Tyler's Triathlon

Tyler competed in the 1st Annual Trifest for MS Triathlon this weekend!  He was challenged by a 200 yard swim, then went on to ride his bike for 6 miles, and then ran 1.1 miles!  Greg was able to stay with him for the entire event and cheer him on, however Tyler could have easily been awarded Most Encouraging and Thankful Participant as he thanked every volunteer and cheered on each participant he encountered!  The race was started by a woman Greg knows from school who battles MS, and the proceeds from this event are going to UAMS for MS research.  Thank you to PawPaw and Mary Ella for taking awesome pictures and  being there to celebrate with Tyler as he crossed the finish line!
WAY TO GO TYLER, WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!!

Beautiful Girls and Sweet Boys!!

 Kynzie and Nicholas at Easter...something seems backward here!

Tyler and Nicholas riding on my Mom's horse Katie


Most of these pics were taken at Alana's 15th Birthday party with the exception of the close-up of Alana and Elle which was taken this summer.  I am so thankful for Elle's and Alana's friendship and consider it such a blessing and gift from God that they were placed in Mrs. Drury's 5th grade homeroom class; they have been BFF's ever since.  I love the shots of them at the old train depot, which is an idea I got from Tina and Amber (thanks ladies)!

It's Good to be Back!

 Nicholas is fascinated with antique cars and trucks just like his Papa Noll.

 Greg and I on an overnight stay in Flippin, AR on the White River. 

 Tyler is on the far right...his last Rise and Shine :(

 Papa Noll and Nicholas riding in the 2nd Annual Independence Day Tractor Parade in St. Vincent.

 It was so hot, but Nicholas didn't want to get out of the '46 Chevy of my Dad's.  I remember riding home with Dad when he bought this truck in Conway. 

 Mom taking Nicholas for a ride on the lawnmower.  She is so sweet with the kids and always doing fun things with them.

Daddy and Nicholas giving Jack a much needed bath.


It has been so long since I have blogged that I am not sure if anyone will even think to check it!!  Things have been busy with the kids and school.  I will (hopefully) graduate this coming May.  Greg will soon be begin his 8th school year at Elm Tree, but this time as a 2nd grade teacher.  Alana is currently visiting Elle in Dallas and we are so thankful for her to be able to do so.  She will begin 10th grade in a few weeks which is so crazy.  She got her driving permit this summer and has been practicing quite a lot.  Tyler will start 5th grade (middle school) in a few weeks (crazy too)!  He is training for a triathlon (200m swim, 6 mi bike ride, and 1.1 mi run) on Labor Day weekend.  Nicholas will be 3 on September 7, and was potty trained this summer.  He is doing well and making sure we all have a good time.  The kids are all growing up and when I was a kid my parents told me how time go by so fast and now I understand.  We hope everyone is doing well!

We have a Walker!!

Nicholas began walking last week. At 11 months he took a few steps but nothing more. Last week he decided to take off. It is precious. Nicholas is doing new things every day, and continues to amaze us and make us laugh. He now points to things he wants, and by point, I mean he holds out his wrist, hand down and says "uh, uh". Greg's mounted deer is in Tyler and Nicholas' room and he wants to "pet" it when he wakes from his nap. There is also a snow globe from The Polar Express movie that lights up and has train sounds which Nicholas insists we play with after naps as well.

Last week I took him for a LOOOOONNNNGGGG walk while waiting for Alana to finish with youth choir. I took him on a street that has a fair amount of traffic (don't worry the cars go slow and there are sidewalks). He was in heaven! He loved watching all the cars and waved at them all. He was literally jumping up and down in his stroller and would look back at me several times and smile so big. We walk on our street every day, but hardly ever see a car, so this was a super treat!

Alana is still involved in church activities and taking guitar lessons. She is having a hard time adjusting to Elle's move, and has good days and bad. She is really growing up and it's so sad to see my little baby looking more like an adult than a child.

Tyler finished soccer this past weekend-he is glad and we are too. He did not like going to practice or games. Last season as well as this one, some kids told him that their team was losing because of Tyler. The coaches talked to the boys about sportsmanship and playing as a team, but I hate Tyler had to experience that. He has recently started going to the BMX track in Lowell. It is so cute to watch him go over the big hills. He raced a couple of weeks ago and felt so blessed to have Grammy, PawPaw, and the whole Abide Family. Thank you so much for coming, it meant a lot to Tyler!!

And finally, in August we had our pics taken I've posted some of my favorites.

It's been a while!

Alana, Rae (guitar instructor), Elle

How can he sleep like that?

Tyler and Ashlynn McCarthy at the Joe Martin Stage Race

We are enjoying summer, especially now that everyone is home! Nicholas loves having so many people to entertain him!

Nicholas had his 9 month check up in early June. He weighed 17lbs. 5oz. and was 26" tall. He is a busy little guy and never sits still. He pulls up on everything and everyone, and is starting to stand very briefly and very unsteady, but it is so sweet to see him growing. I love it!

Tyler has been enjoying sleeping in and playing with his friend who lives on our street. They had a gatorade stand last evening and a coffee stand this morning, it was adorable! They both worked hard setting and cleaning up. The neighbors dropped by to support the boys.

Alana finished her guitar lessons for this semester and will resume again in the fall. She has been reading the Twilight Saga and is almost finished with the last book. She wants me to read them too, but I'm only on the first one. She started the series last Thursday, which means she has been reading almost nonstop for a week. It's cute.

Greg and I have been working on the house which seems to be an endless project. Ah the joys of being a homeowner!

Beautiful Sunrise

Yesterday morning I had the privilege of driving Alana to Elm Tree to watch Greg's Rise-n-Shine. On the way, we got to see a beautiful sunrise, the colors were amazing and mixed with the clouds, made for an even better scene. As I was thanking God for the day and all the wonderful people I love, Amazing Graze started playing on the radio. That made me think of Grandma Cawein, and I just had to smile. This was her sunrise for us! And I knew she would be watching Greg's performance at school as well. What a wonderful way to start the day!
Greg's Rise-n-Shine was awesome! The kids knew all their parts and we loved watching Daddy dance with them!
On Sunday Alana played for the first time in the Youth Praise Band at church. Their band is called Sanctity. She played the guitar and did an awesome job.
Tylerbegan soccer practice last week and had a great time. A ball was kicked and hit Tyler in the side of his stomach. He didn't act like it hurt at the time, but when we got home he was showing us his injury. He said "Look, my waist is pushed in"! Obviously it was just the natural curve of his waist he was referring to. He is fine PawPaw, don't worry! He has been playing soccer at recess every day and is so excited for his next practice tonight.

New Stats

Nicholas had his 6 month check up yesterday. He weighs 14.3 lbs. and is 25.2". The doc said Nicholas is perfect (we already knew that)! Tyler and Alana went to the appointment as well. Tyler wanted to be there for the shots so he could help Nicholas feel better, and he did an amazing job. Alana fell asleep during the appointment as she has not been feeling well. Her allergies have been flared up since the warmer weather arrived. On the way to the appointment, Tyler began laughing hard, he was unable to stop, and it was so funny that Alana and I started laughing too. All of a sudden Nicholas let out a big wail-which made us laugh even more. I suppose Nicholas didn't think we were funny at all.
Over the weekend Grammy and PawPaw came for a visit, they arrived Saturday evening as Tyler and I were having a light dinner. Tyler was having peanut butter and I had celery with my peanut butter. Tyler told PawPaw that peanut butter is good for you because it has lots of propane! It's so funny how words can get misinterpreted.