Fun Inside and Outside

One day last week, Clay and Addison came over to play with Madelyn and Brooks and they had a ball. We put the sprinkler out and they enjoyed that for a little bit. But most of all, they enjoyed watching Hunter have fun in the water (see below)!
"I'm in Heaven! I wish they played with me like this every day!," says Hunter!
Madelyn is all GIRL! She does not like to be dirty. So as you can see, she was not a happy camper when the grass got all over her.
Brooks' girlfriend, Addison!!! She's a cutie! He loves to play with her. They are almost exactly two months apart (Brooks being older).
That finger must taste good! I think Brooks is loving it! I didn't realize that flirting started so early!

Our Wonderful Vacation

WOW!!! When we saw this sunset the first night we were in the Grand Tetons all I could think about was how amazing is our Lord and Savior. We are so lucky to get to enjoy the beauties of His creation!! Our trip was very relaxing and refreshing. We saw many amazing things (as you will see below). We ended up driving thru 4 national parks and 3 states (Montana, Wyoming, and Idaho) by the time the trip ended.
This is Jenny Lake located in the Grand Tetons. We hiked a 4 mile hike up to what is called inspiration point. This hike was tons of fun (and we saw a bear).
Avalanche happened while we were on our hike! This was really COOL!
Inspiration Point (over looking Jenny Lake)
Us playing in the snow. It snowed the three days before we got there last Thursday. When we arrived it was around 38 degrees. Yes, I was freezing!!!

The Old Faithful Geyser was amazing. It erupts about every 90 to 92 minutes and the height varies from 106 to 184 feet. Another fact is that the temperature before eruption is 240 degrees. Isn't that crazy!
The background of this picture is the lower falls of the "grand canyon" of Yellowstone. We saw both the upper and lower falls (both were awesome).
Picture of some of the wildlife of Yellowstone! We saw all kinds of different animals: Elk, Moose, Bears, Bison, Coyote, Wolves, and so on. We were over the bison in the road by the time we left.
Our horseback riding trip in Bigsky, Montana! We went fishing on lake Yellowstone. It was nice because it was just a guide and us. I only caught one fish. The lake water was around 40 degrees (that's way to cold)! We also whitewater rafted in Bigsky, MT. The water there was just as cold as this lake. It was fun but by the end I was freezing (even though we had on wet suits).

What we have been up to!

Brooks is now big enough to play on his rocking snail that Santa gave him. He stays on it pretty well and really enjoys rocking and looking at all the pretty colors on him. ALSO, Brooks is now CRAWLING/SCOOTING! This actually started about 2 weeks ago (at 7 1/2 months old) but I am just now blogging about it. If he sees a cool toy across the room, he takes off to get it. He is so cute especially when he slides across the hardwood floors. WOW, they grow up so fast. Is it time for number three - Ha Ha! That was definitely a JOKE!

Madelyn, Brooks, and I went this past weekend to visit Pepaw and Nana and to visit our friends. (Patrick was on a guys weekend in Destin.) It was so much fun getting to see all of our friends over the weekend. For those who dont know, Patrick and I lived in Montgomery for 2 1/2 years after we got married in July of 2001. The picture above is Nana and Pepaw (my parents) with Madelyn and Brooks (I couldn't get them to look at the camera, so this is the best shot.)
Madelyn and I have been working on learning colors! So I decided to make cheesy flashcards (because that is how I learned stuff in school). It is going pretty well. Somedays she will know 4 or 5 of them and some days she will not know any (or she does not want to look at the cards). At age 2 you never know from day to day what they will say or do. I seriously think that she knows more than she lets on to. Also, she is starting to say please and thank you more and more without us having to say it first. They are such sweet children and we love them very much!

Patrick and I leave for Yellowstone National Park on Thursday morning (his 30th birthday). We are staying 6 nights. I cant wait! I hear is is absolutely beautiful out there. I surprised him with this trip (he found out about 3 weeks ago that he was going). A big thanks to my parents who will have our children while we are gone! I love you Mom and Dad. I look forward to posting about our trip when we return.

Thank You

I have a relatively new hobby - sewing! In early February, I started sewing again. I say again because I took a beginning sewing class about 3 years ago but never did anything after the class. I wanted to say thank you to my good friends Deborah Lawler and Laura Brantley for getting me back into it. They are great teachers (and the funny thing is that Laura learned to sew from Deborah in January and picked up like SUPER fast and found herself teaching me how to do different things). Also, I took a 4 week intermediate sewing class at the Smocking Bird and learned how to make ruffles, a collar, and sleeves. Here are a few things I have done over the past four months:

I made this outfit for my good friend, Ashley Spencer's daughter (Addison). It was made out of a old bed sheet that Ashley had. It made such a cute little outfit. Isn't she precious?


Two bubbles I made for Madelyn and Brooks!
One of the first outfits I made for MH and BH. I was very proud after completing these outfits.
A little Johnny outfit for Mr. Brooks!
This is the outfit that I made in the sewing class at the Smocking Bird. This shirt was the death of me. Not easy!!! Don't know that I will ever do this shirt pattern again. Well, maybe one day, but not anytime soon. Once again, thank you Laura and Deborah for all your help. Love you girls!