this isn't healthy....

no one should have this many boxes of christmas decorations....it's just not right.....i went from decorating three levels to decorating one, itsy bitsy, level....i am feeling the need to downgrade/size some decor....well, after Thanksgiving i will tackle these boxes....fun, fun....audrey is ready to decorate now and grant well, it's something new....hey, want to take bets on how much gets broken this year from captian destructo?!?!

old pic, old love....

...so, between a VERY laid back weekend, busy monday with dentist appointments, errands, basketball game, bible study, laundry, etc....i have no new pics of children or anything of any importance....CRAZY, i know!! but if you do want to see some pics of two VERY CUTE kids click here. i love these girls and their mommy too :)

but i did happen upon this pic from this summer, it is one of my all time favorites....there is something to be said about the love between these two, old love...the kind that will sustain for years and years.....when audrey first laid her eyes on her big cousin payton 4 years ago, the connection was instant....she loves this little man like no other!! he plays a close, very close, second to her daddy....

....though audrey doesn't have a big brother, she will always have her PayPay to look out for her.....but at the rate grant is growing he will probably be mistakened for her big brother!!

We love you Payton Lane Mixson!!!

the first meeting you ask?? ahh.....here it is....sweet, sweet love...

good weekend....

May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day.

May songbirds serenade you every step along the way.

May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that's always blue.

And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through.

~Irish Blessing

....our weekend is going to be pretty low-key and well DESERVED!! i actually haven't even gotten out of my pajamas yet :) i am on my way to the shower, i promise....i've been catching up on everyone's blogs....i love this new world of blogging that i have joined...i know to some of you it is old news but to a newbie like me it is still great...i love being able to check-out what is going on with everyone and seeing pics of their families....ok, rambling....anyhoo, the point of this post was to bless you all with a wonderful, restful weekend....and to get ready, the holidays are just around the corner and we will all be crazy!!!

....also, a few of you were wondering what the new house looks like....well here it is in all it's summer time glory....the yard is now covered in leaves and you know i have my rockers on my porch :)

sweet things...

3 sweet things in my life right now....

an amazing, sweet big sister who gave me and my husband the most wonderful journals for our 30th birthday and who gave me the most precious letter ever and i will treasure it forever...

a sweet, sweet sleeping baby...he is such a joy and blessing in my life....now, if he can keep that sleeping to his own bed and not ours :)

a daddy's girl....there isn't much like the love of a daddy and his sweet baby girl...these are two more blessings in my life...

Park Pics...

alas, the pics from the park....ok, so the slideshow has like 40 pictures - sorry!! i couldn't decide which ones :) you know, there are a few beautiful children in the world and every mother calls them her own!! well, here are my beautiful children enjoying a day at the park......audrey could go to the park everyday and as long as grant is outside anywhere he is happy....

appetizer...

we had a play day at the park today, amongst other things.....thoroughly enjoyed our family time together on a week day.....more pics to come, thought i would send this out as an appetizer....main course to follow tomorrow....be patient, i actually get to work tomorrow (whooohooo!!), so the post will be delayed...

gotcha!! meet alvin....

we have a soft, cute, furry issue at our house..... CHIPMUNKS!!! well at least one for a fact, we are sure there are more......yes, yes, i know they are just so freakin' adorable but when you step in one of the many holes they have dug in my backyard and twist your ankle, let me know how cute you think they are!!!

our son has become quite amused with one of it's particular holes.....he goes over, sits down by it, plays in the sand we have tried to fill it up with and babbles as if he is keeping up quite the conversation with the furry vermin that lives in the hole, "run, little alvin, run ~ mommy and daddy have bad plans for you!"....we have tried lots of humane tactics to keep them from returning..... sand, dirt, bricks, rocks all strategically placed in their holes....only to emerge from our cozy house the next morning to see our filled up holes dug out!!!! UGH!!
well....today i captured a pic of our little backyard guest.....kinda sweet looking, so is a polar bear but i dare you to mess with her cubs! he just sits on the back porch every morning...sunning himself, warming from the cold earth he has inhabited all night....any suggestions????

yard work....

