Christmas 2007

Opening gifts from Papaw and Aunt Jody on Christmas Eve. Beau got "race cars" from Papaw and literally danced around the room singing "race cars" with them in both hands. It was pretty funny.

Abby was sooooo excited. We made a huge mess making cookies for Santa, but they turned out yummy!

Santa came!!

Abby riding her new bicycle from Santa with Daddy and Rocky. In our defense, of course we bought her a cute little purple helmet that matched her bike. Unfortunately, it would not fit around her big ol' head. As you can see, Daddy stayed extra close...

Beau on his new Power Wheels 4-Wheeler. He was kind of irritated that he couldn't quite keep up with Abby riding her new bike.

So proud...

Bedtime Christmas Day night - thank-you to Mee-Mee for the new PJs and cute slippers!

The budding (topless) artist on her new easel. At least she has on an apron!

Here are (some) Christmas pictures - finally! Toby had only put a few on the computer, so these are some of what were downloaded. The kids had a great Christmas, although we REALLY missed all of our family and friends. Toby said next year we have to go to one of our hometowns or people have to come here because we just don't have enough attention between the 2 of us to give these kids at Christmas at the ages they are! I agree, and I also hate that our families didn't get the witness the sheer joy and delight that came with Christmas morning. They had so much fun and got lots of fun stuff from Santa and everyone else! I hope everyone else had a very Merry Christmas and that you have a Happy New Year! I'll try to do better posting...sorry!

First Visit Home

Hey everybody! I am going to post Christmas pictures. I promise I will try to tonight...
In the mean time I just wanted to let everyone know that I have officially booked our first flight for a visit home for January 17th through the 22nd. Toby will be staying and working - just myself and the kids. Am I crazy trying to fly with both of my kids by myself? We'll see...
Just wanted to let everyone know! Clear those calenders for some playdates!

Dear Santa

A mommy's wish list... (someone sent this to me on email...I thought it was cute...)
Dear Santa, I've been a good mom all year. I've fed, cleaned and cuddled my children on demand, visited the doctor's office more than my own doctor, sold sixty-two cases of candy bars to raise money to plant a shade tree on the school playground. I was hoping you could spread my list out -- over several Christmases. Since I had to write this letter with my son's red crayon, on the back of a receipt in the laundry room between cycles; and who knows when I'll find any more free time in the next 18 years, so now - - *** Here are my Christmas wishes *** * I'd like a pair of legs that don't ache (in any color, except purple, which I already have) and arms that don't hurt or flap in the breeze; but are strong enough to pull my screaming child out of the candy aisle in the grocery store. * Id also like a waist, since I lost mine somewhere in the seventh month of my last pregnancy. * If you're hauling big-ticket items this year, I'd like fingerprint resistant windows and a radio that only plays adult music; a television that doesn't broadcast any programs containing talking animals; and a refrigerator with a secret compartment behind the crisper where I can hide to talk on the phone. * On the practical side, I could use a talking doll that says, "Yes, Mommy" to boost my parental confidence, along with two kids who don't fight and three pairs of jeans that will zip all the way up without the use of power tools. * I could also use a recording of Tibetan monks chanting, "Don't eat in the living room" and "Take your hands off your brother," because e my voice seems to be just out of my children's hearing range and can only be heard by the dog. If it's too late to find any of these products, I'd settle for enough time to brush my teeth and comb my hair in the same morning, or the luxury of eating food warmer than room temperature without it being served in a Styrofoam container. If you don't mind, I could also use a few miracles to brighten the holiday season. Would it be too much trouble to declare ketchup a vegetable? It will clear my conscience immensely. It would be helpful if you could coerce my children to help around the house without demanding payment as if they were the bosses of an organized crime family. Well, the buzzer on the dryer is ringing, and my son saw my feet under the laundry room door. I think he wants his red crayon back. Have a safe trip Santa, and remember to leave your wet boots by the door, and come in and dry off, so you don't catch cold. Help yourself to cookies on the table, but don't eat too many or leave crumbs on the carpet.
Yours always with love and appreciation,
A Mom
P.S. One more thing . . . you can cancel all my requests, if you can keep my children 'young' enough to believe in Santa. . . . Santa has asked that this gets passed on to all 'moms' if you wish

