middle child

It seems that I don't get much time with Ethan these days. He is at the age where he does a lot with dad.  I am so glad he can spend time with Nathan because that is so important. I do feel guilty that we don't have our time so Ethan and I were talking one day when Ava was at tennis and Cullen was at speech. It was just him and I for 30 min. so we popped over to the cafe, picked out a yummy dessert and talked. Just talked. It was so nice. We decided this would be our Tuesday thing and every month we would go on a date. So we did. Chargrill and a movie (night at the museum). It was so fun. I love my E-man.

growing up too fast..

 Getting braces... Oh my. I was a mess sitting in middle of the orthodontist trying not to cry and embarrass my daughter to death while she got her braces put on. Holding her hand I was thinking about all her first. First time I saw her, first word, first smile, first tooth, first step, first day of preschool, first day of school, first best friend. All the first, oh how the time is moving along and I am just a mess.

Introducing our newest member....OSCAR

 HE IS HERE!!! After waiting and waiting. We drove to Greensboro to get him. Oscar is 3lbs and 2 months old. He is a cockapoo and the cutest thing ever. We are so excited. It is Ava's dog but she is sharing. This was her Christmas present.

a hunting we will go.........

 Cullen is a big boy now. He gets to go hunting with daddy. Cullen was so excited to go rabbit hunting. The past 2 Saturdays he has gotten up at 6:30 in the morning to go get a donut and shoot some rabbits! I am so happy he gets this time with Nathan. Looks like Cullen is going to be the outdoorsman.

the tent....

Ethan has made a tent on the floor in his room after Christmas and has been sleeping there ever since. This is where they meet to have discussions about the woods and of our Clash of Clans game on the ipad that they love to talk about. They have Nathan in their clan and boy do they love it. Fuzzy sleeps in the tent with Ethan. We have all these beds in our house and 2 out of the 3 children sleep on the floor.

off on an adventure....

I love when it gets cold and the kids put on their warm clothes, boots, and walkie talkie's and head out into the woods. ACE is their club (Ava, Cullen, Ethan) and they have their own rock, they go to the creek. They love to explore and always come home with awesome stories. Ethan saw bear claws and deer prints. Fuzzy pants the cat always follows to make sure everyone is ok.

it's ready.....

Ocean Isle here we come....

We finally have the house done so we can spend the night!  We slept so good. We are so happy and thankful we finally have a beach house we can create lots of fun family memories.

Happy New Year!

Good-bye 2014. It's been a fun and exciting year! Snow skiing, baseball games, swim meets, soccer games, beach trips, Hawaii, laughing, fun times with friends and family. What a great year.

Cullen's Prayer

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
To follow your example and do what's right,
I will always try with all my might.
God please bless Mommy, Daddy, Ethan, Ava and Cullen.
Let us have a good day tomorrow and if anyone doesn't know Jesus,
may today be the day someone tells them about him.
Amen.

happy girl....

Nathan built Ava a wall to protect her littlest pet shop/ lego village. She was running out of room in her room so she moved to Cullen's closet.... Happy day.

memories

 Since we were gone so long it is nice to catch up with friends and family.... The Lee family came over one night and ate with us. We love seeing Cade, Cannon, Landry and sweet Brooks. Playing Nerf guns with our cousins John Micheal and Brody is awesome. Having lots of sleepovers with friends is the best. Ethan had his friend Cole Rareigh over and Ava went ice skating with her friends- Ella Grace, Layton and

love

Ethan has built a tent in his room that he sleeps in every night on the floor ... and guess who is right beside him? Yep! His best buddy. Fuzzy Pants.

Merry Christmas 2014

 Sitting by the fire and watching Home Alone- fun times. Ava loves cooking and baking. The boys hung out with Papa watching the Price is Right. Decorating for Christmas and baking bread for people is my favorite thing to do at Christmas. Making Ginger bread houses at Aunt Jills with our cousins is so fun.

Christmas Eve we ate at Rob and Michelle's and played games. It was a fun family night. Christmas morning we celebrated Nathan's 40th birthday and opened presents. We went to Granny and Papa's and then off to Aunt Nat-Nat's for more Christmas fun. What a wonderful day. Going to VA to visit Nana and Papaw is always nice to see everyone and catch up.