Gab from the Griffins

Brother vs. Brother…

2012-01-22T14:49:00.001-05:00

Yesterday, the boys played against each other in basketball. Needless to say, it was sort of weird cheering for both teams. For the longest time, Ronnie’s team was ahead. It wasn’t until the last quarter, that Greg’s team came from behind and ended up winning the game by 3 points. We were very proud of the boys, and Ronnie held his head high, and congratulated Greg on a good game!! I didn’t get too many pics because I was moving around a lot, and the lens that was using seemed to be having some issues…

Ronnie didn’t look too sure about the steal that Greg made…a few times, they would quit guarding their man & try to guard each other, but the coaches quickly reminded them to “find their man'!”

One thing’s for sure, we DON’T have to chant the following cheer for Ronnie & Greg…B-E AGG-R-E-SS-IVE!! They have that under control…

I did survive my first game!! We had a great time and came back in the last few minutes of the game to win by 2!! I sure hope that we play that well next week. Sorry, no pics!! Warren had to keep the clock, and I had already given him strict instructions about not taking ANY pics!! LOL!!

As a result of the past couple of weeks of UPWARD basketball, we had 2 people to publicly profess their FAITH in JESUS CHRIST at church today…one young boy and one adult!! GOD IS SO GOOD!!

Round-Ball FeVeR!!

2012-01-18T19:52:00.001-05:00

The boys’ basketball season started last Saturday, and needless to say, it was very exciting!! They are on different teams, but played at the same time, (they play side to side), and I got a great workout trying to watch them and take pics. Warren decided that he would sit at half-court so he could watch both of them. They both won their games, and both scored in double-digits. We are so proud of how far they have come since last year…as I remind them often, constant PRACTICE always pays off!!

RJG ~ #23

Ready for the rebound!

And he scores!!

GKG ~ #32

Shooting his first foul shot! He went 2 for 2!!

Loves being able to fast-break after a rebound or steal…

We can’t wait for this Saturday’s game…it will be a face-off between brothers. The boys have talked SMACK to each other all week, so this should be interesting. LOL!! This Saturday will also be the tip-off for the adult league, and I sure hope I will be able to get out of bed the next day!! Looking forward to a great season of basketball & some good times on the court!!

Double-Digits…

2012-01-16T14:34:00.001-05:00

I can’t believe that our big BoY is now 10 years old!! Where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday that you were just 4…

And here you are now…”almost” all grown up! You said to me the night before your birthday when I tucked you in, “Mama, tomorrow I will be a DECADE old!” WOW!!

We are so proud of you and all the BLESSINGS that you have brought into our lives. You are a very smart BoY…you make WONDERFUL grades in school…you have always made the Honor Roll…science is your favorite subject…you always meet your AR goal before December…you LOVE video games…you are very athletic…football is your favorite sport, but you like playing baseball, basketball, and golf…and you have told us when you graduate from high school, you want to be the kicker for the Georgia Bulldogs!!!

Celebrating Your BIG Day! Birthday supper at the Rusty Pig, followed by Mrs. Lacy’s delicious, chocolate FOOTBALL cake…

Saturday at the Clubhouse with some friends…

WE LOVE YOU VERY MUCH & ENJOYED CELEBRATING YOUR BIG DAY!!

The Most Wonderful Time of the Year…

2012-01-02T11:33:00.001-05:00

Our Christmas started with Greg getting baptized. He was so nervous that morning, but yet excited too! Warren and I are so proud of both of our boys for their decision to follow CHRIST at young age. As the Bible says, “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

This is my favorite!! I was fighting back the tears as I was looking through my camera and taking this picture!! It’s as if he is looking up to JESUS…

Greg’s favorite song ~

Our God is greater, our God is stronger
God You are higher than any other
Our God is Healer, awesome and power
Our God, Our God...

The first week of Christmas vacation we spent going here and there running errands, going to the movies, last minute shopping, and just simply hanging out with some great friends!!

Part of our Christmas Eve Service at church was a drop-in communion and we were able to go and have communion with just our family. It was very special to us because it was Greg’s first communion.

After the service, I came home and made home-made pizza for Warren and the boys, then JP & I headed over to Daddy’s for some roasted oysters!!!

Time for bed…the boys put out carrots for the reindeer and Santa requested chocolate chip cookies, Oreos, milk, and a Diet Coke…

I just love the next few pictures of our brown-eyed girl!!

She’s checking out her stocking, but she doesn’t realize that Santa hasn’t come yet!! LOL!!

Christmas morning was very relaxed and stress-free!! Santa stopped by our house first and filled up their stockings, and then headed to the BARN to drop off a “few” things!!

Off to the BARN…

They asked Santa for a 4-wheeler & a dirt bike, but I guess he misunderstood!! LOL!! Instead, they got a Razor Rip-Rider 360, and it just makes me dizzy watching them!! I will say, by the time baseball season rolls around, they will be in GREAT shape!! Their legs were so sore after a few days of riding it!!

For lunch, we headed over to Aunt Linda’s house to eat with Mama and most of the Dashers!! All of the kids had a great time, especially climbing the tree in her backyard!!

Our Christmas day ended with us heading back to the BARN for a our annual delicious meal prepared by Daddy and Robbie…prime rib and all the trimmings!! Each year, we say it was the BEST the meal ever…I guess it just keeps getting better!!

I am so BLESSED with a WoNdErFul husband & best friend, 2 energetic & terrific BoYs, a great family, and many SuPeR friends!!

Looking forward to another BLESSED year in 2012!!!

The Birthday Boy (2 weeks late) ~

2011-10-12T20:58:00.001-04:00

WOW!! It has been a LONG time since my last post. Since school has started, our 2nd home has been at the ball park, and I wouldn’t trade one minute of it!! Maybe one or 2, for a quick nap here & there! LOL!! So, let me begin by backing up & catching you up with the life of the Griffins.

I can’t believe our “baby” boy is now 8 years old!! Where has the time gone? He loves football and baseball, and anything outdoors!! He is having a great year in 2nd grade and is making all A’s, and just loves reading. We celebrated his 8th birthday along with Connor and 55 other friends and family!! All of the kids had a blast…from swimming in the rain, playing football, hitting baseballs in the batting cage, riding RipStiks, to eating lots of birthday cake! Thanks to everyone who came and celebrated this special day with us!!

Patiently waiting his turn in the CAGE…

Nothing better than swimming in the rain…

The party bunch…some were still in the pool and opted to swim rather than have some cake…

Happy 8th Birthday GREG!!

We you to the MOON & BACK!!

Stay tuned…our 2 football players in ACTION!!!

Saturdays + 2 BoYs = Lots of Baseball

2011-09-19T20:47:00.001-04:00

Ronnie’s 1st Time on the Mound ~ We were soooo PROUD of how well he pitched!! Keep up the hard work, Ronnie!

Greg saw some action “on the mound” as well for the first time!! I’m sure he talked the umpire’s ears off too. He really enjoyed playing pitcher, but he said “his heart was in playing CATCHER!”

Wordless Wednesday…

2011-08-31T20:38:00.001-04:00

Let’s Play Ball…

2011-08-28T17:55:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, we spent a nice “COOL” day at the ball park in the big city of Ludowici. Both boys played at 9:00, so Warren watched Ronnie and I watched Greg, since I keep the books for his team. Thank goodness for cell phones; Warren kept me posted with a play-by-play every time Ronnie got a hit or made a play. I was able to watch Ronnie’s second game, and he played very well. Unfortunately, his team didn’t win either of their 2 games. Greg’s team played 3 games and did very well. They didn’t win a game, but those little guys came back from behind in 2 or 3 games…seems like their best innings are the 5th & 6th. Looking forward to our next tournament in 2 weeks…

Knuckleheads Baseball ~ Fall League

Our 1st Baseman ~ RJG…#3

Way to go for the ball, Ronnie…glad the umpire was paying attention…

Batter up…

Ready for the pitch and ready for the steal…

Just cruising in to home plate…so glad that his right BIG toe touched the plate…

South Tattnall Sluggers ~ Fall League

Our Catcher ~ GKG…#24

Making sure the umpire cleans off home plate really WELL…we are going to get him his own plate brush for the before the next tournament…he usually cleans it off with his hand…

Hit it HARD…

“yeah, that’s right…get that plate, nice and clean”

Now, he’s ready…

Way to go BOYS…you played your hearts out yesterday, even though it was 99 degrees outside…we are so PROUD of you…keep up the HARD WORK

A Close Call…

2011-08-15T21:37:00.001-04:00

Saturday afternoon, Warren and I headed to Statesboro for a “date night”, but didn’t get any further than Gooseneck when Mama called Warren and told him that we needed to get back home. As we were driving, the National Weather Service issued a severe thunderstorm warning for our area, but little did we know that it was going to be BAD. On our way back through Mendes, I felt like I was driving through an obstacle course, going in & out of limbs and downed trees in the road, which we had just traveled not 10 minutes before. Upon entering Joseph Circle, this is what we saw…

This was a large limb that fell in front of our bedroom…thank goodness the tree didn’t fall…the limb in the background was twisted off of another tree & landed about 10 feet from the tree it was on…

The entire front of our house had been “peppered” with leaves and other debris…Warren spent most of Sunday pressure washing the house…

An oak tree in the pool across the street…don’t look at the water, the guy who lives there has been in Iraq for the last year & just came home about a month ago…

The oak tree on the way to the BARN, which knocked down power lines and left us all without power for about 4 hours…

Our neighbor’s backyard…had it fallen the other way, both of their cars would have been smashed…

A section of a vinyl fence in our neighbor’s pool, 3 doors down…they lost about 5 sections of their fence this size…

The view towards our house from the BARN…

PRAISE THE LORD that no one was injured and no homes were damaged. The boys were at home with MiMi, and they witnessed the whole thing…according to Ronnie the weatherman, it was an F2 tornado that hit our neighborhood…however, WTOC confirmed it as a Micro Down Burst…not sure what that means exactly, other than the winds were over 60 mph…but, the others in our neighborhood who watched it as well, seemed to think it was a small twister…believe it or not, not one lounge chair, umbrella or flower pot moved at the White Pines Spa & Resort…the only thing we had to clean up down there was a bunch of leaves and limbs in the pool and around the pool…THANK GOODNESS

Back 2 sChOoL

2011-08-13T15:17:00.001-04:00

Where has time gone? I can’t believe that Ronnie is in 4th grade and Greg is in 2nd grade. Thursday night was the annual Open House, and much to our surprise, we were in & and out in about 40 mins. The boys were very happy with who they have as their teachers. We are looking forward to a great school year. Ronnie has Mrs. Dutton, who also taught JP in the 4th grade, but he is not too sure about changing classes yet. Greg has Mrs. Swindell, who he “picked”. He thinks that everyone gets to choose their teacher, but I told him that is not the case. However, he is so excited to have her, and I believe that most of the boys in her class are on a traveling baseball team, so they will get to see a lot of each other.