We're Here

Abby with the Betsy Ross posing in front of the Christmas Tree. Betsy is a bear that here school has. The kids share turns taking her home, and then they scrapbook about their time with her and put it in Betsy's book for other's to read when they take Betsy home. It is a really cute idea, and Abby was thrilled with getting to bring her home.

Beau checking out the (tiny) fruits of his labor. If you look closely, you, too, can see as well!

Beau sitting on the toilet - not wanting to get off and enjoying his cookie (left hand). How's that for sanitation?

My sweet nephew Will in the tub. Precious. He wasn't that happy most of the time in the tub with Abby and Beau, though - they are a little wild for him just yet!

See Beau trying to wash his hair? Poor Will. This is not that great of a picture, but it was the best I could get of the 3 cousins in the bathtub together!

One of the reasons the kids always want to go to Mee-Mee's - lots of sweets. Ice cream and Nestle Crunch - yummy!!

Abby and Beau during Thanksgiving dinner.

Uncle Michael and Abby taking a (unlawful) spin around in Mee-Mee's new jeep. I might add that mommy was not home and was unaware of this unlawful spin until later when Abby told me all about it. She, of course, was thrilled. Uncle Michael bumped himself way up there on the favorites list with that and Shrek the Third on DVD for her birthday.

Hey everybody!!
All right. I'm back. There is so much to do to our "new" house and for Christmas, I'm not sure how often I'll be posting, but I will try to keep everyone updated.
I hope everyone is doing great and enjoying the holiday season. I put some pictures above from Thanksgiving since I didn't get to post then. We had a great Thanksgiving with family at home before the big move. We ate too much and watched lots of football. The kids had a great time running around, playing and getting lots of attention and love. We did the day after Thanksgiving early morning shopping as Jody and I try to do annually. It was a lot of fun - just the girls for hours. This year the group included Aunt Ramona and her daughter Erica, Mom, Courtney, Jody and myself. Because I had finished all of my shopping (b/c of the move) except for Toby and the kids I bought myself a new pair of much needed brown boots!
The movers came on Saturday morning. We thought they would be all loaded up around noonish. Well, they finished after 4pm. Then we got to finish cleaning the house. Fun. The best part of all was that they could not quite get all of our stuff on the massive moving truck, so Toby had to load down the back of his truck (like the Beverly Hillbillies - seriously - check out Courtney's blog for a great picture), the back of my car was loaded down, and Toby's little Camry that his dad was driving down was loaded down, too! Toby left at about 4am in his truck so he could beat the movers there and tell them were to unload everything. Papaw (Toby's dad), myself and the kids left around 10am. It rained (hard - not a slight drizzle - a real rain) about 8 or 9 of the 11 hours is took us to drive down. I was changing DVDs, searching for pacifiers, passing back food, singing, etc. constantly the whole way down and Papaw was driving Toby's car following behind me. Abby decided not to sleep (not at all - not even a wink), and Beau slept for about 30 minutes the whole ride down. We stopped for both lunch and dinner and tried to let the kids run around as much as possible at our stops. It was not the funnest trip in the world to say the least. Beau threw a screaming, arch the back fit every time I tried to put him in his car seat the next 2-3 days after the trip. However, we did arrive safely and securely. Praise the Lord for that!
We arrived late, as did the movers. They had only been there a short time when we got there. Around midnight I threw a hissy fit for the movers to set up the kids beds so I could put them down. They were delirious. The movers finally finished and left after 2am. I can't begin to express how excited I get when I think about moving again!
