Everyone is Welcome!

Fire Pit

If you don't have a fire pit, I would recommend you get one. We bought one last year when they went on sale and broke it in for the first time this weekend. J jumped our fence to gather up some firewood....
Trace and I roasting marshmallows.....

Trace, Joey, and Parker were already at the house and our friends (who also live in the same neighborhood and us) came over too. Parker is setting in our friend Cortez's lap.

You can see our s'more and wienie station in the pic below. That is Trace, Kenzie, and Carson working on their s'mores!

J was very diligent about maintaining our fire. We roasted an ENTIRE bag of marshmallows and half a pack of hotdogs. Check out the marshmallow on fire in this pic...

It's was lots of fun. We may turn it into a spring/summer weekend night tradition!!

To: Aimee and Wayne

Thanks for the Corn Hole boards!!! I know Wayne made them last year, but I just got around to painting them today. We should be ready to start practicing this week, so you guys will be in serious trouble when we see you around Easter....better practice up!

From: Steph and Jay

P.S. Special thanks to Trace for helping me paint.

Getting Ready to Nap

Some children like to cuddle soft stuffed animals when they nap, others will be happy with a cardboard paper towel holder!

I scream, you scream....

Parker (along with his parents when they are not in Milwaukee) is at our house for the next couple of weeks while Trace and Joey wait on being able to close on their own house. Tonight I taught him about the ice cream truck. I told Tracie she will probably hate me for it for the next 10 years of her life. I may hate myself for for the next few weeks of my own life!! Here's how it went down....

We heard the music playing so we had a few minutes warning to get some $$ from J. Finally the ice cream truck came around the corner. This is when you dart from the yard to flag it down...
...then your Aunt Steph picks you up so the ice cream truck doesn't actually run over you. The look on your face is the typical shock and awe that an ice cream truck can cause....

....once you make your selection of a bubble gum flavored ice cream bar, you have to pay the nice ice cream truck driver (yes, my hair is bigger than a 2 year old - if you crop off the bottom of this picture it looks like Cousin Itt buying ice cream).

Once you have your purchase in hand and you've told the ice cream truck driver "Bye" approximately 27 times, it's time to go in and eat your purchase....

....delish.

Why did the gang of turkeys cross the road?

Living in the city you wouldn't expect to wake up to over 30 turkeys in your front yard. But that was the case at our house a couple of weeks ago. By the time I got outside with the camera they had already moved into our neighbors yard and started down the street.

In honor of this oddity, here are some fun turkey facts:

• Benjamin Franklin wanted to make the wild turkey, not the Bald Eagle, the national bird of the United States.
• Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) live in woods in parts of North America and are the largest game birds found in this part of the world. They spend their days foraging for food like acorns, seeds, small insects and wild berries. They spend their nights in low branches of trees (yes, wild turkeys can fly!).
• A baby turkey is called a poult.
• A group of turkeys is called a rafter, although a gang is also an acceptable name.

Smoke on the Ponderosa

Last fall we did not rake the 84 trillion leaves that fell around us. Now, we are sorry. On Saturday I raked up this big pile from around part of the house. This morning we decided to burn them before the wind blew them right back. (The board leaning against a chair is our wind wall--we didn't want to catch the woods on fire)
We kept raking and burning until we realized that it was just too much for us. In some places the leaves were two feet deep. They covered the ground so completely that we didn't think the grass would be able to come up through them. Some place were so deep the leaves had already started to compost and there was just dirt left.
So when we got to the part of the yard that is circled by the driveway, we just set the whole area on fire!
This little crocus was saved from the wild fires!
We learned that acorns will not burn up. We have several more areas to rake and burn, (that we will attack on a less windy day) but we have decided that it would have been much easier to have done some raking in the fall!
This is what Shrek and Piper thought about the smoke and fire.

Kayla is going to the state tournament

Kayla's team played a sub-state tournament game tonight. They had to travel to Chattanooga and play Chattanooga Arts and Science. The final score was 29-26. This means that she will play again sometime on Wednesday at the state tournament in Murfreesboro. Tonight she had 13 rebounds and took 5 charges during the first half!
Kayla was named to the first team in the district and during the district and regional games she made the all-tournament teams. Way to go Kayla!

J.B. on TV

Tonight J.B. was a guest on The Tennessee Sportman television show. We watched on the Cookeville station. He was donating his guide services for their annual membership drive. During this segment he was reporting on the fishing conditions on Dale Hollow Lake. You can ask for his autograph next time you see him!

I Just Had to Know!

Your International Spy Name is Glam X

Your Code Name: Kneecaps You Reside in: Stockholm Why You're a Good Spy: You're a fast driver

What's Your International Spy Name?