12 YEARS OLD!!!!

It's hard to believe that our baby girl has gone from this.....

to this.....

March 19, 1998 was the day that our sweet Kayli was born! It's funny, she doesn't even know how much she changed our lives. She was the reason that we got up in the mornings and the reason that we rushed home at night. We couldn't wait to see her precious face smiling up at us with those dimples! She has blossomed into a beautiful, young lady and we are so proud to be her parents! We love you, Kayli-May!!!

For her birthday, we decided to invite a group of girls to eat pizza and go ice-skating. There ended up being 6 girls....

(I always say that I don't want my blog to be boring and too full of details. But this was a special night for Kayli and I want to remember the details for her.....so bare with me!)

We had dinner at "Goodfellas" which is a new pizza place here in Decatur. It is Chicago style pizza and it is DE-LICIOUS!!! Here is a picture....

Yummy!!!!
(Notice our pizza server....Mark!)

While they ate, they socialized and giggled.....A LOT! I wish I would have counted the times that I heard the word "like" or "Oh my God"!!! You can imagine what it was like with a group of 12 year old girls....

Luckily, we had dragged these people along! These are our friends Jamey and Melanie, and their 2 kids (well, minus Chase). They were nice enough to join us....or maybe it was the free dinner, hmmmm (Just kidding!)......either way, we were glad we had them there! Extra adult enforcement never hurts!

After pizza, it was time for cookie cake!!


After we finished at Goodfellas, we headed to the Ice Complex. Oh my what a ride it was! They turned the volume up on Kayli's new Justin Beiber CD and went NUTS!!!!

Next on the agenda was ice-skating!! Check out this outfit!!!

Now check out these pro-skaters....yea right!!! That "safety bar" was more helpful for me and Mel!!! We just used Adison as an excuse!!!

We had a great time at the rink!!!

Even Chase got to have some fun!!!

It was a great night for Kayli and an exhausting night for us adults!! We crashed as soon as we got home!!

Happy Birthday, Kayli! May all of your wishes come true!!!! We love you!

A quick update and sad news....

Well I have been informed....once again....that I am not posting as often as I should. So, after a swift "kick in the rear" from my sister, I will try to update you on what is going on with "the Jones"!

Where to start....baseball/softball season has started and Mark and I are EXHAUSTED! Chase moved up to Minor B this season and is on a great team! He is doing so well for his first year on the pitching machine. The opening day parade is this Saturday followed by the first game of the season against The Cubs, which includes almost all of our former teammates (and friends) from previous years.....sure to be a good competition!=)

Kayli also decided to play softball this season so we (actually Mark, because I have been working late hours...more on that later) are shuttling between fields which happen to be across town from each other. Kayli has not played in a few years but hasn't lost her touch. She has quite an arm on her little body and is doing great so far. We will kick off the season next Saturday which will be opening day for softball!=)

Now, sad news. After some sleepless nights, a few tears, and some difficult decisions, we have decided to close Frankie's. (If you are not aware, Frankie's is the clothing store that my mother and I started in 2000.) It has been sort of a bitter-sweet decision. Frankie's has done so much for Mark and I in helping us to build our family. It has provided financial means, taught me, personally, so many valuable life skills, and it has created a bond between my mother and I that makes us more like best friends instead of mother/daughter.

While I will cherish the memories and will forever be thankful that I have had the opportunity, I am also excited to move on. I think there comes a time when you know that you are "done" and I have reached that point. I am burnt out and have been for a while. I am so scared but, at the same time, I am ready to turn the page and find out what is around the corner. Hopefully it will be something as great as what I am leaving behind!

I guess that's enough for now. It is late and I should be asleep. I'll try to do better......I promise!!!!

Chase's big surprise...

Last weekend Chase got a big surprise...BUNKBEDS!!! Actually, it was a surprise to him AND to Mark, who I called unexpectedly to meet me at the furniture store...and bring the truck. Now, I don't often go on wild furniture spending sprees but, on this day, I had reached my limit. You see, Chase has never had new bedroom furniture. He only had a bed (with no headboard) and a hand me down dresser (that had already seen better days when it was handed down) with 2 broken drawer that recently became permanently stuck open. It was time for new furniture!

On this day, the boys were gone and Kayli had a friend over so I decided, since I had some free time, to clean out and organize his dresser drawers. Here is what I found.....

OH MY!!!!

That was it! I had had enough! I hate clutter!

At that moment, call it a temporary moment of insanity, I yelled for the girls to get in the car and off we went to the furniture store. Several hundred dollars later, a quick phone call to Mark, and a truck load of boxes and we were ready to get organized! Except for one thing....it all had to be put together! Here is how we began...

TONS OF PIECES...


TONS OF SCREWS...

AND WORTHLESS DIRECTIONS!!!

So, after 4 long hours and, surprisingly, only a small amount of bickering between Mark and I, we were finished!!

After the bed, I was too tired to take pictures while we put the dresser together, but here is the finished product....

It was definitely a LONG night but Chase now has working dresser drawers, a new fun bed to sleep in, and my sanity has returned!

Mission accomplished!

Read this post...it could change your life!!!

