't even call ahead. The men and women who serve our country are definitely OUR heros! On for more adventures!

Our little Opie at the Fish Hatchery!

2009-07-30T15:23:00.007-04:00

So this was a SUPER fun little adventure that we went on - and EVERYTHING was FREE! The fish hatchery was so much fun! Benjamin got to feed the fish and GO fishing! We also got to walk on the nature trail and have a picnic lunch! We DID catch a fish - but had to throw it back ... it wasn't much bigger than a bean anyways!

Benjamin feeding the fish ...

Benjamin (in the distance) and Micah walking on the trail!

Our little picnic at the fish pond!

Benjamin fishing - and yes the water REALLY was that green!

We are excited to go back and go "bird watching" on the nature trail!

Mom Mom and Poppy's!

2009-07-30T15:13:00.005-04:00

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from the last weekend trip to my parents' house!

Benjamin eating this incredibly decorated fire truck cookie.

Micah and I at the pool!

Benjamin checking out the bees at the farmer's market...

Benjamin and my mom in the pool!

Poppy, Benjamin and Mom Mom at Gisupie's.

Poppy and Micah talking and smiling!

Another fun picture of these two!

Jonathan and Micah laughing!