Volleyball Party!

Last night we had the best time with a great group of girls. Our high school had their first volleyball team and we won several games. My boys and I had lots of fun watching the games this season. We always love to have all the girls out for an end of the season party to just cook out, hang out, and have a lot of fun! And fun we did have last night...

This is the cake that Melissa Hamilton made...she does an excellent job each time! I just give her the main theme of the party and she runs with the idea. Her cakes are so yummy! Perfect for a girls volleyball party!

Gage and I getting ready for the party...
Hannah and Lindsey jumping on the trampoline.

Toby snacking before the party even started.

Coach Smith and Toby visiting with everyone at the man-shed.

Mika, Smiley, and Kecia visiting while the chicken was smoking.

Samantha and Heather hanging out.

Kecia pulling Carson, Avery, and Gage around the yard getting her workout most definitely!

All the girls, the 2 coaches, and 5 kids - great group of people that had a lot of fun last night!

Samantha, Hannah, Lindsey, Heather about to chow down on some oh so yummy food.

Everyone decided to eat in the driveway so they could all eat and visit with one another. Oh and my boys had to sit by their daddy...see all the yellow shirts with little people in them!

My wonderful friend Amy (aka Ms. Thames at school) and I served all the yummy desserts. Calorie free tonight because we were having a party of course. We had a chocolate cake, the volleyball cake and a delicious ice cream sandwich dessert made by Karlie's mom...gotta get that recipe!

After everyone left...Toby and Gage decided to have a little bit of fun! They found 2 forks laying around and started digging into the cake. They both knew that it was not the thing to do and so they were a bit sneaky about it. Too funny! The looks of satisfaction on their faces was priceless...Toby especially!

Oh so yummy...

Volleyball girls, we had a great season with you! We had so much fun with y'all this season and especially at our house last night. Lots of fun memories were made...especially on the golfcart so I have heard. I hope that the Seniors have a great year at college next year. I hope that all of your girls will return next year to play our 2nd season of volleyball because me and my 3 little ones will be sitting in the stands cheering for you!

Love, Ms. Amy and Coach Smith

fall pics of my boys

Several times a year I love to take photos of my boys (with Brad's help) and send them out for the different seasons...Valentines, Easter, Summer, Halloween, and of course the family Christmas picture. I send them out to special people in our lives to let them know we are thinking of them and love them. Also they are new photos of my boys that they can show off to their friends and display on their refrigerator...plus they are fun to take! So I thought this was a great weekend to do the Halloween pics with our orange shirts, pumpkins, and Enid Lake as the background! here is the photo shoot...

Carson picking his toe, Gage picking his nose, and Toby ready to say cheese...

Brad must have been standing behind me playing "peek-a-boo" trying to get them to smile...did not work because Gage wanted to join in on the fun of the game. Try a new strategy Bradley...
Gage a.k.a. Pumpkin Head!
I do love Gage's serious face sometimes in pictures...

The chosen one!

All I heard was noise behind me when I was getting the "perfect" picture. Brad always does crazy stuff behind me to get the boys to smile and laugh...well this time he was making pooting noises with his underarm and dancing around...ummmm...Gage wants to know how to do it too now!

Toby and his little pumpkin.

Brad tryng to show Gage how to make that lovely noise with his hand and underarm.

Bradley demonstrating...

Oh the joys of having all boys but I would not trade any of them for a girls. Love these 4 to pieces!

Fishing Rodeo at Enid

Saturday morning bright and early we went to our first fishing rodeo. It was fun for the first 30 minutes...we (Carson, Gage, Tyler, and Drew) caught 9 fish after that...no fish and lots of rain...YUCK! This was the crew before the fishing began. It was our family, Trey and Tina's family, and both of their parents...lots of fun with lots of people even if it was raining.

Me with my boys getting ready to catch some catfish.
Gage was way more interested in the mud!

Carson was so proud when he caught his one fish.

All the cane polls and corks...

Gage got bored with fishing and decided to go watch his catfish in the bucket and count them.

Toby watching the catfish...he would laugh when they would move around in the bucket.

Setting up for the photo shoot of the fishmen with their catch.

Carson with his fish he caught!

4 kids and 9 catfish

We had so much fun. We are already making plans to return next year!

