For Marilyn

My sweet cousin Marilyn came to visit last week and commented that she starts everyday looking at my blog, hoping for a new post.  She is my biggest blog fan.  And being that she and my mom are the only 2 readers, I think I'll elect her President of my fan club.  Lol!  So Marilyn, this one's for you!  As much as I enjoyed seeing you on this trip, I feel like we hardly got to talk or catch up and I'm so sorry for that!  We will certainly have to do a "no kids" day the next time you come!

 

So life lately...

Since we got back from Disney, it's been business as usual.  3rd grade is NO joke y'all.  I just finished studying with Trace for a Social Studies test on Tennessee that made me yearn for a stiff drink.  I'm 40 years old, have a masters degree and was born and raised in this great state and have never, ever known this much information about my beloved home.  Seriously, it's intense. 

 

Speaking of Tennessee, my pictures loaded backwards so I'm starting with today and working through history, back to Halloween.  We just got home a few hours ago from the kids first trip to Neyland Stadium.  It was the PERFECT day to watch our Vols win.  I will say, although we won, the game was pretty lackluster.  North Texas never scored or even came close.  It was kind of like watching them play a team from the YMCA.  The regulars in the crowd around us were all talking about how quiet and boring the stadium was.  One guy even left because he said he was about to fall asleep.  It was 2 p.m. It just didn't have the life that Neyland usually does.  I overheard a man say it sounded like a morgue in there. :(  Not exactly the first impression you want your kids to have of their first "big game."  But they seemed to enjoy it and we plan to go back when the rivalry and competition make for a little more fun!  

Too Tall Jones...

We got tickets from Kadi's mom and dad and had great seats.  We started peeling off clothes the minute we sat down.  It's so hard to know how to dress for mid November in the South.

Nana armed my 2 with orange and white pom poms.  I was just thankful they never put the ladies eye out behind us with that stick. 

Pride of the Southland Band never disappoints!  Wow, they did Amazing Grace.

We left at the beginning of the 4th quarter to avoid the traffic.  The night in Disney when we left with the masses and it took us 2 hours to get back to the condo may have scarred us for life.



GO BIG ORANGE!

So true to tradition, the night last week that Marilyn arrived, we all met at the Krystal.  That's her favorite and I heard she may have even ventured through the drive thru again before she left 3 days later.  That's a lot of burp burgers for one stomach to handle.  We got to meet sweet Presley there...

And then Sunday we went to mom and dads for dinner.  Don't ask why my children are in their Halloween costumes 2 weeks later.  Pick. Your. Battles.

Three amazing women...

It's rare that Nanny and all of her great grands are in the same room.  So a picture was in order.  We sandwiched Nanny between the biggest 2 and felt she was fairly safe there, but the other 4 are all under 4.  You can imagine how well this went. 

But LOOK!!!
How precious are they?!?

Pumpkin carving at our house was a year of firsts for us.  Trace insisted on carving his own.  Holy cow, holy terror. And Timber couldn't figure out WHAT we were doing.  He stuck his nose in the slime and pushed seeds all over the floor, all while my 8 year old was holding a butcher knife.  I needed a nerve pill, but we all survived.  Memories...

Jimmy showed amazing patience.  I just kept leaving the room.

Alas...

The Dierks and the Raines joined us again for Halloween.  I just love our little family trick or treat tradition.  It just so happened, that Kentucky (the Dierks team) played Tennessee (everyone else's team) that night.  A little fun family rivalry...

Love these 4 so much!  We started this tradition when they were so little and it makes me sad to see how fast they are growing up!

Jimmy and his princess...

I hate that this is so blurry, because it's precious. 

The grands attended the fire pit and roasted hotdogs while we took the kids trick or treating.  By then it was game time and raining so we headed inside before we got to the smores, but with all the candy, the kids never even noticed.

 

And we ended the night with a little Whip and Nae Nae.  I laughed until  I cried.  These boys have moves.  The game may have been on in the background but THIS was the real show.  Too cute!!

Darth and Elsa.  They sound like a bad country duo.

So this is life lately.  I am one blessed lady.