Good Grief!!

I am very much behind in my blogging...haha...obviously! Today in the middle of my epic "Mother's Day weekend" blog ... I ran out of picture space. It has happened before and I always have people tell me I can use other places to store pictures and so forth..but I am way to old and set in my ways to change what I do. My pictures are huge (I know) but I also know I can copy them from the blog with fairly good resolution because of their size.

To make a long (and it was long) story shorter, I opened a new blog on my google account and found out the actual account had reached it's limit. So I had to open a new google account meaning a new email and now a new blog. I will be inviting my readers as soon as I get any posts blogged. Currently I have a blog and a blog name...lol...that's all folks:)

If you don't hear from me in a few days please email me at asmotherman@yahoo.com

Until later....Blessings!

Ms Gail's Puppies......

How sweet puppies are, everyone (haha...even a non-dog loving person like me) loves puppies. These are really cute....

I have decided I might become a puppy photographer, the puppies listen better than my kids:) Actually, I would like to say that they did, but truth be known they were just following silly running Tasha and I was snapping fast!

This first picture? I had the girls put the puppies down and I yelled "run" so I could catch them before they all scattered (just like kids!!). Tasha, whose neon shoelace is caught in this first shot, was the last to run and for whatever reason caught the attention of all five puppies. They tracked her as she ran in a arch behind me...



So I actually got some really great mug shots:) Look right...



Look forward....



Look left......




TOO CUTE!!!

In perfect form...

I have decided Caleb might move to PTC with Chelsea and Bo:) In perfect Chelsea form she is way to sweet a hostess and he LOVES their town. Last night he texted me pictures from the Braves games. It is hard for my middle of no where to compete...lol:) I am so glad he is able to travel and have fun. No better place than with Chelsea and Bo!

BTW...I love this picture of Chelsea (who did play basketball). I caught at just the right moment (love her pointed toes...that might be from gymnastics?). I sure enjoyed my time with her here...and sure miss her all the more now!!

Carlton

Carlton was home over the weekend. He came in for family pictures and was here until Sunday. Carlton is doing well. He is finally earning back his levels (after a big loss back to square one). He's trying. We are so very thankful that he is doing well. Still looking at the Army when he graduates...a good plan for him! With the structure and discipline we have strong hope for Carlton! He is STILL growing! A big ole boy as you can see in the picture with Scott:)

My nursing student!!

Where did this sweet blond blue eyed baby girl go??



She grew up. Way to quickly, as is the norm. Yesterday my sweet Sarah began nursing school:) I thought of her as I made her stop so I could take pictures. Not long ago I took this picture....


Yesterday I took this one.....



It is sometimes hard to bring those two little girls together. I know with the change of time I will be posting pictures that will wonder where the nursing student so beautiful and young went...lol:) Such is life!!

I know Sarah can truly do whatever she wants in life. She has chosen nursing and knowing Sarah? She'll be the best there ever was!! I love you Sarah:)

Sad times...

For my long time readers, you will remember Sarah's friend through high school Patrick. I always laughed at Sarah, who refused to have a "boyfriend", but had a great friend in Patrick. Patrick and Sarah did actually date for several years, parting the summer before college. Patrick's wonderful parents were part of Sarah's life for a long time. I think as parents we realize that other adults do actually influence our children and in this case that was true.

Over the weekend Patrick's father was killed in an accident. It is so hard to face such loss and I cannot imagine at such a young age. I was talking to Scott Sunday and we talked about the fact that so many young men don't realize the gift a good father is until they are fathers themselves. Patrick knew he had an awesome dad, and appreciate him.

Tonight is visitation. Scott will be out of town (actually visiting Zack for the first time since he went into his new home). It will be me Sarah, Caleb, Jacob and John visiting. Sweet Paden is watching the crew (he is a really good guy!!)!!

I read this not to long ago and I am struck by the truth in the words. We sorrow for what we love so much!

When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. ~Kahlil Gibran

Praying for the Jones family as they live with the loss of Richard.

Jethro and EllyMae

I was taking some pictures of Paden and Sarah in the front yard today when Jacob walked outside. Jake had been at my dad's farm working and looked a whole lot like a farmer. He said, "I haven't even seen your ring in person", so Sarah showed him...