On the way to Open House…all SMILES…Ronnie’s right eye is a bit swollen from a wasp sting…that is another post in itself…

uniforms, new shoes, school supplies, & teacher gifts…guess I can now clean off the bed…

time to go to the bus stop…they both told me that I could NOT take too many pictures of them at school…too bad, I won that battle…

(I did shed a few tears, but don’t tell the boys…)

Our boys are GROWING up way too FAST…

Wishing you a GREAT year BOYS…

We LOVE you both very MUCH…

May GOD watch over & protect you every step of the way

HaPpY Birthday Casey!!

2011-08-06T10:38:00.001-04:00

Casey was 12 years old this week, so I guess that means she is 84 years old in our years. WOW!!! She is really good shape other than losing her hearing last year. She LOVES riding on the golf cart and going to the BARN. If she sees any of us in our bathing suit or with a beach towel in our hand, she starts “talking”.

I sure hope she makes another 12 years…

SwAmP “boys”

2011-08-03T08:33:00.001-04:00

Yesterday, the boys spent the day with Papa. He told them the night before that they were going to go see some alligators, but didn’t tell them WHERE. So, they asked me about 100 times where they were going…the zoo, a farm, etc. I didn’t tell them because I wanted it to be a surprise. They headed out about 8:00 for the Okefenokee Swamp. Naturally, they asked Papa how far away was “this place”. Upon their arrival, they went in the visitor’s center so that they could find out the information about the tour. Now, it has been over 25 years since I have been, and the time that I went, it rained cats & dogs. Needless to say, they didn’t have to worry about any rain and could not take the canoe tour in the Swamp. So, they had to take the train. The ride lasted about 45 mins, and they saw all sorts of “things”.

First stop…the gift shop/visitor’s center…

Hey Mr. Alligator…they saw this one as they were walking over the bridge to catch the train…Greg informed Daddy that it must be FAKE because he wasn’t moving…LOL

The Train Ride…can’t believe how dry it is…

They LOVED seeing the deer…there were 2 babies, but I don’t think they were close enough for a pic…

They stopped at an old plantation/farm and had a tour…Greg told Daddy he REALLY needed to use the restroom, but he would just have to WAIT…

My more cautious child…notice, he didn’t DARE sit down…

He may be one of our long lost relatives…LOL…

Now, it was on to the snake show…the boys HAD to sit on the FRONT row…and they HAD TO HOLD some snakes…a corn snake, a chicken snake, a rat snake, & a spread natter…

Snake #1…Ronnie has held a snake several times before now, so it was a piece of cake to him…HA

Greg’s first time EVER holding a snake…check out that face…

Snake #2…

Snake #3 ~ apparently Greg opted not to hold this one & snake #4…no problem for Ronnie, though…sure hope he didn’t get any idea of having a pet snake…he has mentioned that a few times in the past, and we told him that when he goes to college, HAVE AT IT…

Snake #4…

So if they can hold snakes, why NOT just go ahead and HOLD a baby alligator…

Now, for the highlight of the trip…the “tour guide” took the group out to a canal where some rather large gators live…of course, the boys just thought they would see them cruising around in the water…little did they know that the man was going to call them like he would his pet dog…so he starts saying, '”GATOR, GATOR, GATOR…followed by clapping his hands…and this is what happened…

Just notice HOW CLOSE they are to the water…and we all know that GATORS ARE FAST…

The man continued to say GATOR, GATOR, GATOR, and then told the adults that they may want to have all the children back up…and Mr. Alligator proceeded to come to shore…if I had been there, I probably would have been in the parking lot by now…HA…this one was either 9 feet or 11 feet, oh well, they boys just about jumped out of their skin when he came out of the water…

“Is this close enough Papa??”

All the excitement wore him out…

Thanks PAPA for a GREAT day in the SWAMP…

A Namesake ~ Jesse

2011-07-31T12:10:00.001-04:00

Yesterday was a memorable experience for me, Daddy, and the boys. We went to a Confederate Veterans Memorial Service at Beards Creek where members of the Sons of the Confederate Veterans were honoring/remembering PVT Jesse Kicklighter. I am proud to say that Ronnie is last one on Daddy’s side of the family to be named after Jesse. He is the 7th generation ~ Ronald Jesse Griffin. Who knows one day, Ronnie and Greg may be able to join the Sons of Confederate Veterans…and they would make their PAPA very PROUD.

The flag-draped headstone of Jesse Kicklighter ~ 1829-1881

Unveiling of the headstone

The boys’ favorite part ~ the firing of the cannon…and they just knew that the war was about to start…LOL

The smoke from the cannon drifting through the oak trees as the sun’s rays were shining through…

William Jesse Kicklighter & Ronald Jesse Griffin

and yes, they wanted to fire the cannon…

Members of the Sons of the Confederacy

and they REALLY wanted to shoot the musket…which weighs about as much as they do

Ready…Aim…FIRE…

Oh, I wish I was in the land of cotton…Old times there are not forgotten…Look away, look away, look away Dixie Land…

Back to WoRk ~

2011-07-30T13:00:00.001-04:00

Well, this week was my first week back after a very SHORT summer. All in all, it was a very productive week for me at school. I did get a lot done, and I think I am ready for this 20th year…

The boys spent most of the week working with Warren…I don’t know if they are quite ready to take over his business or not…HA…I have had some major withdrawals from being with them, sleeping in, going to the White Pines Spa & Resort, and simply doing NoThInG.

So, yesterday when I got home, the boys and I headed to the Boro to run some errands and just simply hang out. Warren had to work & didn’t get to go with us. I told the boys that I HAD TO GO to Belk & if they were GOOD, we would go to the Clubhouse as a treat…talk about a bribe. LOL

While we were in Belk, for those of you who have seen all of the remodeling in there, the boys entertained themselves by picking up nails off of the carpet. As I was looking for a shirt, I heard one of them YELL, “there’s a ROACH”. I just about fell out, because when I turned around, all the little ladies scattered. One lady said “step on it”, which is what I knew that Ronnie or Greg would have done; however, Greg just decided to PICK IT UP. Talk about being grossed out, all the ladies (about 5) and myself were telling him to PUT IT DOWN. He did very fast & Ronnie flattened him like a pancake with his flip-flop. Then it was to pour a “whole” bottle of Germ-X on his hands…I know, it is DISGUSTING, but boys will be boys. By this point, I just grabbed some things and checked out.

One of their favorite places to eat is Nikko’s. We have to eat there when it is just the 3 of us because Warren doesn’t eat ANYTHING with “…NESE” at the end of it.

After our dee-lish meal, we headed to the Clubhouse. The 3 of us played a game of Laser Tag and then ended our DATE with a round of Putt-Putt. If you haven’t played that course, I highly recommend it.

Now, Greg has his own idea of keeping up with the number of strokes it takes for him to get the ball in the hole; needless, to say, I am sooooo glad I had the scorecard. For example, he would say, “that was a 2” when in reality it was a 4 or 5.

Ronnie, is the complete opposite…he keeps up with EVERY single stroke…guess he takes after his Daddy and big brother, JP.

