The Tucker Family

Christmas Pictures

2009-01-16T12:10:00.000-08:00

Our Little Joseph

2008-12-21T13:40:00.000-08:00

Last week Gaines had a Christmas program at school. I think it was one of the most precious things I've ever witnessed! Gaines was a fabulous Joseph! He and Mary made a very sweet couple. The class sang Christmas carols and acted out the coming of Christ. I hope to never forget this special Christmas memory.

These are Gaines' best buddies...Nicholas and Christian

Here are Gaines wonderful teachers...Mrs. Babbit and Mrs. Holbert

November

2008-12-03T11:57:00.000-08:00

Here is a picture of our friend Jonathan with our two kiddos. They love Jonathan and his wonderful wife Heather. J&H had their own precious baby this past week...welcome Nathan Scott Williams!

Little baby girl has FINALLY started to crawl! We were starting to get worried...but, she DOES have a lot of weight to carry around:) I took her to the Dr. today- 95% for length, 90% for weight. Gotta love those fat legs!
Gaines loves to hold Ana- although, in this pictures SHE looks bigger than HIM:)
We had such a great trip to Michigan for Thanksgiving. It went by way too fast. The rest of the pictures are from our trip.
Here is Linc, Gaines and Ana in Nana and Papa's tub.
Nana got the children matching PJs.
When we got to Battle Creek (the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving) I took Ana to the baby class. Once I got her in her seat, there were five babies sitting at the table...all cousins! It was so sweet. The best part was finally getting to meet Braylon (Amanda and Drew's little boy) and Maeley (Josh and Marcie's little girl). At the end of this post I included a short little video clip of all the babies at the table.
Aunt Erin with Maeley.I love these girls!Cousin Taelor with the chubs.
Lincoln, Ana, Mya
The whole fam...even Brandon, who successfully suprised us!

Bible class with the baby cousins.

Halloween

2008-11-13T11:36:00.001-08:00

October

2008-10-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

A couple weeks ago we were eating lunch and Gaines noticed there were horses in our yard...this happens a couple times a year. It's always sort of funny to see them just roaming around doing their thing.Ana is still not moving forward, but she does do a little scoot backwards. I was cleaning the kitchen and peaked in to check on her and I found her like this. She had backed herself right under the couch.
The following pictures are from our trip to Nashville and Searcy.

While in Nashville we did our annual pumpkin carving contest with the Tuckers. Here are the kiddos working on their pumpkins.

Molly and Gaines
Family Picture
Karley, Molly and Tuck

Ana has a thing for sticking out her tongue.
We went to Will's High School reunion this month...Ana couldn't quite make it through the afternoon.
Uncle Brandon was nice enough to come visit us twice while we were in Nashville.
Chunko

We went to the zoo with the Cromwell kids like we often do. I miss having a zoo so close!

One day while we were in Nashville the kids and I went to spend the day with my friend Brandy and her kids. Ruby was so funny with Ana. She so badly wanted to hold her EVERY second!
We also had lunch with our friend Chris Anne and her kids Campbell and Andrew.
Gaines and his buddy Campbell.
Uncle Drew had Gaines squealing and screaming and running around like a crazy man.
So sweet.
If you didn't know it before, this picture proves it...Pops is REALLY flexible!
The crew we took to Harding.
Me and my babe.
We always LOVE getting to see Ali!
Dane, Hannah, Maia, and Josiah (Alli Kate was sleeping during this picture)
Dane and Hannah just recently got baby chickens...Gaines was pretty intrigued.

Catching Up

2008-10-01T10:31:00.000-07:00

Well, I've done it again, let way too long pass before posting! Here are some pics from the last couple months...

Brandon came to visit before he started his residency in KY. It is so funny to take him hiking- Will always choses to take him places you can go swimming too. Brandon's reactions to cold water are priceless! I think he had fun after he got over the shock:)

Ana is sitting up really well now. It is so nice to be able to put some toys on the floor and get something done in 10 min. increments.

Gaines found one of our head lamps recently and has had the best time building caves to use it in!

Believe it or not, Gaines started pre-school this fall! He really loves it. We had our first parent-teacher conferences yesterday and it made us feel really old! The teacher said Gaines is a friend to everybody (just like his daddy).
The following three pictures were taken at Sonya and Erik's. Ali and I met up with them in Knoxville a few weekends ago. We had the BEST time and Ana got lots of lovin'.

Ana is eating solids now and gets really eager as soon as I sit her in her booster. Her rolls show she isn't lacking nurishment!
Recently Will sold his road bike and used the $ to get a trampoline. The kids are loving it, but Will is having more fun than anybody. He is truly a kid at heart...probably why he makes such a good Youth Minister.

Ana is NOT crawling yet...not even close. Fine by me. Instead, she kind of rocks on her belly doing a super man move. Here's a clip...

2008-08-27T11:51:00.000-07:00

This was the Third now annual Tucker Family Vacation. The Tuckers vacationed in Gulf Shores a lot when the kids were young, but I had never been. We had such a great time! The pool was great, the beach was awesome (although a few days the waves were so big we weren't allowed to swim), and the restaurants were fun (we went to Lamberts- home of the thrown roll, and to LuLu's right on the water...best Fried Green Tomatoes EVER!). Gaines had so much fun with his cousins that he was in tears when we had to leave.

These three were inseparable!

No swimming!

For those of you who don't know, Will's mom had a major back surgery in the spring. The surgery was done to straighten out a severe curve in her back. She now has a lot of hardware in her back...two rods and 23 screws! Needless to say, she has been quite uncomfortable! We are so glad she was able to come on the trip, although she wasn't able to do everything she's used to. Please pray for her healing to continue.
Ana was such a water baby...she loved the pool!

All the guys went golfing, even Gaines and Tuck.Friday everyone besides HB, Ana and me took a boat out to the gulf.. They saw dolphins, jumped off the boat and caught all kinds of little minnows- actually, Will caught a pretty good sized catfish in his net.

Lamberts was definitely one of the trip highlights. Here is Gaines eating a real frog leg...eewwhh!

This is a clip of the swimming triangle. Gaines started out swimming full time with a life jacket and by the end of the week he was jumping off the side and swimming quite a ways with out help. The next Phelps!

Visitors

2008-08-27T06:36:00.000-07:00

When Will took a group of kids from the youth group to Memphis my parents and Grandpa came to keep the kids and me entertained. My Grandpa had never been to our house so we were very honored that he made the long trip. He and Gaines bonded very well! It was so funny to see Gaines interact with him just as I remember doing as a little kid. He still uses all the same lines, all the same little jokes, and they still work!

