The Quattlebaum Tribe

Monster Jam

2009-02-07T09:54:00.003-05:00

We took the kids to see Monster Jam in Columbia and they loved it. They were so excited and it was so worth it just to see their faces when the trucks jumped in the air. It was very loud though and we didn't exactly come prepared. I wish we would have brought ear plugs like the Rolands. Thanks Aunt Amy for giving yours to Natalie. I think she enjoyed it much more after she had her ears plugged.Nat enjoyed it (I think) but was not excited about the loud noise and made sure she was very close to her Daddy.It was a little loud.Thomas and Uncle JohnSarah and Aunt Amy

Natalie and her "boop"

2009-02-07T09:45:00.002-05:00

My future scholar - notice the book is upside down.

"So much for looking at this boop. I want to eat it. That watermelon looks so good"

Anytime Natalie sees food in a book she smacks her lips and pretends to eat it. I think it is too funny.

Snow - you can't see it but it's there!!!

2009-02-07T09:28:00.002-05:00

We saw a few flakes of snow. The boys enjoyed running around in it and tried to catch flakes on their tongues. It snowed off and on all day but not one flake stuck. Oh well, at least we got to see it falling from the sky.

Enjoying some hot chocolate after a cold day

Happy Birthday Sarah!

2009-01-15T23:16:00.002-05:00

Errrr. I wish I could figure out how to get my camera to stop taking blurry pics. Is this a cutie pie or what?

Playing tails (an updated version of tag)

One more stop

2009-01-15T22:44:00.004-05:00

The boys continously reminded me that they still had presents to open at Granny and Chief's house. Paw Paw and Grandmama Rose came from Nashville Sat. so we waited until they arrived to open presents. Girl talkNatalie and her Paw Paw (I wish you could hear her say it)Granny and her "Sugar Baby"Uncle BarryYee-haw Natalie loves her cowgirl boots even though they are about 4 sizes too big. Notice her pink pistol and pink holster too. Too cute!

Ryan sporting his new cowboy hat.Cale finally got some boots that he doesn't have to squeeze into. He had been wearing his Uncle Barry's boots which just didn't seem to fit Cale's wider foot. He also got the hat and chaps.

In the corner of this pic you can see Natalie's adorable tricycle and the boys got a real zip line which is now between 2 trees in our yard and the boys absolutely love it. Thanks Granny, Chief, Paw Paw and Grandmama for a wonderful Christmas.

Christmas in Abbeville

2009-01-09T14:58:00.003-05:00

We headed to Abbeville the day after Christmas. The kids were excited to find out they had more presents there. We got to see everybody and had a great time visiting. Apparently I didn't take many pictures though.

Merry Christmas!

2009-01-09T14:21:00.004-05:00

The boys were so excited that it was finally Christmas morning. I think they asked me everyday in the month of December if it ws Christmas yet. When it finally arrived Bart and I woke up about 7 and patiently waited for the kids to wake up, which they never did so we eventually woke them up about 7:30. Maybe we were more excited then they were. We read a children's book about Jesus' birth since I figured they would get more out of that then reading from the Bible. Then we went to see what Santa had brought them. I wish we could have gotten a picture of their faces when they walked into the living room. Their faces lit up with excitment. Ryan got a drum set, Cale got a guitar, and Natalie got a rose petal cottage play house. They also got a racetrack, playstation games, playdoh, moon sand, board games, clothes, shoes. Natalie got a Baby Alive learns to potty (I guess Santa was thinking this might help with potty training), a puppy, jewelry, boops (books). That's all I can remember right now. We had a great day just hanging out in our pjs until noon. Nina and Daddy Daddy came by to see what Santa had brought and Granny and Chief came by a little later. They gave us a nice ottoman that I can stuff full of toys. Helping Daddy put the race track together. Notice how Natalie has to be right in the middle and very close to her Daddy. As you can see I still haven't exactly figured out the camera.

That afternoon we rode to Harleyville to see Grandmama Dixie and Pappy where there were more presents to open. Wow! What a great Christmas.

Christmas Eve at NIna and Daddy Daddy's

2009-01-09T13:58:00.003-05:00

So these pics were taken with my new camera that I had just taken out of the box. Apparently I don't know how to use it yet because they didn't turn out very good but you can get the idea. We had a great time Christmas Eve opening presents, eating yummy food, and just being together. This is their new big room. They knocked out a wall between the den and the dining room so now it is one huge room for our huge family.Daddy Daddy reading from Luke 2. This is a family tradition. For as long as I can remember we have always climbed into mom and dad's bed Christmas morning (even before we looked at what Santa brought us) and read the Christmas story from Luke. It helped us remember the real reason for Christmas and really built up anticipation too. A tradition I will continue with my family.

Good ol Sunday afternoons

2009-01-09T13:38:00.003-05:00

Ella Jane is growing so fast. In this pic she is 1 month old. As you can see the kids are amazed by her. I am very impressed with how gentle they are with her (so far).

Fun w/ black and white pics

2009-01-09T13:30:00.003-05:00

Aren't they cutie pies?

Welcome Little Ella Jane

2009-01-09T13:22:00.003-05:00

Pete and Jessica are now the proud parents of a precious little girl.Meet Ella Jane Stickles

Born November 21, 2008

Weight -6lbs. 3oz. 20 inches long

Proud Daddy Proud Nina and Daddy Daddy (grandchild #6)

Congrats Pete and Jessica!!!

Oh my gosh!

2008-12-15T23:06:00.002-05:00

So the other day I was in the boys room doing the everlasting job of trying to keep it clean. I kept hearing Natalie say "Bubba" which is what she has started calling Ryan and Cale. I thought nothing of it and kept doing my job. Well after a few minutes I walked into the hall to find Natalie here.

She was on top of the computer desk pointing to pictures of her Bubbas. Since I already figured I had gotten mother of the year award for this I decided to leave her there for another second and grab my camera to take these pics. She just turned to look at me and said "Cheese."

My boys were never climbers but I have caught Natalie on top of the table, climbing on chairs and end tables, and now our computer desk. Oh and she was also very gracious in helping me clean out all the cubby holes and throw everything on the floor. What a stinker.

Fun in Nashville

2008-12-15T22:39:00.005-05:00

We went to Nashville the week before Thanksgiving to visit the family. We had a wonderful time and even had a pretty good driving trip considering we had 3 little ones strapped in the car for a LONG time. I was very impressed with how smooth the trip went. We had a very relaxing time watching football games (loving the fact that Carolina got smashed by the Gators), eating yummy food, playing monopoly, and just visiting.

Coloring with Grandmama RoseRylee and Ryan and their favorite spinning chair.Ryan did not want to take a picture.Getting some lovin from cousin Hillaryplaying a very long game of Monopoly (we finally ended in a truce)We went to Opryland Hotel to see all the beautiful Christmas lights. I didn't get many pics of that. It's tough keeping up with 3 very excited children.We ate lunch at a restaurant that had a huge aquarium in the center. It was full of big sharks, eels (yuck), huge stingrays, and other really big fish that I don't know the names of.We had a great visit. Thanks Mrs. Rose and Paw Paw for putting up with us.

Happy Halloween!!!

2008-12-15T22:23:00.003-05:00

We had a great Halloween this year. The boys are finally at the age where they get the whole trick-or-treating thing and love getting their pumpkins filled to the rim (and even filling their pockets) with goodies. Natalie enjoyed herself too but she didn't want her goodies in her pumpkin, she wanted to eat her candy right then and there. We saw the tantrum come out several times when we wouldn't let her have candy.

