Pizza Pizza!

Thursday night we met Nana and Grand at the Pizza Inn in Winona for supper. McKenzie has had strep this week and Thursday was her first day back at school so we thought she didn't need to go to dance. Instead we went to stuff our faces! That Pizza Inn has a little play area that Matt loves to visit. Tonight, a little six year old boy joined Matt and McKenzie. I think the boy had a little crush on McKenzie. He was showing out and acting goofy. (We boys never grow out of that, do we?) Anyway, he would run up to McKenzie and Matt and try to scare them. It worked on Matt and just irritated McKenzie. (That never changes either, huh?) One time, the boy tickled Matt's neck and Matt looked at him like he was crazy and said, "You can't get my neck!".

We always have fun with Nana and Grand. They are nuts and we always laugh a lot. As you can see, I took my camera so we'd have some pics for the blog. Yeah, I probably looked like an idiot with a camera at a Pizza Inn, but who cares - it won't be the last time I look like an idiot!

This car is always in the parking lot and I tell Betty and the kids that I'm going to buy it and go in it to breakfast every Saturday. The girls think I'm crazy. I think Matt would like it, though.

It's Nana and Grand!

Matt likes Pizza!

Nana really wasn't as bored as she looks in this picture. Matt IS enjoying the ice cream as much as it looks like in this picture.

Raider of the Week

Well, actually, Raider of Last Week. McKenzie was named Raider of the Week last week for her class. She also made all A's for the first semester. Way to go McKenzie!!!

My Little Man

A few mornings ago, I could not resist taking this picture of Matt and Max. On Monday and Thursday mornings, Matt loves to watch the garbage truck (garbo truck as he calls it) in front of our house. He will hear it coming around the circle, drop everything and go run to look out the front window. It is so cute and it is moments like this that I would like to freeze. Matt is growing up way too fast for us. It is hard to believe he will be three in a couple of months. Most everyone knows that I am a girly girl, but I have enjoyed every minute with this little boy!

Something new...

A few days ago, I was sitting here in our den trying to figure out something new I could do and it hit me that I should do a big portrait of the kids. I love pictures and my artwork in our home is our kids. I love coming up with new ways to frame and change a space with David's work. I am so lucky to be married to someone who can capture all of these great memories of McKenzie and Matt. I have had an oil painting above the couch for many years. I am tired of it, so I remembered the picture that David took back in September of the kids. We ordered it and the picture came today. Yea! So, when David got home from work, I raced to Nebbletts to have the girls frame it for me. To save money and who doesn't like to do that, I used the same frame that my oil painting was in. I think it compliments the portrait nicely. We are usually ordering for other people, so it was nice to get a portrait for us.

Back in the fall I was ready to change an area of wall space, so I had David search his photo archives and find these recent "happy" pics of each child. We ordered 10x10 pictures, then I had them framed in square black frames with off white mats. I love how they turned out. Every time I look at them they make me smile. I believe they are David's mom's favorite because Liz always comments on them when they are here.

Basketball and Dancing

McKenzie's two loves right now are basketball and dancing. She's really enjoying Upward Basketball this year and is doing very well. She scored 12 points last Friday night and we have two of those points on video. We would have more, but Betty got excited watching McKenzie play and forgot to follow the action with the camera a few times. Betty is getting better, though. At least she captured more action this week and less floor.



She's also loving dance. Here's a short clip of their practice that her teacher, Miss Reagan, put on YouTube.

Prayers for Harper

You may notice the new button to the side of our blog. Click on it to read this amazing story of a precious little girl born a few days ago. I have been following Kelly and her pregnancy since back in the fall when I started blogging thanks to Amanda's sister, Nicole at Graves House. I love Kelly's inspiring blog. It has always given me a lift each day that I check it. Now, they need everyone's prayers for God's healing of their special gift...Harper.

Mr. Waffle's House

Who knew a trip to the Waffle House could be so exciting? We decided to go to the Waffle House tonight for a little breakfast for supper. Matt thought we were going to Waffle's House and kept asking where his house was all the way there. Then, Mr. Waffle wasn't there when we got there an Matt announced that Mr. Waffle was asleep. Thankfully, we were the only people there besides the waitresses because our kids were nuts and the waitresses weren't far behind them. Matt was constant motion - both body and mouth - and McKenzie added in a little seven-year-old girl drama. Add in the angry waitresses, and it sounded like there were 75 people in there! Apparently there is a young lady who works at Mr. Waffle's House who is not very ambitious and enjoys talking on the phone to her on-again-off-again boyfriend. She also is apparently pregnant with this young man's baby, much to the surprise of some of her co-workers. At least that's what we gathered from the following exchange:

Waitress #1: "Where is she?"

