Congratulations...Celebrating 50 Years Together !

Happy 50th anniversary

Ken and Donna Young...

Anniversary weekend...

This past weekend our whole family ( Paul's side) got together to celebrate his parents 50th wedding anniversary. All 16 of us went to Ellijay, GA. To have a nice relaxing get away. We rented this house called Rivers Bend. It is absolutely gorgeous on the inside. It sleeps 18 people and has 3 stories. It was right on the Coosawatee River. Below you'll see the picture of the river. The only downfall of the place is the terrifying driveway. You come up to the driveway and you think your driving off the face of the earth. We all had to get out at the top to see what in the world we were getting into. Once we got inside it was all worth it. We had a very enjoyable weekend.

The back view of the house. I was standing close to the river.

This what we saw coming down the driveway.

The top of the terrifying driveway...

What are we getting into???

The beautiful river that ran behind the house.

The Great Outdoors...

Today, the girls were taking their break for school and I made them go outside (I know I am a Meany...). While they were outside of course Sandy had to go out too. She loves the outdoors. While they were out there, I decided to try and get some good pics of the dog, to show you how much she has grown. She has grown a lot in the last week. Her paws are starting to get big and that is kinda scary because we do not know what she is mixed with. She is still as cute as can be. She is quite the playful little thing. Hopefully I am not getting ahead of myself, but the potty training is going great. She is catching on quick.

While the girls and the dog were outside I saw a butterfly that kept going back and forth between my flowers. I decided to try and get a picture of it. It wasn't easy because as soon as I got the least bit close it would take off. I finally succeeded. I think it came out pretty good for an amateur. I also wanted to share a picture of the beautiful hydrangea that I finally have. I planted the bush two years ago and have been patiently (not always) waiting for the flowers to come out. Well, I finally have one. It is so pretty.

Well, enough of my boring mundane talk. You probably could care less, but I thought I would share a little of what is going on.

Sandy loves the great outdoors...

The beautiful butterfly...

My beautiful hydrangea...

Sandy watching the butterfly...

Lauren Turns 7...

Yesterday, my baby turned 7 years old. That is so hard to believe. It seems like just yesterday we were bringing her home from UAB Hospital in Alabama. The last 7 years she has brought joy and delight into our lives. She is a smart and fun loving little girl. I pray that she grows up to be all God wants her to be.

Last week I had asked her what she wanted for her Birthday supper. She informed me that she wanted roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy. That is her favorite meal. So last night we had Mom-Mom, Pop-Pop, Uncle Ken, and Aunt Faith over for her dinner. We enjoyed a good time of fellowship with them. We also had cake and ice cream too. Below you will see her with some of her gifts. Happy Birthday, Lauren!!!! We love You.

Lauren blowing out the candles on her cake.

Lauren with her gifts

OOh... more Pet Shop

Lauren loves to play with Pet Shop toys. They are cute.

Our Newest Addition...

Yesterday, we went to the pound to look at a lab mix puppy that Paul had found there. The girls instantly fell in love with her. We thought we were going to have to wait until next Wednesday to get her, but surprise, we got to bring her home then. She was suppose to have her surgery, which is required by the pound, but she is not quite old enough. She is six weeks old and only weighs 4 lbs. We were not ready to bring her home yesterday so we had to go get food and dishes to feed her. She has been a very good puppy so far. She stayed in her crate last night for almost 4 hrs. and did not do a thing. We took her right out and she went right to the bathroom. Hopefully she will be easy to train.

Sandy

Lauren and Sandy

Ashley holding Sandy

The girls are sure enjoying their new puppy

Sandy enjoys the great outdoors

The First Day of School...

Today we had our first day of school. The girls were so excited. They have been bugging me for a week to start school. Today, I introduced them to their new curriculum, and they can't wait to get in to it. We switched this year to Alpha and Omega Lifepacs. They also colored a back to school worksheet and answered questions about themselves. I wish I could scan the answers they gave on the worksheet called "All About Me." They are so cute. It is hard to believe that Ashley is in 3rd grade and Lauren is in 2nd. My babies are growing up to fast. Below are the pictures we took from today.

Ashley practicing her Penmanship...

Lauren did her first journal entry...

Ashley with her journal entry from the first day of school...

Lauren looking through her lifepac...

Ashley looking through her lifepac...

Ashley with her first set of books...

Lauren is excited about school...

Lauren reading through the directions in her penmanship book...

Yes, we are still alive...

For all of you bloggers out there that thought I would never blog again, I am truly sorry!!! We have been on the run and soooooo.... busy since we got back that I have not had time to sit down and write a blog entry. We have been doing "Spring Cleaning" in August. Kind of late huh? Plus my mother-in-law and I hosted a baby shower at her house, for a girl in our church, this past week. We had a lot of prep for that, but it sure was worth it. We had a blast at the shower. We also went to Charlotte this weekend to spend time with some of Paul's family. All of us, the ladies that is, enjoy getting together to scrapbook. We try to get together once a month. We have so much fun. I have also been trying to get ready for school this year. We finally came up with all the money we needed to order the curriculum, so I ordered that and have been waiting for it to come in the mail. It has finally all arrived. Now if I can get myself psychologically and emotionally ready we will start school this week. If not, I will wait until next week. I don't have to be in a huge rush to start. That is one advantage of homeschooling. I just need to make sure I get in 180 days. I don't take all the breaks that the schools around here take, so I can get the days in easily. Well, it is almost Sunday and I have some things to do yet so I will sign off for now. I do promise to return very soon with some pics of our first day of school and maybe I can get some baby shower pics on here too. Ta-Ta for now. To all you bloggers out there have a Great Sunday!!!