We went to Elloree for their annual trunk-or-treat and then we went trick-or-treating a little in Cameron. The kids were very worn out when we got home but loved going through their things to see what goodies they had gotten. Of course I loved picking out my favorites too. Natalie's just to little for some of that stuff you know. (that's my excuse for stealing her candy)

Captain Jack Sparrow
Diego the Animal Rescuer
Raggedy Ann
Little Bo Peep Chef Thomas
Ryan said Resue Pack wanted his picture taken too.The Grumpy Ol Mayor (Daddy Daddy)These are the only grandkids that would get close enough to the Grumpy Ol Mayor to have their picture taken.

Halloween craft

2008-12-15T22:15:00.002-05:00

The boys loved making these papier mache (no idea if that's spelled right) pumpkins. They enjoyed being able to make a mess without getting in trouble. It was a fun project that they could do pretty much on their own.

Playing in the Yard

2008-12-15T22:07:00.002-05:00

Yes the lawn mower is actually moving in these pictures (at a snails pace w/ no blades turning) and boy did they think they were big stuff driving all by themselves.

Just a little static in the hair.

Natalie has started saying cheese every time she sees me with my camera, so that is what she is saying in these pics. Not exactly the smile I was looking for.

Fair Fun

2008-12-12T14:53:00.005-05:00

Orangeburg and State Fair Pics

The boys loved riding rides, petting the animals, and watching the tiger show. We all loved the corndogs, french fries, cotton candy ice cream, and candy apples.

Lowndes and Phoenix joined us on the fire trucks.

Natalie was not too sure about this goat that was trying to eat her stroller.

"You can have some of mine if I can have some of yours."

Daddy is ready to go home at this point.

That's my little boy (Cale) in the front seat riding the roller coster all by himself. They are growing up too fast. Ryan was not really interested in riding and was perfectly happy watching Cale from the ground.

Being Silly

2008-12-12T14:51:00.000-05:00

Girly Girl?

2008-12-12T14:48:00.001-05:00

Could I possibly have a girly girl? Granny painted Natalie's fingernails and toenails and said she sat very still for the whole thing.

Mama's little helper

2008-12-12T14:09:00.002-05:00

Natalie loves to help me put clothes from the washer to the dryer and then the push the laundry basket to my room. I only hope she still likes to do this when she's 15.

Going to Grandma's

2008-12-12T13:56:00.002-05:00

4 generations

Grandmama's nieghbors' pot bellied pig. Cale (and I) fell in love with him.

Trying to get caught up.

2008-12-12T13:47:00.002-05:00

My camera stopped working a few months ago and I haven't updated this blog in a while. In fact I thought about just stopping with the whole thing but I've decided to try and catch us up to date and continue with it. So here goes.

Our very own fox and the hound

2008-09-23T13:41:00.003-04:00

Last night Lucy, our bassett hound, was barking and wouldn't stop. I had already fussed at her one time and her barking was only getting louder so I looked outside and saw a fox standing in our driveway. Lucy has a wireless fence and the fox was just outside of where Lucy can go. It was like it knew it was safe and taunting poor Lucy. I watched for about 10 minutes as it sat there staring at Lucy. A few times it would walk a little closer and then back up or walk in the edge of the woods and dig in the ground. It didn't act scared at all. I started thinking what if it has rabies but it wasn't acting wild or anything, just curious. It finally walked off into the woods. Lucy continued to bark though for the next hour or so. She was very upset that this creature was in her yard. I'm glad you protect us Lucy but we also like to get a good nights sleep every once in a while. Bart, of course, snored through the whole thing. At least someone got some sleep.

Our Dentist Visit(s)

2008-09-23T13:25:00.003-04:00

I took the boys to the dentist to have their teeth checked and cleaned. This was their 1st appt. (I know I waited a little late). It was a children's dentistry so I thought they would know how to make it fun and not so scary. The boys did great and I was very proud at how brave they were. Cale's teeth looked great but Ryan was not so lucky.

It turns out that apparently when they were developing, Cale got most of Ryan's enamel (sp?) and his back molars had no protection. We had to schedule 2 more appts. to get caps on his molars. Poor thing. We went back the following Monday for 2 caps. He had to take medicine when we got there to help him relax and boy did it work. He was playing w/ the train table in the waiting room and suddenly started stumbling. I held him in my lap to prevent injuries and within minutes it was like he had lost all muscle control. He could hardly hold his head up and he was talking a mile a minute. He wanted to get down and play but his poor little legs just wouldn't hold him up. It was hard not to laugh because he was so out of control. I was glad it relaxed him though. When the nurse came to get him he had no problem going with her and never even seemed to know I wasn't with him. He did great. The dentist was holding him when I went to get him and he was sniffling like he had been crying. She said he didn't like the feeling of his face being numb and I don't blame him. He slept all the way home and was very sleepy acting the rest of the day. The following Monday we had to go back for 2 more caps (it turns out they only had to do 1 cap and a filling). He didn't seem to mind going back at all and took it very well. He especially enjoyed his coupon for free french fries from McDonalds. That seemed to make the whole experience worthwhile. I'm proud of you buddy. You were very brave. I love your new beautiful silver teeth too. Let's just say I'm glad they are your back teeth.

The dentist says his permanent teeth should be fine and hopefully we won't have to do this again.

There is a "bug" in our house!

2008-09-01T13:43:00.002-04:00

That is a bug that is making all of my children sick. It started Thursday morning when I heard Cale getting out of bed and running to the bathroom. He had stomach issues for mostly the rest of that day but by that evening seemed to be fine. Ryan woke me up about 3:30 Sunday morning with the same thing and Natalie's turn was last night about 2:00. The good news is they have all only thrown up 1 or 2 times and had upset stomach for a few hours after that and then seem to be fine. Bart and I are just waiting on our turn. Hurry up bug and go away!!!

Lots and lots of updating

2008-08-25T23:29:00.002-04:00

I have not been able to download my pictures from my camera to my computer so I have not posted anything for almost the entire summer. Slacker I know. I finally went to walmart and had my pictures put on a CD so I am updating the best I can. Enjoy!

Uh Oh

2008-08-25T23:25:00.002-04:00

The waterslide is currently out of commission. The good news is I think I can fix it pretty easily with the patches that came with it. The even better news is while I was looking at the instructions to see what it said about applying the patches, I noticed that it had a 90 day factory warranty. I contacted the company and they are sending me a complete refund. I think that turned out to be a story with a very happy ending.

Funny story

2008-08-25T23:19:00.002-04:00

The other night I told the boys to go brush their teeth so off they ran and Natalie was left standing there so I told her to go brush her teeth too. Too my surprise she ran off too. I figured she would just follow the boys which is what she normally does. I could hear them playing in their room after a minute or two so I wasn't concerned about where she was. After about 5 minutes I went to put the boys to bed and found Natalie in the bathroom on the stool with her tooth brush brushing her teeth. I guess she had been in there the whole time. I had no idea she had understood what I told her to do but I guess she did. I hope she continues to be such a good listener.

Gone fishing

2008-08-25T23:07:00.002-04:00

Bart works with a guy who has a catfishing guide service. He was nice enough to take Bart and the boys fishing one Saturday morning. They had a great time and had lots of stories to tell when they got home. Their favorite story was that their daddy caught a bird. Scroll down to read the rest of that story.

So the story goes the boys had been playing in the bait tank catching the little bait fish with the nets. Occasionally they would come across a poor little fish that had been caught too many times and was no longer moving so Bart told them to throw those back in the lake. An osprey saw this and thought he had found lunch but to his surprise got caught up in the fishing line. They had to pull the bird to the boat and free him of the line. Thankfully the bird was ok and everyone was able to carry on with their fishing after that. Now that's quite a fishing tale. Thanks Capt. Al for giving my boys a great experience.

