A New Year

Well here we are . . . 2013! It's time to make those new year resolutions that somehow never make it past February. This year I didn't make any resolutions, I just set some goals that I would like to accomplish before the end of the year.  One of which is to take down the Christmas tree! It has been up for 4 years so I think this would be a good year to take it down. I also want to go bowling enough that I can have my own bowling shoes! I know it sounds crazy, but I love to bowl and I have always wanted to have my own shoes and bowling ball. Then of course there is that old faithful goal of "being healthier". I am not a big fan of eating healthy, but I do like to walk so I'm hoping the walking will help cancel out the eating! 

I guess I should also have a goal to blog more. I haven't blogged in a very long time and I don't know if I will keep it up or not, but I'm going to give it a try. So here's to a great 2013!!

Fourteen Years and other stuff…

Monday marked 14 years of being married to my best friend!!  Time has really flown by.  I am so thankful that God gave him to me to be my life partner.  We have our “moments” but that just means we are human.  We always find a way to work through any situation that comes our way.  The love I have for that man surprises even me sometimes!!

We celebrated by going to New Orleans for a few days.  I love just getting away and spending quality grown-up time together.  We walked around the French Quarter and Jackson Square, ate at Cafe Du Monde, Margaritaville, and Landry’s.  We also went and toured Oak Alley Plantation.  It was beautiful.  I love big old houses!!!  (and oak trees!)

Willie found these chickens while we were walking around.  We didn’t buy one so I have a feeling that he will be trying to make us one within the near future!!

These past two weeks that Willie was home were also my first two weeks as a stay-at-home mom!! I think I am going to like this!!  I put up squash and snap beans while Willie worked in the yard and got some things done around the house that we had been putting off.  He even took some time to paint one of my Adirondack chairs.  I am really going to enjoy these around the pool!!  He is going to paint the other one next time he comes home.

Happy 4th of July!!

I hope everyone has had a Happy 4th.  I did!  We went to Aunt Mona’s and had a great time visiting and watching the kids play on the waterslide.  Since Kasey lives in South Carolina, she had a birthday party for her two boys Justin and Ben.  It was good to see everybody.  Of course I forgot my camera so I don’t have any pictures to post but hopefully somebody will share theirs with me!! :)  All the grandkids were there except Stacy and Quentien and all the great-grands were there except Brody.  It was definitely a good day.

After that, we came back to my house and let Flipp try out the pool for the first time!  I think he liked it!  He kicked and splashed.  He didn’t even fuss when Brandy put him under the water!  I think he is going to come back tomorrow after church and swim again!

Vacation

We had a great vacation!  We took Landon with us to Gatlinburg and stayed 8 days.  We went to Dollywood, Parrot Mountain, WonderWorks, played Hillbilly golf, LazerTag, went to the  indoor water park at the resort, shopped a little…….  I didn’t get up before 10:30 any day we were gone.

The boys loved Parrot Mountain.  They got to hold and feed the birds.  Landon wanted to buy a Pocket Parrot to bring home to his Mom.  We told him that we didn’t think it would like the 10 hour drive home.  He said he would ask them if they had one that wouldn’t get carsick! :)

  

We stopped in Knoxville on the way home and ate at Calhoun’s on the River.  Willie passes it on the boat and he says the food always smells so good.  Every time we go to Gatlinburg he says he wants to stop and eat there sometime.  The Sunday that we came home was our 13th anniversary so we planed our departure so that we would go through Knoxville at lunch so we could stop and eat.  I think the taste lived up to the smell!  The food was wonderful!  After we ate, we took a stroll down the Riverwalk.  It was beautiful.  They had these waterfalls along the walk and the boys played behind them. 

I was able to take two weeks off so the next week was spent relaxing in the pool at home.   I think I enjoyed that week more than the week in Gatlinburg.  It was nice to wake up and do whatever I wanted to (which mostly amounted to doing NOTHING!)

