Gi Gi Love

The highlight of Thanksgiving was getting to see Gramma... or as the kids call her- Gi Gi. The kids loved getting cuddles, reading, and spending time with her- and so did we!


What a great Gi Gi- She gave in for the first time and rode in a wheelchair- only because she wanted to see the kids explore the National Park.:)

WWW.... What Wonderful Weather!!!

Thanksgiving weekend was such a great week- It started with Mommy running a 5k and doing way better than I expected- even with wiping out in the middle of the race- I mean all out falling to the ground and having people run to see if I'm o.k... And then we made the trip to Smith Mountain Lake for a great long weekend where we kept busy. We had a great Thanksgiving feast, watched the Hokies dominate UVA- he he he, and celebrated Pop Pop's birthday a little eary with dinner at Blackwater

Feeding the horseys...



My everythings...


It was gorgeous out so we hiked a trail and explored Booker T. Washington Park. What beautiful scenery!




It was a great weekend filled with trips to the park, the arcade, feeding the carp at Bridgewater, finally watching the infamous Boat parade, and most importantly being with those that we love!!!

Thanksgiving 2012

Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!!!

We are so lucky to have such a wonderful family... especially one with a mother-in-law that can cook so well! We had a wonderful weekend at Smith Mountain Lake over Thanksgiving weekend!

Thanksgiving Program

Addie had a class program (the exact same one Chris did two years ago- but it's just as great the second time around) and of course we had to go see it. She sang songs and enjoyed being with her many loves...

Her Daddy will always be her first love... But...



Meet Brady- He is the absolute love of her life right now. She's borderline obsessed with him... Ha- She is happy though that his name is "Br" just like her Daddy's. She says she's going to marry him and the teacher said they have completely planned out a trip to the lake together. Come to find out, his gradparents also reside at SML...

And I can't leave out sweet Gavin- who is still called Gabin... He's still really high on her list- and happens to have in-laws that I would love... no pressure though Add.:)

LOL

Every day Chris brings home something from school that amazes me. He is now reading, writing, and spelling all on his own... and sometimes its hilarious...

Notice what her wrote for "R"- He's thankful that the Redskins lost to the Cowboys- Ha!

American Education Week

Chris had American Education Week at school and Addie, Nona, and I got to join his class for a play, craft, and lunch. Can ya tell that Chris and Addie love each other just a little bit? As always, Chris was so sweet and looked out for his sister- even getting her a craft to complete.:) Addie thought she was so big getting her own school lunch and Chris really impressed me with his reading!

Happy 60th!

We got to get together with the Pearson side of the family to help celebrate my Aunt Joyce's 60th birthday... We were all laughing- because we remember when our parents were 30 and we thought that was sooooo old... and now that's us. It's always great to see this side of the fam, and I only wish we got to do it more often. And since then, I've been jonesing for one of Nanny P.P.'s homemade chocolate chip cookies- nothing will ever match them.:(

The Cousins.:)

Me, Aunt Joyce, and Yo... O.k... I'm going on a diet ASAP... Aunt Joyce just lost 60 pounds... and for the record- the 60-year-old aunt isn't supposed to look better than me... Ugh!

The three siblings...

The Pearson Posse

Awww, I just had to include this picture- I think it's so good of my Uncle Mo Jo... and thought it's so sweet how both his wife and daughter are seen right over his shoulder... so sweet.:)

My favorite part of the night was seeing how even though they don't see each other very much, Chris and Addie love their cousins... Oh, and getting to see the newest addition, Kristen and Steven's adorable new baby girl, Lilah Adair.


Cousin Mason was up all the way from Florida- Get it Mason, get it!:)

Let's just say it took about... ten seconds for these little munchkins to seem like they play together every day.:)



And what a wonderful way to finish off the night... with the next generation doing the cha-cha slide... which Caleb totally carried by the way.:)

Tag-along

Addie continues to be my little tag-along... and I'm going to miss her next year. We shop together, we dine together, we flit, and just have fun hanging out. She's so easygoing... eventhough she has started hitting her brother this week... ADDIE TAY!!! We were finally ladies who lunch this week with the Solomons, my mom, and Jackie- and She LOVES Baby Callan!!! He's so good and Addie thinks she's the best babysitter in the world. Not a day goes by when she doesn't have me be the "judger" and judge her cartwheels a hundred times a day.