Gaines and Daddy having too much fun!

2008-07-11T05:46:00.000-07:00

Brandon and my parents went in on a soccer goal for Gaines' birthday. He has LOVED it. Sometimes putting on his cleats first thing in the morning. Yesterday I went outside to find the boys practicing their celebration dance. Later in the day Gaines asked to go outside (While Will was gone) - he decided he needed to practice his victory lap again. I think he was having a bit too much fun. He's crazy!

Journey to Michigan

2008-07-10T05:47:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it! The kids and I are back home from our journey to Nashville then to Michigan. The kids did so well traveling and I am grateful to all those who were kind to us at the airport. I encourage all of you who are reading this to keep an eye out for mothers traveling with kids by themselves...help them! On the way home we sat next to a guy who is in the army and is stationed where Brandon will be, although he is leaving for Iraq soon. He was so friendly to Gaines. The poor guy was trying to read a book the whole flight but Gaines kept talking his ear off. It was pretty funny- I think he got a kick out of Gaines. Anyway, we are home safe and thankful for a safe and fun trip. Marcie and Josh's shower was really nice. They got some awesome gifts! We can't wait to meet Maeley!

Morgan and Ana thoroughly enjoyed their first swim!

Forget the pool, where are the donuts?

We went to the zoo or as Gains calls it...the gazoo with the Cope kids. They were all so good with Gaines and Ana.

Gaines loves his GG.

Ana and her Grandpa Leeser

Forrest, Brooke, Taelor, Ana and Gaines

Aunt Tina (my Dad's sister) and Gary flew in from Oregon to spend some time with the fam. It was so great to see her!

One afternoon Andrew, Linc, my Dad, Gaines and I took a little trip over to friend's lake.

Lincoln is such a sweet boy. He seems like a deep thinker...always studying everything he sees. He is sure to be a smarty pants like both his parents:)

My sweet girl!

My Little Helper

2008-06-16T06:35:00.000-07:00

This past week I made our friend Tiera a birthday dinner. Gaines helped me with dessert...here's a clip of him assisting me in the kitchen:)

Missions Camp

2008-06-14T17:38:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we spent some time in Jellico because Will was helping Steve Meeks with Missions Camp. There were 12 campers who attended (one of them our very own Emily Blake). The camp is specifically held for those who are seriously interested in missions. Kevin Bryan (producer of the H2O videos) came to help show the campers how to use media to reach the lost. The kids heard missionaries from around the world speak, were put through mock situations that missionaries encounter, ate foods from many countries and produced 8- 30 sec. commercials featuring the Celebrate Recovery program that are being shown on TV in both Tennessee and North Carolina. We really enjoyed being involved. The videos they made will soon be posted on the web at www.jellicoCR.com

Hannah and Ana fell asleep together for nearly two hours, it was so cute.

Gaines had an absolute blast playing with Josh while we were there. Josh is nearly seven and Gaines had to work pretty hard to keep up with him. Most the time they were running around outside or jumping on the trampoline, but one afternoon they decided to have their own tea party! They thought they were pretty cool getting to have their own meal together. They invented a new specialty dish...almond soup.

Josh's older brothers all sell puppies to help earn money for their college tuition. Currently they have 15 pups!
Ana thinks she needs one.

The first day the campers arrived the staff turned the church building into an airport in Africa. Will fully enjoyed harrassing the kids.

Monday afternoon Donna fixed a West African lunch of black peas, rice and a VERY spicy tomato sauce. She wrapped Ana onto my back and had me join the women in serving the meal. This is a common sight in Kenya.

Because Josh is the youngest of five, he has never gotten to experience being the big brother, and he would be a good one. He loved holding Ana and asked to do so about every 15 minutes!

This is a picture of Curtis. He has overcome a chemical dependency through the Celebrate Recovery Program. He says that it is only through his new found relationship with Jesus Christ that it was possible for him to get off drugs.

Here is Kevin shooting one of the commercials. Emily is in the pink.

2008-06-01T05:14:00.000-07:00

Last weekend our family headed out to "the holler"... seriously, that's what it's called! Will met a guy at a youth minister's lunch who is starting up a Christian camp on his family land. He invited our family out for dinner and a worship service- located in a barn on campus. Gaines had the best time playing with the other kids and Will had the best time rolling down the hill in a big tractor tire! It was pretty funny- watch the clip below!

Ana's 3 Month Pics

2008-05-31T07:39:00.001-07:00

Melissa came over a couple weeks ago and took some "three month" pictures of Ana. While she was here she took some family pics too...here are some of the cute ones.

Brandon is now officially Dr. Leeser!

2008-05-31T07:18:00.001-07:00

After four long years Brandon has graduated from Detroit Mercy as an official dentist! We are all very proud of him. My parents threw a big party for him at my Uncle Terry and Aunt Peg's house in Franklin. Ana and I were there for four days and had such a great time visiting with everyone...especially cousin Lincoln and Ana's new cuz Mya.

April and May Photos

2008-05-13T04:51:00.001-07:00

I realized that I haven't updated the blog since EASTER! I am getting in a slump again...so here are a bunch of random photos since then. They start from most recent. Ana is getting more and more personality and Gaines continues to be so sweet to her.

Easter

2008-04-08T12:26:00.001-07:00

Gaines Gym Party

2008-03-19T11:02:00.000-07:00

Gaines celebrated his 3rd birthday this past weekend at Olympia Gymnastics (the gym he goes to every Tuesday) with about 10 of his friends. They stretched, they jumped, they swang, they ran and they laughed...oh, and ate chocolate cake (Gaines favorite part)! Here's Gaines and his best buddy, Charlie!
Addy and Hayla enjoyed the cake as well:)
I made something like this for our Super Bowl party, and Gaines requested it for his party.

Gaines getting all stretched out for class.

Charlie had his birthday party out at camp the next day.

He was so excited about the fishing pole Gaines got him that he carried it around with him for the rest of the party...even dragging it with him up the huge wall and down the slide! What a funny kid.

Spit up and Smiles

2008-03-19T10:47:00.000-07:00

Well, little Ana has had a hard week. She has been dealing with some pretty severe (and disgusting) projectile spit-up. We took her to the Dr. and he thinks it is either reflux or phyloric stenosis (not sure how to spell it)...which would require surgery. Please be praying that the medicine he prescribed for reflux will work in a hurry! The Dr. said if it doesn't work within a few days we will need to consult a pediatric surgeon. Besides the tummy issues the little girl is doing great. She is still putting on weight and she has started showing off her smile. It's so much fun when they start showing a little personality!