Jake ooooed and said, "I be that cost more than my car!" Haha...likely so:)

Then I took their picture...my babies:) Not babies anymore and looking a whole lot more like Jethro and EllyMae than I remembered?! :)




PS...Paden and Sarah took a WHOLE bunch of great pictures like this one....

Music to my ears?

Music to my ears? oh Yeah!! These guys can truly play!

Caleb and John went to the music shop. That sounds fairly innocent until you hear the sounds and see the amps and electric stuff in the boys living room...haha! It was all such a great deal...just ask Caleb, that was what he told me! It's super fun to hear my biggies!!!







I love music...I love to hear my kids make beautiful music (I would love even the unbeautiful kid too...and do!)

We have LOTS of new learners! Caleb's words to me was, "Mom, if you can just stand the noise for a couple of years they will all be amazing!" :) Chelsea was at the table with us and replied before I could, "I am not sure mom will be able to hear by the time they're good!" It is ....well, maybe the proper phrase would be....

Is it music to my ears?? haha...yep...still is:)

The rainbow....and the pot of gold:)

My kiddos gathered home yesterday for a family picture. I LOVE these crazy kind of days! The picture is likely to be my Christmas picture:) That said, I may not share it just yet ....have a few months to go! But these, the "skittle" pictures I will share. Caleb said we all looked like skittles, making fun of the wild colors we chose for this years picture. I do know it's different:) Here are some of my "like colors", not everyone is here...some of my non-picture kiddos left:








The boys:)


The girls (minus Rosie who was mad and plus Nina who would have felt left out if we left her out!)>>>>




I had joked about it being a skittle's kind of day, and it was! At the end of that skittles rainbow? A pot of gold...aka...the good stuff! The good stuff was in the form of ..........


Sarah and Paden are engaged!!


This picture just makes me laugh! Sarah had just walked in and was showing off her ring when I said, "let me get a picture of you and Chelsea". Sarah felt her ring needed to be in the picture more than Chelsea's face...lol:)

What an incredibly terrible week ...

It has been an incredible terrible week for the South! The storms have left so so much loss!! My children have been out of school since Tuesday. It really has been nice. It seems that each night we were up all night with sirens and moving to safe places and each day sunshine. Chelsea and Bo were here all week, a rare thing and so very nice!! I so enjoy them:) We have worshipped together, Bo giving the devo on Wednesday(and doing a great job!!). We have watched ballgames together (Seth and Ryan had their first games last night). We have played cards together...Scott and I have played Chelsea and Bo in Spades every night...so much fun! I suppose in the midst of the middle of the night sirens and all the passing in the hall at 2am and 4am and 6am we have just had the kind of "fun" a mother has when her chicks are all here!

Around us, just a couple of short hours away there has been such incredibly horrible devastation by tornado's, heralded the worst of the century. It is hard to reconcile such joy and such sadness all at once. So much of life as a Christian is spent reconciling those two emotions....in the midst of this world we actually do find joy. In the midst of the loss I have seem so many serving, taking the sad but huge opportunity to love and help others.

Dan the Man:)

Dan had his Spring Concert tonight at the High School. His 6th grade band were so very good! Loved getting to hear the fruits of all their labor!! Due to the impending bad weather all other games were canceled and it was one of the few times "everyone" got to go and watch:)



Big sisters and Bo watching the Concert....


After the Concert Chelsea and Bo took Dan to DQ for a treat!


When Dan arrived home he gave us a mini concert....




What a great night!!!

Making me smile...

This wonderful silly guy? He and Sarah could have been twins. They look so much alike and have such similar personalities. The certainly share silly expressions!! As you can see...Caleb cutting up while I was taking pictures:








Of course John and Caleb could be X-Box loving twins....serious gaming going on at my house:)




It's really fun seeing this around the house. I love listening to Caleb and his Uke:)


I also love seeing this!! Two of my biggies that are so much fun! Well, I have to go ahead and say that I think most ALL of my biggies are so much fun...lol...just depends on who I have at the moment!


And with my biggies there's lots of fun and fun things to do! This is of Caleb and Preston who were headed to play with Preston's band.....