Family Reunion

The last weekend in November we had our annual family reunion at Paris Mountain State Park. I have been going to Paris Mt. since I was 6 months old and 28 years later the tradition continues. It used to be something we looked forward to all year long. My grandmother had 9 brothers and sisters so we always have a big crowd. This year we did the usual (play games, puzzles, hike up the mountain, eat, eat, and eat some more). It as good to see everyone and we missed those that could not be there. I especially missed Grandmama and Pop, Judy, Sandy and the rest of the Milford's. It just wasn't quite the same without them.

Thanksgiving at the Quattlebaum's

Friday after Thanksgiving we went to Granny's and Chief's for more great food. They fried a turkey which is my favorite. Robin, Tracy, Micah, Owen, Grandmama Dixie, and Pappy were there too. My boys had a great time playing with Micah and Owen. They really enjoyed Uncle Barry taking them on 4 wheeler rides in the woods. They say they went fast - I hate to think of just how fast that was. At least they returned safely.

Thanksgiving

For Thanksgiving this year we went to Grandmama and Pop's in Abbeville. The boys and I went up Tuesday and Bart came with Pete and Jessica Wednesday. The boys love going to see their great grandparents and great aunts and uncles, cousins, etc. I ate way too much food but it was oh so good.

We also visited Aunt Cheryl and Uncle Barry. The boys were excited to see that Dylan, Catherine Chase, and Hunter were there. They made chocolate chip cookies (and loved the raw dough) and played in the sand box. SOOOO much to be thankful for. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

A walk in the park

One Sunday afternoon (also some time in October) we decided to go to the state park to see how far the water had gone down. I could not believe how low the lake was. I also couldn't believe how many stumps there really are at Lake Marion. I always knew there were a lot but not that many. We said you could probably jump from stump to stump and make it across the lake. We had a good time and only two of us got stuck in the mud. Daddy Daddy got stuck and almost didn't get out. Every step he took he seemed to go a little deeper. He finally crawled on his knees until he reached dryer ground. We all just stood around and laughed at him. We really didn't know what else to do. Sorry Daddy Daddy - next time we'll pull you out with a stick. Cale was the other one that got stuck. He got a little too close the water's edge and it was really soft and muddy. Everyone else had walked ahead of us except for Amy, me, and the kids. Amy was holding Sarah and I had Natalie so we couldn't get him out. We had to call for help and Jessica and Nina saved the day. It was a fun adventure.
Natalie loved riding in her snugli. She squealed and smiled the entire time. I wish she wasn't so heavy. I'd carry her around in that thing all the time. Notice I have on flip flops. I thought we would just walk out on the dock and look around. I had no idea we were going walking in the woods. This is my favorite pic of Natalie. Check out those cheeks!!!

Catchin Up

So I thought I would do a pretty good job at keeping this thing up to date but so far I'm not doing very good.

Back in October the boys and I went to the shrimp harvest at the Rolands. It was actually the first year I have ever gone. It seems like there is always something to do the weekend of the harvest. We had a great time even though we got there a little late and most of the shrimp had already been harvested. Cale still had a great time walking through the mud. Their lovely mother didn't have any boots for them to wear just old tennis shoes but they sure didn't care. Cale got right in there and found him a helper and started finding those shrimp. I can't remember the girl's name, one of Stephen's friends, took Cale all around in the mud and they even managed to catch a few shrimp. Thank you Stephen's friend. Ryan wasn't too sure about it and stood on the bank for awhile before deciding he wanted to go too but only if I took him. I had no boots either and wasn't as care free about getting chin deep in the mud as the boys were. So, I crammed my foot in Amy's child size boots (I mean they were REALLY little) and we went walking in the mud. Things mothers do to please their children. They had so much fun though and I'm glad we did it. Thanks Rolands - we enjoyed it! Can't wait till next year.

What do you think?

I've heard a lot lately that Natalie looks like Cale. Here is a comparison. What do you think?


I'd say Natalie has a couple of pounds over Cale that's for sure.

Happy Halloween

We had a great time this Halloween. Elloree did the "trunk or treat" thing at Joe Miller Park so that's where we did our trick or treating. The boys dressed up like cowboys which may look familiar because they also wore this costume last year. I decided that since last year we were in Rock Hill and no one really saw there costumes last year, we could get one more year out of them. If you look in the pictures the chaps are a little short but they certainly didn't mind. I was surprised that they were happy being cowboys because it's not really what they wanted to be. Ryan wanted to be a football player (or baseball player - he couldn't make up his mind) and Cale wanted to be a banana - yes a banana. We were looking on the internet at costumes and that is the one he liked best. Anyway, I thought they made very cute cowboys. They even had spurs on their boots (which were also a little small). Natalie was a cute little chili pepper which may also look familiar because that's the costume the boys wore for their 1st Halloween. Mom made those costumes for them from only seeing a picture of it. I was very impressed and thought it was too cute to only be worn once. Since Natalie is the exact age the boys were for their 1st Halloween it fit just perfect. Enough about the costumes. We had a great time and the boys got WAY too much candy. Luckily, out of sight, out of mind works pretty good on them and after the 1st 2 days they forgot all about it. They are still enjoying it from time to time though just not all at once. Sarah was a cute little Clemson cheerleader.Thomas is a cavalier football player.

Here is the best picture. This is my father and mayor of the town dressed as a woman. What a sight! My boys faces were priceless when they realized this was Daddy Daddy. I still think they are a little confused of why he was dressed like a woman.

Mom was a pretty scary looking witch. They handed out "witches fingers" with "blood". Most of the kids were not to sure abot eating these until they found out it was really just hot dogs and ketchup.

This was their tent. I thought they did an awesome job.

The whole gang.

4 month checkup

Natalie went for her 4 month checkup and she is very healthy. She weighed 17 lbs. which was a little off the charts. (It's ok Natalie, the doc said you probably just hit a weight growth before a height growth. You're brothers were chunky little boys too and their not now.) Her height and head circumference were right on the 50th percentile. Aunt Jessica had to give her shots which Natalie wasn't too fond of but as soon as I picked her up she was fine. Thank goodness my children have never had any side effects from shots (knock on wood). After her appointment we went shopping while we had a little bit of freedom. Thanks Nina for keeping the boys. Here is Natalie's beautiful bald spot. I am starting to see a little bit of hair growing back.

Happy Birthday Thomas!

All Thomas wanted for his birthday was a yellow truck. Mrs. Linda Cumbee made this adorable cake. She does such a good job. Not only do they look good but they taste really good too. I wish I would have taken picture of all the boys when they finished eating the cake. They all wanted a peice of the black tires so their mouths and faces were black when they were done. Maybe Rebecca got a picture of that.
Thomas didn't really like being the center of attention at first. He got upset when we sang Happy Birthday.But it didn't take him long to come around.
I think he really liked his new truck. I was amazed at how good he did controlling it and steering it.
Sarah is definitely the dare devil in the family. She loved riding next to her big brother. I can't believe Thomas is already 2. It seems like just yesterday we spent all night and most of the next morning waiting for him to arrive. What a fast 2 years. We love you very much Thomas.