2008-03-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

Will and Gaines have been busy fishing and "beaver trapping" the last couple days. Carl (owner of Camp Highlander) called Will last week and said he had a beaver problem again. A few years back Will had trapped two beavers for him that had been making their home under the slide in the pond. It must seem like a great place to build because it's happening again. So, Will and his little helper went out there and while they were there ended up spending the WHOLE dayfishing. Gaines had so much fun- he even held the worms and the fish in his hands (which is a really big deal bc typically Gaines doesn't like to touch anything questionable). We bought Gaines' little buddy Charlie a fishing pole for his b-day, so hopefully the two little guys can have some fun together this spring and summer reeling in some "big ones."

Here's Ana all bundled up to go outside with her big brother.

The Cromwell's came last weekend to see their new cousin...Molly was hillarious- you have to watch that girl EVERY SECOND:)

Tucker loved holding Ana

A girl in the youth group made this little hat for Ana

This is the sling my mom found at a craft show. It has come in VERY handy. Ana falls right asleep everytime I put her in it.

SONYA AND ALI TO THE RESCUE!

2008-02-22T08:18:00.000-08:00

Well, reality has struck...all my help is gone! AHHHH!!! I have been so blessed to have so many people come and help out since Ana's arrival. Gaines has been spoiled with 'round the clock attention and now the "adjusting" has begun. I wont lie...it has been kind of hard, but so awesome at the same time. I am trying to enjoy this time instead of just survive! I've posted some pictures from this last weekend - spent with Sonya and Ali, who I am so grateful for. Will was at Winterfest with 50 of our kids (and parents) this weekend, so I was glad to have these special friends come to our rescue while he was gone!

New Pics of Ana

2008-02-13T06:19:00.000-08:00

Ana Faith Tucker

2008-02-06T05:40:00.000-08:00

Well, she's finally here! We are so thankful for all of your prayers...the Lord has blessed us! Monday went as smoothly as it possibly could have. Will and I headed to the hospital at 6, walked in the door at 7, I was induced at 8:10, my Dr. broke my water at 12:45 and then little Ana entered the world at 3:33! Well, actually, I can't say "little Ana"...she was a whopping 9lb 7 oz and was 21 inches long! She has the chubbiest cheeks I've ever seen on a baby, her face is still a bit swollen, we're interested to see what she'll look like when all the swelling goes down. Her round face looks so much like Gaines' did, but her hair is what suprised us all- a full head of black hair! Gaines wasn't so sure what to think about seeing me all hooked up to machines and lying in the hospital bed, it was a bit upsetting to him, but once we got into the mother baby room he really warmed up to Ana. He is going to be such a helpful big brother! Again, thank you for all of your prayers. We are so grateful to have so many family and friends to check in on us...Y'all are much appreciated!

Our Little Cowboy

2008-01-25T11:40:00.000-08:00

Over Thanksgiving William (Will's Dad) gave Gaines his old cowboy get-up. Gaines just recently found the bag of treasures and insisted he put it all on. Will got him all geared up this morning, spurs and all. He's quite the natural. We love having a little boy!

Poor Buddy

2008-01-25T11:36:00.000-08:00

Gaines and I both have learned that potty training can be a full time job. It consumed much of our day yesterday. Can anyone explain to me how some days everything can go so smoothly...and other days not so good? I thought he had this potty thing down, but I guess we still have a ways to go...although, today has been much better:)

I'm giving this another go...

2008-01-14T17:25:00.000-08:00

For many of you this blog may come as a shock, you thought I had totally given up on blogging altogether (seeing how my last blog was in JULY!!!) I can't make any promises about future blogging, but I thought I'd post some pictures from Christmas. Will, Gaines and I started out on Dec. 20th and didn't make it back to the mountains until January 5th! We made stops in Jellico TN, Grand Rapids MI, Battle Creek MI, Chicago IL, Nashville TN, and Atlanta GA. I wanted to kiss my floor when we got home! It was a great trip, so wonderful to catch up with everyone, spend some quality time with family and we REALLy enjoyed the youth ministers conference in Atlanta- but being just 3 weeks from my due date with little baby girl (oh yeah... for those of you who check this randomly and didn't know, we are due to have a baby on January 30th!) I was really ready to get out of the car! Anyway, here are some pics from the trip...starting with a picture of my cousin Arriane and her new hubby Victor:)

Wendy (with baby Morgan), Erin (with baby Lincoln) and Katie (with baby Owen)
Me, my huge belly and my beautiful cuz Marcie (who Lord willing will be adopting a baby from Vietnam this spring...we are sooooo excited for her and Josh)

My sweet Grandpa Leeser

This was hillarious- Gaines' first snowman, whenever we ask him about building the snowman he says his favorite part was throwing snowballs at Papa while making it.

Will and Lincoln

Andrew, GG (holding Linc), Nana and Erin

The three pregos

Christmas Morning- too much excitement for Linc

Gaines wailing on his new drum set- compliments of Uncle Andrew and Aunt Erin

Brandon with his nephews (Brandon is only months away from being an official Dentist!)

The cutest boys on the planet:)

Gaines only asked for one thing from Santa...here's evidence that Santa was listening!

Erin and Lincoln

The cold didn't bother Gaines a bit when he was out there sledding- he was shivering and his face was bright red, but he just kept saying, "let's do it again."

Gaines got some practice being a big brother- he was very sweet to his new cousin. I hope the sweetness continues as the next couple weeks will bring him his own baby sister to love on.

The Garden

2007-07-23T11:28:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures of the garden. We planted back in early May and have really had fun watching everything grow...and eating fresh produce! The garden ended up being about twice the size we had originally planned- but it gave us room to plant A LOT of veggies: corn, okra, carrotts, squash, zuccini, green pepper, tomatoes, watermelon, pumkin, lettuce and beans! It got a little unruly the weeks we were out of town, but it's still growing things, so we're fine with it. I didn't want to bore you with pictures of everything, but I put up a few before and after pics.

We may have over done it with the beans...we'll be giving lots of these away.

This is our one and only watermelon, but it's coming along nicely!This is one of three squash plants...we've ate our weight in squash and zuccini this summer.

A Weekend With the Girls

2007-07-12T09:03:00.000-07:00

The first weekend in June I got to meet up with Sonya and Ali in Nashville. It was so great to spend time with such close friends. They helped me enertain Gaines at the pool and at the zoo...then Will's mom took over with my buddy so I could have some much needed girl time. I just wish I could see these two more often.

