Birthday Boy!!!

 Here we are 8 years ago....

 

November 3, 2002, was the second happiest day of my life (the first being the day our sweet Kayli was born, of course), the day our little bundle of energy joy was born! Chase came into the world a tiny little thing without making a sound (scared us to death, actually). However, it didn't take long for us to realize just what we were in for. He has been at full speed ever since and is always looking for what comes next. He was, and still is, exhausting but we have loved every minute of the last eight years and can't wait for 100 more!

This year Chase's birthday fell on a Wednesday so we just had family over to grill and eat cake. We decided not to do a traditional birthday party and instead took Chase and two friends to a Hockey game on Friday. A good blogger would now share pictures of what a great time we had at the hockey game....but, of course, I left my camera at home. We did have a great time, though, and the boys really enjoyed it. We will definitely be going again!

Anyway, back to Wednesday....

After Chase blew out the candles it was time for presents!

And for his BIG surprise.....

Yep....a gun.

(FYI....Mom was not too thrilled about this one but I gave in to the pressure and went along with it. Rest assured, it is locked up tight and hidden away. And we have had some SERIOUS talks about safety and the rules once or twice...or maybe a few hundred times-just to be on the safe side.)

I put my fears to the side, though, and was happy that Chase was very excited and will actually get good use of this when he and Mark are hunting this year.

It was a great night and Chase had a great birthday.

Once again, I am left wondering where the time has gone. Our tiny little boy is growing up into a little man. We are so grateful that God has given us the joy of raising a little boy (trying as it may be). There is never a dull moment around our house and we wouldn't have it any other way!

Happy Birthday, Chase! We love you!

(Just a quick side note....after looking back at this blog, I just had to laugh. Chase got a toy wrestler and a rifle for his birthday....Can you say "You might be a redneck if.....")

Halloween 2010....

First of all...I realize it has been over a month since I have updated our blog. I am SO behind and I have SO much to catch up on! I have recently started working (more on that later) so most of my time has been consumed by getting up SUPER early, to get kids to school and get to work by 8am, and driving because my job is in Huntsville. Needless to say, my weekends are spent catching up with kids and housework and homework and......sorry.....let's just say I'm busy!

So anyway, let's get on with the first update...HALLOWEEN!!!

This year for Halloween, Kayli was a nerd and Chase was Jason from Friday the 13th. Aren't they cute! This picture was taken on Saturday night (10/30) before we went to our friends annual Halloween party!

And so was this picture....

Hahahaha!!!

The party was a costume party, so I also dressed as a nerd and Mark and our friend, Jamey, dressed up as the Geico cavemen!!

Aren't they hilarious!!!

On Sunday night, we went trick-or-treating and the kids got a TON of candy! We usually go to Point Mallard, where my parents live, to trick-or-treat, but since it was on Sunday this year, we decided to stay around our neighborhood. So many people go to Point Mallard and it is always very crowded, stressful and the kids don't get very good candy or very much candy. But this year.....

They were pretty happy with their goodies!!!

It was a fun Halloween weekend! We had a great time at the Brown's costume party and the kids, of course, had fun counting all of that candy....and eating it, too!!!

My Promise To My Children...

We are going through the "almost a teenager" phase with Kayli and, needless to say, there have been quite a few arguments and even some eye-rolling and slamming doors. I am sure we will go through it with Chase in a few years, but right now, Kayli and I are butting heads ALOT and sometimes I wonder if I am doing the right thing or being to hard on her. However, I saw this on FaceBook today and it reminded me that my job as a mother IS to be all of those things....because I love them.

So, this is my PROMISE TO MY CHILDREN:

 I will stalk you, freak out on you, lecture you, drive you crazy, be your worst nightmare, embarrass you in front of your friends, hunt you down like a bloodhound til the day you understand why I do it. All because I LOVE YOU. You will never find someone who loves you & cares about you more than your mom! I love you more than life itself !

Love,

~ Mom



Boys.....

This is just a few of the 50 or so pictures I found on my camera today....Chase posing in the mirror with his belt tied around his head like Rambo and socks on his wrists like sweatbands.

One mischievous, bored little boy + camera= hilarious pictures and an overloaded memory card!

This was almost as funny as the time we overheard him giving himself a pep-talk before a baseball game in the mirror...."Chase, you are awesome. You are awesome." Mark and I laughed until we cried.

What can I say...Chase YOU ARE awesome!

Ooops....

Poor Kayli....after she decided to do a little crafting project with my paints (which are SUPPOSED to be off-limits), she was walking around the house and didn't even realize that she was covered in black paint. I guess she kind of got caught with her hand in the cookie jar!

Happy Anniversary, Mr & Mrs Jones!

This was me....13 years ago today.

And this was my handsome groom....

(Ok...so he's probably going to kill me for putting these pictures out for the world to see. But he was rockin' that 90's bowl haircut and he could have been bald or had a mohawk for all I cared. I just couldn't wait to be married!)

 

August 30, 1997, was the day we tied the knot! Mark and I have been together since I was 13 and he was 15. We were babies and I can't even imagine my (almost) 13 year old daughter meeting the love of her life at such a young age! As I have said many times before, it was NOT love at first sight (for either of us) but it didn't take long until we fell madly in love and rode off in the sunset on our white horse decided that we kind of liked each other and that this thing might work out.

And of course, the rest is history! We really did fall madly in love and still are to this day. While marriage is tough and not always pretty, it makes it a lot easier when you are married to your best friend. I love him just as much today as I did when we were care free, starry eyed teenagers!

Happy Anniversary to the most wonderful husband ever! I am so glad that I get to share my life with you and I can't wait to celebrate many, many more years!

I love you!!!

Are you ready for some FOOTBALL???

The Jones' sure are!

Chase is playing Pop Warner football for the first time this year and this past Saturday was his very first game! He had the best time and we were so excited to see him in action!

He looks so cute (but tough, of course) in his pads and uniform!

Here he is warming up before the game...

Since this was actually just the "jamboree" they only played two 30 minute games. It's a good thing, too, because it was SO HOT! The coaches were constantly wetting them down and giving them water. Too bad all of us parents didn't have waterboys to keep us cool!

Here are Kayli and Ashlyn trying to share some shade during the game....

Now, back to the game...Of course you can't get started with out a grand entrance!

Huddled up and getting ready to play!

Bring 'em on!

Decatur Thunder Blue played great and won both games! Although they all play different positions, Chase mostly played defensive tackle for these games. He even got his hands on the quarterback a time or two!

Chase LOVES football and can't wait to get suited up for every practice and game. We are excited to watch him play and are so glad that he loves it as much as we do! Maybe we'll have a future Auburn Tiger or UT Volunteer on our hands....you never know!

*Just a side-note from Mom...

Please pray for my sweet little boy. I know God made him rambunctious and tough and some times his mouth may drive me crazy. But he will always be that sweet little 5lb. 8oz. baby boy that I held in my arms almost 8 years ago. I love to watch him play, but I also cringe every time I see him buried alive under a pile of football players. So, please pray for no broken bones and no tears...for him OR me!

~Amen