We spent the next several days frantically unloading boxes while we had Papaw here to help watch the kids. Thank you SO much for all of your help, Papaw. I don't know how we would have done it without you! I really like our house a lot. It was built in 1935 and has some very quirky things about it, but over all I like it a lot. It is in a great neighborhood with lots of big trees and a fenced in back yard. It is near several great parks. I absolutely adore my neighbor. She is my age and has two boys, 3 and 1. They are such a cute little family and she has been SO sweet to us. She brought over homemade bread and dinner that first week. She has offered to watch the kids, share babysitters, pediatricians, directions and advice. Toby's friend Richard's wife also has been extremely helpful in making this feel like home. She, too, has given lots of advice and brought over a wonderful stew for us that first week. She has a 3 year old cutie pie little girl, too. They took us to the library last Friday where Beau acted like a wild animal. She probably won't be asking us back again anytime soon! Oh well.
Abby started to her new school on Monday, and Toby to his new job. Abby is still going 3 days a week and is thriving! She loves her new school and teachers. We are going to a birthday party tomorrow for a little girl in her class. She even starts ballet class on Monday! She has seemed to make this transition remarkably well so far. Please continue to pray for her to keep thriving. Toby likes his new position a lot as well. He is officially a fellow. They have (graciously) given him an easier rotation for his first month here. That means no call yet, and that he will be home for Christmas morning (yay)!
Beau is still a little wild man. He is becoming much clingier to mommy as he has been with me constantly the past couple of weeks. He is such a mess. We set him on the potty the other day and he did not want to get off. He thought that was very cool. I have included some pictures of that as well! He has started to say please and thank-you without prompting at times, which I think is adorable.
I think Rocky needs some doggy Prozac. He is as neurotic as ever and barks at even the slightest noise (which are a lot in an older home). I think he is more homesick than anyone!
I did insist (much to Toby's dismay) that we put up the Christmas tree last weekend. We still had boxes laying everywhere that needed unpacking and here Abby and I were decorating the tree! Tis the season!! It was fun, and Abby was soooo excited to help. She helped me put lights up outside the following night. Kids are so cute and so much fun at this age this time of year. I love being able to say, "You'd better be good. Santa is watching. Be nice to Beau. Santa is watching. Eat your green beans. Santa is watching..." She proceeded to tell me the other day that Jesus is watching us all of time, too, and that we should be good mostly because of that. Yep. She's right. Smart kid, that one...
I'll close this incredibly lengthy post with another funny story about Abby. We have two fireplaces in our new house. One is wood burning and in our bedroom (sounds romantic but actually quite tacky - I think we are going to take it out...), and the other is gas in our living room. Abby called us both the other day and said, "Mommy and Daddy, I hope you don't mind, but I think Santa is going to come down the fireplace in your bedroom." We replied, "Why do you think that, Abby?" She said, "I've checked it out, and the one in your bedroom has a hole up there he can come down, but the one in the living room doesn't!" Apparently she has been on her hands and knees in both rooms making sure Santa has fair passage into our house! We told her that would be fine, that we probably wouldn't even hear him because we would be sleeping. She makes me laugh so much sometimes. I can't wait to tell her that story when she is older.
Anyways, thanks for everyones' prayers, phone calls, cards and thoughts during this life-changing time for us. We really appreciate it! I will try and post some more updates soon!

Lots of love from us way down south, and try to remember the reason for the season!

Princess and Pirate Party

Abby has been going through a Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs thing, so Aunt Ann made this incredible (as usual) Snow White cake for Abby. The cupcakes were so cute with all kinds of little animals and apples on them. Absolutely adorable, and they also made for easy and quick service for the kids, which was really nice. When you are 4 you don't like to wait for anything, especially cake...

Our little princess in all of her glory!

A barefoot Snow White mid-pinata whack. Toby found this whole picture quite amusing - especially everyones' faces watching...

I like this one. Check out Lola front and center - gonna' get herself some candy! I love Drew's face, too. He is just staring at all of the candy in sheer delight, kind of like, "This beats all I have ever seen!"