Charlie

2007-07-12T08:42:00.001-07:00

It's been over a month since Charlie's been to our house...he has a full time nanny at camp this summer. Every couple weeks or so we go out to camp to visit him. He is the star of camp! He's only three, but you would think he owned the place. Every kid on camp knows him and chases him around, he's best friends with the life guards and well, everybody. It's pretty funny. These are some pictures we took the last day we had him. We took the boys over to Dupont (about 20 minutes from us). They had a blast!

Nana, Papa and GG

2007-07-12T08:30:00.001-07:00

Back in May my parents and grandma came to visit for a few days. Gaines got to show my dad around who hadn't seen our house yet. He showed them all how he can drive his gator all by himself, our new garden, and walked them around downtown Hendersonville after filling his face with his favorite treat...chocolate ice cream!

Camping with the Meeks

2007-05-14T12:05:00.000-07:00

We spent the first weekend in May camping with the Meeks family. Will and I stayed with them in Jelico, TN back in the fall. They spend their time ministering to and serving the families in the community. Before they moved to Jelico, they were missionaries in Africa for 15 years. Needless to say, they are very inspiring to Will and I, and we just completely try to soak in all their advice for the ministry and child training. They are amazing parents and great servants in the Kingdom. We hope to share a lot of these camping trips with them in the future. We are taking our youth group to stay with them in Jelico the third week in June. I know all our kids will greatly benefit from the experience! We are so thankful that the Lord has blessed us with these new friends. This is a picture of Gaines in the tent. He thought the whole tent experience was the greatest thing ever! He especially loved wrestling in the tent. The funniest thing of the whole trip was Friday night when I brought him into the tent to put on his PJs. After I changed him he said, "mommy, you go out there and I'll sleep in here." I repeated what he said to make sure I was hearing him right. He said , "yeah." So, I gave him a flashlight and told him to turn it off when he was ready to go to sleep. I walked over to the camp fire and told Will what happened. We couldn't keep from laughing as we continued to look over at the tent for the next 10 minutes or so watching the light of the flashlight wind around the tent. We checked on him a few times, but before long the glowing light slowed down and eventually stopped. He was asleep! Our two year old put himself to sleep in a tent by himself in the dark...in the middle of the woods. Does this seem strange to anyone?!

This is Hannah and Donna fixing the veggies for dinner...everything taste 10x better roasted over a camp fire. They were delicious!

Our little fisherman.

Thursday night we ate steaks, drank Chai and chated around the campfire. Everything was great until the drizzle set in. I love camping, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHY IT ALWAYS HAS TO RAIN WHEN I GO!!!

This is Josh and Ben...our firewood collectors. They were quite the outdoorsmen.

Here is a picture of the Elk. We camping in Cataloochee. It's about an hour and 15 minutes from us. They reintroduced elk back into the area several years ago and now they roam around nearly like pets.

The boys watching the elk.

Here we are roasting "snake biscuits." A new camping treat we learned from the Meeks. Wrap biscuits around a stick, roast 'em and then sprinkle powdered sugar on 'em...mmmm!

Josh and Gaines were "fishing" in the puddles, Gaines would pull up his stick and say, "got a big one!"

Josh tought Gaines how fun puddles can be!

Yah gotta love the comfort of wet sweat pants...cozy.

Nashville

2007-05-14T11:39:00.000-07:00

At the end of April we went to Nashville for the weekend. Andrew and Erin had flown in as well. (By the way...they just found out that they are having a boy! She's due September 26...yeah!!!) Anyway, we got to see those two and the whole Tucker, Cromwell, Townsend clan. The highlights of the trip were Tucker and Karley's soccer games. If you haven't ever seen three year old playing soccer- you are really missing out! Below is a picture of Molly ( who wasn't feeling so hot). She has really grown since our last visit...she's walking all over the place.

Charlie and Gaines

2007-05-14T11:26:00.000-07:00

The joy of Potty Training...
The park...our second home!

Meet Al. Al's mom (Ella) is Charlie's pony. He's pretty spunky for only being a couple days old!

Easter

2007-05-14T11:07:00.000-07:00

Gaines had a fairly boring easter egg hunt due to the crummy weather on Easter. He didn't know any better though...in fact, he thought it was pretty cool that there were eggs all over the living room. In the coming days I would catch him with chocolate all over his face and fingers as he had once again gotten into the eggs. He learned to climb whatever he needed to in order to get into that basket of chocolate paradise! I'd laugh and ask him what he was eating and he'd smile and say, "chockit...I want moooore." I think Mae Mae passed down her choclate taste buds to ol' Gaines.

The Big Island

2007-04-02T11:13:00.000-07:00

Well, as expected, Hawaii was AMAZING! We had such a great time...awesome weather (for the most part) an incredible place to stay and some pretty spectacular scenery...good company too! The week went by WAY too fast and the plane rides there and back WAY too slow:) Gaines did great considering he spent about 12 hours on a plane both ways! It was worth it because he got to spend some quality time with his uncles and aunt. However, all he really wanted to do was play with nana and papa...he didn't even really let Will or I play with him that much- in fact, we kind of missed him! Anyway, the following pictures will give you an idea of how beautiful is was. I didn't take too many pictures because Brandon bought a SWEET camera before the trip, so we designated him as our personal photographer and will be receiving all his pics before too long (hint hint Brandon)... Friday night Luau

Gaines Birthday party on the beach!

The little cove in the picture below was one of our favorite snorkeling spots...tons of fish and turtles!

This picture was taken right before we went "whale watching." Apparently the whales were being stubborn that day because they sure didn't put on much of a show for us...although we did see a couple tails. The worst part was that my mom got "sea sick"... we all felt soooo bad for her!

The next 5 pictures were taken the day we were at the Volcanoe National Park. It was a really rainy day- that side of the island gets 280 inches of rain a year, the other side where we were staying only gets 10!

Gaines was pretty funny to watch at the beach- he was really into the sand, but not so much into the water. Although, he did think it was fun to drag a boogie board around.

Needless to say, I don't think any of us were quite ready to come home, but we are so thankful we got to go!

February Pictures

2007-02-26T10:17:00.000-08:00

Gaines taking his gator for a spinWe had our back yard leveled out last week so that Gaines would have a flat place to play, Charles Smith (a friend from camp) did the job for us and let Gaines "drive" the tractor

Mohawk Man...this is my new favorite way to style my buddy's hair!

Will and I got to take some girls from church to visit Harding this month. We got to meet up with a bunch of Harding friends. Here is Taylor Ross and his five year old son Dickson.

