What Do You Do...

....When you are at the beach in November?!? Well, you bundle all your children up and take them out on the beach (way past their bedtime) and hunt for buried treasures! All of the sudden you become the coolest mom they know!

All bundled up with flashlights in hand...we're off to find some treasure..Hargh!

Make sure you follow the straight and narrow way...or at least the tire tracks that the beach patrol left while policing the sands. (That should be straight and narrow right?)

Dig up anything that looks suspicious and call everyone over to investigate it with you. That way if you find anything scary....

...you can call in the brute baby and he will step on it until it is surely harmless to anyone else. You go baby bruiser!

Then when you find a lost city buried in the sands dance all around it and claim it as your new land. You have now succeeded in having a beach adventure in the middle of November.

Somebody's a Teenager....

Thats right Cousin "N" turned 13 this year while we were at the beach celebrating Thanksgiving. Happy Birthday "N" we hope 13 is all you hoped for and all that your rising cousins dream it will be for you. However, guess what Memaw packed in her purse just for you....


...thats right....its the birthday song and this conga line is just for you!!! No party poopin' allowed on your own birthday cha cha. We have all been planning this part of your birthday because we know how much you love it!!!

Look even your baby brother conga'd for you! Just wait Baby "J" six more months and this line will be for you.

Now do my eyes deceive me....or is this a smile on your teenage face. I do believe deep down inside you partly enjoyed this embarrassing moment and will remember it for a very long time. Happy Birthday!!!

What I Can Do With A Picture Program...

As you could see in the last post, the picture of Baby "L" was not the best shot. However, with a little tweeking I was able to make that picture capture what I love about this little firecracker. His Smile!!!

Happy Thanksgiving From the "G" Clan...

The Horse Whisperer...

..."H" has always had this uncanny ability to comunicate with animals. I know it sounds a bit Disney-ish, but it is true. This girl can speak their language...not literally of course but when she speaks (usually with more patience than she speaks to people) the animals listen and bend to her will. The horses on the farm where she takes horseback lessons run to the fence as soon as they see our van pull up and she rushes down the fence giving each one a sweet pet and a gentle word. I think she really does have an incredible gift and pray that God will use her in some way to minister to people through animals.

Halloween Pictures...

Baby "L" as my Little Lion!



Little "O" as The Preacher!


"D" as Little Sister Princess!

"F" as Jo Jo!

"B" as The Middle Sister Princess!

"K" as The Big Sister Princess!

"H" as Princess Leah (from Star Wars)!

Silly "B-Bear" on Her Birthday

Anyone who knows my "B", knows that she is the one daughter you can count on to make you laugh. When times are sad, or bad, or mad...she always does something to make the whole situation seem funny. Here she wanted to pretend to be Julia Childs making a cake with a little Paula Dean added in. Paula always tastes directly from the chocolate fountain so "B" decided she must wear a choco-stache. Silly girl!!!

...we love chocolate cake in case you havent noticed in all the other blog entries!

Here is the finished cake...she decorated it all by herself and I for one think she has an eye for festivity. This cake definately screamed CELEBRATE!!!

If you know "B", you also know that she likes things small and personal. So after her trip to Applebees for lunch and Monkey Joes for playtime, we returned to Memaw's for her get together with her cousins for some wings and cake and presents. She does not like a big spectacle however.....

..."B" loves the cha cha cha with Memaw!!!

She even puts personality and style to it and dances her entire dance during the song. I love this little girl!!! Shes a firecracker and a teddy bear all in one, does that make any sense? She's full of spark but desires that sweet tender touch of the people she loves. Thats my "B-Bear"!!!

Happy Birthday "B" Bear!!!

Happy Birthday "B" Bear!!!!! "B" is now 9, but she would not let us call her a nine year old until she blew out her candles! Quirky, sure but what would life be without my quirky girl? I love this kid!! She is always full of life and pizazz! She is a girl after my own heart. If you are down, she will be there with a goofy face or some silly comotion to get you laughing from deep within. Her laugh is contagious and so genuine; just like her!! She is true to the bone and wants to make everyone feel like they are the greatest! And she is always the one to find what she can compliment in someone else. "B" is just a sweet, lovable character and we love her soooo much. Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!!!

How To....

...celebrate with a 12 year old!



First, let her make the cake all by herself and not let anyone do anything to help or give suggestions.

Next let her decorate it with whatever she wants to (yes that is an 'Andes' chocolate mint square) and pray that no one reports you to the cake wrecks blog!

Just kidding, I think she did a pretty good job considering that we turned a burnt cake into a cat cake in mere minutes with no planning. Note to self: a cake made with applesauce instead of oil cooks faster.

Then take your 12 year old and hook her up to a harness at the mall and let her do this...


...jump so high that she forgets that other people are in the mall and squeals with such delight that her chicken sister wanted to do it too. She had a blast jumping to the ceiling of the mall, and this too was a last minute change in plans that turned out to be her favorite part of the day.



Then add a few traditions...like the birthday conga line with Memaw and a hot wings dinner (for cousin "N")...


...invite a million kids and there you have a perfect 12 year birthday bash!!!

Oh yeh, buy another birthday cake for anyone who has germ issues and wont eat the kid crafted cat cake (or those who just crave store bought birthday cake)!!! The End!

Happy Birthday "H"

Today is "H" s birthday!!! She is 12 (or almost 13 as she says). I hope she doesnt wish away her 12th year to get to 13 faster. I dont think my kids realize that I dont want them to grow up so fast. Just yesterday I was looking out a hospital window at a little house on the mountain in Guam (my focal point) laboring for my first sweet baby. Now look at us! We are sitting on skype together enjoying a webcam birthday call from Big Papa. My baby isnt a baby anymore, and she doesnt need me to hold her hand for anything anymore, but wow what a joy it is to watch her grow and become the mini-woman she is. I love that she is her own person and sees things in a way that it makes me look at things differently. "H" is a treasure to my soul. She keeps me on my toes and probably always will thanks to her neverending desire for mystery and adventure. I love you "H"!!! Keep growing and maturing (not too fast) and always look to Jesus for your next step and He will keep you on the right path. Just remember 12 or 112 you will always be my baby!!