Week's Waterpark

2008-08-25T22:53:00.005-04:00

Our playgroup turned Anna Margaret's yard into a waterpark. We had water slides, pools, sprinklers and all kinds of fun things. We ate hot dogs and watermelon and other goodies. Fun, fun, fun!Austin with his 1st bite of watermelon.LadsonLowndes sand box has blue sand. I didn't even know there was such a thing. MadilynAndrew and our new playgroup buddy Kate. She is 2 days younger than Natalie.Natalie tried to eat her entire watermelon. I realized this when she started gagging and saw that she had eaten the dark green part of the rind. I think she ate 3 pieces. What a little piglet.

Thanks AMW for a great play date.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2008-08-25T22:51:00.002-04:00

Happy 29th birthday. We love you.

Sharie, Ryan, Cale, and Natalie

Ice Cream anyone?

2008-08-25T22:40:00.004-04:00

Mom and I took the kids to McDonald's for lunch and the playground afterwards. It was almost too hot to play though. The slides were too hot and the kids were getting a little cranky until they heard the wonderful music of the ice cream truck. We used to have an ice cream truck come through our neighborhood at Rock Hill so the boys new exactly what the music was. Well, since it was 100 degrees it was impossible for them to eat their ice cream before it melted so this is what happened.

What a mess! The worst part was we couldn't even find any water to wash them off. We had to use lots and lots of wipes which still didn't do a great job. But, look at the smiles on their faces.

Congrats Meg and Will!

2008-08-25T22:38:00.002-04:00

Bart and I ended a great vacation by letting Nina and Daddy Daddy take the kids home while we went to Asheville for Meghan and Will's wedding. It was so nice to have a night to ourselves and we had a great time at the wedding. It was so good to see some friends from high school and college. We really need to try to get together more often. Congrats Meg and Will!

Vacation at Lake Lure

2008-08-25T22:03:00.007-04:00

Usually our family goes to the beach for summer vacation but this year we decided to do things a little different and went to a golf resort at Lake Lure, NC. We had a beautiful house with a huge game room with pool table and foosball and a huge TV with every movie channel there is. (which was Bart's favorite place to be - with his own thermostat so he could keep the AC as low as possible). It had a hot tub and a huge deck that the kids loved to play on, beautiful kitchen and bedrooms. We slept in the most comfortable king size bed that I have ever slept in. The closet in our bedroom was so big we turned that into Natalie's bedroom. Everything was perfect. It was pretty hard to come home after this week of luxury. The resort had 3 pools, a lazy river, a beach on the lake, playground, restaurants, putt putt, tennis courts, horseshoes, a spa and salon and many other things that I can't remember. We had a great week. The kids loved the swimming area on the beach. It never really got that deep so they could go out pretty far without being over their heads. And it was never very crowded and they liked that too.

Our poor deprived children have to make sand angels instead of snow angels.

Cale loved jumping off the side of the pool. At the end of the week he was jumping off with no swimmies. EEK! I love this picture. Look out little ladies, here they come!

Walking in the stream - of course right after I took this picture both boys "fell" in and got soaking wet - isn't that what vacation is all about.

Making cookies or eating cookie dough I'm not sure which.

The kids loved taking a bath in the big bathtub. That is until we turned on the jets and it squirted them all in the face. I guess next time we should make sure we have enough water to actually cover the jets so that it doesn't shoot out everywhere with quite a lot of force I might add.

Happy Birthday America!

2008-08-25T21:49:00.004-04:00

Elloree had a picnic and program at the park for the 4th of July. They had 50 children to represent the 50 states and Ryan and Cale were asked to be part of it. They were not too crazy about having to do this and the practice did not go so well so I had no idea if they were going to cooperate or not. During the practice they both refused to do anything unless I was right there with them and Cale wouldn't hold his star and they were miserable the entire time. Although the program was a little long I thought they did a great job and I was very proud of them.

Getting ready for the parade of states. I forgot what states they had and I can't read the stars. Don't they look excited?

Notice there is no one in front of Cale. They were supposed to follow the person in front of them but Cale must have thought he was in a wedding or something because he walked VERY SLOWLY. The little boy behind them was trying to hurry them up but Cale was moving at his own pace. I was just glad he was doing it without me having to hold his hand.

You're a grand ol flag!

The night ended with a fireworks show which they got in just before a storm. It was a pretty good 4th. I even got to see my best friend from elementary school Kim Wiles. Her husband is in the military and they were in the process of moving from California to Florida. It was great to see her and her adorable little girl. I got no picture of course but I think my mom did. I'll have to get it from her and post it.

Beach Trip

2008-08-25T21:34:00.004-04:00

My family (grandmama, aunts, uncles, and cousins) were at the beach the week July 4th so we went and stayed a couple of days too. It was great to see everyone and we had a great time although it went by way too fast. Mini-vacations just aren't long enough.

Building sandcastles with cousin Jacob (one of my boys heroes).

Dexter, Nolan, Thomas, Amy, and Nina

Little (or not so little) beach bum. OK actually at 1st Natalie wanted nothing to do with the water. She was not sure about the waves coming toward her and with every wave her grip got a little tighter on my arm. But, it didn't take her long to get used to it.

Look! Thomas has his feet in the water. Last year he didn't even want to take his shoes off because he didn't want his feet to get wet or sandy but this year he played in the water and built sandcastles and had a great time.

Ryan working hard at filling up his bucket with water.

Birthday Party #2

2008-06-19T22:16:00.006-04:00

Saturday, June 14th we had the boys birthday party. They invited some of their friends and family of course and we had a great time even if it was a little warm. The kids didn't care - they had plenty of things to keep them cool. We had 2 kiddie pools and our gift to the boys which is an inflatable water slide that they have already certainly gotten their money's worth out of it. We gave the boys their present about an hour before everybody arrived and they played on it for about 6 hours straight. They only stopped to blow out candles and open presents (which they got A LOT of). I think all of the kids had a good time. I know the boys did. Thanks to everyone who came and made it such a great day for them. Grandmama Rucella, Aunt Sandy, Grandmama Dixie, and Pappy came too which made the boys extremely proud. Daddy Daddy had a good time in the pools too.Uncle John, Daddy, Pappy, Tracy, and ChiefNina, Aunt Sandy, Grandmama Rucella, Grandmama Dixie, and Uncle John againSarah playing in the sand boxNatalie's play group buddy, MadilynCute little Turner who is only 10 months but walking everywhereNatalie and Turner "swimming"Micah (trampoline), Sarah, and Thomaspretending to blow out the candles because they wouldn't stay litThe beach ball cake that I for some reason wanted to make myself. I think it turned out really cute but it made for a long night before the party to get it finished.

Yes, that is a BB Gun that Cale is opening. That is what their daddy bought for them. They were very excited but it makes mommy very nervous. They will stay locked up in the gun cabinet.

Check out those sexy legs!

Natalie's party

2008-06-19T16:53:00.005-04:00

For Natalie's birthday we had the family over for supper and a small party for Nat. We ate one of Natalie's favorite suppers- spaghetti, and had one of Daddy's favorite desserts - apple pie and homemade ice cream. Natalie had her own cake of course and boy did she enjoy it.

The birthday girl

The cousins

Sarah is helping feed Natalie her cake.

The sugar rush is kicking in.

My little girl is 1!

2008-06-19T16:23:00.003-04:00

Happy Birthday Natalie!

