The Big 3-0

I turned the big 3-0 on September 13th :(  I mean :)!  I now have tons of wisdom!!  Ask away!

My amazing family had a great birthday party for me!  My sweet husband was planning a surprise party but something came up on that day and he had to change plans....however...instead of a big party he gave me a choice of 3 trips!!!  Seriously?!?!?  Seriously!  I will post the adorable way he gave me this below!  Help me choose!

Here are some pictures from my big day...

 Does that zero really have a three in front of it???

 My cousin Chandler playing with the twins

 Jonathan got the BEST cake in the world!!  Our Best Chocolate Cake by Strossners' Bakery

Luke and Madison helping me blow out my candles

 My mom took Luke and Madison one day to make my birthday present...I LOVE them!

So...I get a huge box to open next.  When I open it I see Jonathan's ipad.  At first I thought maybe he was giving it to me...sweet!  Then I saw a note on it that said "Open."  I opened the ipad and saw this!...  

A choice of 3 trips!!!!  I am SO ready to pack my bags...if I could only make a decision!  What an amazing husband...LOVE YOU!  THEN...I see something else in the box (next picture)

The moment I opened it I started cry!!  It was letters that family and close friends had written for me!  I don't think anyone will ever know just how much these letters meant to me!  I have read them at least 10 times now and I will cherish them forever!

 The amazing family I married into :)

The family I had no choice about....JK!!!  I love this family SO much!  I also love all the new additions we are getting!

Thank you for making my 30th birthday so wonderful!

Angie Turns 40

My precious sister-in-law turned 40 on September 10th!  We had a hot dog supper at her house with lots of family and friends.  The kids (as always) loved running around!  Luke had to bring his tractor :)  Here are some pictures from her party...

 Madison getting ready to play corn hole

 Luke throwing the bags

 Angie teaching Luke how to throw a frisbee

 Some of the guys played football too

 Some of the kids enjoyed the rope swing

 Madison and Luke watching the big kids ride 4 wheelers

 Just was a trooper giving everyone a ride

 Madison loved the rope swing!!

 Luke and Madison just wanted to sit on the 4 wheeler this time :)

 This child cracks me up!  She kept going back to the rope swing over and over!  She kept getting more and more comfortable on it!  Wild thing!

 Justin and Rachel

 There is nothing better than enjoying a yummy hot dog supper outside on a perfect evening!

 A good rope swing will bring out the kid in anyone!

 I was ready for the limb to snap!!

Payback!  Jonathan put Justin in the trees!

Happy Birthday Angie!  You are a beautiful woman!  I admire you as a mom and wife!

D is for Donuts and Ducks

I deserve a D for D week :(  Oh well, I know there will be weeks like this!  It was my birthday week (that fun post to come) so I think that is a pretty good excuse!  We did have fun eating donuts and some Dorritos!  We also sang songs like "The Farmer and the Dell", "6 Little Ducks", and "How Much Is That Doggie in the Window?"  We read Go Away, Dog! and lots of other cute books about dogs.  We also talked about the words dinosaur, dolphin, dentist, daffodil, donkey, doctor, dentist, dominoes, and door.  We even made a trip to the zoo with Papa Don!  Here are a few pictures from Dd week :)

YUM!

Almost as sweet as he is :)

I know girl...they are so good!

 Luke going through his Dd cards

Luke quizzing Madison

 Little blurry..boo..but cute group pic

 Luke wanted a turn on the sign

 Checking out the monkeys

 Madison trying to make her monkey face!  I was in tears laughing!

 Two adorable kids!

 AHAHAHAHAHA!!!!  Don't you get me bear!

 Who is that cute boy climbing a tree?

 Love this picture of Luke looking up at Papa Don!  BTW my dads shirt said Hairy Potter...get it??

 "Hey goat, where did you go??"

 Taking one last look at the elephant before we go

I will end on this note...

He's still got it!

Labor Day Weekend

We spent Labor Day weekend at the lake.  We had a great time watching ALL the kids play in the water!  Even Parker and Dylan enjoyed their first dip in the lake :)

 Papa Jackie and Austin going for a ride on the jet ski (or maybe this picture was of Austin about to jump off the jet ski after his ride)

 Parker and Dylan watching and ready for their turn!

 The Clayton Crew taking a dip

 No words!!!  

I am pretty sure this is Dylan

 Again...speechless

 Going on a boat ride back to the dock for naps!  Can you tell they were about to fall over??

 It was a rainy Labor Day so we brought the little baby pools out for the kids to play in!  They had a blast!!!  All you need are a few measuring cups and big spoons and they are entertained for hours!

Laying back in their redneck pool :)

Clemson Play Date

My friend, Dawn, hosted a Clemson Play Date!  Great idea!  The kids loved it and so did Carrie, Dawn, and I!  She had cute tiger plates, pom pom's, yummy food, and lots of toys for the kids to play with!  Thanks again for having us Dawn!  Now if we can just keep them all Clemson fans and have enough money to send them to Clemson one day!

 They had a great playroom and Luke found toys he loved right away!

 Yummy lunch!

 Owen (Dawn's little boy) and Alli (Carrie's little girl)

 This car was a big hit!  They all wanted to ride and push!

 Alli doing her Clemson cheer!!

 LOVE this group shot!  So cute!!

It's so hard to say goodbye!