Big "man" haircut

Check out Drew Drew getting the big man haircut...head massage, hot towel on the face and all! Next up, he'll be shaving his face....hahaha;)


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Playing in the sandbox in NOVEMBER!!

I can't believe this amazing weather. Here it is November 19th and we are outside, without coats on, playing in the sandbox. I love it!!!





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Night out on the town

Had a fun night out this past Friday evening. I did priceline for a hotel downtown Atlanta, and got a sweet room fir only $85!! Some good friends joined us and we ended up in a random lounge called Uptown. Since we were there so "early" (9:00), they let us sit in the VIP section while we listened to the live music. It was a very spontaneous night and ended up being a blast. You can barely see us in the picture, but it's proof we had a night out without the kids (thanks Grammy and papa!).


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Ethan turns 6

My "little man" is no longer little! He's SIX!!!




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Playdate #2

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Playdate

Elise with her best bud Avery on a mommy and me date.


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First football game

Had fun at our first high school football game with the kids. It was a very entertaining game, as we watched a very surburban team play an inner city team. At halftime it was 40-0, you can guess who was winning:)






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Blogging from the iPhone

Testing



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I'm alive:-)

Yes, y'all I'm still alive:-) A few months ago I was having computer problems so I stopped posting. Then, we purchased a new computer and I still have yet to install the correct program for me to blog easier. Thus the lack of posts. But I had to throw some recent pictures of the fam up for you to see how much they have changed! Check back soon for some real posts!!

Christmas Festivities

So with the holidays fast approaching we have been busy with some traditional Christmas festivities at the Turner household.  You may recall last year we attempted to make some Christmas cookies and did not have much luck....

Well this year we tried it again....

And had some better luck!

And they taste as yummy as they look:-)

We also had the Christmas program today at their school.  Last year Drew was our shining star, he sang his heart out and did all the hand motions during the songs.  Well this year was quite different...I could tell he was uncomfortable right away when he was walking in...

Poor guy did NOT like the attention of being on stage.  He stood up on stage the whole time, not moving anything (his hands, mouth, nothing!).  I just wanted to run up to him and give him a hug and say everything was going to be alright:-)  Ethan on the other hand was big-time this year, with a speaking part and all!

I'm sooo proud of both of my boys...as different as they are:-)

Last weekend we did our special night away, staying at a hotel, letting the kids go swim and jumping into our cozy new Christmas pajamas at night.  It is such a blast to have a big sleepover as a family:-)

Fun Family Time

I had the privilage of having almost my whole family here about a month ago.  My younger brother Dave and my wonderful sister-in-law Kate were here, as well as my parents and my older brother Jon.  We were only missing my older sister Kerry and her family.  It was a gorgeous fall weekend, so we basically spent the whole time hanging out in the back yard and having some good campfires out in the fire pit at night.  I just put together a slideshow (basically for all my family to see) of some of the pictures.  It's so fun to look back at pictures and reminisce about great memories.  I am so blessed to be part of such a wonderful family!!!

There will be many more updates to come....I think I'm back on the blogging bandwagon:-)

Keeping busy....

So I have to say my boys have been best buds lately.  They'll go off and play for hours together if I let them.  It's so fun to listen in on them and hear their imagination work.  I guess as kids we all did it, but I don't know where they come up with the stuff.  My mind just doesn't work like that anymore (I wish it did...probably due to the lack of sleep between watching the Olympics and being glued to a new book I LOVE....an entirely different post). 

God sure does have a funny sense of humor though.  While I've been begging praying for a while for the boys to get along, I had no idea that it would happen when my angel daughter crossed over to the dark side:-)

Well maybe that's not fair.  She's not exactly on the dark side, but she is definitely walking crawling with one foot on the left and one foot on the right side of the line!  She is one curious kitten.  I thought Ethan was curious...Elise is a whole different creature with curious and some sass mixed in.  I give you a day in the life of Elise:

Hmmmm, my brothers are playing Elefun....and I don't know how to play yet, so I'll take my net and put it over my head.  Why does my mommy freak out when I do this?  I think I like the attention I get when I do it, so I'll do it over and over and over.....

I want to get in my walker even though all I do is bump into walls and scream for help.  I'll try to get in by myself.  Uh oh, I think my foot is in the wrong way....AHHHHH  MAMA....MAMA....