Wow, has it really already been a year? It has flown by. It seems like just the other day we brought your 7lbs. 8oz. tiny little body home. We got off to a pretty crazy start with us living in Rock Hill for your 1st week and then the hotel for 2 months. But since then we've been pretty settled here in Cameron where we are all happy. You have been so much fun to have around. We all love watching you learn to do new things like your 1st smiles, laughs, learning to sit up, crawl, and now even walk. Just to let you know though, when you are all grown up and look back on this, I just have to tell you you were not always the easiest of babies. There is no doubt you love your mom and like to be with her every second of the day (which I don't really mind too much). At first, you weren't real crazy about sleeping for long periods of time either. I'm glad you do a much better job at that now. You seemed to always be hungry and made sure everybody knew it. But those little things don't even compare to the good times we have had this year. I love to watch you play with your brothers (and stand your ground I might add). I love to watch you smile and run to your daddy when he walks in the door. I love it when we lay on the couch at night and you fall asleep in my arms and how peaceful you look when you are sleeping. I love to watch you eat your supper handfuls at the time shoveling it in like you've never eaten before. What a beatiful little girl you are and I am so proud to be your mommy. I love you so much and can't wait to see what this next year has in store for you. Happy Birthday Natty.

Love, Momma, Daddy, Ryan, and Cale

2007

2008

It's a twin thing!

2008-06-04T11:01:00.004-04:00

Last night I went to check on the boys brushing their teeth and this is what I found. They were brushing each other's teeth. It's a twing thing I guess.

Look what I can do!

2008-05-28T14:06:00.004-04:00

I obviously don't know how to do this right because I can't get it to turn the right way and my camera doesn't have flash when it's in video mode but it you look hard and cock your head to the side you can see that Natalie is walking. For a while now she has been walking back and forth between me and Bart but everyday she is getting a little braver. Yesterday the boys were racing back to their room and she went walking down the hall right after them just laughing and screaming. She was so proud of herself and I, of course, am very proud of her too. Go Natalie!!!

Bathtime Fun

2008-05-28T14:03:00.002-04:00

I found some blue foam shampoo\body wash at Fred's in St. Matthews that's going out of bussiness for practically nothing. I thought it would be fun for bathtime and it seems I was right.

Silly Boys

2008-05-28T13:58:00.002-04:00

I was washing the boys "soft" blankets. They went to get them out of the dryer and this is what they decided to do instead. They love warm clothes fresh out of the dryer so they just decided to climb on in.
"We're going to take a nap in here."

Going on a boat ride

2008-05-26T23:49:00.003-04:00

We have been wanting to take the kids out in the boat but it seems like every time we plan it there have been hurricane force winds. Finally, Sunday we had a beautiful day so we headed for the lake. The boys loved it. They were all smiles the whole time. The especially loved driving the boat althought they need to work a little on their driving skills. We made many circles in the lake becuase they turned the wheel a little too hard. Thanks Nina and Daddy Daddy for a fun experience.

Natalie sat very still when the boat was going fast. I think it totally relaxed her.

Natalie was so relaxed she went right to sleep.

More fun with cousins

2008-05-26T23:40:00.002-04:00

I kept Thomas and Sarah today. I am always amazed at how good the kids play together. YOu would think keeping 5 kids 3 and under would be way stressful but it's never that way with these 5. We had a great day.

Natalie never knew her crib could be so much fun.

Mama's little helper

2008-05-26T23:32:00.002-04:00

Cale LOVES to help me do everything. He is always asking if he can help me do things like wash the dishes and wash and fold clothes. I only hope it stays that way. Today he wanted to help feed Natalie. Other than a few misses of her mouth I thought he did a pretty good job and Natalie is always happy to have a meal no matter who feeds her. I think that's pretty easy to see.a little closer please
i'm ready
thank you Bubba
How can you miss that mouth?

Congrats Hillary and Lady Antebellum

2008-05-26T23:30:00.001-04:00

1st Academy of Country Music Award - Top New Group
Go Hillary!!!

Nattie and her Daddy Daddy

2008-05-26T23:22:00.002-04:00

I just thought was too cute not to take a picture.

Summer haircuts

2008-05-26T23:12:00.002-04:00

Bart decided to give the boys a haircut (or take a haircut as they would say). It was quite an opertion.

I tried to catch Bart's concentrating face. It must really help to have that tongue sticking out.

I think the final outcome is very cute. Of course, for some reason I didn't take a final picture. I think it was probably because of this little girl.

Testing Mama's Patience

2008-05-26T22:50:00.002-04:00

So we were on our way to play group the other day and I was excited because we were actually going to be somewhat on time. I put my pocket book, diaper bag, and kids in the car and then went to get my keys (which are supposed to be in pocket book) and realized they weren't in there. I went to go back in the house to get them and realized that the door was locked. GREAT!!! To give myself some credit Bart had driven my car last so that's why my keys weren't in their usual spot and he had locked the door but had not shut it good so I didn't realize the door was locked. (So I blame this whole thing on Bart) I walked around the house just to see if for some reason the other doors might be unlocked - no such luck. I called Bart to see if he had any ideas AND to see if I could make him feel a little bit guilty maybe. He had no ideas though. Then I tried the windows on the back porch and figured out that they weren't locked they were just painted shut so I went to the shop to get a screwdriver and hammer to pry the window open. The whole time this is happening the kids are in the car - Natalie is fussing and the boys are constantly asking questions "What are you doing Mama?" " Why - Why - Why?" Finally I just had to shut the car door to get some peace and quiet. I got the window open and thought it would be much easier to put one of the boys through the window than me crawling through so Cale was closest so I slipped him right in. No problem right? I'll be in the house in no time. WRONG!!! Cale decided that he didn't want to unlock the door that was 2 steps away from him. He wanted Ryan to do it. I said very calm but stern, "Cale, unlock the door now please."

"No, I want Ryan to do it"
"CALE"
Then he turns around, goes in the house and shuts the door. I can see him standing in the house with his back turned to me just standing there.
UUUUUUUUGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH
I had to get Ryan out of the car, put him through the window, where he quickly opened up the door and we were in. I was happy to be back in the house but I was fuming mad. After punishing Cale, Ryan said in his sweetest voice "Mom, I ALWAYS listen to you." He was very proud of himself. We finally got to play group about an hour late. The joys of 3 year olds. For those of you who think you are going through the "terrible 2's" just wait until they turn 3. :)

Miss you Pop

2008-05-06T22:41:00.003-04:00

February 19, 1924 - May 1, 2008

Pop,
I will miss you so much but it comforts me to know that you are very happy right now in heaven. You have made such an impact in so many lives and this weekend as we said our goodbyes it was proved over and over again. I thank you for teaching me so many valuable lessons in life, marriage, family, and your #1 thing, my faith and relationship with Jesus Christ. I love you and miss you so much.
Your Little Bear

"When Tomorrow Starts Without Me"

When tomorrow starts without me,

And I'm not there to see;

If the sun should rise and find your

Eyes are filled with tears for me,

I wish so much you wouldn't cry

The way you did today....

While thinking of the many

things we didn't get to say.

I know how much you love me,
as much as I love you.

and each time that you think of me,

I know you'll miss me too.

But when tomorrow starts without me,

Please try to understand,

That Jesus came and called me

and took my hand.

He said my place was ready

In heaven far above....

And that I'd have to leave behind

All those I dearly love.

So when tomorrow starts without me,

Don't think we're far apart,

For every time you think of me,

I'm right there in your heart.

More congrats!

2008-05-06T22:38:00.002-04:00

My cousin Dexter is engaged. They have set the date for Feb. 21, 2009, which is my grandparents anniversary. Ryan and Cale are going to be their ring bearers. That should be an adventure. Congrats Dexter and Laurin!