Saturday night we all went to the Bison Basketball game. Hannah bough Alli Kate some popcorn...Gaines found a good seat right next to them!

Alli Kate is a Bison fan and knows how to really break it down when the band would start to play. Gaines was watching her every move and picked up on it really quickly!

We stayed at Ali's parent's house, so she came home from Little Rock for the weekend. It was so good to see her! Ali said she was kinds of jealous of the competition Alli Kate was giving her for Gaines attention:)

A prince and his princess

Two very good daddies...Will and Gaines, Dane and Josiah

Dr. Justus made friends with Gaines very quickly!

Terrible picture of us...but I had to put one on here of Mom and Grandma (GG). Gaines and I flew up to Michigan for a few days. There was a terrible blizzard which made to whole trip crazy...but as always, it was worth it!

Papa took Gaines for a carousel ride at the mall. We couldn't play outside because it was -11 degrees

Gaines got to experience the Leeser tradition of Sunday night popcorn for the first time:) He's a fan

Gaines liked the new towel Nana got him, he kept saying, "Tiger...Rawr"

Gaines and I got stuck in Detroit one night due to the blizzard. Uncle Terry and Aunt Peg came to the rescue as always. They treated us like royalty! Brandon and his new pup Tela came and spent the night too. The next morning Brandon showed up his apartment and let Gaines feed his fish.

Aunt G and Uncle Drew

2007-01-26T07:58:00.000-08:00

Anna Grace and Drew made a trip here last weekend so Drew could join us on our youth group ski trip and G could watch Gaines so I could go too. We were honored that the newly weds made the trip over, and Gaines was thrilled to have his aunt and uncle to chase him around!

Ski Trip

2007-01-26T07:26:00.000-08:00

Well, we finally took advantage of the slopes just 45 minutes from here. We had16 kids from the youth group join us for a day of skiing and snowboarding at Cataloochie. Some of us knew what we were doing...some of us didn't! Drew (our new Brother in law) was kind enough to spend some time refreshing my memory about the whole snow plow technique...and then finally got me to cut back and forth across the mountain. It's been 10 years or so since my last experience, but this was definitely my best ski trip ever! I think everybody had a blast, and thank the Lord, no one got hurt- except the kid who went flying over the orange tape and dropped about 60 ft! I think he is doing okay though ( he was not part of our crew). Will is currently on the lookout for a good deal on a snowboard so he can make these trips more frequently!

Colby, Jared, Sarah, Ethan

The experts!

The snowboarders

The love birds:)

The New Obsession

2007-01-18T08:57:00.000-08:00

It seems like every couple weeks Gaines finds something new that he's just really into. Sometimes it's something he wears, sometimes it's something to do. For example...his crocks, his yellow boots, throwing sticks in the creek, shooting baskets, etc...Well, right now, his favorite thing to do is SLIDE!

Boone

2007-01-18T08:48:00.000-08:00

Up until now I haven't been able to get any good pictures of Boone staying still, so I've posted some I took yesterday. He really is a sweet pup. Will has been trying to work with him a few minutes a day on obeying- we still have quite a ways to go, but he is making progress.

Little Gym Graduation!

2007-01-17T10:59:00.000-08:00

Well, Gaines made it through his first semester of little gym. His biggest accomplishment is doing a forward roll all by himself! He is a machine! This last week he had to perform a few skills for the class to receive his medal...we were so proud...hah!This is Miss Sue singing the name song with the kids

The look of concentration...

Gaines hasn't quite mastered the bars yet, but you just can't be good at everything:)

We weren't sure if Gaines was going to go along with this one, but he rolled right on over that "hot dog"

His moment of glory!

Random Recent Pics

2007-01-08T10:48:00.000-08:00

This is Carol Whitiker's ( a camp neighbor) John Deere Tractor

One of the belgians at camp

Another John Deere

Gaines chasing Boone around the island

We are trying to break Gaines' habit of pulling Boone's tail!

Gotta have some rubber boots!

This is Gaines newest toy...friends from church passed it on to him recently

I've been taking Gaines and Charlie to a nearby park lately, here they are with their walking sticks about throw them in the creek

The boys love riding this little car outside the grocery store. In this picture Charlie is yelling "go Gaines, go!"

The Tucker-Townsend Wedding

2007-01-08T10:16:00.000-08:00

Well, it's over...and it went just perfectly! Anna Grace did an exceptional job planning this wedding- there isn't anything she could possible be unhappy with- it was beautiful! The children did very well too- Gaines held Tucker's hand while walking down the isle...he was just looking around at all the people, kind of puzzled about what was going on. When he saw Will, he did say, "Hold You"...but Ali cut him off but swooping him up and stuffing a fruit snack in his mouth:) Karley was concentrating so hard on throwing flowers that she nearly walked right into Will, but he turned her to sit down on the pew...it was all very cute. Will was honored to get to welcome all the guests, say a prayer and then ask William who was giving the bride away. William did the ceremony, and I was so thankful I was able to read it before the actual event, or else I would have been balling! It was a very special day...and Anna Grace could not have been more beautiful...and I guess Drew looked alright too:) Tucker and Gaines practicing

The Bride and Groom at the rehearsal dinner

Belle, Anna Grace and Will

The proud parents

I wish I had more pictures of G in her dress...it was gorgeous! The veil was first worn by her Aunt Margret Ann and then worn by her Aunt Maggie and then by her mom.

Me and my little amish boy:)

Gaines and his daddy

The Tucker, Cromwell, Townsend Clan

Christmas

2007-01-03T18:03:00.000-08:00

Christmas was interesting this year...fun, but full of coughs and itching (see poison ivy blog below). The Tuckers are done with all of their remodeling (their house looks amazing), so we were able to stay with them. However, Santa decided to drop Gaines' gift off at the Cromwell's (Will's sister's house), so we had Christmas morning there. Gaines loves his toolbench- although I' m starting to tire of the constant drilling that now goes on most the day at our house:) Harriet Belle made a killer breakfast- and then we spent the day watching Babes in Toyland and working puzzles. That evening Will, G, Drew and I went "spotlighting" and saw some monster bucks. We're such rebels. Anyway, we really enjoyed family time, and get to go back this weekend for G and Drew's Wedding! All the cousins in their Christmas PJs

Molly on her zebra

Gaines and his new tool bench

The boys checking out their stockings

Karley was a bit tired from all the excitement

Those were some awesome Christmas cookies!

POISON IVY!!!

