Poor Alex

Alex has been asking for the last 2 years to have some sort of Birthday Party at the lake. Since it is a lot to ask 4, 5, and 6 year olds to drive 2 hours to a birthday party... we decided that it should just be her family party. So, this past weekend we were all able to get together on Sunday for her party. When we all get together, the birthday person gets to pick out what we eat and what kind of birthday cake you get. We (mom and I) had invisioned hotdogs and hamburgers, maybe even a weinie roast... Alex said she wanted just pasta with her "special dressing" on it. And for her cake she followed my influence and said she wanted a pound cake. Mom, Dad, Alex and I went down on Saturday morning... at lunch on the pier, listened to the Alabama/Arkansas game on XM... then it was on to riding 4 wheelers. We did this for several hours (dad put up road/trail signs... so we have our own little neighborhood back there) Then we went to gather rocks and wood, to have a bon/camp fire. We roasted hotdogs (see mom and I were still able to fit it in) and marshmallows and made s'mores. YUM! YUM! ... listened to the Auburn/LSU game and went to bed.

(Watching and feeding the ducks or geese or whatever they are)

(Alex loves dogs!)

(The WEENIE ROAST!)

We woke up Sunday morning and mom and I started decorating for the party. Alex took a bath since she fell asleep before she could get one the night before. She woke up complaining that her head and neck hurt a little but that she was OKAY! (she did not want anything to get in the way of her party) While she was in the tub, she said that her neck was better but that her head still hurt. Then she got out of the tub, and it was a little chilly in the house, but she could NOT get warm! She came to snuggle with me to get warm and gradually I could feel her body temperature rise!! it was the weirdest feeling. so, I got out the ancient thermometer that has been at that house for years, in extreme heat and in extreme cold... and took her temp. I was over 102 in less than a minute... so, mom went and got her some motrin and she was really going to try to act as if she was not sick... but she couldnt. We tried to call Corey and Erin to tell them, so that if they did not want to bring Grayben, they would not come... but they did not get the message... so they showed up and we attempted to have a party.

(definitely not feeling well!)

(She can't even get excited about opening presents)

(Grayben seems to be enjoying himself!)

(There's a little smile!)

Helping Papa

Alex loves helping Papa! She actually gets to drive with him now. Grayben doesn't... but it wont be long!

Alex is 6!!

Our baby is 6!! Holy Cow! She was so excited about this birthday! We let her decide where she wanted to go for dinner, and she chose what we affectionately call the Mexican/Chinese Buffet. She likes it because she can always get shrimp there. We went to pick out a cake and ice cream and then came home to let her open presents. She got more stamps for her scrapbooking and a game and a pucci pup (basically a dog in a purse... very Paris Hilton). But thank you daddy for remembering that she REALLY wanted one at target on alex and daddy day a couple of weeks ago, because it is her absolute favorite... along with the microphone headset from mimi. (I'll try to have a video of that later... very funny!)

When we got home we realized that we had not gotten the candles... so we scraped the drawers in the kitchen and only came up with two candles... sooo... we lit them and she blew them out three times!

The Old Place

The Old Place (Above) The Barn (Below)

One of our favorite places to go, to get away is "The Old Place" or "The Country" or "The Lake". (All the same place, what we refer to it as is dependent on the context of our conversation at the time.) Alex and I got in several trips this summer together with Mom and Dad there for the weekend, and Alex and Jody even got in one day trip together there. We are enojoying it more and more. We are getting more and more "toys" for down there, and I feeling a closeness to my ancestory and family history there. I find myself asking more questions about my family who has lived in Clay or Randolph County, AL for over a hundred years. "The Old Place" is really what we refer to the actual house as. My Pawpaw Nolen, who turns 94 on the 10th was born in this house. He did a lot of work on it in the 70's to "update" it and so thanks to him, we have an indoor bathroom and not an outhouse, and we dont have to go out to the well to "fetch a pail of water", we merely turn on the faucet and can take a shower, flush the toilet, wash the dishes with the luxury of indoor plumbing.

Alex and Dad in the Ranger
Pretty Creek on the property

Yesterday we went to spend the day. Dad had gotten a Polaris Ranger and we wanted to test it out. Mom and I went antiquing while Dad and Alex went riding around on the trails (Dad also had some new trails cut since the last time we were there at the end of July.) Alex and Dad have really enjoyed riding together. She is very good and working her way around and not getting lost. She has a great sense of direction, and does not get scared of very much on the trails.. she's a little dare devil. When we got back from shopping, we went down to the lake and spent a couple of hours laying out and I napped. Then it was time to head back home for the Bama game.

ROLL TIDE!

A Rareity - Mom riding the four wheeler alone.

And He's Off!!

The Sube was officially finished last night!! Jody and Jordan have worked SOOO HARD on getting it ready, especially for this school year (the first that he could really drive to school). The last of the issues was a water pump, which apparently is a fairly easy fix, but the part had to be ordered!! Now that it is done... I am sure Jordan feels a great sense of freedom. Too Bad for him that gas is nearly 4 dollars a gallon. It was 75 cents when I started driving. So, his first trip in it was with his friend Eric to Office Depot, and was gone for 30 minutes tops!! and boy was Jody nervous! I was a little, but I think that I have stressed over it all for all of these months as they were getting the car ready, that I was pretty okay for this. My nerves will come out on the weekends, when he "goes out"!!

Here are the pictures as he was leaving for his first official trip alone in the Sube!

First Day of School

"Pickles"

Granny has for a long time related to the comic strip "Pickles". She says that it really reminds her of her and Papaw. I think that probably for the most part any couple in their "senior" years could relate to the couple in this comic. The neat thing about the couple that is drawn is that they actually favor Granny and Papaw. I think that this is what makes it even more of a draw for Granny.

Granny loves this so much that she as written Brian Crane, the writer and illustrator, several times. Each time he has returned a note to her or a special drawing. He seems to be a really kind person.

So, I check this strip out every once in a while because there are times that it really reminds me of Granny and Papaw. I did not check it out this weekend, but met up with Rhonda and Granny yesterday, and Granny told me that if I still had the paper I should look at it... It reminded her of Papaw and Beth (even though the girl is supposed to be the daughter in the strip) . I read it and it really did remind me of the two of them! Beth and her sweet, caring, gullable heart ( I love you , Beth) and Papaw in his sweet, caring, jovial, joshing heart.

HERE IT IS: