Thirty-Five & A Little Competition...

This past Saturday was a special day for this handsome young buck...

Mark turned 35...THIRTY-FIVE!!!!! I am not sure why but his turning 35 has bothered me a little. I guess because it sounds like such a "grown-up"...or maybe because it is so close to 40...or maybe because it means I'm not far behind....ugh. But even though he has a few more grey hairs (thanks kids) and a few more aches and pains than he used to, I can honestly say that my hubby just gets better with age! :-)




Also on Saturday, Kayli had her first full Winter Guard competition and since it was close to home, some of the family was able to come out to watch. Here are a few pictures of the proud spectators....

The competition was great and DHS came in 4th place. The girls have worked so hard and it definitely shows. The performance was beautiful. I even teared up a little as I watched my baby girl spin and dance and do things with a sword and rifle that I could never do! She looked so graceful and full of confidence and it made this Momma proud! 

Overall, it was a great day for the Jones'! 

Last Weekend....

Last weekend, we all piled up and went shopping for a new couch and TV. The kids killed some time in the car by trying to find Waldo... 



(Any moment in time that involves the two of them not fighting MUST be captures in photos!)

We did actually find a couch and a TV that day and after we emptied the boxes that the couch was in, Chase had a blast creating his own box-house. But not just any box-house....a 2-story box-house complete with a VCR and TV! He stayed in that house all weekend....until the middle collapsed and we finally had to put it out of its misery.

 

 

 

 

 

We also took some time last weekend to spend a little quality time with some of the family.

 

 

 

 

 

A few good words to describe life right now-random...disshelved...unorganized....chaotic....exhausted. Our house is upside-down due to the new living room updates (which has quickly turned into a playroom/kitchen/living room/hallway update) and Mark has been really busy at work (working all night and day recently) which has slowed our progress. Pair that with parent meetings at school, science projects, projects at work that required me to work late last week, baseball signups/tryouts, color guard practices, etc. etc.etc. I guess you just have to embrace the crazy side of life sometimes....right?

 

 

  



 



Home Improvement...

Thanks to a leaky roof, we had some water damage in our living room. Of course, we could have just replaced a few panels and painted but what would be the fun in that??? Instead, we have opted for a complete living room revamp! Mark and I have even learned a little on what it means to compromise....I get a sectional - he gets a new fireplace-mounted TV. See-It's not just a home-improvement project...it's a relationship-builder. Money well spent! :)

Luckily, my Dad is a home improvement guru and volunteered to help us out with some of our projects. This weekend we got started by replacing some of the damaged paneling and installing new crown moulding. We still have a LOT more work to do but at least we can finally see some progress!

Poor Sammy....he is so confused!

Let the planning begin!

 

 

Of course, Mark and my Dad couldn't have made it without a little help from my Mom and I....

 

 

Just kidding - this is what we really did most of the day....

 

  

Actually, I did help the guys out most of the day with whatever I could while my Mom helped me out by doing our laundry and helping the kids clean their rooms......wait- maybe we should do this every weekend???

 

 

After a long day, we finally got all of the crown up and caulked and ready to paint. We have a lot more to do but for now....I'm off to shop for couches and TV's!!

 

 

Thank You, Thank You,Thank you to my Mom and Dad for all of your help!!!

  

Great Weekend with Great Friends......

Last weekend we were SO EXCITED to have the opportunity to spend some time at Lake Martin with the very best friends you could ever ask for! Some of our friends are lucky enough to have family members with a lake house that is not too shabby....as in unbelievable, to-die-for, beautiful, I-could-stay-forever, featured in "Better Homes and Gardens" gorgeous! See for your self....



 

 

Of course the house was FABULOUS...but it didn't compare to spending the weekend with the great company of our closest friends, Keith, Amy, Jamey and Melanie (along with a whole slew of kids). We arrived late Friday night and quickly settled in for a comfy night in our PJ's while the kids played and we grilled steaks and relaxed after a long, hard work week. (Kayli, unfortunately, did not make this trip as she had a Color Guard mini-event in Nashville. Also, our other good friends Steve and Tonya couldn't be there due to other engagements...we sure did miss them all! )

 

 

 

 

The next morning started with a friendly game of kids vs. Dads basketball game....

 

 

 

That game ended with a friendly Father-Son wager with the loser being tasked with presenting the winner with a bowl full of ice cream - king/servant style. The kids lost and paid their dues.....

Later that afternoon, we all got dressed up in our Orange/Blue gear to attend the Auburn vs. Ole Miss basketball game (well, everyone except Amy who is as big of an AU fan as you will find....until they play Ole Miss!) We drove into Auburn and ate at Mellow Mushroom before heading to the game. I personally had never been to a College basketball game and have never been a big fan of basketball so I had no idea what to expect. However, it was SO MUCH FUN! The atmosphere was awesome, there was not a bad seat in the house and it was a great game. Unfortunately, Auburn lost the game by 1 point after a questionable call by the ref to which a fan sitting behind us so eloquently stated...."We #!*;$# lost the %#@!* game by one &;*#@!* point because of that *&;!@# ref!!! Even though it was an emotional loss for some :) we still had a great time and can't wait to head back to the plains as soon as possible to attend another game.



 

 

The next morning we packed up and got ready to head home. But not before we had a little fun on the GIANT swingset built in the front yard.







(That is me way up there....and I have never been so scared IN MY LIFE!!! And this first video is proof....)

We even got a few videos of Mark and Jamey being their usual crazy selves...

 

 

 

 

Although it was nowhere near long enough, we had such a great weekend. We always enjoy spending time as a group and feel so fortunate that these people were put into our lives. We love you all and look forward to many, many more unforgettable memories!! :)

 

Let's Try This Again....