Aunt Jody and Beau taking a break.

Abby playing pin the crown on the princess. Beau and Little Howard are helping.

Beau and Brooks playing basketball. This is Beau's favorite thing to do right now - hands down.

Sheer delight. I thought she was going to burn her lip on a candle she got so close trying to blow them out!Opening gifts with her pals. Austin had on the coolest pirate get up.

Organized chaos...

Yesterday we had Abby an early 4th princess and pirate birthday party. It was a lot of fun seeing all of the kids have such a good time. These little girls at this age crack me up. They walk around in these princess get ups with such ease and comfort like it is the most natural thing in the world! They really, really think they are princesses. It cracks me up. I was really happy to get to spend some good fun times with a lot of good friends before we move this weekend. Thanks so much to everyone that was there for coming and making it such a special day for Abby! We had lots of fun!

On a different and quite sad note, moving day is Saturday. I will probably be out of the blogging loop for the next few weeks, but I will try to keep everyone updated the best I can! Please keep us in your prayers for a safe trip south and for our sanity!!

Daddy and his deer

Well, after a trip to the farm yesterday morning before Abby's birthday party, Toby came home with a deer. I know it is disgusting to put a picture of a dead animal on a blog, but this is Toby's thing, and he was successful in his hunting endeavor (much to my dismay - I can't stand the thought of shooting an animal myself and dragging that dead thing into the back of my car)! Beau did not know what to think, but I think in his little mind if his daddy was happy, then he was happy. He was really wanting to check it out (i.e. touch it). Mommy had to give him a good wash down afterwards... Anyways, for all of you hunters out there - Toby got one yesterday! Hopefully this will calm him down wanting to go hunting so much because I am a little weary of him going to the farm for a while! I will try and post some pictures of Abby's party later...

Happy Halloween

Last night we had a great Halloween! Abby dressed up as Dorothy, and Beau was the cowardly lion. There were several of both at Abby's school parade in the morning as well as at trunk or treat at church last night, but I thought they still looked cute! Abby really loves the movie and asked to be Dorothy months ago, so it was really fun watching her have so much fun dressed up. She is very detail oriented - her socks had to be blue and her hair had to be in the two braids with blue bows. She is already anal like her mother... Beau spent the better part of the night yanking the hood part of his costume off. After a while he must have got tired of fighting it because he finally stopped fussing with it. After trunk or treat we went to the Berry Hill Halloween party, which is a party our neighborhood has every year. There is a live band, hay rides, cake walk, chili and hot dogs, etc. Abby took home 1st prize for best costume in the 3 and under category. I think Rocky as ToTo really helped bring it home! She now has McDonald's prize money, which she is very excited about. It was a great Halloween - we have WAY too much candy in our house right now, so if anyone needs a sugar fix head on over! We will share!

Will's Birthday Party

Abby and Beau sitting on top of a huge bale of hay.

Beau taking his pumpkin to Mee-Mee.

Beau riding a tractor at the pumpkin patch. Yes, he threw a fit when we took him off of it.

The birthday boy and his smash cake.

Abby and Beau petting the animals.

Abby showing Will around on the farm. What are cousins for? The beautiful cake - made by Aunt Ann.

This past weekend Michael and Courtney came into town to celebrate my nephew Will's 1st birthday. They had a party at a pumpkin patch near town. It was so much fun, and it was the most beautiful weather (after raining all week). The kids had a great time! It is always so good to get all of families together! Happy Birthday, Will!

New House - Again

Abby and Beau enjoying some popcorn and a movie.

