Birthdays, chickens, and beaches....OH MY!!

Yes, it's been more than 2 months since I've blogged.  What have I been up to?  Sitting around, feet up and something to do with bon bons... Excuse me while I laugh.  Enter snicker. 

 Well, we've gotten our first eggs, went to Orange Beach Alabama, I've turned 36 and my oldest turned 15. What do I choose to blog on first?  Let's get the chickens out of the way...

                       Here is a picture of our first egg

Isn't she beautiful.  I couldn't eat it.  Just had to look at it for days.  Now we get about 4-5 a day.  Here is just another picture or two to smile at.

                                Pay no attention to the spotty window.  Pleeeease

Orange Beach. This is our second year going.  We do so love it there.  It takes my Disney addicted children a little while to get used to relaxing on the beach as opposed to running from ride to ride but they do love their beach trip.  Here are a few of us. 


My precious mom and daughter.  She is dripping wet from a water bumper boat ride.  Boy does she love those kids. 



My beautiful mom (all dry) and handsome daddy.  Aren't they ggorgeous? I hope I look half as beautiful as she is when I'm her age.




My hunky boys.  Especially the older one.

Princess tea at Windsor Court in New Orleans

Princess Aurora and Rose



My Rose loves herself a tea party.  When her Grandmother found out about this princess tea at the Windsor Court Hotel she decieded we must go.  So, the attendents were my Mother, Gabbi (14), Rose and myself.  Here we are about to leave for the Princess tea.

If you have never been to take tea at the Windsor Court in New Orleans, it is worth it.  The lobby is beautiful.  It is in such a beautiful part of the downtown district.  Here are some shots of the courtyard and lobby.

 





The food was amazing. Here are some of the yummy shots.





Tea sugar



      







Grown up sandwiches



scones

yummies








The two sweetest girls there that day



Grandmother and Rosie sharing some kisses

Thanks mom for the wonderful day.  The girls and I are so blessed to have you as such a special part of our lives.  I am thankful for everything you do for us. 

The girls and I wil have sweet memories of that day.  I love you.

A flip flop party

So.  The baby has gone and turned 3.  I didn't give her permission.  As a matter of fact she has completely disobeyed me.  I told her NOT to.  She went and did it any way. 

I don't know a happier, more lively 3 year old.  She is sweet.  She loves people, animals, princesses, babies, legos, pirates..... Very well rounded for a toddler.  Don't you think?  She makes my heart dance when she giggles.  She is even adorable when she's sleeping. 

When you have family that lives more than an hour away from you, it affords you more than one birthday party.  To tell the truth, she is having three parties.  How fitting.  The party being blogged about now, took place at my Father in Law's house.  They have a beautiful set up with a covered pool.  It takes some of the heat away from those in the pool.  Those NOT in the pool, just sweat to death. 

    Miss Rose asked for a flip flop cake.  So mom delivers.  I am NOT a professional but I figure mother's love makes up for the ugly factor.  That and I know exactly what ingredients when into that cake.  The brown "sand" is graham cracker crumbs, fondant flip flops under umbrellas and a boogie board.  I tried to create waves in the blue icing.  Remember......a mother's love.  OK.

   We had 9 children and my 19 yo nephew.  8 of those 9 children belong to me and my besite.  Here we are.    She is such a joy, blessing and I'm so thankful that the Lord though best we were friends. 

Here are all the children at the party

Happy Birthday my Rose.  I pray the Lord has a long, blessed life for you.  He has already blessed me so much with you.  Even in these short 3 years.  I love you

My Nawlins ladies

Wow.  Seems life goes on and blogging gets put on the back burner.  I'll  get you caught up on what has been going on. 

Well, my precious Mother-in-law, Phyllis, passed away just before Easter.  She was diagnosed with cancer and less than 2 weeks later she was gone.  She didn't suffer long but it was true suffering for us left behind.  (this does have something to do with chickens) We miss her.  This is the first parent my husband or I have had to see pass away and sometimes I feel like she CAN'T be gone.  But she is and life seems to go on... Here she is...This was the last picture of her and her 6 children taken just this past Christmas.  My hubby is the cute, bald one. I love and miss her. 