I just love taking the DVD's out from under the TV.  What a big mess it makes....it's so pretty with all the different colored covers laying all over the floor.  Aren't I just so cute?  Never mind that I'm standing in the drawer to the ottoman.....

 

And no......I'm not sitting in front of the TV, eating bonbons and watching a soap opera while my curious kitten prowls around the house:-)  The ottomon incident usually occurs while I'm cleaning up the breakfast or lunch table....the DVD incident occured during a "potty break"....and so on.  You can't leave this girl alone for a second:-)

Oh well, at least my boys are being super easy to manage (for the moment.....).

Priceless Moments

Trip to the Puppet show at the library:  $12.00

Kit to make your own puppet:  $4.00

Having my own private puppet show:  PRICELESS

Small Group Retreat

Ryan and I have been blessed to attend an AMAZING church here in Atlanta.  We started going to North Point Community Church when we first moved here, and about year and a half ago they opened a satellite church right down the street from our house (we hear the same messages, just a week delayed on an amazing high-def screen).  Anyways, the thing we love about the church is the emphasis on small groups (and the a-ma-zing pastor, a-ma-zing worship, and unbelievable children's program).  We have an awesome network of friends here, mostly all whom we have met through groups.  In fact we have witnessed some of our good friends get married, we have all had babies together, and now we are all going through parenting issues as the kids get older. 

We had the privilege of joining a new group at the beginning of summer.  The leaders are good friends of ours, and they are so enthusiastic about being leaders and having us all grow in our relationships with each other and Christ through the eighteen months that we will meet. 

A couple weekends ago all five of us couples went away for the weekend to a cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains (Gatlinburg/Pigeon Forge area).  (Side note....thanks to Grammy and PaPa for taking the munchkins).  We had a blast, and it definitely brought us closer as a group.

Here is four of the couples on the way to the cabin (can't see the mountains as well as I'd like, but you get the idea):  It was GORGEOUS!

Saturday we went into town and had some country cooking:  fresh biscuits, grits (I skip those), and some eggs.  It was yu-mmy.  Then we headed to the local river and went tubing.  The river was a little slow due to the lack of rain here in the south, but nonetheless it was fun.  That is, until the end when we heard from a local that some sewage gets dumped into the river.  We all ran home to shower and wash our suits!!!  That night we had a low-country shrimp boil. 

Everything was boiled together in hot water:  shrimp, sausage, corn, and potatoes.  Then you dump it on the table and eat with your hands.  I think that's the "low country" part of it:-)  Later we played some board games.

 

I can't wait to see all that will happen with this amazing group in the next year or so.  Each person is unique in their personality, strengths, passions, etc. 

7 Years

Ryan and I were able to get away for a few days to celebrate our seventh anniversary.  Thank God for my awesome parents willing to take the kids during that time:-)  I decided to try priceline for a cheap hotel somewhere, and I had heard Hilton Head Island was a good place to go (only 4 1/2 hour drive for us).  So I plugged in the numbers on priceline, bidding super low assuming it would never be accepted (I hadn't even completely confirmed when my parents would be coming for sure)....and it popped back saying my bid had been accepted.  Yikes, hooray!...... I can't wait....oh &*!@ I better call my parents!!!!

Hi Mom, you guys are still planning on coming in a couple days right?  Great, can't wait to see you too!  By the way, it's still okay if Ryan and I head out for a few days, right?  Okay good, because I already paid for a hotel:-)

Arrive at the beautiful Westin Resort in Hilton Head, and this is the view out of our window:

We had a super time.  Ryan had a yummy seafood meal....his one wish (it's impossible to get any decent tasting fish when you don't live next to the ocean).

We also rented bikes in the morning and rode all around.

The whole island has bike paths.  It really is a cool place to bring a family, in fact we would love to head back there for a long weekend with the kids if budget permits. 

We also were able to spot some dolphins swimming by a harbour....my first time seeing dolphins!

We did spend a little time lounging by the pool and walking by the ocean.  We ate some delicious food, and had a yummy cocktail by the pool.  We also squeezed in seeing a movie that day, as that is our favorite past-time.  We only really had one full day there, but it is amazing how that break from the kids re-energizes you and makes you appreciate what you have waiting for you at home:-)