Make a Smilebox scrapbook

2008 Dove Hunt

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

July 21-25, 2008 Cub Scout Day Camp

The boys were so excited for day camp this year. All three are now scouts! Phew! We are going to be really busy! Austin has waited FOREVER to be a cub scout! We had bb shooting, archery, fishing, swimming, tennis, ping pong, basket ball, and other games for the boys to keep busy. It was a fun packed week!!!


Cecelia enjoyed day camp, too. She loved coloring on the big papers!


Yes, Austin wore his boots to play tennis in! Don't know what to do with the boy! lol


Tate & Jay LOVED the archery & bb shooting. They were seeing who had the better shot. It varied! :-)

They had races within age groups. Those winners had to race each other. It got down to Jay & his uncle, Jared. They had to do the best dive. Then they had to do the best flip. Jay won it with his first back flip ever! He said he was so nervious! He did good. I was suppose to judge, but I couldn't~ my brother & my son ~ so, I let the other boys decide. :-)

July 4, 2008

We had a wonderful forth of July!!! We always go to my aunt & uncle's cotton farm. It's a perfect get-a-way to the country. We eat, play games, and relax, then eat some more. Once it starts getting dark, Mark starts setting up his firework show. He usually has something bad happen to him. One year, fireworks chased him. One hit him in the chest & knocked him on his butt. He wasn't burned, but a smoke ring through his shirt. This year, the lighter was bad & kept burning his fingers. Also, he lights a couple at the same time, one had a really short fuse & went off before he got out of the way. His ear rang for a long time & had he had trouble hearing! But other than that, the survived. lol The kids love watching all the beautiful fireworks. The state bird, the mosquito, are really bad out there! We all had a great time, as always!

6/11-6/22/08 Utah/Yellowstone Trip

We had an amazing time in Utah & in Yellowstone! It was wonderful to see everyone again! The kids all had a great time with all their cousins, aunts, uncles, & grandparents. Yellowstone was amazing! We loved every minute we were there.

It was way warmer than the online weather forecast! Tate ended up dehydrated & had heat exhaustion. He was burning up one night & all the next day. Mark & his dad gave him a blessing. Just so happened we were in a cooler part of the park the next day. There was still snow around, so he had baggies with snow in them on him. It helped. He had a great time even though he had to watch it & not get too hot. We went to Old Faithful & waited forever ~ not so faithful anymore. lol When it finally went off, it was amazing! The boys thought it was cool, but hated waiting so long. The hot pots & geysers were so cool! They stank SO bad, but of course, the boys thought they smelled great! yuck!

When we got back to Utah, we went to the This is the Place Memorial Park. There was tons of cool things to see & do. The boys all made arrowhead necklaces. They all got to eat homemade butter, too. It was a nice day with grandma & grandpa Syme. We had Joe, Cole, & Dylan with us, too. It was a lot of excitement & fun. They all loved the petting zoo & horse rides! Cecelia even kissed a calf! It was too cute! She was so excited at all the animals. She eventually passed out in her stroller.

We went to visit grandma & grandpa Rit after This is the Place. Julie had her parents there as a wonderful surprise! We hadn't seen them since Tate was a baby! It was great to visit! The boys had a blast playing with their cousins & uncles & aunts. Auntie Katie was there with her daughter & one on the way. Uncle Jon & Jill were there with Preston. Uncle Mike was there & had fun bouncing on the trampoline with the kids. It was a blast to hang out & eat with them all! Rich & the boys (Mark mostly) played a ball/rope toss game. It was pretty heated competition! We all laughed so much at them! It was a wonderful evening!

The day before we left to come back home, we went to Grandma Syme's house. Every year, they do a big family BBQ for Father's Day. We all were in Yellowstone, so they waited a few days & did it when we were all there. It was SO wonderful to see everyone that we hadn't seen in years! Most of the family hasn't been around Mark & I as a married couple & he as the father of the boys. We were a little anxious, but it all went really well. Jackson wasn't a threat b/c he was on house arrest. Boyce was in poor health, so he didn't bother us. It was so nice to be able to relax & enjoy the family! The boys had a great time running around with their cousins & uncles. Jay farted on Uncle Mike, so he & Uncle Travis ganged up & sat on him~poor Jay!!! It was a great turn out & so much food & fun! Grandma Syme even started a water fight! It was so funny!!! We sure miss them all!!!

We finally headed home. Cecelia was tired of being on the road & so were we all! She got car sick before we even got out of Utah. (it was NOT a good thing!) The road trip was long, but very much worth it! The boys had a blast jamming out to the music & filling up on junk, junk, & more junk food. Cecelia got super silly as the hours ticked on. We all had a marvelous time!