So, this is a picture of the second new house. Since the first house fell through, we went for our back up plan number 1. Just pray for us that we don't have to have another back up plan. That could be a (big) problem. We actually really liked this house when we visited last time, and we are very happy to have the contract signed on it! It is contingent upon inspection - which should be done sometime this week, so please pray that goes well, also! It is one level, hardwood, cute porch, etc. If anyone is interested in a virtual tour go to

http://vt.realbiz360.com/MLS-21371.html

We definitely will have a little more work to do on this one, but the kitchen is nice and updated and the kids have nice big rooms, as well as an office for Toby. It's all good! We are excited. One of the first things we will be having done is having the outside painted, though. Any ideas for color schemes. I think it is a little drab now. The bushes in the front will be removed also - just an fyi. I think I would like to paint the door black and put some black wicker on the front if I could find some for cheap. Should I keep the rest of the house yellow and white - just a little brighter? Change the colors? Incorporate another color? Any ideas, you artists out there?

House News

For anyone that may not already know, the house that I have posted below is no longer going to be our house. The contract for the people we were buying that house from fell through b/c their contract fell through on the house they were buying. Great. I know....We decided to make an offer on another house that we had liked on our last visit down, and we are waiting to come to a final price negotiation right now. I'll keep ya'll posted and post a picture of that house if we get it!
In other news, we are headed to Johnson City this weekend to visit Toby's family one last time before the move and to attend Toby's (and Michael's) 5 year medical school reunion. I am excited about the trip, but have to admit I am glad this will be the last of the traveling (hopefully) until we move in November. We are kind of tired and have lots of packing to do! My last day of work will be 2 days before Halloween, then I will focus on packing. Sounds like fun, doesn't it?
The kids are doing well and we are just trying to get in as much fun as we can with friends and family before we leave. Thanks so much to everyone for being so supportive of us during such a big change in our lives. We are talking about going ahead and putting full/queen size beds in both of the kids' rooms when we move- therefore- there should be plenty of room for visitors anytime! I am starting to get a little sentimental about leaving as the time gets closer. I know we will miss everyone so much, as well as our jobs, school, church - all of these things that are so familiar and comfortable! I am bracing myself for an adventure where everything and everyone is new. It still does not seem real! Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we start this new chapter in our lives.
I was going to post a few pictures of the kids but for some reason I can't get my pictures to come up. Who knows...I'll try to post some soon...

Mission Accomplished

Here is a quick picture (not a great one, but you get the idea) of our new house to be! Toby and I made the long haul southwest to our future hometown to try and find a house this last weekend. We drove around all day Saturday visiting many, many houses and most of Sunday with our realtor. Luckily, we ran across this house that was for sale by owner on our way to get coffee Sunday morning! It is a great house - very solid with a cute little fenced in backyard for the kids to play in. It also has the good ol' garage that is a must have for Toby. The floors are all hardwood and the house has beautiful windows that go all the way from the floor to the ceiling almost! There is lots of closet space. The only thing we are not crazy about is the kitchen - but it is nothing that a little work won't fix! (A fresh coat of paint and some new counter tops is all it needs really - all of the appliances are very new and up to date...) We are really excited to have this (mostly) taken care of. It is just a couple of miles from both of the hospitals Toby will work at and a few blocks from Abby's school. You could literally walk on a nice day! We are very excited and wanted to share our good news. I'll wait and post pictures of the inside when it has our stuff in it!!

Honeysuckle Farm

How cute is this picture? They are all getting a good look at the pigs. There were three pig houses in the back of the pen (you can see two of them in the picture) - straw, sticks and brick!

Beau and Lola holding hands and trying to decide where to go next...so much to see...

Abby, Beau and I after lunch. Beau is still working on a chicken nugget. Behind us where the flags are is where they had the pig races. They were really funny to watch run around. I'm not sure the kids knew quite what to think.

Niki, Austin and Lola in front of the pig pen. Lola was so good about keeping her hat on. Beau just yanks his off and throws it on the ground.

They have a couple of milking cows set up for the kids to "milk the cows" - its pretty realistic and the kids loved doing that.

Lola at the swings. That big thing set up behind her with the tires is a huge sand box. We managed to keep our kids out of that, though...thank goodness!