Congrats Pete and Jessica!

2008-05-06T22:34:00.002-04:00

PETE AND JESSICA ARE HAVING A BABY!!! We are so excited. The due date is Dec. 12th. The boys say it's going to be a boy and his name will be Little Pete. We'll just have to wait and see. Congrats Stickles!

We got Lady A'd

2008-04-30T22:42:00.005-04:00

Sunday, we drove to Augusta to see Hillary and Lady Antebellum in concert. It was the 1st time we had seem them perform live and we loved it. When we first got there Hillary took us on their tour bus and the boys were amazed. They couldn't believe that they slept on the bus, and ate, and even used the bathroom. They of course had to try it out. Then they met Charles, Dave, and Slim and were star struck. They couldn't take their eyes off of them and followed them around everywhere. It was a great show and we can't wait to see them again. Thank you so much Hillary for entertaining us. I know it gets busy sometimes. We enjoyed it so much and we are SOOOOO proud of you. Their album, which came out April 15th (if you haven't gotten your copy you need to go get it), was #1 on the billboard country charts last week. How exciting is that? On the bus - Hillary is the only girl with about 9 guys (poor thing).

Sound check
Natalie and Granny
The kids had a great time. It was a perfect concert for families.

We had some time to kill before the show started and the boys and I went for a walk. They found this grassy hill and just had to roll down it (1000 times).

This position does not look very comfortable.

Cale's in heaven!!!

What a great day!

Elloree Porkfest

2008-04-30T22:36:00.002-04:00

This weekend we went to the barbecue cookoff in Elloree. The boys and I went Friday night to help out while Natalie stayed home with Daddy. The boys had a great time playing on the playground, especially when it got dark. They thought it was so neat they they could swing in the dark. Daddy Daddy (Flavor Masters) won the popular vote in the "Anything But Pork" for his famous "Shrimp Nasty." We all went back Sat. for the barbecue where Flavor Masters won the popular vote and came in 5th in the judging. Congrats Flavor Masters!

It's great to be siblings!

2008-04-30T22:32:00.002-04:00

Natalie was sitting by the boys on the couch and putting her head on their shoulders and getting really close to their faces and being really sweet. The boys thought it was so funny. They love it that Natalie interacts with them now and they really love it when she laughs at them and when they can get her to be happy when she's fussy. They are great big brothers!

My 1st pigtails!

2008-04-30T22:27:00.002-04:00

I put Natalie's hair in pigtails the other day (sorta). She doesn't quite have enough hair but it was cute anyway. My little girl is growing up too fast. I just realized that I didn't even put on here that she is now crawling and cruising everywhere. I don't think it will be long before she is a walker. I'm going to see it will probably be before she turns 1. She actually took 3 or 4 steps between me and Bart (Bart and I?) tonight. I don't want her to grow up too fast but I am looking forward to her being able to hold my hand and walk. My arms are getting really tired.

Adventures of play group

2008-04-30T10:50:00.007-04:00

Cale, Ryan, Natalie, Elizabeth Allen, Lowndes, Brady, Ladson, Fowler, and Madelyn. Will was with us too but opted out on the photo shoot.

Taking care of their sis. (or making her cry?)

Every week a group of us get together for play group. Normally we go to each other's houses to play but it was a beautiful day so we went to Edisto Gardens to feed the ducks and play on the playground. We had a great time together. We even ordered pizza as a special treat for lunch.

Lesson learned- the playground is a LONG walk from the duck pond, with no sidewalk. Do not try to walk with 7 little ones along the road. Thanks AMW for shuttling us back to our cars at the end of our day.

Feeding the ducks, fish, and turtles. They certainly had enough bread to eat this day.

Maddy and Nattie. Madelyn is a month older than Natalie. BFF
The girls! Elizabeth Allen, Madelyn, and Natalie
Going on a bear hunt - aparently their was a bear in this tall grass and the boys had a great time running from him.

Being with cousins

2008-04-30T10:37:00.003-04:00

The children in our family are all very close in age.

Ryan and Cale - 3 - June 16th, 2004

Thomas - 2 - Oct. 15, 2005

Sarah - 15 months - Jan. 2, 2007

Natalie - 10 months - June 12, 2007

They play great together. I am amazed everytime they are together at how well they all get along. I hope it stays that way forever.

As you can see by their faces. They all love spaghetti.

Sarah giving Natalie some love.

Fishing at the Rolands. Cale caught a fish but the others lost interest real quick.

Cale's trout. We ate him for supper and he was delicious.

Sarah is checking the fish out. She is not afraid of anything.

Answered Prayers

2008-04-02T00:05:00.002-04:00

My grandmother gave us a very big scare the Saturday before Easter. She was having chest pains so they called the ambulance and decided to take her to the hospital to check her out. Turns out she had had a heart attack at some point the day before. They did a heart cath which was risky in itself and found out that her heart was a mess. Only 15% of her heart was working and her heart rate was in the 30's. Things were not looking good for her and the doctors were not giving us much hope. Her kidneys were not working properly because the heart was not pumping enough blood to them and she couldn't hold any food or liquid down. Then by the grace of God on Tuesday her heart rate started going back up, she started eating and it stayed down and her kidneys started working fine. Yesterday, she came home from the hospital and seems to be doing just fine. She is still very weak and short of breath but according to how she was last week at this time she is doing remarkably well. What an awesome God we have! She is now back home with Pop and I know they are very happy to be together again.

Happy Easter!!!

2008-04-01T23:54:00.004-04:00

We started our Easter morning by sleeping late and missing Sunrise Service (oops!) I was really sad we missed it because it is always one of my favorite things about Easter morning. When we finally did get up the boys ran into the living room to see if the Easter Bunny had come and he did. They were very excited. Natalie was excited too of course. We went to church and then we went to Harleyville to eat lunch with Pappy and Grandmama Dixie where the Easter Bunny had also brought things for the kids to Granny's house. That afternoon we went to Summerville to celebrate Owen's 4th birthday. We had a great day.

Cale is in one of his "I AM NOT GOING TO SMILE" moods.

I just had to take a pic

2008-04-01T23:50:00.002-04:00

The other night I was up trying to get things ready to sell at the Tot Trade in Columbia and Natalie was fighting sleep so Bart just put her in the bed with him until she fell asleep. When I went to get her and put her in her crib this is what I found. I thought it was so cute how she had her hand on her Daddy's chest. Priceless! Luckily the flash didn't wake either one of them up.

More Easter Egg Hunts

2008-04-01T23:46:00.003-04:00

This was the other hunt the kids went too. It was given by one of the organizations in Elloree. They got to meet the Easter Bunny and take a picture with him and got lots and lots of goodies. I didn't have my camera like always so luckily they were taking pictures of the kids with the EB and giving them away. Natalie was so proud of herself while taking this pic. She had an audience saying how cute she was and she was loving every minute of the attention.

It's time for Easter Egg Hunts!

2008-04-01T23:26:00.005-04:00

The boys went to 2 Easter Egg Hunts this year and had a blast at both. For the 1st, we were invited by Mason Polin (Eddie and Melina) and it was at Joe Miller Park in Elloree. The boys still don't really get that they have to HURRY and find the eggs. They were hidden around the playground equipment and they would just assume play awhile and then go find eggs, so most of the eggs were gone before my boys even got started. Luckily, someone came along and hid more eggs for the little ones after the big kids lost interest.Cale HAD to wear his sunglasses. He was so cool. As you can see in his basket the eggs are scarce. Ryan's basket is looking pretty empty too. I guess one day they'll get that competitive spirit like their father has, hopefully not quite as bad as Bart's.Sarah was so cute walking around like a big girl.

