Maddie Grace graduates Preschool

Reality Check! My baby girl is ready for Kindergarten. How could this be true? Maddie is so excited about school, but Marty and I are not quite ready for her to be so big!

Preston, Maddie, and Isabelle

Getting her diploma

I did it!

Maddie Grace's 1st Dance Recital

Maddie performed in her 1st dance recital in June. My parents and Hailey came to watch her. Maddie was in two dances. The first was "Itty Bitty", and I can't even explain how proud we were of her. The girl loves to perform, and she was so cute! Her 2nd dance was to Jackson Five's version of "My Girl", and it was a Daddy/Daughter dance. For those of you that know Marty, you have probably heard or witnessed how great of a dancer he is! All the other moms made comments about how smooth he is on his feet. Maddie definitely gets her skills from him, and it was so sweet to watch her with her daddy on stage. Unfortunately, we weren't allowed to take pictures of the stage. On a side note, let me just say that it is so strange to see your four year old in fake hair and full make-up. It's not something that I would want to get used to, but it is a requirement of the dance studio.

Maddie and her instructor, Mrs. Kirsten

Maddie was so tired after her big night. Papaw had the most beautiful lavender roses to present to Maddie, but we decided it would be better to wait until the next morning. Preston presented her with a sucker bouquet, and Mamaw bought her a charm of ballet shoes for her charm bracelet.

We're back!

I can't believe the entire summer has come and gone! We had lots of adventures, and I look forward to sharing some of them with you. We took the kids to the Chattanooga Aquarium over Memorial Day weekend. Maddie came down with a stomach bug the day before we went, but she insisted we go on Sunday. She definitely wasn't herself, but she still had a great time.

My 3 and 4 year olds

My sweet little monkeys have been more sassy than sweet lately. Maddie loves to roll her eyes at me, and Preston just tells me "no" all the time. Marty warned them that he was going to take toys away as punnishment if they didn't behave. Well, the very next night, he had to follow through on his word. He sent both kids to their room to bring back 3 of their favorite toys. They both started crying, but they obeyed him. Sort of. Maddie came back first, and she had a broken hair clip, one silly band, and a pony tail holder. I was trying to hide my laughter, then here came Preston. He had 3 little wooden disciples from an Easter toy that a friend sent him. He wasn't about to give up any of his new birthday toys! It was all Marty could do not to laugh. They may be sassy, but at least they are smart and sassy!

Swim Lessons

The kids have been taking swim lessons for a couple of months. They love the water!


Preston under water retrieving a dive stick
Maddie swimming to the wall
The weather was nice enough to play in the outdoor pool!

Sneak peaks

Because we don't have enough to do...

Marty is building faux pillars in our dining room to add seperation from the rest of the house. There was nothing but wall here, and I love the look these create. i will show you before and after pics when he's done. (And I DO know how lucky I am that my husband can do and does all of these projects for me!!!)















For our 6th anniversary, we are having an irrigation system installed plus all new landscaping. We have wanted new trees and shrubs since we built our house 3 years ago, and I love the way it's turning out. I will show pics of the final yard when it's done!

Preston is 3!

We had Preston's 3rd birthday party at a local playroom called Shipwrecked.

The invitation

goody treasure boxes (I had so much fun making these!)


Chocolate is his favorite!

Loves everyone singing to him


And loves everyone clapping for him!

Who wants cake?


On the ship

We love our big boy!!!


Thanks for the cash Mamaw and Papaw!!!

My beautiful neice

All dressed up for her first school dance!

Quick visit home

I went home for about 24 hours to attend a high school band reunion. I was in the flag corp, and I have so many wonderful friends and memories from those 4 years. Marty was home sick, so I was happt to have my mom as my date! I don't get to spend enough time with her, so it was fun to share this with her! Thanks mom for going with me!!