Mama and me!

Here's my sweet Mama and me on the way to see Paula Deen Live ( a native Georgia girl on the Food Network) at the Civic Center in downtown Atlanta. After we experienced IKEA (a really cool store) and a yummy lunch at Atlantic Station, we navigated our way through downtown to find the Civic Center all by ourselves. :) Paula Deen, as expected, was very entertaining and did a lot more talking than cooking. And,we in turn, did a lot of laughing.

I am grateful to have my mother with me after the last 1 1/2 years which she has been through colon cancer, surgery twice, the treatment for the cancer and the consequences that both have caused. She is such a trooper and a woman of faith, as she continues to lean on God's grace daily with a smile on her face and a concern for others that inspires me regularly. Her example of walking through this trial without complaint but with trust in her big God is amazing. I want to be just like her when I grow up!

Tennessee Weekend!

Here are some fun shots from our Labor Day weekend! We visited with Chris's Mom, Kay (Kay-Kay) and her hubby Bobby (Papa) in Telico Village, Tennesee and helped clean up their yard, went swimming, ate yummy steaks, watched for critters (actually saw a ground hog) in their amazing backyard and tried out fun, new, tongue-turning blue bubblegum! Kay-Kay and Papa retired and moved to Tennessee about 2 1/2 years ago from Tampa, Florida. We are so blessed to be close to them now and are grateful that they are such a sweet part of our lives.
We love you Kay-Kay and Papa!

Jummmmmmmmpin' in the rain!

Garrett and Caroline are celebrating being done with school for the day by jumping in the rain! One of my favorite things about Garrett is his playfulness and creativity when it comes to having fun. He is quite an instigator. "Let's go jump on the trampoline in the rain!" was the ploy today! Who could resist? Not Caroline, that's for sure!

All Smiles for the First Day of School?

School started today at The King's Academy for the Watkins'. Don't they look so excited? They WERE kinda excited but they would never admit it . They wanted me to hurry up and take the "first day" picture so they smiled real big! :)

We were all tired when we got home this afternoon. A few of us were so tired we came home and took a nap. I am working on Tuesdays again at the school at the front desk. What a blessing to be able to work at the school and see my cuties and so many other wonderful people. It is truly one of my favorite places to be! I especially love being at the front desk cause I get to see so many people and talk and talk.......one of my very favorite things to do! :) But I am also looking forward to Fridays (my day off)! Look out Starbucks!

So here's the lowdown on who is in what grade: Ri -10th grade; Garr- 8th grade; Con-6th grade; Bradyboy-4th grade; and Caroline Marie-1st grade! Yikes! Time is flying by!

One of the best parts of my day was when Caroline actually put on her socks and shoes (not flip-flops like she's been wearing all Summer mind you) and didn't freak out cause her "socks didn't feel right" in her shoes! They felt fine! What a great start to the day! Yea! Small things in life can be so big, ya know?!

Another great start to the day was that we actually arrived at school in about 12 minutes! Wowee! So cool! I love living closer to school!

Silly Girls

Aunt Jenny, Elise, Nean and Coach came to join us for an awesome weekend of work and fun! We celebrated Nean's birthday with Aunt Joni, Avery and Uncle David too. Nean made her own cake (lemon cheese) (double yum!) and cooked her own birthday dinner (roast, squash casserole, green beans, etc.) What kind of daughters are we? We did give her tickets to see one of her favorite cooks, Paula Deen, at the Civic Center!

My family is so sweet to me.....I am such a spoiled girl....Chris and the three older boys worked at the old house painting, laying flooring, pressure washing, etc.; Coach hung pictures; Aunt Joni decorated and hung pictures too; Aunt Jenny did laundry, organized Caroline's room and helped Nean cook; and as for Nean, she cooked and cooked and cooked! Elise even made sure all the blinds in my house were turned the same way.... whew! I had the hard job....I took the kids swimming and went shopping! :)

Afternoon at the Lake

Curtis, Darcy and Clint Mcmillen joined us on the boat Sunday afternoon for some wet fun. The highlights were the rope swing (see Chris above); riding the tube and "mud sliding" in the Georgia clay (yuk!) We thank God for the sweet Mcmillen family and are grateful for their friendship!

Brady's Braves Birthday

Coach and Nean have made a tradition out of taking our boys to a Braves game on their 9th birthday and buying them a Braves jersey. They went to the Braves/Cardinals game which was a great choice because the Braves ended up winning, a rarity these days. Brady was the last boy to turn 9 in our family. The grandparents treated him royally (as usual) and even came home with doughnuts for everyone else for the next morning. Thanks Coach and Nean! We love you!