After the hunt they had to look in all of their eggs and see what prizes they had gotten. They found some bunny money and got to pick a prize from the bunny store. They thought that was very cool.

Look out! It's pinata time.

Here's a future MLB player. Check out that swing.

Usually the boys are pretty reserved (like Thomas is in the background) but this year they really got in there. I was surprised. Thomas thought they were all crazy.

Singing and Splashing in the Rain

2008-04-01T23:21:00.002-04:00

When it rains really hard our driveway turns into a small pond. There is a drain there but it is obviously stopped up. We had a really warm day or should I say night, so I let the boys put on their boots and have a good time. The boots really did no good because it wasn't long before they were completely soaked from head to toe. I think they were "swimming" in the water. Now every time it rains they want to go splash in the puddles.

Awwwww!!!

2008-04-01T22:53:00.004-04:00

Natalie wore herself out jumping in her jumperoo. This is probably the 1st time since she was a newborn that she has fallen asleep without being in someone's arms. She is definately a rock-me-to-sleep baby. The funny thing is Ryan used to do the exact same thing. He loved the jumperoo and would jump himself to sleep all the time. Here's Ryan at 8 months napping in his favorite spot.
Other similarities between Nat and the boys.

She makes the exact face Cale used to make.

Cale- 9 months

Natalie - 7 months

I can't catch this on camera but when you say "bless you" she pretends like she's sneezing (it's actually more like a "rasberry") which is exactly what my boys used to do. It's pretty neat to see how they are so much alike - yet so very different.

2008-04-01T22:30:00.004-04:00

For my 29th birthday I told my Mom I wanted to take the boys to see Playhouse Disney Live! So that's exactly what we did. The boys got to see Little Einsteins, Winnie the Pooh and friends, Mickey Mouse and friends, and Handy Manny. We had a great time. My favorite part was watching the boys and how excited they were. They were really getting into the crowd participation parts and singing the songs. The look on their faces was the best birthday present I could ask for. Thanks Mom (Nina) for a great day.

Mickey, Donald, Minnie, and Goofy

Thomas and Amy joined us. I think he enjoyed the show too.

They were way too excited to sit in their seats.

Handy Manny and his tools

Tigger, Pooh, and Darby

Little Einsteins and Rocket

Nina bought all the boys a Handy Manny hard hat and cotton candy.

After the show we took the boys to Chuck E Cheese for supper. Ryan was excited to get to shake his hand. It always amazes me that they aren't afraid of these characters. They still scare me a little bit.

This is where our great day made a turn for the worst. 2 days before Ryan had a little stomach bug but was better Thursday and seemed to be fine Friday. At Chuck E Cheese I took Ryan to play games, Amy had Thomas, and Nina had Cale. I couldn't find Nina and Cale for the longest time so finally I went to check in the bathroom and sure enough my poor little boy had gotten his brother's bug and he had thrown up all over his clothes. I had more clothes in the car but he was very insistent that he not change so we cleaned him up the best we could and headed home. He got sick again in the car on the way home and again when we got to Granny's (she was keeping Natalie). He was so sick and pitiful. The next day he had stopped getting sick but I could tell he wasn't feeling very well. That night Natalie got sick and had terrible diarrhea. Mrs. Cindy called and said she had gotten sick, then I got sick, and Bart got it a few days later. It also passed through the Roland family the next week. It must have been super contagious. Thank goodness it only lasted about 24 hours. I felt like I was cleaning up throw up and diarrhea for a week straight. No thank you!!!

I love corn on the cob!!!

2008-04-01T22:25:00.003-04:00

Bart gave Natalie his corn on the cob (after he had eaten most of the corn) for supper. She absolutely loved it and didn't want us to take it away.

Happy Birthday Pop

2008-02-19T16:04:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday to Pop. We love you very much.

Happy Birthday Mom/Nina

2008-02-19T16:02:00.002-05:00

Happy Birthday to you.

Happy Birthday Dear Nina.

Happy Birthday to you.

We love you,

Bart, Sharie, Ryan, Cale, and Natalie

Happy 60th Anniversary

2008-02-19T16:00:00.002-05:00

Happy 60th Anniversary to Grandmama and Pop!!! What an example you have set for the rest of us married couples. I can see that you are still very much in love even after all these years.

Birds, Birds, Birds

2008-02-19T15:53:00.004-05:00

Every day this week our yard has been invaded by birds. We have (had) a peanut field by our house and I guess they were eating the left over peanuts because they left peanut shells everywhere in our yard. They were very noisy birds too. The boys had a good time chasing them and yelling at them trying to scare them away. It would work for about a minute and then they would all fly back. I was amazed at how many birds there were. They were literally in every branch in every tree in our yard and they covered the field by our house.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-19T15:45:00.002-05:00

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone. We love you all!!!

Granny sent the kids Valentine cards. Natalie's had a crown with stickers (jewels) to decorate it with. The boys had fun decorating it and Natalie thought she was a princess with her crown on. Thank you Granny and Chief. Thanks to Rylee too. The kids were so excited when they got their packages in the mail. The boys wanted to eat all of their candy right away and Natalie loved giving kisses and hugs to her tiger. How sweet of you to think of them. The boys said, "Rylee sure is a nice girl."

"We need help getting the cadillac up the driveway."

2008-02-19T15:30:00.003-05:00

Pete, Jessica, and the Rolands left the mountains Sunday while my family, Mom and Dad stayed until Monday. Our driveway was really steep and when Pete and Jessica went to leave they started spinning and sliding back down the driveway. We all tried to help push it back up the driveway but it only kept spinning and sliding further down. We tried for a long time to get it out but it only got worse every time we tried to do something. It eventually got in a spot where we couldn't move it at all so we had to call a tow truck to get it out of the driveway. They couldn't come until Monday morning so Pete and Jessica drove Mom's car home and Dad drove Jessica's car home Monday. The tow truck had to pull the back end of the car over in order for it to be driven out. It only took a minute or two, we just didn't have the right equipment to do it. At least the car didn't have any damage. We just needed some excitment. That one can go down in the memory books.

It may not look stuck but I promise it is.

Tow Truck Man to the rescue! I was a little worried this would mess up the tire but I guess he knew what he was doing. It was a little scary when the tow truck started sliding down towards the car.

That's all it took. It drove up the driveway with no problem after that.

Georgia Mountains

2008-02-14T15:56:00.009-05:00

Mom and Dad gave all of us a trip to the mountains for Christmas. The first weekend in Feb. we all headed up to Cleveland, GA. All of us that is except for Bart. He couldn't go at the last minute because of problems they were having at work. I was so sad that he had to work and couldn't do with us. We sure missed him. We stayed in the most beautiful cabin with an awesome view.

This was looking back at our house from the water. It was a VERY steep and scary climb. The boys loved the hot tub. I wasn't sure about getting in water in the freezing cold even if the water was warm, but Sunday it was so warm I decided to let the boys get in. They had a great time and thought it was so cool that they could touch the bottom and "swim" all over.

Sat. afternoon we went shopping in Helen, GA. We walked around for hours with 5 children 3 and under and didn't have one problem with any of the children. I was amazed at how good they were. Natalie loves to ride in her Snugli. Daddy Daddy and I split the time of carrying her around. She's getting a little heavy for it. We window shopped a lot because I was scared to take the boys into shops with lots of breakable things. Time to take a break!!! Poor Ryan had to be the woman in this picture. He doesn't mind now but years from now he probably will not like this too much.Thomas and SarahPete and Jessica were forced to take this picture.