So this brings me to chickens.  No, really.  I have been wanting chickens for so long.  I just thought about them and then looked at my four precious children, laundry, dishes, a dog, a parakeet and went ummmmm......... NO.  But then enter my bestie.  Let's just call her.... April.... She calls me one day while I'm shopping and says ( in her sweet voice) "hey, guess what?  We just got......CHICKENS."  Well I did what any bestie would do I told her I was happy for her and was, underneath that fake exterior, planning on getting mine.  That day!!!  So we venture to get chickens.  I said we were only going to "look" at them.  Which was partially true.  Then while talking to the man selling the chickens he told me they were born on the day my Mother in law passed away.  That was it.  We left with six chicks.

Here are all 6 of my sweet chicks +2 of my sweet kiddos

PJ

Now for my Mother in law.  I had to get a special chicken for her.  So here is PJ (which is for Phyllis Joan my MIL) This chick is MINE (said in whiny kid tone)

She is an Easter Egger and will lay pink, blue and light green eggs.  When she starts laying she will remind me of my MIL every time I collect an egg.

Now for my Mother in law.  I had to get a special chicken for her.  So here is PJ (which is for Phyllis Joan my MIL) This chick is MINE (said in whiny kid tone)

She is an Easter Egger and will lay pink, blue and light green eggs.  When she starts laying she will remind me of my MIL every time I collect an egg.

Now my chicks are not little they are looking like grown up girls.  So I'll be putting pictures up in small fragments of them growing and coop building and such.  Here are some extra pictures of the children holding our sweet girls (as we call them) 

 My Anna Rose looking so happy with her "icken"

 Gabbi tolerates the chicks but doesn't mind holding them while they are little

 Grayson is our "chicken whisperer"

He LOVES the chickens.  He never minds helping with them.

Gabe loves them too. 

I just thought this one was too cute.  Her head was poking through the feeder.  Awwww

Post office field trip....

weeks ago Since then we have done a couple of field trips, a Homeschool speech and debate competetion, pinewood derby, and the caterpillar craze has begun for this year. 

Well, I shall begin with our field trip to the post office.  I can honestly say that I didn't do this field trip to be "enlightened".  I thought it was boring but I did happen to love the ladies going on this so, we go. 

Here is Anna Rose and her sweet friend Sarah enjoying some girl time.

Here is our crew.  YES, I am holding a baby (far right).  Not mine (though I would take him in a minute)  He belongs to my sweet friend Amy.  Love you baby Issac.

just a few of the sweet little ones.

Now on to the park

My hubby and some other monkeys.    My Rose, isn't she sweet.

friends

Mark me absent

Well, I guess my last 365 post will be my last. To tell you the truth I haven't picked up my camera in weeks.  I know many of you won't follow me anymore and I'm OK with that. To say that my family has other things going on is....well......an understatement. 

1. My MIL was just diagnosed with cancer after being in the hospital for pneumonia. We are still in the stages of staging it.  It is either a cervical or uterine.  They found malignant cells and a very large tumor in her uterus after a D&C.
2. I am walking my SIL through her mom dying in hospice with Stage 4 Brain Cancer which was found a week ago. They gave her weeks and now it is days.  My heart is in pieces for her for there is nothing anyone can do but wish for her to go in peace without suffering. 
3.  Life around here just goes on.  Between raising and homeschooing 4, having a shift work husband and not having family all that close I get overwhelmed.  We have speech and debate, scouts, driving people here and there.  I just asked the Lord to help me weed out things that I needed to.

So, I guess we all have to choose what to give up and sometimes it's not the thing you WANT it to be but I just don't have the mental/physical energy to do it.  You girls who do it ROCK. With those of you who have more children that I do and do it, you have my admiration.  I'll blog as I can for my enjoyment and I do enjoy 365 and ALL the girls I have met through it.  I will continue to read as I can.  I hope to see you girls virtually and the ones I get to see IRL even better.  So, pop in every once in a while to see what we're up too.
Because He lives,
Allison

365-61,62,63

This post is all about Gabe.  He is 8 and wants to be a firefighter when he grows up.  We got to visit the station across the street from my sister's house.  They even put up the ladder for him.  Special guy

I think that firefighter was a bigger KID than Gabe.  He made us smile.

Thank you firefighters.  You are true heroes.  May we never forget the sacrifices you make to keep us safe.  God Bless you ALL.