Happy Thanksgiving!

Between all the food, fun and football games that will be taking place on today, I hope that we all will stop and take time to think on what we are truly thankful for this Thanksgiving day in 2008!

May we all have a wonderful day and give thanks to God for all HE has blessed us with, not only today but everyday!

Jolee's 1st snow!

The last night we were in Kentucky, at Paw Paw and Nana's house (Amber's parents) it started snowing! It was Jolee's first time to see snow and she loved it! It was beautiful. Cold but beautiful! By the time she came in from playing in it, she was crying saying...mommy wipe it off! Her hands were so cold they had that tingling, burning sensation going on and clearly being my little Florida girl, she has never felt that kind of cold before!

Abby showing off her snowball! Poor thing, she was running a fever and Jolee had a virus and what do their mom's do....Hey, let's go play in the snow..It will be fun! Unfit, I tell ya! But hey its all about the experience! I'm so laughing at us right now, as I type this Amber. It's so me and you!

Jolee was so excited about her 1st snowball, that Aunt Bethany (Amber's sister) helped her make.

Emma and Aunt Bethany playing in the snow!

In this picture, you can see Amber in the very back plotting. While Abby, Aunt Bethany and Jolee are clueless at this point it seems!

And their she is making her move! Snowball fight!!

Wondering why Abby and Bethany are laughing???

It's because, they are watching Amber jumping around trying to get the snow out of her shirt!

But don't worry about Amber......

because she got Bethany back. By shoving snow in her face!

We had a great time playing in the snow. You would have thought, since I was holding Emma when the snowball fight broke out and since I had been throwing my guts up (Yep, Jolee and I got this NASTY stomach virus while in KY, more on that later) I would have got a pass on the snowball fight. Nope, not so! I think the rules were, if you are outside you were fair game. Wait, there were no rules!

Our road trip was so much fun! I have pictures and stories to come. But first, I have to go finishing packing for our trip to Bama, before Silas gets home and is ready to hit the road!

KY

Just wanted to let everyone know that Jolee and I took a quick trip to KY with Amber and her kiddos. If you would like to read more about it and why you can go to Amber's blog. The trip went so, so good. All 4 kids did wonderful the whole 12 hour drive. Amber and I had a wonderful time talking and laughing it up all the way here as well! Just so you know, I probably will not be posting much this week.

We had the pleasure of staying with Amber's family a couple days and now we are getting to spend several days with my Aunt and her wonderful family. Jolee is having such a good time getting to play with her cousins! It is COLD here, people! Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and week. I'm off to play and to try to stay warm!

Veteran's Day

Happy Veteran's Day to all.

But a special Happy Veteran's Day shout out, to my Grandad who served our country for 20 years. We Love you Grandad and are so thankful for all you did!

Jolee colored this American Flag today, or as she calls it......Americo Flag! Too cute I say, she spots them out all the time while we are driving and she hollers....Mommy, did you see that Americo Flag, it was big!

Halloween 2008!

This year for Halloween, Jolee dressed up like a ballerina! She loved it and was so into it. She twirled and walked around on her tippie toes, and she even bows now. She took it very seriously, and is now telling us she needs to go to ballet class!

Jolee up on her toes! She will say... watch me, watch me,....... I'm doing ballet!

Our scarecrow has become Jolee's really good friend. Every time we leave the house, she says bye-bye scarecrow...be back soon. And when we get home she rushes over to let Mr. Scarecrow know we are back home!

As she would say, while twirling around....I'm a beautiful ballerina!

Halloween Day must have been the longest day for her. She would come, up all morning, all afternoon, all DAY and ask....Mommy, is it time to go get candy and wear my tutu? Me....No baby, not yet! Five 5mins later....Mommy, is it time for my costume yet? All Day this went on! Bless her heart, she was so excited!

When it was finally time, we headed out trick-or-treating with some of our church family. We all had a blast. We all piled up in the back of 2 trucks, that had hay in them and headed out. Thankfully some members from our church, let us borrow a wagon to pull Jolee and Matthew around the HUGE subdivision. They loved getting pulled around and every time someone would put candy in their bucket, they thought they needed to eat it right then!

Jolee enjoying her bucket full of candy!
We all had a really good time together, as always!

We got Jolee to stop long enough for a quick family picture.

She was so into this trick-or-treating stuff.

Daddy was getting in the spiri,t as he borrowed a hat for a picture with Jolee. Who am I kidding, he actually wore it half the night!

One happy sugared up ballerina!

B.F.F.'s

Best Friends Forever...Abby, Jolee, & Emma!

