My Little Helper

I say all the time that I am training Matt to be a good husband! haha This picture is proof. I think it is so cute. He loves to put his dirty clothes in his hamper and most of the time pick up his toys when asked. He also thanks me for cooking! I do hope his future wife appreciates me! Actually his daddy is a good boy around the house, so he is probably imitating him, too.

Matt's First Party

Betty and I took Matt to his first birthday party for a friend on Saturday. Matt's buddy, Heath, had his third birthday party and, as you can see from the picture, Matt was very excited to be going. The theme of the party was Mickey Mouse and Matt was pumped about getting to see Mickey in person.......that is, until he actually saw Mickey in person....then it wasn't so fun.

Matt did enjoy the games, though.

Matt went straight to the basketball game and played there most of the time. He didn't even join the other kids when Heath blew out his candles or when they did the pinata. He is obsessed with playing ball.


Mickey arrived and scared all the kids. Good times. You'll notice that Mickey doesn't have any shoes on. Heath's dad was dressed as Mickey and was wearing his tennis shoes. Heath recognized his daddy's shoes and I think he thought that Mickey beat up his dad and stole his shoes!


This is another of Matt's loves - eating! That's the birthday boy, Heath, sitting beside McKenzie.


Even though he didn't care to see Heath blow out the candles, Matt was more than happy to help eat the cake and ice cream.


McKenzie wasn't scared of a little mouse!

The Last Basketball Game

Friday night was McKenzie's last Upward basketball game. I hate to see the season come to an end because we've had so much fun. McKenzie played a good game and scored four points. Andy was the referee and called McKenzie for double dribbling right in front of McKenzie's cheering section (Betty, Matt, Nana, Grand, Mimi, Pop, MC, and AC) and got booed. I've never seen a ref get booed by his own mother! The picture to the left is the team after the game with their medals.

McKenzie driving down the court.


She looks so happy about making an assist. A true point guard!


McKenzie scoring two in front of her cheering section.


The cheering section led by Matt, who right before this picture ran out on the court and shouted "ELLO!!!!"

McKenzie's Photojournalism

McKenzie is really enjoying her camera. She bought it at Wal-Mart last Saturday with her own money that she saved. Since then she has taken over 100 pictures. Maybe she'll be a photographer when she grows up! Here are just a few of her pictures. The one on the left is one of her making faces to the camera in the front yard.

This next one is going to be quite embarrassing for Matt when he gets older. Max looks like he's ready to pounce on Matt's rear end, but I'm happy to report that no children or animals were harmed during that bath.


This last picture is from our last basketball practice of the season. We just played games and had a pizza party. This is Olivia, McKenzie, and Hannah.

Valentine Fun

We had a great Saturday. David and I usually go out to eat by ourselves to celebrate Valentine's Day, but this year we decided to go have a fun day with McKenzie and Matt in Memphis. We had a great time riding the trolley all around downtown, then on to eat at the Sideporch. I told David that I didn't digest my food as well as I did back in December when we were alone but that it was neat taking them to one of our favorite restaurants.

The kids started out the day enjoying their Valentine baskets, then on to breakfast and Walmart with Daddy. I always enjoy that time by myself at home. That is when I can get the house clean and straight and enjoy the peace and quiet! I decided to take the time to hang something new above the desk. I ordered this family tree painted canvas from Sarah at The Painted Wren. It is something fun for the den. I love the colors she used and the scripture verse on it. I have my eye on something else on her blog. It is the cutest painted canvas for the laundry room. I will save some money and maybe get it when spring rolls around. I think it will make doing laundry a little more exciting! Ha Ha.

The Purple Trolley

Ever since we went to Memphis a few weeks ago and rode the trolley downtown, Matt has been talking about going back and riding "the purple trolley". Well, we went back to Memphis Saturday and rode The Purple Trolley. All pictures in this post are courtesy of McKenzie and her new camera.


First we stopped at Betty's "purple trolley", Target. Unfortunately, Betty was disappointed in Target because they just didn't have the stuff she was looking for. (Way to go Target!!!) I'm sure she won't hold it against them, though. We'll be back.


Then we headed downtown to ride The Purple Trolley. Matt was thrilled. He discovered the handles on the trolley that you can hold on to if you're standing up. Matt thought it was the brake and that when he pulled it he was stopping the train.


After the train ride we went to eat at the Sideporch Steakhouse in Bartlett. It is a wonderful restaurant that Betty and I have been to several times when we've been able to go to Memphis by ourselves. This was the first time we've taken the kids there and they loved it too. Matt even gave the cashier lady a kiss on the cheek! Feed that boy and he'll love you forever!

Happy Birthdays!

We would like to wish a very happy birthday to two special ladies in our life. I think it is so neat to celebrate a birthday on Valentine's Day! Today David's mother, Liz - better known as Nana - and my aunt Betty - better known as BettyWard are celebrating their birthday. They are two of our most faithful blog followers! Have a great day!


This is Nana and Grand with McKenzie at her baptism.


This is BettyWard with her new grandson, Jacob, at Thanksgiving.

Merry Valentine's Day!

Sunday afternoon we turned back the clock to Christmas. Nobody got any gifts, but we took pictures of the kids in their Christmas outfits. The weeks leading up to Christmas were filled with busyness and sickness and cold weather and we never got a chance to take a Christmas picture of the kids. Since their outfits are red, these pics can double as Valentine's Day pictures. We decided to take them at the depot since Matt is crazy about trains and we thought the presence of trains would help keep Matt in a cooperative mood. It worked! Speaking of trains, we also "railroaded" (Ha!) Cassie and Caleb into coming with us so we could get a picture of the four Cummings grandkids together. Below are a few of the pictures and you can see more at my web site by clicking here.

The Lady Cowboys

This is McKenzie's Upward basketball team, the Lady Cowboys. We have a fun little team and they are playing really well. We only have two more games left and Betty and I are going to miss going to the games. McKenzie has enjoyed it a lot this year, too. She's gotten a lot more aggressive this year and she's playing very well. Matt enjoys going to the games and sits there and actually watches the game. Then he comes home and has to pretend like he's playing a game on his little basketball goal. Here are a few pictures from this Friday's game against the Lady Broncos.

McKenzie and Hannah being silly on the bench.

McKenzie driving down the court.

McKenzie scoring a goal.

McKenzie and Elizabeth relaxing near the end of the game.

Steelers Win!

My favorite NFL football team, the Pittsburgh Steelers, won the Super Bowl Sunday night 27-23 over the Arizona Cardinals in one of the most exciting Super Bowls ever. A sure sign that the end of time is near, my three favorite pro teams, the Steelers, the Boston Celtics, and the Boston Red Sox have all won at least one championship in the last five years. I like Kurt Warner (Arizona's quarterback), so it wouldn't have been too bad if the Steelers had lost. Warner has an amazing story and is a great Christian example. Go here to read about him.