Memorial Day Weekend

Brandon's Mom (Debbie), our sister-in-law (Laniey) and our nephew (Colten) came to visit over the long weekend.

Ready for the photo version of the visit?? There are a bunch of them so I made them small. Click on the photos to enlarge them...

Chandler and Riley helping me clean by wiping down the bathroom cabinets.

Saturday started with a trip out to Dr. Bilbo's farm...

Colten

Have you ever wondered what 20,000 baby chicks look like?
It's hard to tell from this photo, but when you are actually there in the house it is overwhelming... and I don't just mean the smell! :)

Brandon and Chandler with a chick

Chandler and Colten venturing deeper into the chicken house. The chicken scatter when you walk.

Feeding

Saturday afternoon was a trip to the Tennessee Aquarium.

Aunt Laniey and Cousin Colten admiring a tree frog.

I think these are alligators (not crocodiles), but I may be wrong. There is also a turtle up there lounging with them. :)

Chandler and "the world's largest turtle (or tortoise?) shell. The plaque said it was over 100,000,000 years old. I was reading it to Chandler and I made a side comment that I doubted that it was actually that old. Chandler later told someone, "I saw the largest turtle shell, but mommy says it's not really 100 years old!"

Riley spent the trip riding in her stroller.
As long as I stopped occasionally to give her a little attention she was ok.

Me or a friendly plant. Either one was fine with her. :)

This made me laugh! It is a hand dryer in the mouth of a shark!
I wonder how many kids have refused to use it out of fear of losing an arm???

Bubbles... I don't know his actual name so his "Finding Nemo" name will have to do!

And Dory

There was a butterfly garden in the top of the Ocean building. The butterflies were flying all around and if you stopped long enough, one might land on you. In fact, as you are leaving you are instructed to check yourself for hitchhikers! :)

Can't you just see how much my girls love me... and LOVE to have photos made with me!
Chandler told me after the photo that she didn't smile because the butterflies wouldn't land on her!

PENGUINS!!! Chandler had really been looking forward to this part.

She's the same height as an Emperor Penguin.

I'm not sure what kind of penguin this is, but he was striking a pose for us!
None of them swam while we were watching. That was a little disappointing. For the most part they waddled a little and then stood REALLY STILL. Great for photos not so great for little kids!

You may be asking yourself, "WHY?"
Chandler was actually in the center of a tank of water. There was a tube in the middle of a tank for kids to climb up into. What were they looking at??? This.....

I'm terrible at judging the size of things and you know how water and glass distort the images, but I'm going to say that this crab was slightly shorter than the width of my arm span.

The view from under the ocean tank. Yes, that's a shark.

Chandler "rock climbing"

There was a great little "shelf" for kids to climb on. It was like a little cave so once they got in there, they had fish all around and above them.

Riley checking out the fish.

Chandler and the fishies

These were just too funny not to include... Check out Riley's faces!

When we finished our tour, Chandler got the chance to play in the water...

Then we walked a few blocks to Chili's for dinner.

On the way, Chandler took a little "boat ride"

On the way home from Chattanooga, we stopped to pick up "The March of the Penguins" to help round out our animal filled day.

Sunday was church out at the new property followed by a church wide picnic.

Colten and Riley enjoying some sunshine.

We had a great visit and we hope Gran, Aunt Laniey and Colten get to come back soon!

Whatever it takes...

to keep them HAPPY!!

I don't know what it's like at your house on the 14th of each month, but at our house IT'S TIME TO GO GROCERY SHOPPING!!!
By the 14th of each month we have random items in our cabinets and even more random items in the refrigerator and freezer. Sometimes we can pull a meal out of the strange assortment, but who am I kidding?!?! I'm not an amazing a good cook so if I have to think too much it's probably NOT going to happen! :)

Anyway, so yesterday was the 14th. The girls and I had errands to run and we were still out as it grew closer to 4:30. I started thinking about what I could possibly pull together for dinner... Brandon gets home a little after 5:00 AND we have to be at the church at about 6:15. By the time we got home it would be almost 5:00.... it just wasn't going to happen!

I called Brandon (thank the person who invented the cell phone!). I explained our current time/location situation and we decided to meet at Zaxby's for dinner.

The girls and I got there a few minutes before Brandon so I ordered for us and got a table. By the way, if you haven't tried the Kickin' Chicken Sandwich Meal... I recommend it. I'm not a huge fan of spicy food so I get it with the wimpy sauce (as opposed to the crazy hot stuff) and the ranch on the side. :)

Once we finished eating we had a little time to kill so we just sat. Sometimes it is nice to JUST SIT! I don't feel like I get to do that very often! :)

The girls were getting a little restless so we gave them a sandwich to-go box to play with. No, we did not waste a perfectly good to-go box. It was what Chandler's cookie came in. I made sure it wasn't the super greasy one that her grilled cheese and fries came in!

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What a difference a year makes!

I started looking through old Mother's Day photos and here's what I found.... A year makes a BIG difference!

Mother's Day 2007

Mother's Day 2006... Chandler getting ready for the Cherub Choir. Since you can't see her face I posted this photo...

Mother's Day 2006

Somehow we managed to completely miss Mother's Day 2005. That must have been before our digital camera days! :)

2004. So it's not actually on Mother's Day... we managed to miss it this year as well, but it was taken the same week. We took it on our web camera.

Mother's Day 2003. My first Mother's Day and also soon after my graduation from Lee University.

Mother's Day 2008

Happy Mother's Day from our family to your's!

Here's a little bit of what happened at our house this weekend....

Riley was feeling generous and decided to make me a nice mug of hot chocolate... she knows it's my favorite!

