Family Photos

Craig and I on the golf cart after taking pictures! Nana had been wanting to get a picture of all of her grandchildren on the beach for her Christmas card for years, so we all got up and headed down to the beach Sunday morning before leaving to get the children together for their pictures.
Mikayla rides back to the house on the golf cart.

Drew riding back to the house.

This is the picture that we took of just Drew and Mikayla for our 2009 Christmas card!

I love taking pictures like this - of their backs as they look out at something.

After taking pictures of all of the grands/families on the beach, we went back to Nana and Papa Fred's house and took a picture of Papa Fred with all the grands. I begged Nana to get in this picture, but she will next time!

Craig asked Angel, our sister-in-law, to take a picture of us on the beach. I think it turned out to be a good picture of the two of us!

Our family picture - one of the many that were taken. By the time we got to the family pics, Drew and Mikayla were quite tired of taking pictures.

One of the pictures of the "grands". We just put them together and we all started flashing the cameras. I was snapping back to back, thinking with all of this, I'm bound to get one good one.

Again...

and again. These are not all of the ones that I took, but I tried to pick some of the best for this. We had the most fun that morning with all of the families down on the beach with the nice cool breeze blowing trying to get six children to all look in the same direction and smile at the same time.

Trick-or-Treating in Ocean Lakes! 2009

Drew and Mikayla are all dressed up and ready to go Trick-or-Treating! This was a new experience for our family and for our children. Normally, we go to fall festivals, and Drew and Mikayla don't really "trick-or-treat" except at my mom and dad's house and my grandma's house. This year, they had the most fun trick-or-treating all through Ocean Lakes Campground in Myrtle Beach with Nana and all the cousins!!Belle, Mikayla, Drew, and Trey pose for pictures in their costumes.Haston is dressed and has joined the others for pictures.Now, we are off!! Our caravan included four golf carts, with Chris, Julie, and Julie's mom leading the way. They were followed by Nikki, Tracey, Trey, Haston, and Drew (seen above). Next in line was Craig, Mikayla, and I, and Jason, Angel, Nana, Belle, and Ella brought up the rear. Look out, Ocean Lakes - I'm not sure you will ever be the same after this... Our golf carts split up once we got into the camper section because there were so many people and it was hard to stay together. We had Drew get onto our cart, and we moved from campsite to campsite as a family. Here, Drew can't believe what he sees at one of the campsites.
Mikayla is not real sure about this campsite's decorations as you can tell by her face. Drew, however, is taking it all in! I had to walk into this with Mikayla or she would not have gone in. Right after I took this picture, I turned around and there was a man dressed as a mummy right over my right shoulder. I almost stepped on him as I turned around. Mikayla didn't like that at all.

Drew and Mikayla trick-or-treat at one of the campsites.

Mikayla said she didn't want candy from this campsite - I don't think she cared for these decorations, either. But, you can see as Drew gets his candy, the decorations are not going to stop him.

Trick-or-Treating at another site.

After 3o minutes of trick-or-treating, Drew and Mikayla's baskets were overflowing with goodies. They had the most fun watching other people and looking at all the different costumes and decorations. Sylvester, the cat, was walking all around and we kept passing him every time we turned up different streets, and I think that was Mikayla's favorite part. Nana has talked about making this a yearly tradition for all of her grandchildren. Drew and Mikayla would be thrilled to go to Ocean Lakes every Halloween.

Fun at Chimney Rock!!

****Note: This is where my posts get a little out of order. Drew's birthday party and fishing through the summer (which really should have been posted here) can be found in earlier posts.

Last summer (just before it was time for me to go back to school) we took a quick, last minute "mini vacation" to Chimney Rock. We had been to Lake Lure earlier in the summer, and we were excited to take Drew and Mikayla again! We are very fortunate in that this is not a very far drive for our family and the view is really pretty. On this trip, we didn't spend any time at "the beach" at Lake Lure, but instead spent our time relaxing, walking the strip, and - you guessed it - fishing. We didn't hike up to the top of the rock, as I am a little too protective of my children for that. I cannot get the story of the little 2 year old that fell from the trail and died out of my head - and Drew is just not ready for that. Mikayla would stay right with us - no doubt, but Drew - ha, that's another story. Until I am positive that he understands how dangerous those trails can be, and I know that he will stay right with us - we will be keeping our feet firmly on the ground thank you! Drew and Mikayla were able to see "the rock" and this was our view from the front porch of our hotel - rocking chairs and all!We had dinner at a fun restaurant over looking the river - of course Drew and Mikayla wanted to sit on the back deck, and we wouldn't dare say no. Hey, sometimes you just gotta pick your battles! They look so sweet in this picture!! After mommy took pictures of Drew and Mikayla, they wanted the camera to take some pictures of mommy and daddy! I thought they did pretty well with the camera!!

Drew and Mikayla liked the river, and you can just tell that he is dying to get in the water!

Mikayla munches on boiled peanuts while putting her feet in the water - man this is the life!!

Craig tries to find out if there are any fish in the river - he and Drew were really hoping to catch some trout.No Luck - only a "pair of eyeballs"!
So Drew takes a dip to cool off instead of fishing!