We have had the wonderful privilege of keeping the girls while Jay, Amber, and Nathan have been in Atlanta for some testing and Dr's. visits over the last several days. We have had an incredible FUN time! The three girls get along great and have played and played their little hearts out. Before I start telling about everything we have done, I want to tell Jay and Amber, thank you so much for being such wonderful friends, who basically are just like family to us, and thank you for entrusting your kids into our care over the last several days. They were so good and we all had a wonderful time together. We sure do miss them today!

The girls are all growing up so fast and its fun that they have each other to experience and do new things with. Like a couple of weeks ago after church we had lunch and they all sat together at a table by themselves...a kids table! They were laughing and talking, it was so cute. Amber and I sat at another table that day, just staring and looking at them, asking ourselves when did this happen? When did they get this big, that they didn't need us at lunch time?

So where do big girls sleep when you are having a sleepover???????

That's right, a pallet on the floor all together! Silas and I sat out in the hall listening to them talk and laugh before falling asleep. How cute is that??

So when you start your morning off at 5:30 AM, you can accomplish a lot in 1 day! First, let me say it was so cute hearing their feet pitter-patter coming thru the kitchen into our room, whispering ssshhhh, you go first, no you, sssshhhhhh?? To which Silas then jumped up and scared them. So we all piled in bed and watched a little TV, until the sun came up!

On with some of what we did....

Their was dancing!


Then painting!

Then playing outside!

This is Abby doing her super cool trick!

And these two little rascals... I found them behind the recliner eating candy! It was hysterical!

We also walked to the neighborhood park and played a while. Jolee and Emma were 2 peas in a pod I tell ya. They each had to have a backpack on and wore it I know a good couple of hours, never taking it off to slide, play, run or anything. When one of them would fall the other one would say....you okay and vice versa.

After bath time, they all played and wrestled in the floor with Silas, or as Emma called him...Sister Silas! Jolee and Emma's favorite thing to do was to pull Silas's toes, and then he would come after them tickling them while they would run squealing!

Silas snapped this picture while they were holding hands and jumping!

The Ferrell girls called me Sister Tara while they were here, so Jolee wanting to do everything they did, ended up calling me Sister Tara too instead of Mommy!



Yesterday, I loaded up the car with 3 car seats and took them to the Library for story and craft time. It was so much fun. They played, read books, listened to stories, sang songs, and did a craft!

The 3 amigos working on their crafts!

Showing off their "Elmer the Patchwork Elephants" they made!

How sweet is this picture?

Other things we fit in, the last couple of days were

• playing Hi-Ho-Cherry-O
• watched movies
• colored
• After the Library went to eat and play at Chick-Fil-A
• went to vote
• played
• played
• played
• and played some more
  
  
  Seriously, the biggest issue we had was, me not having 3 of the same things, like....3 purple bowls, one's shoes were not the same colors like the other two's were, not all 3 could fit and have enough room to eat popcorn in 1 small chair, etc! They all just wanted to be right together the whole time and have matching stuff. I will take that kinda problem any day.

After waking up the first day before sunrise, I hit the sack right after they did. And last night Jolee, Silas, and myself all fell asleep at 8:30pm in the living room watching TV! When they got in the car to leave, it was so hard on Jolee. She cried.... I don't want Abby and Emma to go to Wandy's, I want them to stay here with Jolee! I will admit I kinda teared up too. We just love those kids, just like they were ours.

I will end with, I'm sure I left out a ton of stuff out that we did and a lot of pictures, but at least you got a little glimpse into what we have been doing. Jay and Amber you can go out of town anytime and leave them here, we enjoyed it!

P.S. Jolee and I slept in this morning.......8:30AM!

Election Day!

November 4, 2008! Voting Day!

To our surprise, when we went to vote today we walked right on in... no line and no waiting.

I feel like a proud American who has done her duty! I just hope all of you out there did your duty today too!

Silas and I met up at the polls today and had 3 beautiful little girls in tow with us....Jolee, Abby, & Emma. We have been keeping them over the last couple of days, while their parents are in Atlanta with Nathan having test run. Please, Please, be in prayer for them during this stressful time. Anyway, I have a whole other post to devote to the 3 girls with lots of pictures and stories to go with it.

However, I did go prepared. Once I got checked in and had my ballot in hand, the girls sat down right beside in the floor and I pulled out, drum roll please............SUCKERS for all!! So by the time they had opened and chomped down on them, I was finished and ready to go! How bout that?

On our way out we all received "I Voted" stickers....Silas, Jolee, Abby, Emma and Me! All the workers at the polls, were all oohing and awwing over them. As we were leaving we heard them say....they are the cutest little sisters!!!!

I pray our Nation voted for the right leaders today!!