2007-01-02T17:52:00.000-08:00

Do you recognize this person? For some reason this disfigured person's picture showed up on my camera around Christmas time. Oh wait...it's me...Will think's I'm brave to put this picture on the internet, but I think it is too funny to be kept to myself! The funny thing is, this is when it really wasn't too bad...it got much, much worse! Thank the Lord, I have healed from the poison ivy trauma- it couldn't have come fast enough. It was quite a humbling experience.

Thanksgiving in Michigan

2006-12-30T17:03:00.000-08:00

Another blog way over due....We went to Michigan for Thanksgiving and had a great visit with the family- Everybody was home, including two new puppies! We were spoiled this year because we got to have both sides of the family together in one place for Thanksgiving instead of hopping between houses. Gaines had such a great time...especially with his nana and papa!

Hopefully mom wont care that I included a PJ shot, but I just love this picture! Gaines is saying cheese...his "cheese" pose has become an underbite grin instead of a smile for some reason!
Maddox is getting so big, Uncle Mikey and Aunt Amanda were especailly happy to see him!

Uncle Andrew and Aunt Erin

Uncle Brandon

Another crazy grin with papa

Grandma Leeser

This is Brooke and Tedo (Drew and Amanda's new pup)...Gaines was his biggest fan!

Rudy Girl

2006-11-21T04:58:00.000-08:00

For those of you who haven't heard...we lost our little girl last week. We had dropped Rudy off at camp when we went to Orlando. Shortly after returning from Orlando we left for Tennessee to plan a mission trip for this summer. It was on our way to Tennesse that we got the call. Bruno's owners (Bruno was Rudy's boyfriend and partner in crime at camp) called and said they had some bad news. A neighbor went walking that morning and found her on the side of the road (off of South Millls- the main road leading to camp). He seemed to think she didn't suffer. Although we are extrememly sad, we believe she lived the best five years a dog could live...she was very loved.

Gaines' First Trip to Disney!

2006-11-21T04:41:00.000-08:00

Our trip to Disney was planned with Mae Mae and Pops back in Nashville many months ago, yet it is amazing how quickly it came! It seemed like we hardly had time to think about it and then all the sudden we were on our way. It was a great break for the whole family. It was so good to spend time with Will's parents and Gaines just couldn't get enough of them. It's obvious that he misses them. We got to Orlando Sunday night very late, hopped parks for three days and then headed home on Thursday morning. We are so grateful for the time we had there. The following pictures were taken at our hotel. They had the cutest little play area- although I think Gaines and Will both about lost it on the spinning chairs!

Seaworld!

2006-11-17T10:34:00.000-08:00

Our first adventure in Orlando was heading to Seaworld. Gaines LOVED it! This dolphin show was really neat. Everything has improved greatly since I had been there (about 16 years ago). It wasn't just dolphins doing tricks, it was a theatrical performance. The best part were the high divers dressed as birds.

Animal Kingdom

2006-11-17T04:39:00.000-08:00

Day two...the Animal Kingdom. We started out this day going on an African safari. Then we watched some tribal dancing. Gaines got into the music, clapping his hands and dancing. The best part of the day was watching the Lion King Show. It was VERY impressive...great music, dancing and acrobatic monkeys. The funny thing is in the midst of the loud music and bright lights...Gaines konked out. He was DEAD alseep through most of the show! After the show we went to see most of Africa and Asia and then it started to rain. We headed to the Animal Kingdom Lodge and checked out the animals there and had a FEAST of a dinner.

2006-11-17T01:18:00.000-08:00

This is a picture of the acrobatic monkeys. They were pretty amazing. Most of my photos from the Lion King show didn't come out because it was too dark. My cute buddy.
This is a picture of the Animal Kingdom Lodge. You can stand from your room's balcony and look out to the Savannah. There were giraffes, wildabeast, huge horned cows, etc.
This was taken the next day on the ferry ride over to the Magic Kingdom.
Gaines has been saying the word "NAAACK" (with a major northern accent) for quite a while now, we just recently found out he was saying "snack"...well, giving him a snack was the only way we could keep him in the stroller.

The Magic Kingdom

2006-11-15T11:15:00.000-08:00

This was our third day of touring parks and I was just waiting for Gaines to have a breakdown from being so tired. He proved himself to be even more of a trooper than we believed him to be. He just kept on rolling, and when he got tired he took himself a nap while Will and I took a ride on Space Mountain. Gaines' favorite pass time.
Walt Disney, Minnie Mouse and the Tuckers.
Gaines found a house just his size in Toon-town.
The Carousel was the best ride, with the shortest wait.
We went to a character lunch and Gaines wasn't sure what to think at first, but by the end of it he thought it was pretty funny and was giving pooh and his gang high fives and knuckles:)

Will and Gaines watching the parade.
Our little buddy just couldn't hang on any longer...
Gaines loves Mickey.

Teen Retreat

2006-10-30T10:54:00.000-08:00

This blog is way past due. We had the teen retreat in late October and it was a great success. The purpose of the weekend was to get our teens more comfortable with eachother and give them activities and opportunities to get to know eachother better. The setting couldn't have been any more gorgeous. The retreat was held at Josh and Stephanie's family cabin (Josh and Stephanie are friends from church) up at Linville Gorge. The girls got to stay in the nice cozy cabin and the guys had to rough it out doors. Josh and couple college students helped Will and I with team building activies, repelling and caving! The caving was way cooler than I ever expected. The whole thing went so well- we are greatful to the Lord for a safe and successful weekend!

The Little Gym

2006-10-19T06:28:00.000-07:00

Gaines has been going to the Little Gym every other week for a while now and boy does he love it...dad doesn't mind it either. We go Tuesday nights at 6:30- he gets to dance, shake bells, sing, run, do "forward rolls," hang on the bar (he hung by himself for the first time last week- I think his belly has kept him a step behind in that department!)...they practice following directions, social skills, and hand eye coordination. Gaines usually gets some flirting in too! I think his favorite part is when they get all the balls out and practive kicking or shooting...it's hilarious. My favorite thing to watch is all the kids trying to jump. Gaines scrunches down really far and then tries to spring into the air...usually he gets at least one foot off the ground.

As you can see by the expression on Will's face...Gaines is no feather weight!
Here they are all holding on to a stretchy rope - they run into the circle then stretch it way out, then practice following directions by running or walking or "freezing" while holding onto the rope...Gaines is slowly but surely catching on. It's a blast to watch him figuring all this out!