Break time…

The 17th Green…

THANKS BOYS FOR A GREAT EVENING…

I U 2 the & BaCk

From BuGs to BiRdS…

2011-07-28T19:24:00.001-04:00

The boys will pick up just ABOUT any moving creature, with the exception of snakes, I THINK. This summer, they enjoyed “catching” bees that would drink the nectar from my flowers, with nothing other than their minnow nets. Since the pond has been so low, they couldn’t catch any minnows, so they just went on to something else. Once they “captured” the bees and any other flying insect, they would get one of those VERY EXPENSIVE, CLEAR PLASTIC, 16 oz cups and put the CREATURE in it, along with some water. Not really knowing exactly why they were doing this, and after I explained to them, on more than one occasion, don’t mess with the bees because they are NOT messing with YOU. Well, they didn’t listen, and this is what I found in one of our freezers at the BARN. Yes, you can see they have quite the collection…top left-hand corner ~ beetles; upper right-hand corner ~ cow ant; bottom left ~ regular bee; bottom center ~ bumble bee; bottom right ~ dragon fly, and the middle ~ they couldn’t remember…guess I will just save all of these for when they have to do some sort of bug collection in school…LOL

And this brings me to their latest FIND, but thank goodness it is still alive and having a sleep-over with Penny; BTW, Henny passed away last weekend due to some injuries she received from Romeo, the rooster, who has since been relocated. Meet their new pet, Henry…Ronnie rescued it today from the driveway since it had fallen out of its nest, and according to Greg, the baby bird’s “BIRD BROTHER JUST KICKED HIM OUT”. Then, they gave it some Gatorade in an eye-dropper…Henry can’t fly yet, so hopefully in a few days, he can take off on his first flight…

Time Flies…

2011-07-24T21:59:00.001-04:00

when you don’t have to get up by an alarm clock, when you stay in your pjs until noon & then change into your swim suit for the rest of the day, when you can simply be LAZY, and when I can spend every waking moment with my BOYS…

I can’t believe that the SuMmEr is over for me, but on the other hand, I can’t believe that I am starting my 20th year in education. If this school year goes by as fast as last school year, my boys will be getting ready for high school in no time instead of 2nd and 4th grade, which is very hard to believe…

I am going to miss seeing this EVERYDAY at the White Pines Spa & Resort…BTW, just wanted to let some you know that I am in the process of designing a t-shirt for all “chartered” members…LOL

These tan lines will fade,

but our MEMORIES will last FOREVER…

I LOVE YOU BOTH TO THE MOON AND BACK

SeCuRiTy…

2011-07-19T10:06:00.001-04:00

I’m sure most of your children and even maybe you, have some sort of “something” they like to sleep with. I, for one, still sleep with the same “pillow” that my great-grandmother made me when I was 6 years old. Of course, it is not even close to its original state. It has come completely apart & can’t be repaired. So, I have all of its “insides” inside a pillow case, which is in another pillow case. Warren tells me all the time that there are bed bugs living in it, but oh well, I will sleep with it FOREVER…I will say that the outside pillow case is changed every time our linens are changed. For a few years, Ronnie slept with a Cat in the Hat that he made at Build-a-Bear, but I think he has “outgrown” it. LOL! However, he has a certain way that he sets his bed up every night before he goes to sleep…he puts 2 pillows on each side of him and one for his head…he makes himself a little cave…the few times I have gotten his bed ready, I just didn’t set his pillows up correctly, so I have been told NOT TO DO IT anymore…HA. Now, Greg on the other hand, HAS TO HAVE his 2 animals that he sleeps with every night…he has gone to a couple of sleepovers & left them at home one time, but not the last time…he has told us that they will go with him to college and even when he gets married. I sure hope we can keep them in good shape. They have had to go to Nana’s several times for some minor “surgery” on a few boo-boos, but other than washing them every now and then, they are good to go…here are Pluto & “Raff”…”Raff” was the very first stuffed animal that we bought Greg…he has slept with him since he was a year old…he got Pluto for his 2nd Christmas, when he asked for a “puppy”…Santa Claus got Pluto at Disney World that same year…

This is how I found them yesterday morning after Greg had gotten up…when I asked him why he had “sat” them in his Daddy’s chair, he said, “because they wanted to finish watching a movie while I went outside and played.” He NEVER leaves them in his bed…before he goes to school in the mornings, he puts them on the couch so they will be “waiting” on him when he gets home and YOU BETTER NOT MOVE THEM…

Celebrating the 4th ~

2011-07-08T09:46:00.001-04:00

For the 2nd year, we spent July 3rd at the Landings with the Strickland and Nobles families. The boys love going to the pool there because of its HUGE slide. After spending several hours at the pool, we all headed to Billy’s house & grilled out. After we ate, we all hopped on golf carts & headed for the driving range for the fireworks display. If there was one golf cart, there were at least 1500, not counting the real cars. It is really neat as to how you stake your claim for your spot to watch the show. Billy set out our chairs & blankets around noon, but we didn’t get there until about 8. All the kids had fun running around with the other 100s of kids…they jumped in the bouncy houses & went down the slides, until Greg decided that he would see if he could fly like Super Man & came sailing off the end of it. So, we decided to go find something else to do…they found a group of boys playing football, & they were HAPPY. By now, it was getting close to 9, and we decided to let them do the SPARKLERS, since the fireworks were scheduled to begin at 9:15. Well, that 9:15 turned into to 10:00 and of course, we ran out sparklers…so, here we are trying to keep the boys entertained for 45 mins until they started…thank goodness for popsicles & Google Sky Map on my phone…they just love looking at the stars…like last year, the fireworks were AWESOME…

If they weren’t going down the slide, they were playing basketball…

One LAST jump before we had to leave…of course, they didn’t want to go…

They do LOVE the water…I am so THANKFUL they are GREAT swimmers so I can just sit back & relax under the umbrella…

Heading to the driving range for the FIREWORKS ~

I MY 3 BOYS…

sPaRkLe Fun ~

Let the show begin…I will have to say that these were loudest & brightest fireworks I have ever seen…

I LOVE this pic of the FIREWORKS…this was part of the GRAND FINALE & I didn’t even realize that I had the flag in the picture (bottom left-hand corner)…

I LOVE MY FAMILY…

GOD BLESS THE USA…

WE ARE PROUD TO BE AMERICANS…

July FUN ~

2011-07-06T18:11:00.001-04:00

Last Friday, we had the opportunity to go see the BRAVES play. It was soooooo much fun. We got to the stadium around 5 and left around 10:30…the boys sat and watched the entire game. We had the best seats ~ front row on the 3rd baseline and about 12 feet from the visitors’ dugout; however, we only had 2 tickets for those seats, so Warren & Ronnie had to sit in another section a few rows up, but at the start of the game, Ronnie was able to sit with me and Greg…Ronnie was such a trooper; he told Greg he could sit in the front row seats FIRST & then they would switch…

Of course, the main goal for the boys was to get an autograph on their baseball or even catch a ball. Before we could go to our seats, we hung out in the outfield seats during batting practice trying to catch a ball. Needless to say, they didn’t catch one.

Please hit us a ball…

So, we headed to the 755 CLUB to see what it was all about before we went to our seats. With our tickets, we could go and “socialize” if we wanted to, but we just wanted to check it out.

Once we found our seats, there were about 25 people standing in that row to get an autograph from a Baltimore Oriole…Greg did manage to get his baseball signed by the manager for the Orioles…he thought that was so cool. Ronnie just couldn’t hang in there with the long line like Greg did…we just let him stay down there & it paid off…Warren and I decided to go sit with the Durrence’s while we waited for our seats to clear.

Like mother like son…he just had to talk on the phone…

Ready for the Tomahawk chop…

HOMER passing out t-shirts…Greg managed to get one from the cheerleaders…one just walked right up to him & handed it to him…poor Ronnie was still sitting with Warren in the upper seats & he missed out again…

The National Anthem…sent chills all over me…makes me PROUD to BE AN AMERICAN…

Chipper was only a stone’s throw away from us…the boys just wanted him to turn around one time and WAVE…

Choppin’ away…

Their favorite players are the first baseman and catcher…

Come on, hit me a ball…he didn’t get one hit to him, but after the game was over, a BRAVES batboy walked over to him and placed one of the game balls in his glove…we just about fell out…I didn’t take a pic of that because Ronnie was just devastated…poor thing…Greg did tell Ronnie that he could have his signed baseball though…we thought that was so sweet…

He may have been a little sad when he didn’t get “anything” like his brother, but we saw this BIG SMILE most of the game…

The 7th inning stretch was so much FUN for them…they just danced right along with everybody..

After each inning, the fan cam would scan the stadium and the boys would do everything in their power to get on there…well, what do you know?? Ronnie was on my left & kept saying “we will NEVER get on camera”…they did get all 3 of us, but it was fast & the boys stood up & I couldn’t snap the picture fast enough; however, Warren saw us along with a few others from Glennville…Warren was sitting in one section over until the 7th inning because of our tickets…thanks to a nice gentleman who holds the seat next Greg, told me to call Warren so that he could join us for the last 3 innings…

Greg trying his best to get a shirt for Ronnie after the game…

The BRAVES won & the pitcher pitched a one-hitter, which was a bunt…WAY TO GO BRAVES…

The FIREWORKS after the game were AWESOME..

We can’t wait to go back to another game…

Just 4 FuN ~

2011-06-30T11:28:00.001-04:00

nEvEr afraid…

2011-06-29T14:59:00.001-04:00

to try anything…our boys are 2 little dare-devils…neither one is afraid to pick up any kind of creature from cute little green frogs to their 2 chickens, and anything in between. There latest past-time is to catch bumble bees in a minnow net, put them in a cup of water, and then put the cup in the freezer. No, they will NOT pick up a bee, but they can sure FREEZE the bees. I asked them why they were doing that, and of course, they didn’t know WHY…just to have something to do, I guess. So, in one of our freezers at the BARN, there is a collection of bees and dragon flies, FROZEN in their own individual cups. As always, I learn something new just about everyday with the BOYS. I know one day, they will be grown and probably will not do some of these crazy things, but we sure are making some wonderful MeMoRiEs…

2 years ago, Ronnie learned how to do a back flip off of the diving board, as well as a back dive. Last year, he decided to take a break from flipping backwards due to him slipping and scraping his back on the board…all I can say is OUCH. This year he has gone back into full force. His main goal this year is to master a half-gainer…he can already do a one and a half front flip, but boy, that sure is hard to get a pick of…

Now, this year, Greg has gotten down the front flip, the back dive, and the back flip…he was so proud last week when he finally got the back flip down…it looks like he hit his head on the diving board, but he didn’t…he just has to learn to jump back further…

Their latest CRAZE is a RipStik…they have gone from cruising on their electric scooters to this thing…we were so impressed at how fast they learned to use it…we have borrowed it from a friend, so the boys have really practiced their SHARING SKILLS A LOT over the last couple of days…