Beau trying to carry his pumpkin. A fall shortly followed this picture. He and Lola just couldn't quite keep their balance and walk with the pumpkins. It was pretty funny.

Niki's cousin that worked at the farm helped Abby find a great pumpkin!

Our motley crew - of course Beau is the only one not looking at the camera!


Well, today Niki and I packed up our four kids, strollers, snacks, lunch, drinks, jackets, hats, cameras, purses, etc. etc. and headed out to Honeysuckle Farm in Joelton. We try and go every year in the fall, and sometimes in the spring for Easter. The kids love it, and it is fun to look at pictures from the past and compare them to now to see how much they have changed (and how many we have added)! Honeysuckle Farm is a great place - they have tons of different animals for the kids to pet and learn about, as well as a lot of fun activities - corn maze, hay ride, playground, etc. The kids had a great time and got to pick out their own pumpkins before we left to go home. I'm going to have to drive quite a long distance next year to keep up the tradition! Thanks for going with us again Niki, Austin and Lola! Happy Fall everyone!

My Man

My Man
1. Who is your man? Toby
2. How long have you been together? including dating, about 8
3. How long dated? 1 1/2 years
4. How old is your man? 32
5. Who eats more? Toby most of the time, but I have to admit I have eaten more than him on occasion
6. Who said "I love you" first? Toby (actually he said, "I think I am falling in love with you" - he will be so embarrassed if he reads this...)
7. Who is taller? Toby
8. Who sings better? oooh, neither of us are very good
9. Who is smarter? Toby by leaps and bounds
10. Whose temper is worse? Toby's is worse when he finally looses it (we're talking throwing things at the TV because the Vols are loosing), but I nag and complain more as well as have a very quick tongue (I am trying to work on that, though)
11. Who does the laundry? all me
12. Who takes out the garbage? Toby, unless he forgets. Then its me.
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? me
14. Who pays the bills? Toby
15. Who is better with the computer? Toby by leaps and bounds
16. Who mows the lawn? Toby He has a VERY green thumb like his daddy, and he is very picky about the yard.
17. Who cooks dinner? Me about 95% of the time (unless grilling)
18. Who drives when you are together? about 50/50
19. Who pays when you go out? His money is my money and mine is his, so it doesn't really matter who pays when we go out. It comes from the same place...
20. Who is most stubborn? probably me, but we're both pretty stubborn
21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? usually Toby unless I just know I am dead wrong
22. Whose parents do you see the most? my mom
23. Who kissed who first? Toby kissed me, although we argue about that one. Our memories seem to differ on that one...
24. Who asked who out? Toby - he drove all the way in from Johnson City his first year of medical school on a weekend to take me TGI Fridays and back to his friend's apartment to watch There's Something About Mary
25. Who proposed? Toby - we were meeting for a weekend at my Aunt Ramona's house in Knoxville. I beat him there. When I got there the house was empty (no aunt, no nieces and nephews like there usually were). There was a bottle of wine chilling on the counter. I wondered, but thought it was something for my aunt later? I plopped down on the couch and watched TV until I heard Toby pull in. He opened the door and before I even turned to see him a little yorkie ran by the couch. I thought he had let a neighbor's dog in, but he proceeded to tell me he had bought me a dog! I was (very) surprised, but happy about this. The dog, however, had different feelings. It was terrified to be there (as it had just been give shots, groomed, and ridden for 2 hours in a truck with Toby). It ran and hid and had diarrhea on the floor in my aunt's piano room! After we cleaned that up we were sitting on the cough and I was holding and petting the dog. Toby kept asking me what I was going to name it. I kept saying I didn't know and suggesting different names. Toby (finally) suggested I check the tag he was wearing - maybe that had a name on it? The tag around his neck was a red heart that said "I love you. Will you marry me?" I was like, "Oh! Oh! Oh my gosh! Oh! I get it!" He got on his knee then and said, "I brought you something else,too." Then he pulled the ring out of his pocket. Of course, I said yes and the rest is history. Poor Toby, we laugh about it until this day. The plan was for the dog to run in and jump in my lap and me read the tag. He had to spell it out for his air headed wife to be, though. Such a romantic guy, though. I am a luck girl!
26. Who is more sensitive? definitely me-I cry at anything, commercials, movies, anything...
27. Who has more friends? I think we both have a good amount of great friends
28.Who has more siblings? 2 older brothers. Toby has one little sister
29. Who wears the pants in the family? I think we both have one leg in