Thanks Mom and Dad for a great weekend! We had a great time together and made lots of memories. Bart, so sorry you missed this one. We missed you so much. I guess this means we'll have to go back.

Our New Pet?

2008-02-14T15:51:00.002-05:00

These pictures are really dark and hard to see but we have had an owl in our yard every day for about a week now. We first saw it in the front yard in the middle of the day. The next day it was sitting on top of our mail box, and we've seen it many times in the back yard. I decided to finally try to get a picture of him. He is sitting on top of the trampoline in the top picture. Bart took this one. He could've gotten a little closer but once that owl starts staring right at you it gets a little scary. The bottom picture he is sitting on top of the basketball goal. I thought this pic was funny becuase Lucy is walking right beside it and has no idea.

Feeling Better

2008-02-14T15:41:00.003-05:00

After a few days of being stuck inside because the boys were sick we were all very happy to have a warm day so we could go out and play. I sat Natalie in the boys jeep and ran inside to get my camera because she was having such a good time. When I got back outside like 10 seconds later this is what I found.

The boys had climbed in with her which she loved even more. Cale drove them around the yard They were all having a blast. It was a tight squeeze but I guess they didn't care.

Santa knew what he was doing when he brought these boys a trampoline. They love it. They can stay on it forever and play and I don't have to worry about them at all with that safety net.

Garden City Barbecue

2008-02-14T11:10:00.004-05:00

Barbecue cookoffs are starting up again. This was in Orangeburg. I love it when their close to home because we can go Friday night, go back home to sleep, and go back Sat. morning. This weekend was pretty miserable though. We bundled the kids up and went Friday night for a little while but did not go back Sat. because it was pouring rain. Flavor Masters did good though. They finished 1st in anything but pork (shrimp nasty), 7th in barbecue, 6th in ribs, and 3rd in chicken. Not a bad start. They were 2nd in Grand Champion. Congrats!!!We gave Dad this sign for Christmas.

Dad, Pete, Jessica, and Bart hanging out by the fire.

Sarah is always so happy. She sat in the stroller almost all night and didn't fuss a bit. What a good girl.

Thomas loves Natalie. He is always hugging and kissing her. It is so sweet.

Chillin like a big girl. She has on so many layers she can hardly move.

As you can see, Thomas did not want to be in this picture.

Looking back I can tell that this is a sign of a boy that isn't feeling too good. All night Cale was quiet and freezing. He spent most of the night snuggled up by this heater. Saturday morning both boys woke up with fever. No fun. They were both very sick little boys. By Monday morning they were much better though and thankfully no one else got sick. They were still coughing pretty bad but no fever thank goodness.

Natalie's new tricks

2008-01-14T23:21:00.000-05:00

Natalie's personality is really starting to come out. She is sitting up now which is great for her and me. Before she wanted to be held ALL the time but now that she is sitting up she can entertain herself much better. She is eating solid foods now and LOVES them. I can't feed her fast enough. She always has her mouth wide open waiting for the next bite. She loves to laugh at the boys. Any time they walk close to her she gets excited and squeals. Her latest trick is making this cute face where she wrinkles up her nose, pokes out her cheeks, and breaths really hard. I tried to take a picture of it but it doesn't do it justice.

She loves to hold her feet when I change her diaper and just recently discovered that she can suck her big toe.

She also gives sloppy, wet kisses.

She went for her 6 month check up today (even though she turned 7 months 2 days ago). I was happy to see that she was back on the charts in weight. At 4 months she was off the charts. She weighed 19 lbs, 14oz. which was still at the 91% but at least we were on there. She was 26 inches long and very healthy the doc said.

Go Fish!

2008-01-14T23:16:00.000-05:00

Uncle Clay and Michaelanne came to visit from Nashville. The boys were excited to see Clay. They gave them a tour of the house, showed them all their new toys and played Go Fish over and over again. Thanks for entertaining my boys for so long.

Merry Christmas

2008-01-14T22:48:00.000-05:00

I have very little pictures of Christmas because - being the organized person that I am - I could not find my camera. I finally found it the day after Christmas. It was in the outside pocket of the diaper bag, which I swear I looked there, but oh well. We had a great Christmas. It all started Christmas Eve. We went to Nina and Daddy Daddy's house for our traditional Christmas Eve meal which was delicious. Then we opened presents. The boys got a lot of cool things like boxing gloves and a punching bag (I see many black eyes in the future), a basketball goal, Ryan got lots of Diego things, Cale got some pots and pans and a picnic set, knex, magna doodles, guns, coon skin caps, clothes, books, cds, games, and many other things. Natalie got a cute book shelf, table, and chairs, clothes, and toys. My parents gave all of us kids a trip to the mountains which we are going to take Feb. 1st. It was very late when we left Nina's and the boys were worried that Santa may have already past our house. They put out cookies and milk for Santa and hurried to bed. The next morning we saw that Santa had come. He brought a trampoline, and lots of toys. The boys were so excited they could hardly contain themselves. Later that morning, Granny and Chief came over and the presents continued. They got a cute table and chairs, bean bag chairs, and lots more. You literally could not walk through the living room. That afternoon we went to Harleyville to see Grandmama Dixie, Pappy, Robin, Tracy, Micah, and Owen. The boys were VERY tired that night. The next day Bart had to go back to work but the kids and I went to Abbeville to see my family. We stayed up there for a couple of days and had a great time spending time with Grandmama and Pop. When we got back Friday, Grandmama Rose and Paw Paw had come from Nashville. It was also great to see them. Seven different times the boys opened presents. Needless to say, I had to spend the next week cleaning out toy boxes to make room for all of their new things. It was such a great Christmas I hated to see it all end. I loved spending time with all of our family. We are so blessed.

Ryan also goes by Diego these days. Sometimes if I call him Ryan he says, "Mom, I'm Diego now!" So for Christmas he got lots of Diego stuff. This is his Diego costume. If you don't know Diego comes from a cartoon "Go Diego Go" He is an animal rescuer. Ryan is very proud of his Diego gear.

Bart gave me Guitar Hero which goes with the Playstation. It is a lot of fun and addicting. I have a good time at night when everybody goes to bed. Here, Natalie is helping Bart play.

A visit from our famous cousin

2008-01-14T22:37:00.000-05:00

Hillary came down for a visit a week or so before Christmas. It was great to see her since it had been so long. It was the first time she had seen Natalie. For those of you who don't know - Hillary is Bart's cousin. She is part of an up and coming country group called Lady Antebellum. They have just recently released their 1st single "Love Don't Live Here" and the video is on CMT and GAC. Check them out at http://www.ladyantebellum.com/. Good luck Hillary!!

Christmas Card Attempts

2008-01-14T22:14:00.000-05:00

We tried on many different occasions to get a cute picture of the kids. It is extremely difficult to get three children to smile and be still. Here are some of the pics we got.

1st attempt - Paris Mtn. State Park The whole gang - Thomas (2), Cale (3), Natalie (6 mths.), Ryan (3), and Sarah (11 mths)

2nd attempt - CA Fundraiser

3rd attempt - Our house4th attempt - Prayer Garden at FBC Elloree

And the winner is......

The lighting wasn't the best in this picture but with a little editing I thought it turned out ok. Plus, I was tired of trying AND running out of time.

Family Reunion

2007-12-19T10:46:00.001-05:00

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

2007-12-19T10:24:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-13T00:12:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-12T23:30:00.000-05:00

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

2007-12-12T22:33:00.000-05:00

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?

2007-12-12T22:19:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-10T15:06:00.000-05:00

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

2007-11-09T16:30:00.000-05:00

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!

2007-10-17T23:09:00.001-04:00

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.

