EASTER'09 AT MEMAW'S

This is the 3rd and final Easter of this year. This is at my family's. We went to my mom's. Tommy was digging in Tristen's candy.... I was trying to catch that, but by the time the camera snapped, I somehow missed it.








Alex hunted eggs this year. He still likes getting the candy. He also likes hunting the hard to find eggs. Nea and Jessi helped hide the eggs this year. They each got to hunt for 45 eggs. So, we kept helping them count what they had, so when they reached 45, they were suppose to stop. Yeah, that is a lot of candy. That is just how we do it. We go all out. Who wants to just hunt for 12 eggs...... come on????

Chris helped hide this year too. Some of his were pretty hard for the kids. There were 4 eggs left that noone could find. So, we all had to re-trace our places that we hid our eggs and see if it was ours that were left. It happened to be all Chris' that were left. So, he must have hid better than the rest of us. We gave them some hints and they finally found them. Poor Tristen was the one who still needed all 4 of them.

Brie had a good time running around finding eggs. She got a new basket this year. They got some treats from the Easter bunny, too. So, I would say they had a good Easter this year. And this could be Alex's last year to hunt..... I don't know. He is getting older......he may think it is tooo lame to hunt next year. But he still likes getting the candy, so maybe I still have a few more years....

EASTER'09 AT MARGARET ANN'S

Brie is climbing a tree.....Riley and Morgan want to go up there too. The big boys are hunting eggs now, so the little ones are just playing around. I don't guess I will ever figure out how to download these pictures in order.








Andrew is hunting eggs with his one of a kind basket...lol. Luke and Janelle hid the eggs for the big boys. They did a really good job. They hid them really well.

They searched and searched for those eggs. They finally got down to 3 left..... It took them forever to find them. Luke told them all they had to do was give in and ask and he would tell them where they were.....but my boys wouldn't give in. They were determined to find them.

There was actually one spot that they had all looked in about 4 times, and there was an egg there, and they all missed it. Pretty funny. Luke finally had to give some clues so we could end the hunt and go home.

Andrew, Alex, Tristen, and Riley... posing for Vici. Of course you can tell which 2 boys are mine.....

The girls and Riley had a good time hunting their eggs too. The big boys were very helpful this year and hid them for us. Alex went a little crazy with his hiding.....he buried about 4 eggs in the flower garden all together. Needless to say he had to un-earth them and give them to the kids.

Riley found one in the tree. The kids were instructed to leave some for Riley. He was a little slower than the 3 girls.

I think Brie found one. They got about 14 eggs a piece. We had candy filled eggs and Vici had candy filled eggs and real ones. They always have real eggs all decorated cute. I don't think Brie has ever dyed an easter egg. We use to do that when my boys were little..... but just haven't in a long time. It is sooo messy.

Brie wanted to help out in the kitchen. So, she helped Bo put al the stuff on the relish trays. She did such a good job. We had lots of good food, as usual.

Tristen go to make the banana pudding. He was so proud of himself. He stirred and measured and whipped.... Then he decorated the top with a smiley face. If you look real hard you can see it.

EASTER '09 FOR PRIMARY

Brie and Andi are counting their eggs and checking out their candy they got. The primary had an easter egg hunt at Carl Jenkins house. He has a huge pasture. There were a lot of eggs. Each kid was suppose to find 12-15 eggs. Of course, some got way more and some had way less. But that is pretty normal. At the end, we made sure it was even for everyone.








Brie is emptying all of her candy into her basket and getting rid of the eggs.

She is finding eggs. Lots of kids, but lots of space. They weren't hidden very well, just kinda thrown every where......but that didn't spoil the fun.

The kids are lining up to get ready to take off. It is finally time to go find some eggs. Of course, the little ones got to get a head start. and the big kids had to also go further up the hill and leave the lower hill to the little ones.

Brie, Andi, and Jessica are eating hot dogs under the tree. There was home made root beer too......it was so yummy. There were some really good chocolate chip cookies there too.

