Pool Weather

May 25, 2010
Max has been asking to swim ever since it got above freezing this spring. Each day that is was just warm enough to not wear a coat he would ask to get out his pool. So, Tuesday was the day! Jay and Max pulled the pool to the deck on Monday night and the first thing out of his mouth Tuesday morning was "Can we swim in my pool?" He got the scrub brush and helped me clean the winter grime out of it and we filled it to the brim. Mary Kate sat in the shade of the umbrella in her Bumbo and I worked on flower pots. Whew! It was fabulous. Mary Kate practiced using her hands to play with the suction cup toy on her tray, I dug in the dirt, and Max hosed everything down with water. We were all three in heaven! Thanks kid-os!Sunday afternoon we spent time at the Kelley's house chill-laxing in their pool. Max is such a little fish! Mary Kate had a great first experience in the pool. She was happy as long as no one was splashing her. Pawpaw held her for a long time dangling her feet in and letting her kick the water. It is going to be a great summer!!!

Four Months

May 22, 2010
Mary Kate is four months old today, whoa! I know I will say this over and over during my lifetime, but where has the time gone?! I can't believe she is already 4 months! Below are two videos of her smiling, giggling, and talking. She is very vocal and loud. If you know Max, you know how much he talks . . . I seriously believe that Sweetheart is going to give him a run for his money. Just last week while talking on my cell phone to my mom I finally had to hang up. They were both talking in the backseat and she could not hear a word I was saying. It is going to get real interesting as she gets older and learns words.

Soccer Trophy

May 22, 2010

We enjoyed Max's last spring soccer game this morning. He ended the season with a game of 6 goals today. He is a scoring machine! Following the game he received a trophy for the season. Then Bebe payed him up for his goals. Remember he is bribed to play and score! He has loved soccer this season and looks forward to playing again. We had a real scare after the trophy ceremony when Max went missing. Yes, today was my day to lose my child. SCAAARRYYYY! He was gone for . . well , I am not sure, but it felt like an eternity. Max followed our dear friends the Millers to their car without telling anyone. The Millers then brought him up to the concession stand in their car to find us. During that amount of time, we had everyone at the fields looking for the "little boy in an orange jersey and spiked blonde hair." He basically just disappeared. They were in the process of locking down the park and not letting cars leave when Max pulled up with the Millers. It was hitting the pure panic level. We had circled all the fields, the bathrooms, the creek, the crowd for trophies, the upper fields, and were headed to the parking lots. People I didn't even know where looking for the "spiked blonde hair in an orange jersey". Yea, it was my kid. When Jay got him out of the Miller's Jeep he couldn't even spank him because he was so relieved. Not a highlight of my parenting career this far, but I guess everyone experiences it at some point. Glad mine is over and hope not to revisit those feelings! EVER EVER AGAIN!

Third Week of May

This week has been was what has become a typical week. Playing outside, going to Mama Nora's, Friday Night Lights, Work, and just trying to stay CAUGHT UP! Here are two pics from our week. Max loves to show Mary Kate how all her toys work. Here he is under the toy arch thingy making it play music for her. She usually just cracks up at him while intently paying attention to what ever he is doing.
Mary Kate's milestone of the week was "finding her toes." She has definately found them and hardly ever lets go. As you can tell, she has also become VERY interested in her fingers and thumb. She loves the chew on the left hand fingers and both thumbs. I am trying desperately to push the binky on her, but right now she is winning!