Sebastian has finished baseball and tennis so our Saturdays are back to normal now.  Things should be calm until mid-July when theatre camp starts.  Sebastian will have that for two weeks and then he is off to CentriKids.  We are also having Bible School the first week of theatre camp.  We will see if we can manage to fit that in our schedule too!

Flipp's 1st Easter

The Easter Bunny came!

Happy Birthday

Sebastian Len Harrell

4 lbs. 9 oz

18 1/4 inches

My little man is 11 years old today! I can't believe it! Where has the time gone? It seems like just yesterday he was sleeping in a baby doll cradle! He has blessed our lives in more ways than we can count. We are so proud of the young man he is becoming. Happy Birthday, Seb! I love you!

I'm Back!

Wow! Has it been that long since I blogged? Obviously I haven't had anything interesting happen in my world. That could be a good thing! It hasn't been chaotic, but we have stayed busy.

Landon had a birthday Februray 3rd. I can't believe he is 8 years old! Where does the time go? He had a bowling party in Natchez and of course I forgot my camera so I don't have any pictures to post. Everybody had a good time though.

Sebastian has started baseball practice. That will keep us on the go. He has practice on Tuesday and Thursday evenings and once season starts, he will play on Friday and Satruday. Ayden is playing T-ball and Landon is in coach pitch. Between the three of them, I imagine we will be spending the next 3 months at the ballfield! I don't mind. They enjoy it.

I got to see Flipp today. He is growing! He will be 3 months old next week! He's a good baby. I just wish we could see him more often. We are all having lunch at Momma's tomorrow after church and hopefully I will remember to take my camera and get some new pictures to post.

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! We certainly were blessed in 2008 and are looking forward to the blessings of 2009! Willie was able to be home for Christmas this year so that was great! We did Christmas Eve and Grandmother and Poppa's, Christmas morning at our house (Sebastian was very kind and let us sleep until 6:00 before he woke us up!) and then we did lunch and presents at Momma and Daddy's and then on to Willie's grandparents and his mom's. The day was full, rushed, and quite chaotic .... but wonderful!

Tour of Homes

I saw this and liked the concept as well. This is a great way to share your home with friends and family that would not see it otherwise. So here goes our home......

This is the big tree in the living room. It is decorated

with EVERY ornament we have ever had!

This is my "flying snowman". He sings a song and "flies"

across the living room.

This is one of my snowmen on the front porch.


More snowmen on the front porch. I think these are my favorite!!

The mantle in the living room


"My" tree in our bedroom. It is decorated with

tiny dreamsicles, snowflakes, and snowmen. I also put

out my dreamsicle Bethelehem Inn this year.

Willie and Sebastian's tree in the sun room. It is decorated with blue lights and Star Wars collectibles. Willie made the Death Star that is on top.

Well I hope you enjoyed the tour of our home. We wish each and every one of you a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Snow Day

Speedy the Snowman

Sebastian and Speedy

I hope everybody enjoyed the snow! The folks around my house sure did! I had to go to work so Willie and Sebastian went outside while I was getting ready and built me a snowman on top of my car. He made it to work, home for lunch, and back to work again. Needless to say, he was completely gone by the time I got off work that afternoon. It was fun while it lasted!

Eastin Flipp Wheeler

Flipp Wheeler


Isn't he precious!