Blown down maple tree

Yesterday, we had quiet a mess to clean up. A storm blew over one of our huge trees. Mark was excited to use his chainsaw.

Austin loved swinging on the tree limbs like vines. Jay was climbing on everything!

Jay & Tate are my Tarzans! They had a blast climbing up & down the big branches. Tate got a little scared because the branches were vibrating. Mark was cutting neer the branches he was sitting on. Jay loved it!

We had all three boys working to get the limbs to the curb. It took forever! Tate gave up & went inside. Jay lasted a little longer. Austin was a maniac! He stayed out as long as Mark & I did. He had a rope that he'd tie onto branches & tie the other end to himself. He drug the branches that way. He called it his invention.

Mark & his favorite toy! He loves that he has his own chainsaw. It's really come in handy! After hurricane Katrina, we had a huge oak tree come down. Mark put a lot of time on it then. This tree wasn't as bad as that, but he sure had a lot of fun doing this maple.

5/26/08 Jay wants $$$

Jay was asking what he could do to earn some money. I told him that I used to mow the yard for $20. He jumped up & was so excited! $20 seems like a lot of money & cutting the grass is a piece of cake! So he thought! LOL

He thought about settling for $10 when he was halfway done, but after a few breaks, he completed the whole yard! Way to go , Jay! He's now $20 richer.

Stake Soccer Tournament

Today we had our Stake Soccer Tournament. I think it was the hottest day all year! The tournament is usually up in Memphis, but today, for the 1st time, we held it in Senatobia. Which was GREAT! For the past 4 years, we've only lost 4 games ~ one per year. Last year, we lost the tournament in penalty kicks. Senatobia is the team to beat! Mark usually plays goalie. He hates it. Today, he was able to play some up front, but mostly stayed in the goal. He saved a lot of goals. Today, we lost, tied, & won 2.





The boys & Cecelia got real tired & hot towards the end of the day. We were on the fields at 7:30 this morning. Cecelia missed 2 of her naps, so, she fell asleep before we got home, (we were only a few minutes from the house!). Now that we are home, everyone's sunburned & exhausted! The boys didn't want me to put sunscreen on them. I think they regret it now.

School's Out

Well, my headache has begun! LOL School is officially out; today's the first day of summer break. I woke up with a bad headache. :) Yesterday, Jay & Tate finished their finals. Jay & Tate made A's on their exams; all except one for Tate. (On the father & son's campout, Tate got a tick in his belly button . It got swollen & was really itching. It distracted him on his 1st exam. He didn't do so good. He told me he didn't want to talk about it.)
Jay had a friend spend the night~the first of many nights. Also, I'm babysitting a 3 year old. So, we've got a full house! Phew!
Austin got his report card already. His final averages for the year were 99, 99, 96, & 99. He was so excited! He's been referred by his teacher to be tested this summer to be in the gifted class. Jay & Tate are already in the program. They love it. I think they like missing their normal classes to go to gifted. It's good opportunities for them. Jay & Tate's report card will be mailed to me later. Jay ended on the Scholar's List (all A's) & Tate on the Honor Roll (A's & B's). We are really proud of them!
When the boys got home yesterday, they asked if the pool was open. That's what they live for~to go swim. It's not hot enough just yet. I can't wait to have it up & running. They can get up, do chores & spend the rest of the day in the pool! Yeah! I know Cecelia's going to want to be with, too.
Even though it's a headache, I'm looking forward to this summer. We can't wait to get to Utah & Yellowstone! It's going to be a great summer!

Father & Son Camp-out results

Well, the guys made it back from camping. On the drive home, Tate & Jay were texting me how it was. Mark was miserable ~ slept on roots! Jay said he got cold & woke up around 3am. Tate said it was, "GOOD!" Austin had a great time, too. Tate had really bad gas, so he kept everyone entertained. Their neighbor tent had a 5 yr. old singing his heart out all night! Breakfast was pancakes & sausage. They said the sausage smelled like fish when it was cooking. So, on their way home they stopped off for doughnuts! Needless to say, they will be glad to sleep in their warm, soft beds tonight. The kids had a lot of fun. Jay & Tate have camped in the backyard, this was the first they all camped together. We want to camp as a family before it gets too hot!

Father-Son Campout

This weekend is the Father & Son's camp-out. The boys are SO excited! Mark got home from work & loaded them all up. He has a friend & his 2 sons going, too. Halfway to the camp site, he calls. He asked me to check & see if he forgot the food ~ yup! The snacks, food & drinks are all at home. His first camping trip with the boys is starting off great! :) I'll let ya'll know how it turns out.

I've done it...

Well, I didn't want to be the only one without a blog, so here's goes nothing. I'll work on it this weekend & hopefully I can get it done. Looking forward to hearing from ya'll! Hope ya enjoy!