Fish Tales…

2011-06-26T12:36:00.001-04:00

Our boys LOVE to fish…everyday, they swim awhile and fish awhile…

Fishing at the White Pines Spa & Resort…due to one of our ponds being very low, they go out on the “sandbar” to fish…which is where Greg landed the biggest bass of the season…we did release him, but it is his and Ronnie’s goal to catch him again, so that it can be mounted…when he caught this fish, it jumped off of the hook and back in the water, so Greg just jumped in after it and pulled it up by the tail…TRUE STORY…

Ronnie and his war-mouths…

One of many bass that he has caught this year…

Greg trying to revive this bass…it is called BASS CPR..LOL…he was swishing it back and forth in the water to put some water in its gills…this one was caught by Connor, but unfortunately, it didn’t make it…

They went fishing over at a friend of Papa’s to catch some BIG catfish…now, the boys are used to bass fishing where they are constantly reeling in to make the worm move, so they had to have a brief lesson about fishing for cats…needless to say, they didn’t land any catfish because everyone they HOOKED, broke the line and swam away…

he’s got one…

another broken line…

Determined to get one…

As you can see, it is dark now, but these 3 are bound and determined to catch one of those big CATS…only if I had had a video camera…if it had not been a catfish, Greg was ready to jump in after it, but needless to say, another broken line…the next time they go, the boys said they are taking their saltwater rods they use for catching SHARKS…we probably would have stayed longer, but since all of Papa’s tackle was now inside of several catfish, we had to go home…

A SpLaShInG Good Time…

2011-06-26T11:47:00.001-04:00

As a final celebration to the 2011 baseball season, we had the team over a swimming party this week. These boys had a BLAST. We had such a good group of kids and PARENTS. Of course, they can’t wait to do it again…we had 10 of our 13 players come, along with the siblings of some of the players…poor Caroline and Carson were the only girls, but they had just as much fun as the boys…

Greg thinking about doing a back flip…which he finally mastered the next day…

Show me your MUSCLES…

Now time for a group photo…it took 3 attempts to get this shot, because for some reason, someone would “accidentally” fall in before we could snap a pic…

Until the next party…BTW, my 2 would have one everyday, if we let them…the more in the pool, the BETTER…

THANKS BOYS FOR A GREAT SEASON…YOU ARE ALL WINNERS IN MY BOOK…

Baseball Season is over…for now…

2011-06-21T10:26:00.001-04:00

Saturday, the All-Stars ended their season to Reidsville…they have played very well, and I can’t speak for anyone else, but I know I am PROUD of them. It finally hit Greg today that he is done with baseball for a couple of months…he has asked everyday since Saturday when was his next game…I am right there with him. I could sit and watch these “little” guys play ball ALL DAY. Looking back on the last several months, we have been going to baseball games since February, so I guess it is time for a little break. Now, my main focus is to get tickets to a BRAVES game…a little birdie put a bug in my ear that we may get a chance to go SOON. I can’t wait, and neither can the boys.

Suiting up one last time for this season…

Love the way Jim is trying to get him to “load up” in the background…

These poor guys don’t look too happy…I will have to say that a tear or 2 dropped from my eyes…

He refused to take a pic with me at the game, so we had to wait until we got home…

PEACE…LOVE…FLOWERS ~

2011-06-17T16:11:00.001-04:00

Since I grew up in the Floral Shop and was around flowers of some sort, I have always liked flowers, but I was never that crazy about “arranging” them like my Mama. I did get her love for outdoor flowers. I can’t seem to grow anything inside, except an African violet, and every now & then, I have to take those to Mema in the nursing home so that she can “revive” them. However, I do LOVE my flowers around the pool…it is my daily therapy for me to go down to the BARN and water them, whether it is early in the morning with a cup of coffee in hand or late in the evening, swatting the gnats. Unless we get a heavy rain, they have to be watered everyday. Warren did extend our sprinkler system so that my confederate Jasmine could be watered on a daily basis along with my knock-roses and mandevillas…I can’t wait for the Jasmine to take over the fence…

I will have to say that I am very proud of how well my pots turned out this year…only if I could store them, with the flowers, through the winter, but I can’t see that happening…Mama did give me 2 beautiful blue pots with flowers for my birthday, and they are doing really well…my favorite flower is a hibiscus…when I bought these, they didn’t have any pink, so I had to go with 2 red and one yellow…

I have 3 pots of these flowers along the fence, on our new patio, where the boys’ play yard USED to be…on the other side of this fence is where we planted the Jasmine…

This pot sits under my flag that says, “WIPE YOUR FLOPS”…

These are the 2 blue pots that sit on the outside of the pool deck between my 3 hibiscus trees…

Front view ~

Back view ~

A hanging Bougainvillea that I have on a shepherd’s hook along with a Million Bells hanging basket…these 2 can drink the water…the more sun the bougainvillea gets, the more blooms…I learned that from the plant man…

Last, but not least, my favs…

5 GaMeS + 27 Innings + 2 days = 1 “GrEaT” Catcher

2011-06-16T11:50:00.001-04:00

Monday, the Glennville All-Star Flea Boys played in the Lyons Tournament. This tournament has been around for over 30 years. The boys get a kick out of me telling them about when I used to play in that same tournament. We lost 1 game and won 2 games on Monday, so that meant we were still in the tournament and traveled back to Lyons on Tuesday. We won our first game, but we lost our second, only by 3 runs. Our boys played so well, and I sure hope that they play that well tomorrow when sub-district starts. I have to brag a little bit…of the 27 innings that were played, Greg caught for 26 of those innings, only asking for a break during the last inning of the last game on Monday. I was so proud of how well he played…he hit the ball well. Unfortunately, Warren wasn’t there to see him play because he was JP’s caddy in a golf tournament for those 2 days.

Ready to PLAY ball…even though it was a “COOL” 102 degrees both days, Greg hung in there with plenty of Gatorade & his Frogg Togg, oh yeah, I can’t forget the eye-black that still won’t come off of his face…

Greg & Garrett…these 2 have become best buddies through baseball season…

OK, batter, hurry up…I AM HOT…not only does Greg play catcher, but he is also batboy for the other teams…he always picks up their bats for them…most of the time, the other coaches come up to him after the games and “THANK” him…he just keeps on SMILING…that’s my BOY…

We won the coin toss every game and were home team…it is always best so that we can HIT last…

I’m proud to say that he had 4 RBIs this game & got on base every time…

GOOD LUCK BOYS as you start the DISTRICT tournament today…

Down on the FaRm…

2011-06-14T11:40:00.001-04:00

It is always an adventure for the boys to go to Papa’s. There is always something for them to see and do, and for Greg, something to “get into”. Friday afternoon, we headed over there to see their garden, the chickens, the baby goat, and of course, take a ride on the 4-wheeler down to the pond. I will have to say that this is one of the best gardens Daddy has had in a while, considering how dry it is. The highlight of the garden for me, was the HUGE sunflowers.

The Best Garden in Matlock, GA ~

Michelle, the goat…the boys are feeding her corn husks…she would much rather have the actual corn…

Now, time to head over to the chicken coop…Ronnie can pick up our chickens and carry them around like a kitten, but Papa’s chickens aren’t quite tame enough for that yet…

Greg decided that he needed to take a break…he’s bonding with Dumpy…

Bluebird eggs…they were amazed out just how “BLUE” they really are…kind of hard to get a pic of them inside the bluebird house…

They had to go down to the pond and check on the fish, but since it was so HOT, they didn’t long…Ronnie “drove” down there & Greg “drove” back…

This is what they came back with…a hummingbird nest that Daddy found last week…they can’t wait to take to school next year for show and tell…it is amazing that such a tiny bird can make such a sophisticated nest…

Let’s see what’s growing in the garden…

Ronnie LOVES fresh tomatoes and will eat them right off the vine…

They both LOVE corn on the cob…

As we all know, every garden ALWAYS needs some WATER…

Greg wanted to make sure he watered the corn in the middle too…

Ronnie watered the squash and okra…

And of course, Dennis the Menace always is up to something…

Before they both had a chance to get soakin’ drippin’ wet, we gathered our fresh veggies and headed home…

“Officer” Griffin ~

2011-06-12T09:32:00.001-04:00

Wednesday, June 8, 2011 was a big day for our family. After 6 months and 700 hours of intense police training, Philip graduated from the Police Academy at Ogeechee Tech. 22 began the program in January and 13 graduated. We are so proud of him. The boys just can’t wait to see him driving around in a police car…LOL. The good news is that he possibly has an interview this week…please say a prayer for him.

Receiving his diploma…love that smile on his face.

I guess it is not “cool” to smile…

What a great MOTTO…

Some of his buddies…

One PROUD Daddy…

A little bit of a smile…

The Griffin BOYS…

I can do all this through HIM who gives me strength. ~ Philippians 4:13

Wheel Pitch World Series ~

2011-06-05T11:03:00.001-04:00

Our Flea All-Star Boys played in one of Georgia’s largest baseball tournaments this weekend. It was definitely an experience for these boys. There were 13 teams in our division, with only 2 of them being All-Star teams, and the rest of them were travel teams. In the first game, we played a team from Jacksonville. The second game was against Pierce County. Our 3rd game was against Sports Specific; I have no idea where they were from, but in the equipment alone, they had invested A LOT of money. These 3 games were pool games, and then we were seeded in the actual tournament. We started out the game with some hits and runs, and things were looking up for our boys, but unfortunately we didn’t win. So, we packed up and headed home. We were so proud of how Greg played…he made several outs at the plate, but his best ones were when he tagged 3 boys out who had hit homeruns…I only wish I had had my camera out, but it’s hard to do 2 things at one time.