Whew - I tag Amber, Courtney, Christine, Heather Mc, and Pamela

Pigeon Forge 2007

Michael and Courtney in Neyland Stadium after the game. That is the Tennessee River behind them with the "Vol Navy" on the water.

Toby, Abby and I after the game. Nice and sweaty...but the Vols won so it was all worth it!

Much to her mother's dismay Abby is dead set on being a cheerleader in both the near and far futures. Her daddy was nice enough to walk her down to where they were cheering in the 4th quarter and let her see them up close. He said 3 or 4 of them ran up and have her high fives and they all waved to her and made a big to-do over her. She loved that, of course. She told Toby that they had to stay down there until the game was all the way over.

She can not get enough of the cheerleaders... Waiting, waiting, waiting for the game to begin...

Enjoying a candy necklace in the shade before the game. Some nice (drunken) Vol offered to take our picture and then couldn't figure out if she had pressed the camera button or not. It was pretty funny...

Pregame back at the condo. A few more years and Beau will be going right along with us, I'm sure!

Beau taking a swim in the tub. I'm not sure why his lips look purple in this picture...

The 3 cousins playing together. Aren't they cute. Abby helped take care of Will and entertain him all weekend. She will be quite the babysitter some day if I do say so myself! I think her favorite part of the trip was getting to see her cousin. Beau like Will, too. He continues to try and hug him by laying on top of him. Will is never quite sure what to do. Beau doesn't quite know what to do when Will screams at him while he eats (because he wants a bite of whatever it is Beau happens to be eating at the moment). These three are hilarious together. I'm sure it will get even funnier as time goes on...

Papaw (Toby's dad) playing with Will on the porch of the condo. Will liked his mustache a lot!

Uncle Michael hanging with Will and Abby. They had just gotten there and Abby was soooo excited to see them!

Abby putting Beau's hat on on Aunt Jody. Abby thinks it is hilarious and proceeded to tell her how big her head was.

This weekend we had a great time in Pigeon Forge compliments of Papaw Smith. This is either the 3rd or 4th year in a row we have done this one weekend in October. It is so much fun to get together with family and enjoy a weekend filled with food, family and a great UT game! Thursday night we arrived fairly late. The condo is always so nice and roomy, and this year was no exception. Thank-you, Papaw! Jody and I went to Walmart after Grey's Anatomy and stocked up on groceries for the weekend. Friday we went to the Apple Barn for brunch and then we enjoyed a fun filled day of great shopping while the guys stayed at the condo with the kiddies. The intent was to get a lot of Christmas shopping done. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. I bought ONE Christmas gift. How sad is that? I have got to get on the ball! Anyways, Saturday morning Toby's friend Jammey came up and took our pictures (essentialmomentsphotography.com) for us - thank-you Jammey!! Then it was off to the UT game. We had a great time catching up with old friends and watching UT beat Georgia! It was Abby's first official UT game. I think she had a lot of fun although it was very hot and tiring! As seen above, her favorite part of the game was the cheerleaders. Thanks for the great tickets, Aunt Ramona! The biggest shout out goes to Aunt Jody who stayed back at the condo in Pigeon Forge watching the two boys. THANKS AUNT JODY! You are the best!! It was another great weekend in Pigeon Forge, and I can't wait until next year when we go again! (Although it will be a much longer drive...I'll worry about that next year...)