Ode' to Bryant

Laughing

Mischievous

Handsome

Smart

Caring

Compassionate

Friend to Everyone

Messy Faced

Son of Mine...

I LOVE YOU!

Painting Pumpkins

Rather than carving our pumpkins from the pumpkin patch, we decided to paint them.

I'm sure we'll end up carving others before it's over...

But until then, I give you our Beautiful Painted Pumpkins.

Bryant's is the big one...

Ganny and Grandpa's are the two tall skinny ones...

Su-Su's is the small round one.

Just in case you missed the details... Bryant's pumpkin is covered with hand-drawn bugs.

Even the pumpkin's mouth has "bugs" in it.

Have I told you I hate bugs?

Do you think Bryant decorated his pumpkin just to "bug" me?

Without a doubt!

Give me a... P U M P K I N * P A T C H

We love the pumpkin patch.

This year we were not alone at our favorite p-patch.

Aunt Su-Su, Uncle Ostridge and baby Sasha joined us.

So did Ganny and Grandpa!

It was baby Sasha's first time at the pumpkin patch.

Unfortunately, she slept all the way through it (and the thousands of pictures we all took)!

In true family form, we couldn't just be "normal."

Aunt Su-Su had to demonstrate what it felt like to give birth

Grandpa had to find pumpkins the shape of Ganny's boobs...

Bryant had to examine and destroy a pumpkin (in the name of science, of course)...

And Zac had to talk football on his cell phone with all the other coaches!

The night before was a heck of a game and the coaches were re-hashing every play.

Finally we got down to business and picked our pumpkins out.

Su-Su even found a baby pumpkin for Sasha!

Mom and I stood around and looked beautiful while everyone else worked (yeah right!)

It was a great day at the pumpkin patch.

I love my family... and I love that we can be crazy and have fun no matter where we go.

Hopefully Travis (my brother) will be here to join us next year. I missed you T!

Look at that lip!

Some Sasha cuteness from yesterday....

I can't believe she's 7 weeks old already!

Suzi and Austin love being parents and are doing great.

Getty on Up Cowboy...

Today I had the ultimate surprise for Bryant.

I picked him up from school and took him somewhere very special.

Any ideas what it might be after seeing the above picture?

Come on... guess!

Okay, I'll tell you.

I surprised him with his first ever horseback ride and riding lesson!

He loves animals and has always wanted to ride a horse.

Mrs. Vivian was a great teacher.

She taught Bryant how to mount the horse and how to hold the reigns properly.

Bryant thought he was a real stud...

Especially when he got to ride his horse through a local subdivision to get to the greenbelt!

Bryant was a pro in no time and could ride the horse without any help.

After all, he's grown up now that he's 6 (as he pointed out to us MANY MANY times)

Finally, Mrs. Vivian had to stop Bryant and hold the reigns because so many kids and adults came out to see the horse riding through their subdivision.

I think the horse got kinda spooked by all the attention.

Mrs. Vivian and her family have 5 horses... so next time we're going to make this a family affair.

Stay tuned for pictures of Zac on a horse one of these days. He's never ridden but I'm going to get him on a horse before the end of the year.

American Gladiators... Here we come?

Meet me and my friend Kendal

We had a great idea to try jousting.

We pretended to be American Gladiators.

I had my butt kicked by Kendal...

I could hardly move my body after the jousting match.

Maybe WIPEOUT would be a better show for me to imitate?

Offering my Prayers...

We have some friends who could use a few extra prayers. They are struggling with marriage issues and infidelity.

Although I am trying to remain uninvolved, I just want to shake these people and ask them what the heck they are thinking. Can't they see that the single people they are hanging out with are a recipe for disaster? Can't they see that they are being selfish? What about their kids? Can't they get past their own selfish sexual needs and think of their kids and the commitment they made to each other?

I want to remind them to be careful for what they ask for. I think this might be a case of "I want to pay my spouse back,” ... but more than just wanting revenge, I think the day will come when he/she wants his/her spouse back! And by then it might be too late.

I will NEVER believe that two wrongs can make right. This man and woman vow their faithfulness to each other and promise to "forsake all others" as long as they both shall live. These people have broke this promise. They have lied to their spouse and to their God. They lied to their friends and family who stood up with them at their wedding and served as legal witnesses. I think this whole thing is sorry and upsetting.

I guess before they can love each other, they need to learn to love and to respect themselves. I just hope they find their way home soon.

I ask you for your prayers... pray that these two people will find their way. Pray with me that their relationship is not even more flawed, growing as it does out of betrayal, secrecy, and pain. Pray that they can see that we (their friends) are not casting stones... rather we friends are hoping they can see the light or at the very least make good choices for their children.

Crazy DUCK lady????

I've heard about the crazy cat lady... as a matter of fact I've met several in my lifetime (one of the joys of being a social worker!)

BUT

Apparently I've turned into the crazy DUCK lady.

These ducks have overtaken my front yard!

Each morning they are on the front porch and front yard waiting for me.

They are multiplying. It started as 1... then 2...

But today was the holy grail. There were over 20 ducks!

They're scary too. I don't feed them and yet they come right up to me without hesitation. They snip at my pant legs hoping that I'll feed them.

Here's me trying to shoo them away with my foot!

I think they're trying to intimidate me!... and today it worked. I couldn't get out to my car without them snipping at me and so I broke down and fed them.

Now I KNOW I'll never get rid of them.

Any ideas?