Patiently waiting to play their first game…

Getting warmed up…

Let’s play BALL…

Batter up…

“SLIDER”

Even though they lost all 4 games, this smile never left his face…HE LOVES BASEBALL…the first thing he said when he got up today was, “when is our next game?”

WE OUR CATCHER…

Part 2 ~ the ReSt of the StOry…

2011-06-02T16:30:00.002-04:00

The boys ended their regular baseball season on Friday, May 20th. They were both chosen for All-Stars; however, after we told Ronnie that he had made the All-Stars, that second team did not make. The first team is made up of 10 year olds, with the exception of a couple of 9 year olds, and the second team was made of up of 9 year olds. Make a long story short, Ronnie was one upset little fellow. Oh well, maybe next year…

The Southern Boys also ended their Spring season on Saturday, May 21st. It was bittersweet, but at least we have something to look forward to in the fall. As it stands right now, we will have 2 Southern Boys, AGAIN…

My birthday weekend…Warren was going to have a big 4-0 birthday bash, but since it would have been on Memorial Day weekend, we decided that we would just have a get-together sometime this summer. Instead, we went out to dinner Saturday night to Outback with some great friends, and they sang “Happy Birthday” to me Aussie style. Sunday, we headed to the beach to meet up with some more great friends. Boy, was it crowded. Sorry, no pics this time. I had to sit too close to the water to watch the boys and didn’t want to chance my camera getting messed up. On Memorial Day, we just hung out at the White Pines Spa & Resort. Mama, Mema, and “Miss” Faye came over and grilled hotdogs and had ice-cream cake.

Then, the BIG day arrived. I will admit, Warren did give me my present a few days early because he wanted me to wear it out to eat. I was so pleased with how well the ring turned out. I have always wanted a “mother’s ring”, and one Sunday in church, I looked down at my hand, and it hit me. My wonderful grandmother (Tina) left me her jewelry, and I have always worn her diamond ring. Every now and then I would wear the band as well. So, Warren took the band and my idea to our jeweler in Sav’h, he was able to do just what I wanted. I know “Tina” was smiling down on me on Friday. She loved jewelry, and she always made sure that she gave me a piece of jewelry on those milestone birthdays.

Ronnie’s birthstone, a garnet, is on the left…an emerald for me, is in the center…and a sapphire for Greg, is on the right…Tina, I know you would love this and would be so happy for me and our BoYs…

Warren and the boys also gave me a much-needed camera vest so that I don’t have to have everything on my shoulders. I can’t wait to use it at my next wedding in July. We ended the evening with Greg’s double-header baseball game and another ice-cream cake with Daddy, Robbie, and our wonderful neighbors.

Thanks again to everyone and to my FAMILY for making my DAY very SPECIAL. I LOVE ALL OF YOU VERY MUCH.

Where should I begin…it’s a long post…Part 1 ~

2011-05-28T11:36:00.001-04:00

MAY has been one of the busiest months of this year for the Griffin family. We started out the month with a WoNdErFuL Mother’s Day, and we will end the month by my big 4-0 birthday. I want to share just a few things that have been going on this month…

PCA’s Annual Old Fashioned Day ~

This event has been going on for last 17 years with the 3rd grade student and seniors…I will have to say, that of all the field trips that I have been on with the boys, this has to be one of the BEST…I can’t wait to do this again when Greg gets in 3rd grade…let me just say I had the MOST FUN taking pics of Ronnie…I wish I could post all of the pics of the different activities, but I would rather share the ones of Ronnie…he just LOVED posing for the pics…

These 2 are just too cute…

Ronnie & Lyndsay…

Ronnie & one of favorite buddies, Lane…

Ronnie & Farmer Dylan…

My BOY can JUMP…he was the jump-rope champion that day…he jumped 42 jumps to become the JUMP ROPE KING…

Time for the grand finale…square dancin’…grab your partner…

He danced his little heart out…he was so HOT & tired by the time he had danced with the seniors…

Thanks to Papa for providing the trailer for the hayride…

Ronnie & Mrs. Harbuck…

Ronnie & Ms. McCall…

I was so happy to share this wonderful time with Ronnie & his classmates and the graduating class of 2011…

The Glennville Sweet Onion Festival ~

For the last 4 years, Ronnie has run in the Onion Run. I am happy to say that he came in 4th in his age group; he had 3 ten year olds ahead of him.

Greg has decided that he will be Ronnie’s water boy…he is not much on long distance running…check out that bed head…

The Griffin Boys & The Durrence Boys…

And they’re off…

Crossing the finish line…GOOD JOB RONNIE

Your number 1 FANS…WE LOVE YOU VERY MUCH…

PCA Honor’s Day 2011 ~

We are so proud of our boys…they had a very successful year, and they LOVED their teachers…we were very pleased with the awards they received…Ronnie received the Honor Roll award, the National Fitness award & the AR award; he remained in the top 10 in his grade all year and was able to go to lunch early every day with the other top 10 readers…Greg received the Perfect Attendance award (the only one in his class), the National Fitness Award, and the AR award…BOYS WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU AND YOUR HARD WORK IN SCHOOL…GOD IS SO GOOD…we are so HAPPY that you both enjoy school and are very eager to learn…you both are very out-going in all that you do…KEEP UP THE GREAT WORK…

Our 2nd grader…WOW, time flies…

Our 4th grader…I didn’t get a pic of Ronnie by himself because his class was a little late getting seated…LOL…

He was able to sit by Mrs. Haddon because he was student of the day on the last day of school…WAY TO GO GREG…We are going to miss you Mrs. Haddon…thanks for a great year…

Ronnie just LOVED being in Ms. McCall’s class…everyday was an adventure in her class…We are going to miss you…

Daddy and his 2 boys…he is so proud of them…

Got to get a remote for my camera so that maybe one of these days I can take a pic of all 4 of us…I am SO PROUD OF MY BOYS…WE LOVE YOU SOOOOOO MUCH

Their little treats for doing such a GREAT JOB…their BIG surprise arrived yesterday, and I will post pics later when they see it…I can’t wait…

To be continued…

What MoRe could I ask for…

2011-05-10T17:48:00.001-04:00

than being chosen by GOD to be the best Mom I can possibly be to my 2 full-of-life, energetic, fun-loving, smart, caring, full-of-laughter, dirt-loving, sports-fanatic, PRECIOUS BOYS…

For the last 6 years, Mother’s Day has ALWAYS been one of my favorite days for me as a mother and this is why ~

I didn't give you the gift of life,
But in my heart I know.
The love I feel is deep and real,
As if it had been so.
...For us to have each other
Is like a dream come true!
No, I didn't give you
The gift of life,
Life gave me the gift of you.
~ Author Unknown

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ~ Jeremiah 29:11

I LOVE YOU BOTH TO THE MOON AND BACK…Thanks for making my day SPECIAL.

FIELD of DREAMS…

2011-05-01T10:32:00.001-04:00

“Boys, baseball is a game where you gotta have fun…”

Brother against Brother…My FAVORITE pic…

Greg’s baseball pants after 6 games this weekend…No need to take a pic of Ronnie’s, he does NOT like for his pants to get DIRTY…LOL

ALL of the BOYS did very WELL yesterday and played HARD…looking forward to next weekend…

For the LOVE of the GAME…

2011-04-25T20:58:00.001-04:00

With baseball season in full swing, the boys play at the same time and same day EVERY week. It makes it very difficult to watch them…I will say that I do like only having to go out to the ballpark just 2 nights a week. Warren helps coach Ronnie’s team, which makes it very difficult for him to watch Greg play, but he does get to see him play on Saturdays. I go between the 2 and try to watch each one of them bat every time and play a little defense. I haven’t been able to get as many pics as I would like, but I am going to work on that this week. If I had a zip-line between the 2 fields, it would be so much easier.

A WoNdErFuL EASTER Weekend…(a long post)

2011-04-25T10:28:00.001-04:00

Our weekend started Friday with the boys’ class Easter parties…unfortunately, I was not able to see Ronnie hunt his eggs because I was at Greg’s hunt, but I did manage to get over to Ashton’s house for a few photo ops…thanks Lacy for the picture…

Ronnie managed to find the “PRIZE” egg, but no one knew there was a prize egg…the PRIZE was sticker inside the egg that read “PRIZE EGG WINNER”…

Now, back to Greg’s class hunt…all of the 1st graders walked from PCA to the Parker’s house, and they were led by none other than “Peter Cottontail”…of course, you can see my clown with his bucket on top of his head…

Time for the group picture…

They were only supposed to find 12 eggs, but as you can see, Greg went over that limit by 15…he was not the only one…he decided that he would check out every egg to see what was inside of them before giving up those 15…

After the egg hunts, we headed home for a little pool time before it was time for me to take Prom pictures and their baseball games…they LOVE their big brother PHILIP…(more prom & baseball pics in another post)

Saturday was the first time that we have not had any baseball games or practice, so we decided that we would just spend the day at home working in the yards and planting flowers at the White Pines Spa & Resort…Warren and I did get to go out for dinner that night for the first time in months…we had a WONDERFUL time, but we did miss the boys…

EASTER SUNDAY ~

Loot from E.B.