MORGAN'S BEAUTY B-DAY PARTY (7)

MORGAN HAD A BEAUTY BIRTDAY PARTY. SHE TURNED 7. VICI MADE THE CAKE. IT IS REALLY PRETTY. SHE DID A GOOD JOB ON THE CAKE AND DECORATIONS.

THIS IS MORGAN. SHE HAS ALREADY GOT HER HAIR DONE AND NOW SHE IS PLAYING WITH A MANEQUINN'S HEAD THAT HAS A WIG ON IT.

BRIE NOW HAS HER HAIR DONE. MY PICS ARE KINDA OUT OF ORDER...SORRY. IT LOOKS SO PRETTY. WISH I KNEW HOW TO DO THAT. THE NEXT FEW PICS ARE OF BRIE'S HAIR. WE COULDN'T DECIDE ON OUR FAVORITE, SO WE JUST PUT THEM ALL ON HERE.

ISN'T SHE A DOLL???

MY LITTLE PRECIOUS. THE END RESULT LOOKS REALLY GREAT.... BUT IT WASN'T MUCH FUN MAKING HER BE STILL THAT LONG TO HAVE IT LOOK THIS GOOD.

SOME OF THE GIRLS CAME IN HERE TO TRY THEIR SKILLS. THEY HAD A GOOD TIME. THEY HAD SPRAY WATER BOTTLES, HAIR SPRAY, PICKS, BRUSHES, CLIPS.... EVERY THING YOU CAN IMAGINE.

THEY ARE POSING. THESE ARE THE ONES THAT WERE LEFT AFTER THE PARTY. THE OTHER GIRLS HAD ALREADY GONE. THEY PUT ON BOAS AND POSED. TOO CUTE. THEY WERE JUST A LITTLE PRISSY...

HERE WE ARE AT FLIP OUT. COURTNEY SHULER'S BEAUTY SHOP. SHE IS GREAT!!!!! IF YOU DON'T USE HER FOR YOUR HAIR, THEN YOU NEED TO GIVE HER A TRY....

BRIE, MORGAN, AND STAR. THE 3 GIRL COUSINS. THEY ARE SOOOO PRETTY. PERFECT POSE. THEY LIKED PLAYING WITH THE BOAS. THEY KEPT TRADING THE COLORS AND TAKING TURNS.

COURTNEY WORKING ON BRIE'S HAIR. BRIE WAS 2ND TO LAST. SHE LET THE OTHER GIRLS GO FIRST, SO THEY COULD BE READY WHEN THEIR PARENTS CAME TO GET THEM. AND SINCE I WAS THERE, WE COULD LEAVE AT ANY TIME.

SHE GOT LOTS OF BOBBY PINS IN HER HAIR. SHE DIDN'T LIKE THOSE. SHE KEPT SAYING THEY WERE POKING HER. BUT HER HAIR DIDN'T MOVE. WE WENT TO THE MOVIES, PLAYED IN THE RAIN... A LITTLE..... AND HER HAIR LASTED TILL ABOUT 7 THAT NIGHT. SHE DID GOOD TRYING TO KEEP IT PRETTY. SHE LIKED IT. AND EVERYTIME ONE OF THE BOYS TRIED TO TOUCH HER, SHE WOULD YELL. I WAS HOPING IT WOULD STAY PRETTY OVER NIGHT SO SHE COULD WEAR IT TO CHURCH... BUT THAT DIDN'T HAPPEN. WE WERE LUCKY IT LASTED TILL WE GOT HOME, I GUESS. NOW SHE WANTS TO HAVE HER HAIR FIXED REALLY PRETTY LIKE THIS FOR HER BIRTHDAY EVERY YEAR.

WE WENT TO BEALL'S TO CHECK OUT THEIR ONE DAY SALE AND BRIE SAW A BATHING SUIT AND RAN UP TO IT AND SAID "MOM , THIS IS SO MORGAN. WE HAVE TO GET IT FOR HER. IT IS PERFECT. SHE WILL LOVE IT." SO, THIS IS WHAT WE GOT HER FOR HER B-DAY. IT IS REALLY CUTE. NOT TO MENTION, IT DID MATCH HER PARTY THEME.