Today, she broke my heart- She came home from school upset. Brady had told her that he won't sit by her tomorrow at Lunch Bunch. She was devastated. Luckily, after a date to Wegman's with her mama, she was back to normal... saying "I'm going to marry Brady." Oh, Add!

Everyday Afternoons...

I'm totally dreading winter weather and cold temperatures... With a lull in afterschool activities (oops- I can't leave out the oh so famous afterschool Lego club that Chris LOVES), we have been enjoying the beautiful days with the Layne crew... We've done park dates, backyard playdates, and ordered Papa John's to make for a really easy night! Life is easy- the kids play, we chat, and I get the best of both worlds- I get to cuddle on little Brady man... and then hand him back over to his mama.:) I will say though- Doesn't Addie look like the best little Mama ever?:)

Happy Halloween!!!

I was so nervous about how Halloween was going to go this year because we had a real snowfall a few days before Halloween! The kids loved it, I hated it, but luckily Daddy was home to let the kids spend hours outside- and I regret not taking my camera out- I have a video on facebook- Addie had fun snowboarding! She has no fear!!!

Luckily, it warmed up, the snow melted, and we had a beautiful night for trick-or-treating. The Renehans- our friends from out in Wild, Wonderful joined us- The kids had a playdate before we headed out and then we walked the streets together. When we met the Renehans, Chris was a baby and Delaney was just born... I used to watch Riley and he was a toddler... Since then, I had Addie, and Sharon and Ed have done a great job at adding to our country's population.:)

I'm so glad that we let Addie hand-pick that Super Girl costume... Because she made a great Rapunzel- you know, with no hair, a crown, and a wand. Next year, dress-up clothes all the way!

The Courtland Crew... No shortage of kids in our hood... (um, yeah, this is just our closest four houses- Ha!) Soooo cute.:)

Happy, Happy Birthday Topher!!!

Wow... Once again, I've missed so much! We are just so busy. Football has officially ended, but we've started up Snow Swimming- 3 times a week at Claude Moore... kill.me.now. But, it's worth it- Chris loves swimming- now more than ever. His practices are an entire hour long and he worked so hard at his first practice- I thought for sure he'd tire out- I asked why he was working so hard, and he had it right on the money, "Mom, I have to swim with 7 and 8 year olds now- so I have to work hard to make all-stars." Awwww...

That's right, my little boy turned seven- I can't believe it- where has the time gone!!! He is growing up to be such a sweet and kind young man- and makes us so proud. Yes, he's still a handful and ALL BOY, but he really is loving. We had his teacher conference, and I'm so proud to report that his teacher said he is ahead of the class academically and then she said, "Chris really is the absolute kindest student I've had in years- I just love having him in class." Oh, thank you Lord.:)

It's so funny seeing Chris grow up before our very eyes. He's so wild, but at the same time, he's a rule-follower- and quite the tattle-teller. I hear all the stories- like how a little girl kissed someone on the bus, and how a boy called a girl in his class a math-not-knower. Chris was so appalled- I think a math-not-knower is the worst cutdown possible.:)

Chris has also been told, No, he is not allowed to sing Avril Lavigne's song "wish you were here"- because Damn, Damn, Damn is NOT allowed... nor is he allowed to say Oh, Gammit or What the Buck. He's been warned, and I hope we never hear that potty mouth again... Boys!

We celebrated Chris's birthday by what we thought was the best kept surprise ever- dinner at a Japanese Steakhouse- that is until we pulled into the parking lot and he got so excited because he thought we were going to Subway and asked if he could really get a footlong!!! We probably could have saved $100, but the Hibachi ended up being really great. We also got Chris a game and a trampoline... which has made afternoons soooo easy at Casa de McCullers. I think we've used the tramp every day- and it's been so nice having afternoon playdates... especially when I get to sit and socialize with my friends, too!!!