Casey was a little upset that E.B. didn’t bring her something, but she took care of that herself…

Greg had to “hide” behind his basket because he was wearing boxers, and heaven forbid I take a pic of him in his boxers…LOL

All dressed up…heading to CHURCH…we are so BLESSED…

our 2 HANDSOME GIFTS FROM GOD…

So wish we had had a FAMILY picture, but Casey hasn’t learned how to work my camera yet…LOL

The boys wanted to do their own pose for a picture…

Clown 1 & Clown 2

After a wonderful lunch prepared by Daddy and Robbie, we headed on over to the annual Dasher Family Easter Egg Hunt…

Bikinis, Bathing Suits, & Baskets…

and they’re off…Ronnie was on a mission to find one of the four prize eggs…

Greg, along with a few of the “older” boys, opted not to hunt this year…our little dare devil…

Mission accomplished for Ronnie…

the 4 lucky winners…each egg was worth a certain amount of money…

12 Years Ago Today…

2011-04-10T10:03:00.001-04:00

Warren and I joined hearts and became as ONE…it just seems like yesterday…we have been blessed with a WONDERFUL marriage, and like most (if not all), we have had our ups and downs. Of course, it was the MASTERS weekend 12 years ago as well, and we spent our honeymoon at Disney World…we had a GREAT time, but we spent that Sunday afternoon watching the final round of the MASTERS. Just to keep the tradition going, we are going to watch the MASTERS today…imagine that.

The boys did tell us if wanted to go out to eat for our anniversary, they could just “stay here by themselves” and everything would be OK…how sweet is that.

The Gingerbread House…(my scanner isn’t working, so I just had to take a pic of the pictures)

Forsyth Park…it was 85 degrees that day…

JP & Philip were 8 and 6 years old…one of these days SOON, I am going to put those same cute little outfits on Ronnie & Greg and take their picture, before they get too big to wear them…it will probably require some bribery in order to get them to do it…

And over all these virtues put on LOVE, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:14

NeVeR 2 Old…

2011-04-01T15:10:00.001-04:00

As the boys have gotten too old for Sippy cups & moved on to cups with lids & straws, I just couldn’t throw away their “cups”. Needless to say, every now & then, they will grab one out of the cabinet & pour themselves something to drink. The reason they grab a Sippy cup is because they KNOW they can’t go all over the house with an “open container”. LOL… So, this morning after we took the boys to school & I was putting away laundry, this is what I found on Greg’s headboard…guess he got a little thirsty during the night…he probably would not like the fact that I have just posted this pic on here, but oh well…it’s the small things in life that makes us sit back & SMILE.

Papa’s New Pet ~ Maddy

2011-03-29T21:28:00.001-04:00

This afternoon, the boys and I headed over to Daddy’s to see his new pet…a goat. Her name is Maddy, and the boys just thought it was the funniest thing to get to feed her a bottle. She chased them around like a puppy, and Greg even tried to get her to fetch a stick. Now, of course, guess what they want to have a pet? You got it, a GOAT. Ronnie did say that if we had one, we wouldn’t have to worry about cutting grass anymore. Then Greg added, “yeah, since my chicken died, I think I need to get a baby goat.” Now, when I was growing up, I did have a pet Billy goat named JR (named after JR Ewing from Dallas) and I could walk him around with a rope and even had a saddle for me to ride him.

Ronnie got to feed her the first bottle…the appetizer…

Greg finished her off with the main course…the 2nd bottle…

If Ronnie doesn’t become a lawyer one day, I do believe he will be a VET. He so loves animals and is not afraid of anything. Greg will only play with them if they will chase him…

“AIR-Bruiser”…I have never seen a dog that can jump this high….of course, Greg was doing nothing but laughing at him because he wouldn’t go the way he wanted him too…

A Day of Baseball

2011-03-27T19:12:00.001-04:00

We had our 3rd Saturday of baseball yesterday, and I did my very best to take pictures (through the fence) AND keep the book. The weather was PERFECT ~ a nice breeze & plenty of sunshine. The BOYS did pretty well, but wish we would have won all of our games. Those little fellows played hard, but just ran out of steam in the last game. Next Saturday will be the first time that I will not be at the games…I haven’t missed a GAME of any kind for either of the boys, but I am taking a pics at a wedding and looking forward to a great time. Warren will have to practice up on his texting to keep me posted with a play-by-play. Here are a few pics from yesterday of our “SOUTHERN BOY”…

The “warm-up”…Jim has done such a wonderful job coaching these boys…very structured, very organized AND WELL COACHED…

Waiting in line for a little fielding practice…

Let’s play ball…

“I think I’m ready.”

“Oh yeah, I’m ready. Got my gear on & got me some good ‘ole Georgia clay.”

Batter up…

they HAD to have eye-black for the next 2 games…

Greg LOVES his new COMBAT bat…and so does the rest of the team…

Nothing like getting a little head start to 2nd base…check out that right foot…LOL

WE LOVE OUR CATCHER…GREAT 3 GAMES GREG ~

The Gift of Giving…

2011-03-25T17:18:00.001-04:00

This morning I received an email from Ronnie’s teacher, and before I opened it, I thought, “uh oh, what now?” Shame on me!! As I started reading it, I had to stop, close my office door, and CRY!! Here is part of the email…

Mr. & Mrs. Griffin, OMG! I am about to CRY! There is a girl in our class who raised her hand today and was crying because she didn't have a lunchbox and her account was negative. This morning, however, Ronnie jumps up and announces, "I’m tired of this! Don't worry about it, I will buy you lunch today. I have tons of money in my backpack." All the other boys started giggling and teasing and Ronnie promptly told them to "shut up and mind their own business". Now.......normally, I would give a stick for such a comment but this morning all I could do was smile and try with all my might not to cry in front of the class as he dug $4.00 out of his backpack and brought it to the front of the room as all the other boys sat with their mouths hanging open. I explained to Ronnie that this was very thoughtful and unselfish of him but that he really needed his parents'' permission to use his money in this way and I certainly didn't want him to get in trouble. He said, "it’s ok, I have lots more money at home and I will just tell them I spent it on Laser Tag at the Clubhouse." :) At this age, the boys and girls are constantly engaged in the "Cootie War" and I would have NEVER expected him to risk embarrassment or teasing in front of all the other boys. You got a special kid, ya know.........with a great big ole heart. He left me speechless today.

And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 2 Corinthians 9:8

WE LOVE YOU RONNIE

Nothing like…

2011-03-24T18:17:00.001-04:00

the blossoms on a Bradford pear…

the sun shining BrIgHtLy on a Spring day…

the blooms on a chamilia bush…

the vines of wisteria…

Just wish I had all 3 of these in our YARD!! But, at least I can look at them in the neighbors’ yards!!

I Spring!!

A WoNdErFuL Weekend!!

2011-03-20T10:53:00.001-04:00

Friday afternoon, we loaded up the motor home, the golf cart, the boys, and Casey and set out for the Bluff!! Before I begin, anytime we go ANYWHERE, it is always an adventure!!

Upon our arrival, we got everything set up, and the boys took Casey for a walk…only for her to get those pesky little sand spurs/stickers in her paws…she looked so pitiful!! Plan B…every time she needed to do her business, we had to pick her up and carry her across the road. Just as we were about to go out to eat, Ronnie decided to PICK UP a cactus!! Why? I don’t know!! Anyway, after Warren and I spent about 30 minutes pulling the stickers out of BOTH of his hands, we headed to JT’s for supper…it’s almost 9 o’clock by now!! We watched a movie and fell asleep before it was over!!

Around 7ish Saturday morning, the boys woke us up singing “Happy Birthday” to Warren!! We could not have asked for a more beautiful day to spend together for his birthday…only wish JP and Philip could have joined us!!

Then, it was time to head towards all the action for the BIG St. Patrick’s Day parade. We decided to just tow the golf cart to the main spot instead of driving it that far…and it was a good thing we did…we all got on and went about 5 feet to realize that we had a FLAT TIRE!! At this point, I was about ready to say “pack it up and let’s head home!” I’m so glad we stayed!!

Our 2 Bull Riders…waiting in line…we decided to go to the festival BEFORE the parade…

Now time for a COOL Treat!!

Ready for the parade…

Casey sat on the golf cart the entire time and never moved!! She was the most “behaved” one there…LOL!!

Just before the parade…our 2 little social butterflies had found them some buddies…these boys had a BLAST!! I can’t imagine how they will act at the parade in about 10 years!! LOL!! None of them were camera shy…they thought they had to have a picture with every person who came by, which was FINE with me!!

Our Future Fire Fighters…

Love those smiles are our boys!! Can’t you tell they had a GREAT time?? We are so BLESSED!!

Happy Birthday Warren/Daddy!!

We ALL LOVE you to the MOON and back!!!

A great ending to a Wonderful & Beautiful Day!!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day ~

2011-03-16T21:43:00.001-04:00

For each petal on the shamrock
This brings a wish your way -
Good health, good luck, and happiness
For today and every day.
~Author Unknown

Our Chicken Update…

2011-03-09T20:11:00.002-05:00

As I have mentioned before, Jaws and Pecky have gone to live at Papa’s since poor Bruce, the hen, couldn’t handle 2 roosters. So that Bruce wouldn’t be alone, we decided to get her 2 “coop-mates”, thanks to Papa. They are Rhode Island Reds, and their names are Henny and Penny. All 3 of them seem to get along pretty well. Bruce is allowed to get out of the coop and walk around as she pleases, but Henny & Penny are not because they can fly. Due to Bruce’s size, she can’t fly. Everyday when we get home, the boys have to go see how many eggs they have laid. Up until this week, we were only getting 2 a day, but now we are getting 3. We think Bruce is back in business since she has recovered from her injuries. We have a eaten a few, but the boys wanted to sell a dozen, and we had to hold off eating them. They made their first sale on Monday, thanks to Mrs. Purser.