THE GIRLS SPLIT UP INTO 2'S AND 3'S. SOME SAT IN FRONT OF A BIG MIRROR AND GO TO PUT ON MAKE UP. ALL COLORS OF EYE SHADOWS, ALL SORTS OF LIP STICKS AND GLOSS , AND ONE BLUSH. WHILE THEY WERE PRIMPING IN FRONT OF THE MIRRORS, SOME OF THE OTHER GIRLS WERE PAINTING FINGER AND TOE NAILS. THEY WOULD TAKE TURNS PAINTING EACH OTHER. AND SOMEONE WAS IN THE CHAIR GETTING HER HAIR FIXED. BRIE REALLY ENJOYED PAINTING EVERYONES NAILS. SHE SAT IN THE LITTLE ROLLER CHAIR,... PUT THE TOWEL ON HER KNEES , ... TOLD THEM HOW TO BEND THEIR KNEES SO THEIR FEET WOULD BE FLAT ON HER LEG,.... AND PLACED THEIR HANDS ON HER KNEES. SHE DID A REALLY GOOD JOB. SOME GIRLS GOT THEIR TIPS DIFFERENT COLORS. THE GIRLS KEPT ASKING HER HOW SHE KNEW HOW TO DO THAT AND BRIE WOULD SAY "MY MOM TAUGHT ME HOW TO DO THIS. WE ALWAYS DO THIS TOGETHER. SHE TEACHES ME EVERYTHING." SHE IS SOOOO CUTE. BRIE MAY HAVE FOUND HER TALENT....

JUST ANOTHER PIC OF THEM PUTTING ON THEIR MAKEUP. BRIE'S MAKE UP LOOKED REALLY GOOD TOO. SHE USED A PURPLE EYE SHADOW, BUT PUT IT IN THE CREASE JUST RIGHT. IT WASN'T BLOTTY OR GAUDY. IT WASN'T MESSY ON HER FACE EITHER. I'M SURE I TAUGHT HER HOW TO PUT ON MAKE UP CORRECTLY TOO....
WELL, BRIE KEEPS SAYING THAT THIS IS WHAT SHE IS DOING FOR HER B-DAY PARTY. IT WAS A LOT OF FUN. THE GIRLS JUST LOVED IT. WHAT A GREAT IDEA.

Addie

Alex, Allison, and Tristen went outside and listened to their I-pods and visited. They were in the swing out in the Gazebo. It was quite chilly, but they didn't seem to care. They don't get to see each other much. They do myspace each other alot, though. Alex and Allison have been friends for years....since they were little.

Natalie has grown up since the last time they were here. She was running around in diapers, not talking very much, but she still had her silky. She is so cute. Tristen liked playing with her. He held her and tickled her. She wouldn't ever smile for me. She didn't like me taking her pic. I had to sneak up on her for this one.

Brie snuck up on Tom and gave him a big hug. We are at Laura lea's house in Longview. Tom is entering everyone's number into his phone.

They are all entering numbers and playing with their phones. Taking pic's... They did make fun of Tom's phone. Bless his heart. We kept telling them that Etex only has 2 phones to choose from. They all had the nice touch screen phones with an antenna so you can watch TV on them.

This is Dustin. He and Brie are the same age. They always have a good time together. They play games and go outside and play with the dogs....etc. They don't fight.... He is such a cutie.

Me and Addie have been friends since high school. We were on drill team together. She was a grade ahead of me. But we still stuck together. She didn't really like Tom in high school. She thought he was mean to me. How funny, huh??? We have stayed in contact by e-mail and cell phones. She has moved around a lot, her hubbie is in the military. Now, they are in California. Which my kids are dying to go there. Her grandparents live in Longview. They are really good friends of ours also. Can't wait till her and her family are back in Gilmer......