Camping at Enid

Remember the pop-up camper, well we have upgraded. It did not take long only about 5 weeks and 3 camping trips in the pop-up and we were done. There is so much work that has to go into a pop-up camper especially with 3 little boys. So we got a bumper pull and love it. We have had it since the end of July but just went on our first trip this past weekend. We have been sleeping in it on Saturday nights because the boys love to sleep in the camper...so we camp out in our drive way in the camper. We went up to Enid Lake at Persimmon Hill and had a lovely time despite some of the rain we had early on Saturday morning.

Friday night Brad went to a high school football game with one of the friends we were camping with. I gave all the boys a bath in the camper tub and then we chilled out and watch a little tv before we went to bed.
Like my cute pumpkins...I got all festive for the trip (they are now on the bar at my house--my mom would be so proud.) Tina and I grilled hamburgers Friday night without the help of the boys...and they were good!

Carson and Toby snacking on chips in the camper.

This is what Tyler and Carson did the entire time we were there. It is a very kid-friendly park. They made lots of new friends that they played with all weekend. Carson never onced asked "when are we going home' and loved that because he is always my one to want to go back home (such a home body.)

I told Brad I did not want to leave on Sunday morning because I did not have another trip planned. I always want to have something to look forward too I guess...that is just me. So before we left, Tina and I put a date on the calendar for November...can't wait...chilly weather and a warm campfire!

We Kick Mushrooms!

We kick mushrooms! I don't know how this started at our house. It was probably because I did not want my boys touching mushrooms with their hands...so kick them instead. Boys love to kick stuff anyway right? It has rained at our house for more than 2 weeks straight...no lie! So our ground was super moist...just right for the growing of mushrooms. They were everywhere!

Gage and Toby spotted them quick

Working on our kicking skills for sports right?
Toby was just enjoying the running around and craziness of it all!

we love running

Running, running, running has become part of my life since the first of August. Got my chlorestrol levels back and well...they were not good...239. Yikes, yes it is in my family history so it is something that I will have to fight for the rest of my life. I love my 4 boys way too much so I went into action. I changed my diets, added fish oils to my daily diets, and started exercising. I decided I needed an event/goal to obtain. A few days later I got some information about a 5K from my good friend Elizabeth. I decided a 5K was a obtainable goal to reach in 3 months since I had not really been running daily/weekly since I had my babies. I got a good workout schedule from the internet and have stuck too it and have even lost some pounds (which I was also trying to do the healthy way.) I am now up to 2.5 and 3 miles a few times a week and 45 minutes on the lovely eliptical (while I watch recoreded Biggest Loser Episodes.) I feel so much better, have lots more energy, and my clothes are fitting so much better. I am getting my chlorestrol checked again during Thanksgiving week so I will be curious to see how much it has gone down. Well, when I started talking about a race Carson overheard me. He wanted to be a part too! So there is a one mile fun run that he is going to do that morning also. So now after I pick him up from school me and the 3 boys will go to the track about 2 days a week to allow him to practice. I'm going to bring my jogging stroller that all my high school girlfriends gave me at my baby shower for Carson and let Toby ride in it and Carson, Gage, and I will run around the track. Carson made it 1/2 miles yesterday...he would have enjoyed it more if I could have run with him but everytime I would attempt too...Toby would scream and run to me like I was trying to abandon him. So I think my new plan with the jogging stroller will be much better and less stressful for all involved! The race is November 7th...wish us happy training.

A new signature

Thanks to a new blog I read I now have a cool new signature! I'm moving on up in the blogging community...3 column design (thanks to Rachel) and now a signature (thanks to Debbie)...what will be next? My Live Signature is the website that I went to and created my new signature. Click here see a blog that made a post about it and gives good tips on what to choose and what not to choose. It's easy...try it! Let me know if you do create one because I would love to check it out.

Mr. Cool

This is how Toby rode to town this morning...

Yesterday morning he found these glasses in the bathroom as I as brushing teeth and hair and trying to get all 4 of us out of the door to head off to school. I made him keep them in the bathroom because I figured they would just be more trouble than they were worth. Ummmm...he quickly voiced his opinion for about the next five minutes. So this morning the glasses were still on the bathroom counter and he spotted them as soon as we walked in there. I put them on him and immediately his face lit up! I brushed everyone's teeth and hair and he was still wearing them. So I let it go this morning and we walked out the door with them on his face. He wore them all the way to Lola's house...he is such a character!