Jaws & Bruce ~ 9-10-10

(That is the reflection of the chicken wire on her feathers…this is Bruce. She would make some good fried chicken…I do believe that she is the fattest hen I have ever seen.)

Henny & Penny are not too crazy about Bruce being out of the coop. Ronnie & Greg just love these chickens.

Their first DOZEN eggs…

Their payment…not quite sure what the going rate is on the dozen eggs in the future, but they said they would take any amount of money. Thanks Mrs. Purser for being our first customer.

Ronnie’s Field Trip ~

2011-03-07T18:18:00.002-05:00

This past Friday, the 3rd grade students took a field trip to the aquarium on Skidaway Island. It has been years since I have been there, and I was very impressed with the renovations. It did seem like we were traveling to the end of the Earth considering there was a caravan of about 20 vehicles behind the PCA bus. Once everyone unloaded, everyone got in their groups, and we headed inside. After a brief introduction, the classes were divided into 2 groups. Our group headed to the tanks to see all of the fish and completed a fun activity, sort of like a scavenger hunt.

Ronnie & Eli working together as a “team” to answer the questions...

These 2 have been BEST BUDDIES since K-4!! That would be a tarpon, red drum, and grouper cruising behind them...

Ronnie & Eddie the Loggerhead...

This sheepshead was the talk of the town with his “human” teeth. I had to take a picture of him since I have one of his distant cousins hanging on our wall.

A close-up of Eddie…he sure wasn’t camera shy. LOL!

The next part of our trip was Ronnie’s FAVORITE part…the touch lab. He will pick up just about anything.

Let’s begin with the spider crab.

Now, onto the horseshoe crab. He would have one as a pet, if I would let him. This was the granddaddy of them all. He did say that he can’t wait to go to the beach and look for some LIVE horseshoe crabs.

A baby boy horseshoe crab…

Forget the little one, let me grab that big one again.

Presley & Ronnie…shh! Don’t tell them I posted their picture...

After the touch lab, we all headed outside for the picnic on the bluff. It was FREEZING and believe or not, those aggravating sand gnats were in full force.

Most of the kids headed for a hike on the nature trail, while some of the adults decided to stay back and swat the sand gnats.

This live oak is about 300 years old, and as you can see, it’s a boy’s paradise.

This tree was actually hanging over the edge with oyster beds underneath it, and he just had to have his picture made on it. I’m glad his teacher wasn’t looking…

Thanks Ronnie for such a great time...What wonderful memories...

tHiNgS ~

2011-03-06T11:52:00.001-05:00

Now that basketball season is over, we are in full SWING with baseball. Greg had his first tournament last weekend, playing 4 games with only an hour break between the first 2. Of course, I forgot my camera, and Greg hasn’t let me live that one down. The Southern Boys did very well…we lost the first one by 2 runs, won the second by 8 runs, won the third by 1 run, and lost the last by 1 run!! We were so proud of those little boys! I only wish I had a tenth of their energy. Greg did very well. He only struck out once in 4 games and got on base every time at bat! He played catcher all 4 games, and we had to make him take a break for a few innings just to rest those legs. We have our next tournament this coming weekend, and I am going to do my best to remember my camera.

For the first time since August, we didn’t have any kind of ball practice this week, so we really didn’t know what to do with ourselves at night. I did manage to go to bed most nights around 8, and boy did I need the sleep. We did go watch Tattnall play Wednesday night, and then got home around 8:30 to finish Ronnie’s book report, which he had to rewrite in cursive since one of his classmates told us at the game it had to be written in cursive. He was not too happy. I did “assist” him with his poster though, and he said he made a 100 on it. Since Wednesday was Dr. Seuss’ birthday, the boys wanted me to make green eggs. They had them for supper on Thursday night, and I thought I was going to get sick making them. I think I put too much food coloring, but they wanted them “GREEN”. By the way, the eggs were from our very own chickens, Henny and Penny, our 2 new hens. Bruce seems to be recovering from her injuries from Jaws and Pecky, and she hasn’t laid any eggs in over a month. Jaws and Pecky have been transferred to Matlock to live at Papa’s.

They LOVED those eggs and asked for more, but I told them they would have to the plain old, yellow, scrambled eggs!!

Last night was the first annual PCA Basketball Alumni Showdown. After 22 years, I stepped foot on that court and played one of my favorite sports. Our team did win, and we had a lot of fun, and thank goodness, no one was injured. I managed to play 3 out of the 4 quarters, and I’m not near as sore as I thought I would be. I am looking forward to next year!!

Got a busy week ahead of us…baseball practice, signing up for Rec baseball, spring program at PCA, baseball tournament Saturday, and a bridal portrait session on Sunday! Can’t forget school and work too!!

I can do all this through HIM who gives me strength. ~ Philippians 4:13

Growing PaInS…

2011-02-23T21:14:00.001-05:00

I wish I would take the time and write down all the things my boys say…I could have published a book by now. Last night happened to be one of those times when I thought Greg was just making something up or even possibly talking & walking in his sleep!! Around 12:30 or so, he came to my side of the bed (which amazes me, because they never go to their daddy’s side to wake him up, ha!) and said that he needed to go “poop”. I thought maybe I was dreaming, but then he tapped me again and said, “did you hear me?” in a LOUD whisper. So, I said, “go ahead!”

He later came back around 1:45 and wanted to “snuggle” in our bed, and of course, he climbed right in. He would not be still and kept moaning. I finally woke up, COMPLETELY, and to see what was going on. He told me that both of his legs were hurting, and that he must be “growing.” I got up and gave him Motrin. By now, its about 2ish in the morning, and I knew that my alarm would soon be going off around 5!! I just had to have some sleep. As I was putting him back in his bed, he looked at me and pointed to his left ear & said, “Mama, I can’t hear out of this ear, and I need to go back and snuggle with you.” I told him that he would be ok and he turned over and went back to sleepy town.

Needless to say, the first words out of his mouth this morning were “I can’t hear in this ear.” Now, I was a bit concerned, but he said it didn’t hurt. So, we sent him on to school and you guessed it, around 10:15 or so, I got an email that his ear was hurting and he still couldn’t hear. I called the doctor, and they told me to have him there by noon!! Well, at this point it was 10:30, and I knew I couldn’t get there. So, Warren was able to leave the job he was on, go to PCA, drive to the ‘Boro, and walk in at 11:50!! As it all turned out, Greg has a very bad ear infection and a lot of fluid on his left ear, due to the congestion that we have been dealing with for about 5 days.

He doesn’t feel bad, but he is one happy little fellow getting to “sleep” in Mama & Daddy’s bed, at least until we go to bed!!

Now I lay me down to sleep;
I pray Thee, Lord, my soul to keep…

I know, I know…

2011-02-22T22:06:00.001-05:00

I know that you have all probably seen my header picture before, but I just had to use it AGAIN!! It is one my MANY favorites of OUR BOYS! I feel terrible that I haven’t taken any recent pictures of them other than on the basketball court or baseball field, but my plan is to take some really SOON. It has been very difficult to get them “ready” for some “posed” pictures here lately, but I do have a “few” to pick from…

I have been following a new blog, and it has inspired me to end my post with a Bible verse…it is an inspiration to read this blog everyday…it is my hope and prayer to follow the same path that writer has…

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. ~ Joshua 1:9

“Foto” Friday

2011-02-18T10:00:00.001-05:00

“Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.”
Genesis 9:3

Happy VaLeNtInE’s Day ~

2011-02-13T13:24:00.001-05:00

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. ~ I Corinthians 13: 4-8

Hope your day is filled with lots of LOVE!!

Round-Ball FeVeR!!

2011-02-12T14:28:00.001-05:00

A Little Bit of This & That…

2011-02-10T20:29:00.001-05:00

The Southern Boys are back, except for one!! Greg started back playing baseball this past weekend, but due to Ronnie’s age, he won’t be able to be on the traveling team for the spring. He seems to be ok with that since he will hopefully play “live pitch” in the spring with the rec dept. We played a double-header Sunday afternoon, and our little team looked pretty good for not playing since November!! We didn’t win either game, but the BOYS had a great time!! His favorite position on the field!! He can’t wait until the first tournament to wear his new catcher’s equipment…

I’m proud to say that Greg went 3 for 3 at bat!

He just had to get those white pants a little dirty, but nothing that a little Cascade couldn’t handle.

Greg’s hen, Bruce laid her first egg sometime over the weekend, but since we didn’t know exactly WHEN, we decided not to eat it…I thought it looked much larger than the ones we gathered on Tuesday, so I decided to crack it open & would you believe that it was a TRIPLE yoke!!

Here are Bruce’s next 4 eggs…she laid these on Monday & Tuesday…

One proud little egg collector…

Our “little” basketball ALL-STARS…they didn’t win their first game, but they each scored 2 points & managed to get 3 fouls! LOL!!

With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, the boys wanted to “make” a Valentine box for all of their goodies, but needless to say, when it came down to the actual “construction”, guess who had to do it?? I didn’t mind one bit…what great memories!! It is hard to make something “BOYISH” without using “GIRLISH” colors, so here ya go…

Ronnie’s iPod ~

Greg’s Shark Tank ~

They did “help” me just a little bit!

Ronnie’s gift (which he picked out all by himself) for his sweet girlfriend, who shall remain nameless until he tells me that I can put her name on my blog…a Valentine pillow pet & box of Russell Stover’s candy!!

This is how I found Greg’s bed this afternoon…he usually only puts the pillows on there when he makes it up and not the monkeys, but he informed me tonight that he was “part” monkey!! LOL!

What a B-U-S-Y Week!!!