Our Kix

May 15, 2010

On May 5th our Kix Kelley turned 11 years old. I cannot believe he is that old. Until the past year, you would never guess that age. He still loves the play ball for hours. As soon as anyone sits down in my house Kix is begging to play. He repeatedly brings you his ball until finally you give in and play. Then you are hooked and he wants to play all day. Over the past probably 2 years he has had a significant decline in his eyesight. As you can see from the picture I took today his eyes are mostly green and cloudy. This is from the formation of cataracts due to age. He still gets around fine, but if you move furniture or leave toys out he will run smack into them. He trusts his memory to find his way around. Over the past month, Kix has started to have nose bleeds and a gurgle in his nose. Jay took him to the vet last week, and due to this age, Jay got little info. There was a course of testing and scans we could do, but the vet reminded us that Kix is 11. He advised us to use some antibiotic drops in his nose and try to heal his aliments. I have my own theories of his nasal issues, but I pray the drops help him. I don't like listening to him clear his throat and sneeze due to the tickle. We have had a long time with Kix, and I pray it doesn't come to an end soon, but I don't want him to suffer. We love him and will continue babying him during this season of his life. He doesn't seem to be in pain, only annoyed by his symptoms. Like I said earlier he still plays as long as you will throw the ball, runs in cul de sac with his buddies, and jumps all over you when you get home. He is still our Kix, he is just now our old Kix. It sounds crazy, but please pray for him and us as we transition into the future.

Magic #7

May 15, 2010

Wahooo!! Max had a great day at soccer today. Finally, he started the game with no fits, no tears, and no Daddy playing. We had a great young ref who allowed him to score, score, score. He ended the game with a total of seven goals today. Big Daddy tried to pay him off from last week and this week and didn't have enough one dollar bills! Ha! That's great, Max got an IOU from him and will collect later in the week. I think Grandma and Pawpaw are excited that he may be over the anxiety of the start of the game. He can't be a true blue "Kelley Kid" unless he has mad soccer skills. Well, he's got the skills ( I think ) now we just have to continuing playing without tears.

Too Many Goals

May 8, 2010

Max had a wonderful game of soccer today. It didn't start like that though. Jay and Max had a total melt down before the game. For some reason Max warms up well and has fun until it is time for the game to start. Then . . . . as you can see from his face . . . . he didn't want to play. Jay gave him a really stern talk and shoved him onto the field. He slumped around on the field with the above face and a very loud cry. After coming to get a kiss from me and then the ball being kicked near he took off. The rest of the game was . . . wonderful. He score not 1, not 2, not 3 . . . but 6 GOALS! He was completely enjoying himself, laughing, high five-ing, and running like a crazy person toward the goal. After his 5th goal the referee asked him to share the ball and not score anymore. Another teammate passed him the ball near the goal and he accidentally scored a 6th goal. He looked up in shock and told the referee that he was sorry. TOO CUTE! He did so good. We cannot understand why he freaks at the beginning of the game, but it all ended great, So? I guess we will just go with the flow!

Babies, Babies, Babies

May 6, 2010

Recently our lives have been blessed by many new babies. All the babies we have been waiting to arrive are finally getting here. Below is a snapshot of our newest cutie, Miss Kerrigan Layne Woodward. She arrived just last week with a gorgeous head full of hair. We now almost have an entire cheerleading squad.
Bundles of Joy:
Camryn Clifton - December 2009
Mary Kate Kelley - January 22, 2010
Grant Gillespie - February 2010
John Thomas Freeman - February 19, 2010
Sawyer Leigh Cooper - April 19, 2010
Charlotte Reece Hibbard - April 19, 2010
Harper Smith - May 4, 2010
Kerrigan Layne Woodward - May 4, 2010
and we are still anticipating the arrival of little Peyton Slusher real soon! We also have several more 'buns in the oven' that are expected to make their debuts later in the year.

Nashville Flood

For those of you not from the area, below is a link to a great video of our flood:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pFjaQoOdJvI

500yr Flood

May 2, 2010
The day following Josh's wedding we experienced a massive flood in this area of the state. Rivers set 500yr marks and new records before they crested. As I type on Monday evening some places are still rising. This is how much Mom and Dad's backyard changed from Friday evening to Sunday morning.

Josh's Wedding

May 1, 2010

This weekend we celebrated the marriage of my brother and his beautiful bride, Holly. Despite the raining that turned to massive flooding the ceremony was beautiful. Below is a picture of them at the reception and a slide show of the weekend. Enjoy . . . we sure did!

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Jack's Second

April 25, 2010
We had the privilege of celebrating Jack's birthday with him, family, friends, and Lighting McQueen. The kids had loads of fun playing on the new swing set, trampoline, and Phyllis's water guns. Everything was fabulous and we look forward to many many more!