Waitress #2: "She don't wanna work!"

Waitress #3: "I know that's right! She spend all her time on the phone."

Waitress #1: "Who she talkin' to?"

Waitress #3: "She talkin' to him."

Waitress #1: "Why?"

Waitress #2: "They back together. She got his baby!"

Waitress #1: "No she don't!"

And it went on from there. Meanwhile, Matt finished his food and fell out of the booth onto the floor and then had to re-enact it several times. Betty really liked that. She immediately threw him in the tub when we got home and scrubbed him down. So, if you're looking for some good food and entertainment, head on down to Mr. Waffle's House!

Happy Birthday!

We would like to wish a very happy 86th birthday to Granny! She is the best grandmother and great grandmother in the world. Granny has always been a very important part of my life and I am glad that now McKenzie and Matt get to have her in their lives, too. I have to say the best thing that Granny ever did for me was finding David. He moved in a couple of doors down from her on Fairfield Avenue sixteen years ago. Granny immediately started playing matchmaker. She would call me at Delta State and say that there was this really nice young man that moved in a few doors down. Granny was determined to get us together! After a little arm-twisting she introduced us on the sidewalk in front of her house. Six months later, David and I were engaged and six months after that were married. I guess Granny did know what she was doing and I will be eternally grateful to her!

Granny, we hope you have a wonderful day!!!!

A Little Bit of Love...

It is hard to believe that Valentine's Day is a month away. It is depressing for me taking down all of the Christmas stuff but then I like getting everything cleaned, back in its place and organized. I would rather do that now than in the spring. It is something about the start of the new year that makes me want to get my house in order. That is what I have been up to this month. Yesterday, I decorated for Valentine's Day with Matt's help. It gave our house a cheery little lift. Here are a few pics...

This cute banner is hanging by our back door. I ordered it from a very talented girl. You can check out her creations at The Painted Wren located on the right side of our blog. Next is a doormat I found at Target.




A bowl I found a couple of years ago at yes...Target!


Another great find from Target...velvet heart pillow. Matt wanted to get in this pic.


This is a heart planter with an ivy topiary in it.


These are the kids' baskets that I put their Valentine goodies in. I know you are thinking Matt's is so much bigger, but when I ordered Matt's they no longer carried the cute heart shaped basket that I bought for McKenzie a few years before. I started the tradition of filling the baskets with their favorites and putting them outside their bedroom doors for them to find on Valentine's morning.


Found this pretty book at Walmart...


Matt taking a break from "decorating".


Their cute little mailboxes that hold valentines.


I left my Christmas garland out on the desk and replaced my star garland with hearts. I kept the white lights in it.


Amanda gave me this pretty tassel a few years ago. It has a heart with Joy written on it and pretty ribbons tied to it. Below that I have all of McKenzie's and Matt's Val. books. My favorite is The Night Before Valentine's Day. I love to buy seasonal books for them. It's a good way to teach them about the different holidays.

Onward and Upward

Hello again! I told my Mother last week that she needed to check our blog every day because we update it quite often. Well, the day she started checking it every day, our laptop died. We are back up now and hopefully back to updating frequently.

McKenzie had her first Upward basketball game Friday night. I am her coach and we are the Lady Cowboys. I don't know why we're not just the Cowgirls, but Lady Cowboys it is. McKenzie got my old number (#3) and played very well. Our whole team played well and we had a lot of fun. We hoped to have some video to go along with this post, but it turned out to be mostly of Matt's pants and the floor. Maybe next week.......

Ridin' the Rails

We went to Memphis Friday for one last fun trip before we have to get back into the routine of school and work. We drove up for lunch at The Spaghetti Warehouse and then rode the trolley in downtown Memphis.

The Spaghetti Warehouse is an Italian restaurant on Huling Avenue in downtown Memphis. Betty and I have been there a couple of times but this was the first time for the kids. They have a real trolley in the middle of the restaurant that you can sit in, and of course, that's where we sat. Matt thought he had stepped into The Polar Express movie. He re-enacted a few scenes from the movie and almost was too distracted to eat. We stuffed ourselves there and then walked down to a trolley stop and waited for the trolley. Matt and McKenzie were very excited to ride the trolley. As Amanda says, our kids are cheap dates! Anyway, it was the best $1.50 we've spent this year! Ok, it's only January 2nd, but you know what I mean. We made the loop up Main Street and then down Riverside and back up Main Street to the trolley stop we started at. Matt spent the whole time looking out the window and grinning. When we got off the trolley he said, "Matt wants to get on another train!". We walked back to the car and watched a couple of trolleys go by and then tore Matt away and headed home (by way of Target, of course). Here are a few pictures and a short video.