He has arrived!!! Eastin Flipp Wheeler made his appearance Tuesday, December 9th at 6:03 p.m. He weighed 8 lb 4 oz and is 21 inches long. He is a big boy! Brandy went in for a scheduled induction Monday night at midnight. They broke her water at 7:30 Tuesday morning and then we waited, and waited, and waited. Finally after an hour and a half of pushing with no results, the doctor decided to do a section. So around 5:30 p.m. they started prepping her. We finally got to see them both around 7:00 then they had to take her to recovery and him to the nursery. It was after 9:00 before she got out of recovery and in a room. Sebastian had school the next morning and daddy had to get up at 4:00 to go to work so once they did get her in a room, we only got to see them for a minute before we had to leave. I say all that to say this....I haven't gotten to hold him yet!!!! We are going back Saturday and hopefully we will have some bonding time!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! I hope everyone had a wonderful day. Our family all gathered at my Daddy's parents house to celebrate. For the first time in many years, everybody was there! (except Willie, of course...he's never home for Thanksgiving) Grandmother and Poppa had all 4 of their children.....all 11 of their grandchildren....and all 14 of their great-grandchildren there. They even had all of the spouses there. Needless to say, it was a wonderful day! I am so thankful everybody was able to be there. It was a day for the memory books!

Grandmother and Poppa with their children and spouses

Grandmother and Poppa with their children and granchildren

Grandmother and Poppa with the Grands

Grandmother and Poppa with the Grands and the Greats

(some weren't very excited about having their pictures taken)

Baby Update

Just a little update on our "unnamed baby"....Brandy went to the doctor yesterday and everything is progressing as it should be. He told her that if she hasn't had him by December 9th, he will induce that morning! No matter what, we will have a baby within the next two weeks! I am so excited. I just hope they come up with a name for him before he gets here.

Student of the Month

Today was the Student of the Month program at school. Sebastian was recognized as student of the month in his class for the month of October. Congratulations Seb! I am so proud of you!

Disney World on a Budget!

Well, we did it! We went to Disney World and managed to stay on our budget! Dave Ramsey would be proud. We had an envelope for food, groceries, and gas.....Sebastian had an envelope of spending money, Willie had an envelope of spending money, and I had an envelope of spending money! I am proud to say that we all came home with a little something still in our envelopes : ) (even if Sebastian's was only 10 cents!!)

We had a great time! The weather was perfect. No rain. It was a little chilly two days and we had to wear jeans and a light jacket. The lines weren't too long, and the lines we did have to stand in weren't bad. I think everybody got to do everything they wanted to do at least once. The resort we stayed at had a huge lake and Michael and Landon went fishing one morning and caught about 15 bass. They kept two of them and bought a cooler to put them in and sent them through checked baggage on the plane. (I wish I had a picture of the cooler duck taped shut!) They arrived safely in New Orleans when we did!

It was a wonderful trip, but very tiring! Things are finally starting to get back to normal. Sebastian has two test to take tomorrow and he will be caught up with all his work that he missed.....I finally got caught up with all my work today......and Willie went back to work today. Maybe now we can all get caught up on our sleep! : )

Our Disney World Trip

Willie and Sebastian on the plane

Landon peeping around from his seat on the plane

Ayden preparing for takeoff

THE MAGIC KINGDOM

Ayden and a Clone Trooper

Finally!! Me, Willie, Sebastian, Laura, Michael, Landon and Ayden are on our vacation to Disney World! This trip has been in the works for a year now! Brandy and Locke were supposed to come with us too, but about 2 weeks after I booked the rooms, Brandy found out she was pregnant with her first baby and since she is due the first part of December, her doctor wouldn't let her travel with us. That just means we will have to come again when Stuie is big enough! I am attaching a couple of pictures from yesterday and today. Haven't taken many yet. Hopefully I will have more to post tomorrow!

Homecoming Week

Hawaii Day

College Day

Spirit Day

It's Homecoming Week! Sebastian LOVES dressing up for the different days! His friends say he goes a little overboard some days but he doesn't care. He has a blast!

A Day At Clear Springs

Willie's grandparents celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary today at Clear Springs. Almost all of the family gathered to help them celebrate. ..... As usual, Willie is on the boat and was not able to be here :(

60 years......that's a lifetime! I can't imagine being married to Willie for 60 years, but on the other hand, I can't imagine not being married to him for the rest of my life.

The boys had a great time playing on the playground, walking on the trails, and fishing! It was nice to be outside enjoying nature!