It is 9:45pm on Thursday night. I should be asleep like everyone else in our house but I am TOO EXCITED!

I just returned from a weekly meeting about our new "business venture". In November, we became involved in a business that is changing our (and lots of other peoples) lives! It is truly a golden opportunity to make some extra (or A LOT of extra) money.

This new business is called FHTM (Fortune High Tech Marketing), and You, too, can easily become a part of it to help generate residual income for yourself. It involves things that we are already using and the best part is..we don't have to sell ANYTHING! Basically, just by doing things that we are already doing...we are getting paid! How great is that??!!

Intrigued?? We were, too. We were introduced to this business by my Dad, Gerald. For those of you who don't know, my Dad is CEO of Summit Technology, a computer consulting company in Athens, Al. He presented this opportunity to Mark and I in November and we have been full speed ahead ever since! This month has been a great month for us and this is just the beginning!

I would love to tell you more about how you, too, can be involved in this incredible opportunity to create residual income for yourself and your family. We host weekly presentations every Thursday night in Decatur or I can come to you. I can even tell you about it over the computer via a webinar if you do not live near Decatur.

I can't wait to share this opportunity with you! Believe me....you want to know about it!

A few of our Decatur, Al. group with Todd Rowland, Presidential Ambassador for FHTM.

Bo Jr.

This was Bo. Bo was our third child. He was a great dog and we loved him like one of our children. We liked to say that he "adopted" us instead of the other way around. He was a stray who appeared at our door step one day and never left. He had his issues just like any other dog but for most of the time, he was great.

In March of last year, we found Bo in the ditch. He had been poisoned and was barely alive. We tried to make it to the vet in time to save him but it was too late. Bo died at the vet's office and we buried him in our backyard. I have to say that it was one of the hardest days of our lives. Even though he was just a dog, Bo had been a part of our life for 6 years. We loved him very much and still miss him and think about him everyday.

Today is Valentine's Day. This afternoon, I went to pick up my niece from my brother's house for a birthday party. When I got there, Abby (my niece) kept saying "' mere Tasha, 'mere Tasha". As I followed her, I rounded the corner and saw some puppies. My brother loves dogs and so I was not surprised. I, after just getting rid of a redbone coonhound (...long story), was not the slightest bit interested in taking one home. That is, until he said "I have one outside that we call Charlie. He looks just like Bo." So I followed him outside and there he was...Bo reincarnated. He was the spitting image of the dog that we miss so much.

So you can probably guess what happened next. We have a new dog. Even after I swore "NO MORE DOGS", I just couldn't resist this sweet little face. There will never be a dog that can replace Bo, but this little guy sure is trying.

Yep...it's Monday!

Wow....2 posts in one week! I am on fire...haha!

Well, it has been a Monday for sure at The Jones'. Last night we hosted a Superbowl party for around 15 adults and all the "chil-rens" which all together equal 10....that's 15+10+Mark+me.....that is 27 people in our little house! Actually, I never really thought of 2100 sq. ft. as little, but after last night...wow! We had fun, though (as always) and we were glad that everyone could make it!

Since we had a late night last night, the kids didn't get to sleep until after 10:30pm (normal bedtime is 8pm...SHARP!) which means that the 6:30am wake up call was not pleasant. Pair that with an argument over "wardrobe" with Kayli, Chase repeatedly falling back to sleep at the breakfast table, a missing purse (Kayli), and finally dropping Chase off at school in tears because he didn't want to go....yep, it was definitely Monday!

Monday is also a school day for me and today was not much fun for me either. I could feel my eyes crossing as I was trying to pay attention. Lack of sleep and Accounting and Statistics do not mix well. I did however get a 100 on my first exam! Woohoo! At least that was one good thing that happened today! On Wednesday, I have my first test in Statistics....say a prayer, please. I have been studying like crazy so hopefully it will be OK....but a little prayer never hurts, right?

Everyone was in bed by 9pm tonight, including Mark, so I have had a little peace and quiet. I guess my study break is over, though. I had to give my brain a rest. Now back to "variance, standard deviation, & z-scores"....oh so much fun!

A new (boring) post

I know, I know....I am way behind on my posts! I have been scolded for not updating enough so I thought I would take a few minutes to catch up!

My life has not been very interesting lately...to be honest, I would call it quite miserable right now. For those of you who don't know, I am going back to school after 10 years!! Boy, do I wish that I would have finished when I was younger! I guess it is never too late but it sure was easier back then! One, because I had way more energy. Two, I only had one child who was not school age. Three, because I didn't have to pay for it....paying from your own pocket is NO FUN!!! Four....nevermind....I could go on and on! To make matters worse, this semester I am taking Accounting and Business Statistics....YUCK!!! I'll make it through it, though. I do have to say that I am more focused and determined than I was before so at least that is one good thing that has come with age.

We signed Kayli up for softball last week and Chase up for baseball this week. That's right....we are going to be very busy! I am so happy that Kayli decided to play this year, though. Even if it will be hectic, I LOVE to watch them both play ball! I love baseball/softball and can't wait to start the season!

I guess that is all that I have to talk about this time. This is not a very interesting post....I guess I just needed to whine a little!!!