Sunday, November 25, 2007

obx

we were fortunate to spend out thanksgiving break at one of my favorite places, the outer banks of nc. for those of you not familiar with the area, let me just tell you it's home to long stretches of gorgeous beaches, the cape hatteras lighthouse, orange blossom apple uglies, and (this year) some huge, blood-sucking mosquitoes!

we enjoyed 70 degree temperatures until friday when a nor'easter blew in & dropped the temperature twenty notches and brought some howling winds that made even the toughest fishermen seek shelter in their trucks.

here are a few of the area & family & other friends we got to spend time with this week.

sunrise



lots of dirty feet all week long!



a new friend



having fun



molly gets a walk



while we were there, the "H" family wanted a few family shots with allllllll the grandkids....

here's grandpa & luke ( the favorite child!!)



miss "g"



"s" & her daddy



finally, the whole posse....



Friday, November 16, 2007

shhhhhhhhh!! it's a surprise

last weekend i got to be a part of a sweet surprise.

now, it's not the first time that i've had someone contact me wanting pictures as a gift for someone, but it is the first time 3 kids have, on their own, attempted to outsmart their parents, while their parents (unknowingly) were trying to mess up the surprise.

confusing? i know.

let's just say that these three gave their parents orders to "STAY AT THE MALL UNTIL YOU HEAR FROM US".



when they finally got rid of them, we got to work hopefully creating some images that mom & dad will treasure beyond their christmas morning reveal.

they are gorgeous kids!!!










the middle child...



the "baby"



the first born...


mom & dad, because i know they will eventually show you this, your kids are smart, polite, funny, and very, very thoughtful.



in other words, your kids rock!! and they love the two of you a lot!!!



thanks s, j, & v! hope they were surprised!!

Friday, November 9, 2007

family cars

when i was a little girl, my parents drove a grimy, yellow, ford station wagon. it was long and ugly, and i did not like it. it was not a "cool car".

it did however, have two really neat features.

the back section had 2 opposing seats that could fold up and create a perfect space for 2 little kids to ride

and

when those same seats were folded down, we three kids could pile a lot of blankets and pillows in the back, stretch out, and sleep on long road trips.

now keep in mind these were the days BEFORE mandatory seat belts ( much less airbags, mp3 players, DVD systems, and gps navigation systems in the car)

these were the days of cow poker, the abc sign game, and am radio!

we took many a trip to ocean isle beach and boone in that station wagon and my siblings and i slept through huge sections of i-85 and i-75 while mom booked it south on our way to disney world. most of my memories in that car are not of me, but of my family. for a station wagon is just that - a family car.

that station wagon was later replaced with a buick, i think, and after that a peugeot (aka "cujo"). every vehicle my parents brought into our lives obviously served a functional purpose, but also helped create and later chronicle a period in our family's history.

this week, memories of the station wagon came rushing back because of this :



the dodge truck pictured above was my brother-in-law's family's "station wagon". it belonged to their dad for the longest time, yet i know all of the boys have driven it on many occasions. it's hauled wood, trash, tools, you name it, but mostly it hauled kids.

appropriately it's called



when i saw it last weekend, i knew i wanted to somehow get it out from under that shed & pile all those "kids" into it.



the boys informed me it no longer started without lots of cajoling, so we just loaded everyone in as she was.



sure enough they all started talking about trips to campgrounds at myrtle beach and sleeping as their dad drove down the road. they complained about how uncomfortable it could get in the back, with 3 kids and everybody's stuff. but those complaints came with smiles.

for that old beat up dodge truck did the same thing for them that our for wagon did for my family. it became part of them.



we had our share of fights in that old wagon - a few wrestling matches actually, just as i'm sure the "o" kids did. and no, it was not an environmentally friendly vehicle or very good mileage. in hindsight, it probably was a dangerous vehicle to be in out on the open road - especially with three kids "unsecured" and wide open!

but it was also a great place for a family to continue to be a family - and to continue the great adventure that my parents had begun!

Sunday, November 4, 2007

trunk or treat

every halloween for the last 6 years or so, our church has hosted a trunk-or-treat for our kids and the kids in the community. this year we are finishing up a major building project that has drastically limited fellowship activities that take place at church.

fortunately, for trunk-or-treat, all you need is pavement, cars, kids of all ages in costume, and lots of candy!




here are a few ......

















our pastor and his family ;) costumes selected by the four year old!



my favorite football player of all time!







our resident trunk or treat king!!



and NO halloween would be complete without some head soaking bobbing for apples!





hope your halloween was filled with fun!