I didn't do so well with this blog in 2012. Two posts for the entire year - wow. The subject of the blog came up at work today and I explained to my friend how great it was that I could look back and recall everything that our family did in 2010 thanks to my blog. 2011 and 2012 - not so much. Of course I have fond memories of those years stored away in my head, but that doesn't compare to having the snapshots in time that this blog provides. SO - here I go again.

Mark and I have stayed pretty busy now that the kids have developed their own social lives (more about them shortly). Mark has been with Decatur Utilities for 6 years now and was promoted to Foreman roughly a year ago. He likes his job and has worked hard to get there but is having to adjust to being "the boss". Discipline is not his thing (hmmm...maybe that's why he was so BAD as a teenager?) I know I have said it before but I am so proud of him and all he has accomplished. He works incredibly hard at work and comes straight home to shuffle kids to and from practice/dentist appts/doctors appts/ballgames/etc. all while getting homework done, dinner started, etc.etc.etc. Basically- Mr. Mom. I thought kids were supposed to get easier as they aged???

I have been with PeopleTec, a Defense Contractor in Huntsville, for 2 1/2 years now and work in Human Resources. I really enjoy my job and love the people that I work with. I am very blessed to work for such a great company. I also FINALLY completed my Bachelor's Degree in August of last year and find it hard to believe that I was able to juggle kids, work and school. Even with no schoolwork to deal with, there are still not enough hours in the day to get everything done. Since I work in Huntsville, I do not get home until around 6pm which is why Mark, unfortunately, has to pick up a lot of my slack.

These days, Kayli is the source for much of our chaos. She started high school this year and is heavily involved in Color Guard which she loves. We have been to many football games to watch her perform and have now started "Winter" Guard which requires us to travel to watch her competitions. She also has practice 3 times a week for 4 hours a night! I am so proud of her, though, and am impressed at how great of job she has done balancing her school work and extracurricular activities. As hard as it is to keep up with her, I know how fast these next 4 years will go by (sob!) and I remind myself (and Mark) often to take the time to enjoy it.

Chase gave us a bit of a break and did not play basketball this season. Soon we will start the baseball season, though, and the craziness will be in overdrive. We LOVE baseball season and can't wait to watch him play. Chase is in 4th grade this year. Only one more year of elementary school. Although I am excited to see him grow and mature, it hurts my heart to think of him as a teenager. I want to hang on to those child-like qualities as long as possible, like the way he still waves at me when he leaves for school or how carefree he seems sometimes....but I know they are fading fast.

Memories - that will be my motivation to keep up with this blog. I want to be able to look back at the end of the year (and later years) and reminisce on all of the great moments our family has in 2013. This is especially important as age makes it harder to even remember where I put my car keys...much less what we did all year.

Thanks for Keepin' Up With The Jones' !!!

Hello Again....

Since it has been a year since I went into "blog-hibernation" I thought I would take this post to get reacquainted. As I sit here tonight, the kids are away at Maw-Maw's, we still have one more day of Christmas vacation and the house is fairly clean and organized following my swift removal of all things Christmas. Dare I say that I am sort of relaxed? Bored even? Not for long. Soon the hustle and bustle of life (school, work, sports, etc) will begin and again make it hard to keep this blog up to date.



I'll start with Chase. A year hasn't slowed him down. He is still a fiery ball of energy trapped in the body of a 9 year old little boy. He is in third grade and doing great. Loves sports, Auburn football, hunting with Dad and just doing anything outdoors. He is currently playing city league basketball and will start his first season of Minor A baseball in the Spring.

Kayli is officially a teenager now at 13 (almost 14) years old. I can't believe we have a teenager. She is in 8th grade and will go to Decatur High next year - ugghhhh - where does time go??? She is a beautiful, sweet, caring, thoughtful, young lady.....whose body has been taken over by a stubborn, eye-rolling, door-slamming, radio-blasting teenager......but we love her just the same! :) We have recently discovered that she has a beautiful singing voice and are looking into voice lessons which she is very excited about.

Mark is still working as an Equipment Operator at Decatur Utilities is currently in the running for a Foreman position. The decision between he and one other person will be made this March. We are crossing our fingers as this promotion would be huge for our family....and the ol' checkbook! ;) He has worked so hard to get to this point and truly deserves it. He works so hard to take care of our family and I am so proud of him.

As for me, I have been working at a great company called PeopleTec for a little over a year. They are an Aerospace/Defense Contractor in Huntsville. I can honestly say that I love my job and the people that I work with. I have TWO SEMESTERS left until I finish school!!! I will graduate in August with my Bachelor's degree in Acquisition and Contract Management. It is hard to believe that my almost 3 year journey towards completing my degree is ALMOST OVER......Can you tell I am ready to be finished????

That about sums up life as of today. 

We are looking forward to great things and happy times for the next year to come. :)

Here's to a New Year....

I took a trip down memory lane today and realized how important this blog is to me. As I read through all of my posts from 2010, I relived every moment as if it were yesterday. I noticed how much younger my kids looked, how different things were that year, how quickly life can change---good and bad, and most of all how quickly we forget the details of the memories we make. I am so happy now that I took the extra time to trap those moments in writing. Unfortunately, I let life get the best of me in 2011 and I gave up on my blog. It is hard to find the time to make these posts but my "New Year's Resolution" (one of many) is to make the time to write these memories down for my family.

Because I am a year's worth of memories behind in posting, I will not make the effort to relive 2011. It was a unique year for our family. We were dealt lots of cards ranging from untimely death to the miracle of birth. It was a hard year and now that it is officially 2012, I would prefer to move on to what this year has to offer. Bigger and better things? Maybe. Happiness, laughter, love and good health....that will be enough for me.