Then Mikayla decides to join him!!
After lunch, we head back towards home stopping by this spot on Lake Lure - away from "the beach" - to try our luck at fishing again. Drew was so proud of himself!! Here, he baited his own hook, cast his line, and reeled in this catch. You might not be able to see the fish here - look real close almost between Drew's feet. He also removed this fish from his hook and threw it back!! That's a real fisherman right there!
Our girl was exhausted from this fun trip and catches a nap on the way home!! We all had so much fun, and we plan to go back another time - even if only for the day!! I personally think "mini vacations" are the best sometimes. This was just what I needed to get me ready to begin another school year!!

Mountains 2009

Our family's mini vacation to the Great Smoky Mountains in the summer of '09 was a fabulous trip!! We enjoyed a relaxing stay at Yoder's on the River!! Drew and Mikayla pose for pictures on our balcony. Notice the river below them? We could lay in our beds with our balcony door open and listen to the water roll by below - there are not many things more relaxing than that!!
Of course we had to swim while on vacation! We spent time at both the indoor and outdoor pools. The kids even enjoyed complimentary cookies and milk before bed!

Sweet Siblings!! Drew jumps into the indoor pool! It had this neat walkway/bridge over it (you can see it to the left of Drew). I would stand on this to take many of my pictures.Daddy and Mikayla play in the water near the waterfall. One whole side of the indoor pool was nothing but a waterfall - it was really pretty!!

Drew loves to swim - anytime - anywhere!

Mikayla, Daddy, and Drew all three playing near the waterfall!

After swimming awhile indoors, we spent some time swimming in the outdoor pool. I think Mikayla and Craig look so much alike in this picture!

Black Bear Jamboree!!

On Saturday, June 20, 2009, our family went to the Black Bear Jamboree dinner show while in the Great Smoky Mountains!! When we purchased the tickets by phone they asked if we were willing to share our table in order to get better seats. I said yes, but never expected to be sitting at a table right against the stage. When we were seated on Saturday night, Drew and Mikayla were very excited!! At first they were both sitting on one side of the table so that Craig and I could sit beside each other. After taking this picture, I switched seats with Mikayla so that both she and Drew could sit right against the stage. As soon as you are seated, the fantastic wait staff begins to bring you your meal. This delicious meal consists of:

Southern Style Chicken
Hickory Pit Barbeque Ribs
Buttery Corn on the Cob
Farm Fresh Vegetables
Seasoned Potatoes
Oven Baked Bread
Rich Creamy Soup
Signature Dessert
Unlimited Coke, Tea or Coffee

You can tell by their faces that Daddy and Mikayla are enjoying their soup!!Drew and I take a break from eating to pose for a picture!As you continue to enjoy your dinner, the All-Star band comes out to play a few songs. Here the MC and the drummer pose for a picture. It's hard to tell from this picture, but the drummer is actually spinning his stick for this picture.During the preshow, they also invite all of the kids to come up onto the stage to sing and dance. The musicians play and sing (with the kids' help) If You're Happy and You Know it...

Drew decided that this was something he wanted to do, but we couldn't talk Mikayla into joining him. She was a little upset when she found out later that we would be purchasing a DVD of this very show. She said "I won't get to be on TV". LOL After that, it is time for the show to begin. The MC/"producer" of the show comes out on stage with "Dexter", his assistant. These two are wonderful in their roles and they kept us laughing during the whole show. The "producer" at one point even came over and help his leg up to me and Drew (as he was singing "Jailhouse Rock") and said "hey pretty lady, how 'bout help a king out and rub my leg?" Then he said "thank ya, thank ya very much!"

Dexter in one of his "moments". He was our family's favorite character. That doesn't really surprise me though, especially after he came over to our table. Periodically during the show, he ventures into the audience to "romance the ladies". One time when he stepped off the stage, Craig says to me "he's coming over here". I replied with "no way" and turn around to find him standing beside me with his arm around my shoulder. Drew, who was sitting beside me, could do nothing but crack up laughing. He said "hey good lookin', where are you from". My mind was racing as I tried to figure out just what he wanted me to say - South Carolina or Tennessee (since that is, in fact, where we were). I finally answered truthfully with "South Carolina" to which he replied "oh I just knew you were from Tennessee cause you're the only 10 I see". He goes on with "or Texas (as he fluffs my hair) cause you know everything's bigger in Texas. You know what they say, the bigger the hair, the closer you are to Jesus - precious". Our whole table, as well as the whole place is laughing and I'm sure my face is RED. I said to Drew after he walked away "Why didn't you help me?" He replied, "I couldn't do nothing, mom".One of the dancers/singers in the cast of the show.Another singer, who after the fact, I think has a striking resemblance to "Dexter". Jimmy Bryant, "the producer" and "Dexter" sing Sonny and Cher's I've Got You, Babe!Dexter would do anything to be "part of the show"!!
At the end, he gets his big break! He stuns the audience with his rendition of I Can Only Imagine!!

Our family had a wonderful night full of a delicious meal and a terrific show!! This is one show that our family will be seeing again and again, I'm sure! We recommend this show to anyone in Pigeon Forge, TN!!