Extreme Makeover - Bedroom Edition

Marty and I have been saving for nearly three years to have a decorator help us with designing our master bedroom. This room has turned into the armpit of the house. The bedskirt was even torn for goodness sakes. We hated everything about out bedroom except for the pieces of cherry furniture. Everything else was in desperate need of a makeover. FINALLY, we had saved up enough money and asked a friend up the street to help us with the makeover.

All we can say is, "Wow." We love our bedroom. Our requirements included: we wanted a room that was peaceful, not too stuffy and somewhere we wanted to retreat to in the cold winter months when the den was too chilly. Beyond that, we allowed her to take full rein. Here's the final product:

Scenic City Half Marathon

In February, I took it upon myself to attempt a second half marathon. I met the coolest friend, Rachel, from Bristol. We ran over 11 of the 13 miles together. I am not sure if I would have had near as much fun had I been alone for the entire 13 miles. Chattanooga hosted the race. The city is beautiful - especially on foot. We even ran across two pedestrian bridges near the end of the race. Besides being FREEZING cold, this was a very fun race. This now counts as state #3 on my bucket list of running a race in all 50 states. I've got a long way to go!

Uncle Russell

The oldest of my two younger brothers graduated from college this past December. For several years, he has worked for the Geek Squad at Best Buy. He was SO looking forward to getting a "real" job once he graduated college. Well, he found one. In Madison, Wisconsin. And, of all times to move, he picks mid-February. Not exactly the warmest time of the year. The day before he left, we got most of the siblings together for lunch and a few pictures. Pictured are: Ellie, Bobby (Grandma), Jackie, Allison, Zachary and Russell.

Russell's been gone for about a month. We miss him terribly, but are very excited about the opportunity he's seized with this job. Hopefully, in a few years, he'll be back in the South.

Ringling Brothers

The morning after our snow adventures, we went to the circus. This was part of Zachary's Christmas presents. He was able to take any friend he wanted with him. Again, he picked McKinney. We arrived in time to go on the floor before the show began. The boys got to see lots of animals up close and also got to interact with some of the clowns and other performers.

Watching the elephant paint the picture held their interest the longest. I don't think either boy blinked the entire time. What great memories I have from my childhood going to the circus with my family every year. It is very special that we are able to make these memories with Zachary as well. I'm sure he'll remember this day for a long time.

Snow!!

We had our second big snow of the year the night before we went to the circus. McKinney spent the night with us since he was going to the circus with Zachary. The spend the night party began with about 4 inches of snow on the ground. The boys were drawn to the snow like magnets. They made snow angels, ate the snow and rode the sled down the side yard. Also, in an unusual display of seasonal fun, I went outside and played as well. Usually, I hide from anything having to do with the cold, so this was quite the unusual event at our household.

Here are Zachary and McKinney eating their snow.

Taking turns on the sled.

Sharing the sled. The fun was quickly wearing off for McKinney, but I think Zachary would have stayed out there all evening.

One last push down the hill before heading indoors.

Pookie even took part in the festivities. She took the longest to thaw out. Snow sticks to her like glue, so we got to snuggle together by the fire for a bit when we went back inside.

Happy Birthday Marty

For Marty's birthday in February, we went to Provino's for our traditional birthday dinner. This year, it included Zachary. Usually, just Marty and I go out, but this year, Z wanted to join us. He ate McDonalds and about a dozen Provino's rolls. Guess you can't eat any better than that at 6 years old.
While waiting for Marty to get home from work, Zachary decided to decorate the house in balloons. We stopped at 10 because I was out of breath, but the decorating was left up to him. I am sure the neighbors were thinking we just had added a boy and a girl to our family by the looks of the front door, but we quickly moved them inside when Marty got home.

Again, not breaking tradition, Marty got a Cookie Company cake for his birthday. He could eat one of those every month and not feel guilty at all.

Stuck!

A few weeks ago, Zachary decided to get stuck in his toybox. I found him like this and the scene was too funny to not get pictures...

Chattanooga

For Christmas, Zachary was given a gift of two days in Chattanooga and he could bring any friend he wanted with him. He chose McKinney. We went during the week after Christmas. The boys had a blast.

We spend day 1 visiting the Tennessee Aquarium. The boys enjoyed every second of the Aquarium.

They loved running around on the grounds outside the building.

They loved pretending they were being attacked by sharks.

They LOVED petting the Sting Rays - even though McKinney's face doesn't look that way in this picture.

And most of all, they enjoyed every new fish that they discovered. We didn't go more than a minute or two without hearing "Hey! Look at this one!" coming out of one of their mouths. They found themselves racing to be the first to see the next beautiful creature.

On day 2, we went to the Creative Discovery Museum in downtown Chattanooga. This was the ultimate indoor playground. 100% interactive yet educational at the same time. Surprisingly, the boys took about 5 minutes to enjoy a few books in a quiet spot they found. It didn't last long, though.

They quickly discovered that they could move the sand around just right and suddenly they are archaeologists discovering dinosaur bones. As quickly as they became archaeologists, they just as quickly became monkees. They spend nearly an hour playing in the huge indoor playground. There were three levels and it was very easy to lose them if you didn't pay attention. For a while, we had to separate and plant ourselves at the two doors of the room so the boys couldn't escape to another part of the building without us knowing.Once the playground grew boring, they moved into the musical wing of the building. Xylophones, kettle drums, and whatever this is in the picture never knew what was coming. They couldn't make the noises fast enough.In the end, we spent almost 5 hours in the Children's Museum. They may have enjoyed that more than the Aquarium.

What an amazing trip that neither boy will forget for a long time. Marty and I were thrilled that we were gone for 36 hours and Zachary and McKinney didn't fight once. We all had a great time and are very thankful for the opportunity to take quick trips like this as a family several times a year.

Christmas with Granny, Papa and the Crazy Cousins

When we get together with Marty's family, it is always a fun and chaotic event. This year, we did gifts the day after Christmas with his family. The kids were all very excited. It was as if it was Christmas morning all over again. We don't have pictures of everyone, but these pictures should be able to give you a little glimpse at the fun evening we had together.

Christmas with Grandpa

Merry Christmas, y'all!

Zachary hanging with Aunt Jackie waiting for his turn to play the Wii.

Aunt April, Mimi, Uncle Casey, Uncle Dalton, Caleb, Zachary and Savannah. Almost the whole gang. Still playing the Wii.

Uncle Dalton found some tough competition in the 5 and 6 year olds. Notice the hickey he got for his Christmas present.

The newness of the Wii hasn't worn off yet. Zachary and Savannah played until after midnight. If only their energy could be bottled up. We could power an entire town. We had a great Christmas visiting with this side of the family. Amazing that Christmas was at Grandpa's house, but we have no pictures of Grandpa hanging with the family. We'll try harder to include everyone next time.