One year they were here, many year ago. Brie and Dustin were little...... We met at the park in Longview and let them all play. Brie kept trying to kiss Dustin.... little toot. Back then it was kinda cute and funny.... not so much now. lol They like to play the piano....everytime we are here.... lovely music fills the house.

Tristen wanted to take a picture of us. We are getting ready to go eat fish in ore city. It was really good. Every time Addie and Kevin come down, there are certain foods they have to eat while they are here. And fish is one of those. We always go there when they are here. Bodacious and Doc's is usually 2 more that we try to catch with them.... We have really enjoyed seeing them again. We always have a good time together. It is nice to have friends that have kids your kids ages.

Women Appreciation Dinner

Jen and Jessi enjoyed the day's festivities also. Lots of good food and good speeches.

Ben planned a woman appreciation dinner for all the women in our family. He called all the men and made assignments. It was last Sunday. It was very sweet and thoughtful of him. Chris and Ben are grilling steak and chicken. It was seasoned real well and tasted very good.



All the men took turns telling their wives, sisters, daughters, mothers, nieces,....etc.... (all the women in the family) what they respected about them and loved about them. See, after 20 years, still smiling.....





Alex told Nea that he liked her because she drives him around and takes him to the track and places with her. He gets introduced to her friends and Nea puts him in his place....





Chelle is getting the tortillas ready. We are having fajitias. She wets the tortillas and then puts them on the grill. Corn and Flour.






Nea was missing in action the first 30 or 40 mins. We all kept looking for her..... and then I found her. She was sleeping. Looks quite cumfy, doesn't she. Well, it didn't last long, after I kinda woke her up , taking pics. But she was missing all the fun, and we couldn't have that.




This was actually after we had all eaten.... We are relaxing on the couch. And Tristen jumped in and wanted in the pic. A little bit squishy..... but after the pic, he was gone..





Chelle and Ben relaxing after all that hard work. They did a good job. These are a little our of order... but oh, well....






Gina was filling the cups with ice.... Then making kool-aid. One of the kids asked for kool-aid, so she had to make some. Mom told her ...Water would have been just fine, but Gina can't make a kid unhappy...lol Marc joined us for some food, then had to run to a meeting.



While the food was cooking and being preapred.... the little ones are entertaining themselves. Brie and Spencer are playing games. Having fun and most importantly, staying out of the way.





Alicia made some good refried beans. Alicia and the kids were doing cart-wheels in the yard after we ate. She was trying to teach Alex. It was fun to watch. Brie and Spencer and Tristen all joined in. Somehow, I missed getting pics of those. darn...




While some of the kids were being entertained by the TV, others were playing board games. They were playing The Simpson's Clue game. Waiting patiently for the food to get ready.





When we first got here, Brie went outside to ride her bike. Since she has learned how, she is always on it. She is so proud of herself. We actually dropped her off at memaw's and she rode the bike to Ginas. Then Spencer got there and they went inside to play games..




Tom was in charge of the pico and avocados. His pico was scrumptious. He is an exellent slicer....






Ken is loading up his food and heading to the door. We have all eaten and over stuffed ourselves. We had bean soup, refried beans, pico, avocados, steak, chicken, tortillas, rice and home made ice cream. It was all sooooo good. I could get use to being treated to dinner and being appreciated.



Alex said he liked his Aunt Gina for letting him come over and visit and feeding him. little toot. Alex told me and memaw that he loved us for taking care of him. Always trying to make sure he is doing what is right. Which is a full time job.....




Tommy stood up and said that what he loved about me is how I show that I love him and my family. Not just words, but actions. I take my short 30 mins for lunch and eat with the kids. I make sure they have clean clothes to wear to school every morning. .... and him too. I hug them and kiss on them, give them medicine..... buy what they need. He appreciates all the other women in our family for the good examples they show to our children and to me. We had a good time. It was a lot of fun. It is nice to know and nice to be shown that you are appreciated and loved.


And last, but not least...... baby Nea. She is sooo cute.