Blues and Hash Bash

2007-10-17T22:58:00.000-04:00

This weekend we went up to Abbeville for a barbecue cookoff. We had a great time and it's always good to see the family. We even got to see family that we don't get to see very often and Mom and Dad got to see some of their friends from their childhood. Dad and Mom cooked barbecue chicken, shrimp nasty (a Van Stickles specialty), boston butts, ribs, and hash. Not to mention all the fixins. Needless to say it was a busy weekend for them. There were no trophies for Flavor Masters but it was fun anyway. Congrats to John, Richard, and William (Cameron Cookers). They finished 2nd place at Kershaw and won a really cool trophy and some $ of course. The big cookoff is next weekend in Lexington. Good luck to Flavor Masters and Cameron Cookers. Here we are waiting to see who won the competition.
The boys had a great time playing all weekend. They climbed their 1st tree at Grandmama's house. They are really turning into little boys. Thanks Pop and Grandmama for having us.

My Chunky Monkey

2007-10-17T22:42:00.000-04:00

Natalie is now 4 months old. She goes to the doctor next week but I'm guessing she is way close to the 100% in weight. She is so cute though and I love it. She is really starting to react to us now and she laughs easily. She really likes it when you scare her just a little bit. She is also ticklish right under her neck - if you can get past the fat rolls. She is figuring out how her hands work and can grab some of her toys now. She loves to sit in her bouncy seat and grab her keys and make them rattle. She also makes strawberry noises with her mouth. Isn't that what you call them? Anyway it's really cute. She is also figuring out that she can be pretty loud. I wish I had taken a picture of the back of her head because she has a really distinct bald spot. It looks like someone took scissors and cut right across the back of her hair. I'll have to post that pic later.
Check out the fat rolls.
She can hold her head up pretty good when she is on her tummy but she really doesn't like it. She can only last about a minute of tummy time and then she has had enough.

I started giving her rice cereal last week. She does pretty good with the spoon but I need two extra hands to keep her hands out of her mouth. She seems to like it though.

She is always chewing on her hand or mine and drooling a lot so I think she may get a tooth sometime soon. Of course, I thought that with the boys too and they didn't get their 1st tooth until they were 6 months old.

Free Puppies!! Don't you want one?

2007-10-17T22:00:00.000-04:00

Well, Lucy (our basset hound) has done it again. She has managed to get pregnant for the third time. This time the puppies are bassett hound/squirrel dog mix. The dog is Brett's and I can't remember the exact breed name. We have 7 puppies - 5 girls and 2 boys. They are REALLY CUTE! Please take one or ask around and see if you know of anyone who may want a friendly companion. We really wanted to breed Lucy with another bassett hound but every time we turn around she is already pregnant. I guess it's time we go visit the vet and have her fixed. Natalie doesn't really know what to think of them. They like to try and chew on her toes and fingers but she doesn't seem to mind at all.

This is the runt of the litter. He is my favorite. The boys love them or should I say Cale loves them. Ryan is not sure what to think. He likes to watch them from a distance. Cale loves to carry them around and take them for rides in his jeep. Poor puppies. They should be very used to children I know that.
I forgot to mention they are 4 weeks old now and will be ready to go to new home very soon.
DON'T YOU WANT ONE?

The Fair's In Town

2007-10-16T15:27:00.000-04:00

Nina, Daddy Daddy, and I took Ryan, Cale, and Natalie to the Oburg Fair. The boys were so excited they could hardly stand it. They liked petting all of the animals in the petting zoo, eating good food, riding the tractors, and of course riding the rides. They were so excited to be able to ride most of the kiddie rides all by themselves, but that means lots more money for us. I'm glad the fair only comes around once a year.

Natalie enjoyed herself too. She loves to be moving so she was very happy in the stroller and took lots of little naps. I did let her meet a few animals. Next year will be a different story. Thanks Mom and Dad for going with us. We couldn't have made it without you. The state fair is next!!!

2007-10-09T15:27:00.000-04:00

Welcome home baby girl!! This was Natalie's dress she came home from the hospital in. It was handmade by a friend of Mrs. Cindy's. It was absolutely beautiful and meant so much to me that she would take the time to make this for Natalie. The bonnet was worn by Bart when he was a baby and I used it as a handkerchief (sp?) when I got married. Now Natalie can use it when she gets married and keep passing it on.

This was Natalie's 1st bath. The nurse took my camera with her and took pictures. As you can see she did not like it very much.

2007-10-05T23:08:00.000-04:00

Here are a few pics of our family when Natalie was born. She was born at 7:08pm, June 12. She weighed 7lbs. 7oz. and was 19 inches long. My doctor said they would induce me a week early if I would like. At that point I was so ready to have her that sounded like an excellent idea to me. Plus, I knew it would be easier to already have a babysitter set up for the boys. My parents came to Rock Hill the night before and stayed with them at the house that morning. I was already having contractions when I came in but they weren't painful. They broke my water and started the pitocin around 9:00 and it didn't take long after that for things to get moving and get pretty painful. I got my epidural pretty quickly and felt much better after that. Things were moving pretty slowly until about 6:00. They made me lay on my side because they said her head was turned sideways. As soon as I laid on my side I started feeling every contraction and they were coming fast. I told the nurse and she switched me to the other side but that didn't help. I'm pretty sure the epidural had stopped working at that point. It was a very long hour or so but at 7:00 the doc came in and I was complete and ready to push which I was dreading because it was so painful already. Within about 2 contractions she was out and screaming. I think it was 8 minutes of pushing and was not as bad as I thought it was going to be or at least I don't remember it being that bad. It is so amazing that after they are born you forget all the bad stuff. She was perfectly healthy. My family was standing outside the door in the hall and they could hear her crying. They said the boys were so excited they could hardly stand it. They didn't know what to think when they first saw her. I think they were amazed that she had come out of Mommy's tummy.

Here we go!

2007-10-03T14:22:00.001-04:00

Well, I finally upgraded to high speed internet so I thought I would try this blogging thing. I thought it would be a great way for friends and family to keep up with what's going on in our family. Plus, it makes it a lot easier for me to keep up too. I wish I would have started this when the boys were born but better late than never I guess. I guess I will start with a little catch up. So here goes!

Bart and I were married Dec. 29, 2001. June 16, 2004 our wonderful twin boys were born - Ryan Jefferson and Cale Scott. Our lives certainly have not been the same since that day. It has been so much fun having twin boys and watching them grow, play, and learn together. I can't believe 3 years have gone by already. We lived in Rock Hill for about a year and a half. While living there we found out we were pregnant again. This time it was only one (Thank you God!) and it was a GIRL. I never new there could be a girl Quattlebaum but on June 12, 2007 she arrived! Her name is Natalie Rae and she is so much fun to have around. She is just starting to laugh and really interact with you. The boys love to entertain her and watch her learn new things. They certainly know what to do when she cries. They say "FEED HER MOMMA." She does love to eat! She has the chubbiest cheeks I have ever seen, but they are so cute. The last time I took her to the doctor (at 2 months) she weighed 13 lbs. which was the 90%. I almost forgot to mention that when Natalie was 1 week old we moved back home. Bart took a job with Holcim in Holly Hill. We lived in a HOTEL for 60 days while looking for a house to buy. We decided to buy some land instead and build eventually. So right now we are living in the wonderful town of Cameron. We like it here but can't wait to build our very own house. It is certainly nice being close to our families, especially with 3 young children. I am so glad to be back home.

I am still trying to figure out this blog thing but hopefully I will be able to keep up with it and maybe even go back to when the boys were born and catch up (if I can find the TIME!)

Hope you enjoy!!!