"Hey Mom!"

"Oops! We're all out!"

I only have myself to blame... remember the birthday cake she tried to make for me?

Well, I STILL don't have my cabinet doors back on my cabinets!
I have a goal: My mother-in-law (Debbie), my sister-in-law (Lainey), and my nephew (Colten), are coming to visit in a few weekends so I MUST have them back on before they get here... Well, before Colten gets here. There's no telling what kind on concoctions he and Riley might cook up!

This morning the Cherub Choir sang at church. The Cherub Choir is made up of kiddos ages 2-5. I am their fearless leader (Actually I'm quite scared of them. I just try not to let it show. Some of them can smell fear!!).
The kids did AMAZING! I was so proud of them... No photos, but I'll try to get a video posted... eventually!
It was a little bitter-sweet. This was Chandler's last performance with the Cherub Choir. Once the kids start Kindergarten they move up to the Children's Choir. :(

Lunch at O' Charley's and then home to RELAX! :)

I received some great cards, some much desired items for my kitchen, and a new watch. :)

I realized as it was nearing bedtime that I didn't have a single photo of me and my girls so we had a QUICK photo shoot.

Me and Chan. Please ignore the spots all over the mirror!! GROSS!

Me and a VERY HAPPY Riley just before bedtime!

All in all a GREAT DAY!
Hope your Mother's Day was just as great (if not better!). :)

Riley at 14 months

Well she didn't crawl until 10 months. She didn't attempt to stand until 12 months. WHY WOULD WE EXPECT WALKING TO BE ANY DIFFERENT?!?

She's not walking on her own yet, but at least she's interested in it.

I bought this pushing/riding toy yesterday. She has been trying to push Chandler's grocery cart, but it's a little too tall and not quite heavy enough... I tried loading it with books, but I decided that was a little dangerous!

She really got excited about it and even took a few trips up and down the street in front of the house....

Does she remind you of an old lady wearing a mumu pushing a grocery cart??


Chandler got a kite (can't beat a $1 Wal-mart kite!)....

and the award for the Best Smile goes to...

This past Tuesday was the end of the cheer leading season. This was an abbreviated/trial run season. It was a success so the church has decided to run a full length program in the fall....

Here's your heads up! The full length program means competitions. IF they compete there is the possibility that we will be taking the girls to compete in Orlando... Coach Jessica already told the girls that this was a possibility and that it would include A TRIP TO DISNEY WORLD... IF they can raise enough money and get enough sponsors.
Now, Chandler is only 5 and the youngest in the squad this year, but she has been to Disney World. Do you think she heard anything about possibility, IF, raise money, get sponsors?? OF COURSE SHE DIDN'T!!!!
She told me yesterday that she wants to do cheer leading again because.... wait for it.... SHE WILL GET TO GO TO DISNEY WORLD!!

Coach Jessica has no children of her own. :)

So back to the cheer leading performance....
The girls did pretty good... The 3rd time around! :)
The 1st attempt. Not so good.
The 2nd. A little better.
The 3rd. They actually looked like they may have done this before!

I had seen them do it better the week before in practice, but for the parents that didn't know what it was supposed to look like, it was probably quite splendid!

Chandler did great. I was proud of her. I just kept reminding myself that she's only been in the program for 8 weeks, they only practice 1 time a week, and Coach Jessica introduced the bulk of the routine only 2 weeks prior to the performance.

We did get it on video, (THANKS APRIL!!) but I haven't been able to figure out how to put it online... I'll keep trying.
For now you will have to settle for pictures. :)

Eating dinner with the squad just before the performance.

Photos from the routine...

Starting positions

Jumps!
Can you see Chandler? She's in the middle of the photo looking up!

Everyone made it... this must have been the 3rd attempt!

"Hurrying" to the next position... hurrying is a matter of opinion. :)

Chandler's stunt group. She's the one in the front with her back to the camera.
She was supposed to be the "flyer" (a flyer is the girl in the air), but she backed out at the practice 30 minutes before the performance.

She obviously has great confidence in her group's flyer since she decided NOT to hold her legs for her!

Each girl got a certificate. Each certificate was for a different award... Best jumps, best voice, most spirit, best formations, best base (the person on the bottom of the stunt group), best flyer, best all around, most improved and leadership awards.

The girls with their awards.

Our Chandler won BEST SMILE. :)

Showing off her new pom-poms.

Spring Happens!

Just to catch you up on what's been happening at the Miles House this spring...

Brandon and Chandler planted the garden.

Here's the garden "pre-plants"

Planting broccoli

More broccoli

All together we have 4 broccoli plants, 2 bell pepper plants, 2 banana pepper plants, 4 squash plants, 3 cantaloupe plants, 3 cucumber plants, 6 better boy tomato plants (regular tomatos), and 6 cherry tomato plants.


Chandler made a new friend.
About 2 weeks ago, I left the girls at the church so I could attend our Mom's Group Spring Tea. When I came back to get them Chandler was standing with a group of girls and they were all holding blue paper cups... Since they were looking in the cups and not drinking from them, I was curious. I went over to discover that each girl was holding a poor defenseless caterpillar captive in her cup!

Chandler has NEVER been a bug kid, but she loved that caterpillar... so much that she let him/her roam free in my living room!
After we found him I explained to her that living in our house wasn't the best of living arrangements for her new friend. After some tears and some pleading we let him climb a tree in our back yard where he would have food and he would be safe from Max, Ladybug and RILEY! :) Chandler's main concern was that Riley would somehow manage to find a small caterpillar's in our large backyard and cause him undo harm!