The Cromwell's Visit to the Sticks

2006-10-18T03:50:00.000-07:00

Well, they've already come and gone. We had been looking forward to the Cromwell's visit for a long time and it's already over! boo hoo. I think the hardest part of moving away from Nashville was leaving the cousins...and the free babysitting of course:) Gaines got to be so close to Tucker and Karley before we left that it was hard to leave. They didn't get in til 1:00am on Wednesday morning, but Karley was still up with sun! Gaines was grinning from ear to ear as soon as he saw her. It took a while for Tucker to start stirring, but once he did they were all live wires. Molly has grown substantually since we had last seen her. She slept in Gaines crib and when I walked into the room to get her she was standing up! It looked so strange because she's only 15 lbs and when Gaines was 15 lbs he was only 3 months!

Gaines 3 Favorite Things: Being outside, having a ball in hand and petting a dog

2006-10-18T03:38:00.000-07:00

These pictures were taken at Sarah Calvert's soccer game ( a girl from the yg). Gaines had the best time! He sat in his little camping chair screaming at the girls, "get it!" The crowd was getting a kick out of him. Of course he had to have his own soccer ball in hand at all times. The puppy belongs to a friend of the Calverts- cute isn't he?

Growing Like a Weed

2006-10-09T19:33:00.000-07:00

The other day I walked into Gaines' room while he was sleeping and as I watched him sleep I could see that it wouldn't be long before he wouldn't look anything like a baby sleeping in his crib- infact, it wont be too long before he will be out of a crib all together! So, I took some pictures, trying to capture the baby in the little boy that I see growing before my eyes. The other pictures are at a birthday party we went to that same day. Notice once again he has to have a ball in his hands at all times!.

Rachel Calvert and Josh Williams...FUTURE MILLIONAIRES!!!

2006-10-09T19:09:00.000-07:00

If you haven't been to a Dave Ramsey Live Event...you are missing out! Will and I went for our second time this Saturday. We knew what to expect because we've listened to him on the radio quite a bit and we've been to the event once before. However, it was quite funny watching everybody who hadn't been before and especially those that weren't too excited about going in the first place. You can't go to one of his events and leave unmotivated. He can definitely sell a crowd on debt free living...FREEDOM!!!

CHEETO HEAD!

2006-09-30T07:32:00.000-07:00

Will survived his first lock in last night. He is currently sleeping- has some catching up to do since he didn't come home until 9:00 this morning. For those of you who know Will very well, you know that this is a HUGE accomplishment for him to keep his eyelids open all night...I don't think I could do it- a sign of aging I guess. Anyway, we had about 40 kids and it seemed to be a great success. We pulled some "camp games" into the mix of games last night and had a "battle of the genders" competition. It was all tied up at the end so we had a tie breaker with a game called "cheeto head." It was quite entertaining. Gaines was screaming "go, go, go"...he really got into the excitement. The object was to get as many cheetos to stick to the shaving cream (that was piled on top of two team members heads) as possible within an alloted time. The girls won by two cheetos- we had some very dissapointed young men:) Gaines and I headed home after the games, but the rest of the gang spent the evening rollar skating, chowing on banana splits, playing video games, watching movies and playing cards. It sounds like everybody had fun, but I'm sure Will is glad this is a once-a-year event!The cheeto heads are now prepared to catch the cheetos
This is Sarah Calvert ready to aim and shoot her cheeto:)
It really takes some skill to toss a cheeto
the winners!
Gaines ready for bed

Our little neighborhood...plus some cute pictures of Gaines!

2006-09-28T10:45:00.000-07:00

Gaines cashed out on the couchGaines reading to Barclay
The back of our house
You can see the roof of our house in the middle of this picture
Here's the little creek that Gaines and Rudy stomp around in

Gaines and I walk up and down this street several times a day
This is the drive that winds up to our house
Gaines can't go anywhere without this ball...he has even been sleeping with it lately!

Continued...

2006-09-28T09:19:00.000-07:00

I couldn't fit these two pictures on my last post- so I'm tackin' em on... I LOVE pictures of Gaines sleeping. He fell asleep in Will's lap while at some friend's house. Have I mentioned how OBSESSED he is with his dad! I'll admit it makes me a bit jealous, but it's pretty cute. He has to do everything just like him- he'll watch how Will is sitting and then cross his legs or prop up his feet to be just like him. Tonight on the couch, Will was proping up his head with his elbow and Gaines tried to mock him- gotta be like dad...dad,dad,dad! Here is a picture of the front of our house from a distance- the one in the middle. No up close shots yet- we are living like red necks, our front porch is full of stuff- This week the construction begins as we build on a storage area and carport. It will be so nice to put everything away!

A Day at Camp...

2006-09-21T17:03:00.000-07:00

Well, the bad news is our camera broke...again! The GREAT news is, Best Buy said that because the camera was so old they didn't have the parts to fix it, so they gave us a credit that payed for a better camera, a memory card and a 4 year warrenty! No complaining here:) After picking out our new camera, we headed to camp for the afternoon. I dropped Rudy off yesterday to play with Bruno, and she came running as soon as we pulled in. Will showed Gaines how to skip rocks at the Mills River, we splashed around at the blob dock and got a chance to visit with Philip, Rhonda and their boys, Mason and Jordan for a while. They let us pick as much sweet corn as we liked...we came home with quite a bit. My new assignment is to come up with a good creamed corn recipe...Will's favorite!

Lake Hartwell

2006-09-16T18:10:00.000-07:00

Today we took the youth group to Lake Hartwell (2 hrs south of us in SC). A girl in a YG has a lake house there, and their sweet family invited us up for the day. It was perfect weather and everybody got a chance to get behind a boat...even Gaines.

Kitchen Fun

2006-09-16T18:01:00.000-07:00

Gaines and Charlie are loving their new kitchen set! Eva, our old neighbor from camp handed down her kitchen set to Gaines a couple of weeks ago...ever since Gaines and Charlie have been cooking up a storm. They have me sit in the little house and serve me up their finest dishes!

"No...Please..."

2006-09-11T08:47:00.000-07:00

Well, we had our first youth get together at our house last night. We had nearly the whole youth group show up and some parents. The guys played football in the yard (Gaines couldn't take his eyes of them), we ate tacos and had a devo. It was great weather and turned out to be a great night. Will rode his bike to work this morning, feeling the pressure to get in shape. Uncle Terry called and said he and Peggy are headed down this way in a couple of weeks and wants Will to be ready to ride! Hopefully we'll get some kayaking in too. Gaines is down for a nap now, but has been BUSY all morning. After breakfast this morning he brought me my shoes and went to the door, saying "outside." So, I tried to get him dressed but when I attempted to put on his pants, he wasn't pleased...He kept saying "No...Please...No" So, we headed outside with a t-shirt, jacket and crocs...who needs pants anyway. We took Rudy down to the creek, found a huge crawfish and took a ride on the mower. I don't think it will be long before he'll be cutting the grass by himself. He seems to know exactly what to do- scary!