while brett was being lazy and enjoying his birthday yesterday, audrey and grant headed out back for some good ol' yardwork.....this was preceeded by my nephew payton raking leaves saturday afternoon to help out ~ what an amazing kid!! he was worried that uncle brett would have to finish it all by himself....he didn't know that two other little helpers had plans for those leaves too! i am going to save all these pics because in just a few short years raking leaves won't sound nearly as fun and we will probably have to pay them to do it!!

with a little help from audrey's MiMi she came up with quite a creative way to get the leaves from here to there......good idea.....grant, well he just aggrevated audrey.....she was afraid he was going to "mess up" her pile of leaves....oh, the OCD child....miss priss is looking forward to jumping into the leaves....hmmm, maybe tomorrow when we are all off for veteran's day...

enjoying his day....

after a wonderful 30th birthday dinner last night for brett and i (thank you so much everyone for a great celebration!), we spent today just relaxing at the house.....brett declared at one point that he may not get off the couch all day! well, he moved to cut his cake and to eat dinner but he has lived up to his promise otherwise.....i guess he does deserve it!

Happy Happy Birthday....

....happy 30th birthday honey! you are THE father, THE husband, THE most wonderful man in our lives. we treasure you always & we love you dearly ~ audrey, grant & kelly

basketball game....

last night was brett's first game as a lady lancer assistant basketball coach....and last night may have been our first and last game of the season!! the lady lancers put in a good effort, though falling at the end.....grant as well put in a good effort of EXHAUSTING ME, and the only one falling at the end was me! we have an expression in my family.....
raising children is like trying to nail jell-o to a tree..... that was truly the case.....hey, he's 16months old....the fact that we made it through the game was truly amazing...i did at one point start shoving skittles one by one in his mouth to get him to sit still....i felt like a dog trainer trying to get the dog to obey and do a trick! hmmm...childrearing and training dogs ~ not too different :)

audrey was in absolute heaven.....she was able to sit with the cheerleaders.....i could have left her for hours....she was in total awe.....i'm sure she will want to cheer when she is older but her father has his own plans ~ basketball, softball, golf, tennis, any sport but cheering.....check back in a few years and let's see who wins :)

isn't he handsome....

gotta love a good school picture....and this one is no different....oh and this handsome man has a birthday coming up soon too!!

we have moved on to a new sport in our household, girls 7th grade basketball. first game tomorrow afternoon....

results coming later.....go lancers!

yuck....

does anyone else have a child that looks like this right now???? oh that nose, YUCK! the beauty of cold nights and warm days.....

but isn't he the cutest little snotty kid :)

coffee shop truths....

as i was sitting in a local coffee shop today finishing up my biblestudy lesson for tonight ~ nothing has changed since college, still waiting till the last minute to study ~ i looked over as saw this saying stitched into a piece of beautiful fabric.....i wanted to share, i felt it was so true...

Reputation is what man and woman think of us...
Character is what God and angels know of us.

truths of life.....found in your hometown coffee shop....

Family...

Reflecting back on this past week i realized my love for family.....and the ache for those i don't get to see often enough....i wish we could go up north and visit more often, and of course under better circumstances... there are aunts, uncles, cousins and one very special grandmother that my little family and i don't get to see often enough....i learned even more where my independence, sarcasm, sometimes picky eating & bunion feet all stem from...my grandma gert....oh what a woman!

me, my mom & grandma gert

grandma, my mom, auntie joan & uncle joe (my mom's brother)

a few pics from 22,000 feet.......... yes, i pulled out the camera on the airplane!

Day at the Zoo...

So I realized after naming this post Day at the Zoo you may not know if I was referring to the actual zoo or just any ordinary day at our house!.....well, it was a perfect combination of the Birmingham Zoo and hanging out at home watching football....my brother michael and his daughter olivia came up for the day.....the weather was absolutely beautiful and we decided to take advantage of it....after the zoo we parked ourselves, well the adults at least, on our couches and watched some good ol' college football ~ we try so hard to support our Blazers, but FOR THE LOVE they need some help! it was a good day...the kids played for hours, which included a princess dinner :)
....oh to be 4!!