2011-02-05T13:19:00.001-05:00

We started out our week with basketball practice, followed with Greg’s baseball practice (Ronnie is too old for the travel team that Greg is on, so he is going to be Greg’s manager, LOL!), then basketball practice again. Oh yeah, we did manage to do homework between all of those things! HA! Warren left Thursday for his annual golf trip with some of his former golfing buddies from up “NORTH”! He always looks forward to this trip every year, and I will have to say that this is the only time we are ever apart. So, the boys and I are just chillin’ this weekend. Going to hit the Clubhouse, GameStop, Wal-Mart, and maybe even some Japanese!! Looking forward to Greg’s first double-header of the Spring League tomorrow afternoon, since it was cancelled for today!! We will start our week with more basketball practice as we prepare for the District tournament. The boys are doing so well; we can’t believe how much they have improved in such a short amount of time. Makes us proud to be their COACHES, and we are lovin’ every minute of it!! It can be difficult at times; kinda like having your own child in your class as a student!! Hope you all have a great weekend!! Maybe I will get to take some pics of my 2 favorite subjects…OUR BOYS!!!

This has been my StReNgTh for this week…seems like we have not slowed down, but I wouldn’t trade one single minute of it!!

I can do all this through HIM who gives me STRENGTH. ~ Philippians 4:13

LiFe is so Good!!!!!

Our Final Basketball Game (regular season)

2011-01-29T12:06:00.001-05:00

Warren and I had the honor of coaching Ronnie & Greg’s basketball team this year. I will have to admit, it is very difficult coaching your own child or 2 in any sport. We did this with JP & Philip, and I said that I would much rather be in the stands. I had to eat these words in December, when we took on the BULLS!! We had a great group of 9 boys and enjoyed every minute of it. We won some and lost some, but all that mattered in the end, was the FUN that was had by EVERYONE!! Last night, we played “REAL” basketball, which means that there was no more playing in defense in the lane, and the boys basically played man-to-man the whole time. This does make it difficult on the scoreboard, seeing how the final score was 3 to 2, us!! They even call walking, double-dribbling, & fouls. I only wish I had had a video of this GAME!!

We are missing one of players in this pic, because he had gotten sick at school & didn’t think he would make it!! Needless to say, he did come just as the game was about to start…

Come on Ronnie, make this shot!! (He almost did.)

Ronnie trying to block a pass without fouling…at this point he had 2 fouls!!

Check out this baseball throw! He was passing it down low & he was successful!!

At half-time, the Griffin Boys were the only players in the GAME who had any fouls ~ they each had 2!! Things soon changed for Greg after half-time!

The Ref, “this is not football Greg, so you can’t touch them when they have the ball.” Greg, “I didn’t mean to, all I wanted was the ball!”

His final walk off the court…our little man FOULED OUT!! According to others, Greg is the first player to ever foul out of a FLEA LEAGUE BASKETBALL GAME!! Needless to say, we are VERY PROUD OF HOW WELL HE PLAYED…he is a very good defensive player and he is going to do his very BEST at guarding that BIG ROUND BALL!! Poor thing didn’t know why he had to come out of the game, but at least all of our fans clapped for him!! WAY TO GO GREG!!

WAY TO GO BULLS ON A GREAT SEASON AND A LOT OF FUN!!

Now, it is on to All-Stars, and we are very happy that Ronnie and Greg have made the team!! Good Luck BOYS!! You have to put up with Mama & Daddy coaching you just a little bit longer!!

Sav’h Ice Hockey Classic

2011-01-17T16:40:00.001-05:00

For the last couple of years, we have talked about taking the boys to the Hockey Classic, and this was the year!! All I can say is, those guys are TOUGH!! I thought football was about as contact as you can get, next to wrestling and boxing!! I was wrong!

We had a great day in Sav’h ~ we parked at the Civic Center and walked through City Market and then down to River Street since we arrived just a few hours early. Now, if we wanted to expose our children to a totally different culture, then all we would need to do is spend just a few hours in City Market or on River Street. I thought I would take some pics of the boys on River Street, but oh well! I did manage to get a couple, though. They were more into looking at the “little” yachts that were docked there rather than posing for pictures. LOL!!

Watching some “dude” get a tattoo…I don’t think we have to worry about it anytime soon with the boys wanting one…they saw the needles and all!!!

Onto City Market…

Walking down Bay Street…

Crossing Bay Street & heading down the stairs to River Street…I just love the bricks…wanted to get some great shots, but like I said, they were looking everywhere but at me!!

How dare he look at the camera!! He had an audience!!

I LOVE this pic of Ronnie!!

Our dream boat one day! LOL!! Greg said that we could catch a lot of fish off of this boat!!

Or this one would do…we actually watched this one unhook and disembark…we weren’t the only ones watching!! Warren said this one was a little over 100ft long…don’t think we could put that in at the coast!!

Time to eat…check out the cat! I just knew it was real…real stone!! It fooled me, that’s for sure!!

I won’t bore y’all with too many hockey pics…I was trying out a new lens from the nosebleed section and trying to work on taking action shots…

The Warm-Up

They really wanted an autograph..

Let the game begin…

Going in the penalty box for a little time-out!! This was my favorite part because these guys acted just like little kids when they are put in time-out…not a happy camper. BTW, this guy could play some hockey! He was sooo good ~ #27!!

This was pretty neat too…icing the puck…I learned a lot about hockey that night…can’t wait to go back!! The boys both said that when they go to college that they want to play hockey with the ICE DAWGS!!

Wordless Wednesday ~ #4 & #5

2011-01-12T19:44:00.001-05:00

A “Winter-Weather” Holiday…

2011-01-11T06:00:00.000-05:00

Who would have ever thought good ‘ole South Georgia would have to cancel school due to a Winter Weather Advisory for January 10, 2011!! There were no complaints from the Griffin House!! We all slept in, ate a good breakfast, watched plenty of TV, played many video games, cooked homemade veggie soup, baked Snowman cookies, and oh yeah, 3 loads of LAUNDRY!! Last, but certainly not least, kept looking out the window and hoping it would SNOW for Ronnie’s birthday!!

OUR “BIG BOY” is 9!!

2011-01-10T10:44:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday Ronnie!! We can’t believe that you are 9 years old today! Next year, you will be in the double digits! WOW!! It seems like yesterday that you were still in daycare. We are so proud of how well you have done in school and sports…keep up the good work! One of your favorite Bible verses is…

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go. ~ Joshua 1:9

This Bible verse speaks very well of all the things you LOVE to do & you give 110% in EVERYTHING…

“Should have been a cowboy, should have learned to rope & ride…”

“…But right now I'm on this lakeshore
And I'm sittin' in the sun…”

"Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd…”

“When I feel that chill, smell that fresh cut grass…
I'm back in my helmet, cleats and shoulder pads…
Standing in the huddle listening to the call…
Fans going crazy for the boys of fall”

“I’m a little more country than that…”

“The hardest part about skating is the ICE.”

“Don’t let what you can’t do stop you from doing what you can do.”

“A birthday is a day filled with special joy, a day that lets you know you're always loved and cherished.”

Happy Birthday Ronnie!!

We LOVE You VERY MUCH!!

Happy “BIG 2-0” JP!!

2011-01-03T19:15:00.001-05:00

Can’t believe that JP is now 20 years old!! You have become quite the young man…we are very proud of YOU!! Keep up the good work, STUDY HARD, and play well (golf, that is!)!!! Always keep GOD 1st in all that you do!!

I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

~ Philippians 4:13

Happy “Twenty-Eleven” from the GrIfFins

2011-01-01T10:51:00.001-05:00

I was going to reflect on the past year of the wonderful things that have happened in our LIFE, but since I pretty much share everything on my blog, I decided to look ahead…

I was inspired by something I read (online, I’m sure), that we should begin each year with a Bible verse that would sum up the NEW YEAR ahead, and rather than making resolutions, just let the LORD guide you in all that you do…the one that I chose for our family is one of my favorites…

For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ~ Jeremiah 29:11

Here are some motivational/inspirational quotes that I would like to share…hope they mean as much to you as they do to me…made me just sit back and say…

“THANK YOU LORD FOR BLESSING ME WITH MY LOVING & FANTASTIC HUSBAND, OUR 2 PRECIOUS BOYS, A GREAT FAMILY, SO MANY FRIENDS, A WONDERFUL JOB, OUR GOOD HEALTH, OUR FREEDOM IN A COUNTRY THAT WAS FOUNDED ON YOUR WORDS, & THE LIST GOES ON…”

Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you're right. ~ Henry Ford
Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement. Nothing can be done without hope and confidence. ~ Helen Keller
If you don't know where you are going,
you'll end up someplace else. ~ Yogi Berra
Don't bunt. Aim out of the ballpark. ~ David Ogilvy
We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore,
is not an act but a habit. ~ Aristotle

May each of you have a BLESSED & PROSPEROUS NEW YEAR!!

From our FaMiLy to YoUrs!!

A Short Visit…

2010-12-31T10:04:00.001-05:00

As others have said, I can’t believe it actually snowed 2 times this year!! Greg was already up when it started, but I had to wake up Ronnie…who’s first words were, “is it sticking to the ground?” I hated to tell him no, but I told him that maybe it would stick later on! They were not too excited about getting out there, but once it started coming down a little heavier, they headed outside. They insisted on going to the BARN because it might be sticking down there. LOL!! So, off we went…

“It’s not REALLY snowing…it’s just flurries!”

There may be 5 flakes in this pic!! LOL!

(side note…I am sooooo glad that my boys are NOT camera shy!! they can strike a pose anytime I have my camera in hand!!)

“I think I can catch this one!” Don’t know what it is about the tongue and snow!!

I just LOVE this picture of my little

“SNOW ANGELS”!!