Gaines' Trip to Michigan

2006-09-08T07:38:00.000-07:00

Grandpa and Grandma just couldn't take it anymore...they were having Gaines withdrawls! So, Gaines and I hopped on a plane fairly last minute to go visit the grandchild deprived grandparents for Labor Day weekend. Gaines did pretty well on the plane...making friends with everyone he met. His new thing is giving everybody "nuckles"...some found that to be pretty entertaining. Uncle Brandon picked us up late on Saturday at the Detroit airport. Brandon has recently returned from a pretty amazing mission trip to Honduras. He organized a group of medical and dental students from Detroit Mercy to meet up with a missionary dentist and other Honduran dental students. During their five day medical brigade, they treated around 3,000 patients in all. Brandon spent the majority of his time pulling teeth. I am so proud of him! Anyway...we headed to Battle Creek to meet up with everybody. We stayed in BC until Monday night and then headed to Grand Rapids for a few days. It was great to see everybody, but unfortunately the little man got pretty sick. Thank goodness for antibiotics...

Grandpa and the Dare Devil.

GG and a sick little boy!

I think this picture is so funny, bc Gaines resembles Dennis the Mennis!

Gaines wasn't sure about having three boys in the bath at once...it didn't take long before he was outa there!
J coaching Gaines...a scary thought!

Marc, Me and Danny

The proud Grandma!

Gaines Has Turned Country

2006-09-02T05:17:00.000-07:00

We've found that Gaines' favorite outfit these days is a diaper and his crocks. The first thing he mentions in the morning is his "shoes." He asks for them as I walk into his bedroom to get him out of the crib. They've caused a couple stumbles (notice the skinned knee) but he doesn't seem to mind. They're great for walking down to the creek with Rudy and splashing around.

To Share Or Not To Share

2006-09-01T08:56:00.000-07:00

Here are Gaines and Charlie, sitting around just cracking eachother up! They are pretty funny together...one moment doing very well as they practice their sharing skills...the next moment, not so good.

The Cowboys

2006-08-16T14:14:00.000-07:00

We are in our house! We had lots of help moving in and although we still have some boxes left we are starting to feel somewhat settled. We have been living on the front porch. It was so cool the other day...it was raining and Gaines could still play outside! He has a little house on the porch that used to be his buddy, Charlie's. He is obsessed with that house! He opens the shutters, throws all his balls through the window, then goes around to the front door, opens the door, gets the balls and starts the whole process over again. The view is pretty awesome, and as Sonya and I went for a walk yesterday morning we realized that we live right next to an enormous apple orchard. We were really enjoying our walk until a german shepard charged us! Anyway...we are really loving it. Will did a great job with VBS with lots of help. The kids head back to school this week and next. Will and our minister are doing a "prayer walk" next week. They'll go to all the kid's schools and pray over the administration and the kids. We went to camp today to visit rudy. She has lost a lot of weight. Will is putting in an electric fence tomorrow, we can't wait to have her back!

Gaines' First Kiss!

2006-08-04T19:11:00.000-07:00

Well, Gaines has had a pretty rough day. Two major spills...one down a couple stairs and then one face first into a coffee table. Talk about a goose egg! His poor little head has a couple good bruises, he has more molars coming in and he has another issue we wont talk about. Just a hard day. However, everything got better this evening as we were headed out of a local restaurant. This little babe caught his eye. She was exactly his height, long brown hair, and very cute...As soon as they saw eachother their eyes locked, they smiled and moved in REALLY close, nose to nose. She made the first move, kissed him on the cheek. A crowd was gathering. I told him to blow her a kiss bye and he didn't stop at that. He went in for another smooch, it ended up being more like a head butt, but he was definitely aiming for the lips. Maybe he'll see her again someday, but if not, he'll always have the memory of that first kiss!

We're in North Carolina!

2006-07-27T09:40:00.000-07:00

Well, I don't have any pictures to post this time. Our digital camera broke on the way here...don't ask me how, it wasn't in the moving van...but it's definitely broken, making wierd sounds and everything. We are currently staying at Bryan, Melissa and Charlie's house in Asheville. It's a ways to church (about 35 min.) but it works well since they are at camp for the summer. Our search for a house has finally come to an end. We are so excited! The house is in the country, with a covered front porch, just like we've dreamed about having some day. The Lord has truly blessed us. We fell like we are "home." We love this part of the country and we love this church. They have made us feel very welcome. Will is loving his new job. He's planning hikes, a mission trip to Louisianna and a VBS. Already lots going on. Gaines is doing great, having fun playing with all of Charlie's toys. Rudy is running loose at camp, glad to be back at her ol' stomping grounds. Her and Bruno, her boxer boyfriend are back to their old ways. Anyway, we are doing great and like I said, so excited to be here. The youth group here is dwindling, and needs prayers. They were ready for Will to get back and get things going again. Please pray for this ministry.

July 4th

2006-07-15T16:50:00.000-07:00

We had a great trip to Michigan for the fourth. All of my cousins had decided at Christmas to plan on going home for the fourth of July holiday. It was sooo good to see everyone. The trip went by way too fast. Now that some of us have started having kids- there is little time to visit- we're chasing the little ones around...but it is still so great to get together.

Gaines calls his nose his "pee-you"

Maddox had his first dip in the

swimming pool!

Binder Zoo...pretty cool that you can feed the girafes!

For some reason Gaines was infatuated with this
little ditch. He found it to be a perfect seat for him.

Gaines couldn't quite figure out where the rest
of his dad was!

More Zoo Pictures...

2006-06-20T13:03:00.000-07:00

Notice the Bird on my head...Gaines thought that was pretty funny!

2006-06-13T20:40:00.000-07:00

Can't Catch Me...

Gaines is getting to be very independent, maybe a bit too independent. As you can see, he has started "running." He knows to pick up the speed when headed for trouble, becuase mom is right behind him. This picture was taken at the zoo, his home away from home. We go about once a week!

Does coffee REALLY stunt your growth?

2006-05-28T20:08:00.000-07:00

We hope not, or Gaines may be in trouble! He just loves drinking the last drop, then thinks he's so cool when he gets to hold my mug and sit in his spiderman chair. What a big kid.