You know you're a redneck when...

....your 6 year old daughter who has recently lost her two front teeth puts on her Hannah Montana wig and parades around in the front yard with her dress-up clothes on. Oh what must the neighbors think?

Please notice the gap....between her teeth.

Faith's initials are "FAB"...so she thinks this "Fabulous" shirt is a custom-made monogram just for her....

1, 4, 6, 8...Who do we appreciate?

So I have been trying all fall to get the kids' 8, 6, 4, and 1 year old pics made. (Thank goodness all their birthdays are within 2 months of each other so we can knock it out at once!) Well, I have this hang-up about wanting everything for Tag to be the same as it was for his big brother and sisters...you know, just wanting him to feel special and not ever left out. So wouldn't you know, just so Tag's one-year pic would match all the other kids' one-year pics, I took them to the same mall portrait studio that I took Logan to 7 years ago. Ha! I really would have preferred some gorgeous outdoor pic, but oh no....

They actually turned out pretty good.  This studio has come a long way from the days of the supersaver 50 prints of the same pose for only $9.99 (hey, we were poor grad students back then!)...to actually doing some really nice digital stuff.  The fun thing now is you can play around with the color....sepia, black and white, you name it.

Beth looks so sweet in this one.

And Faith Anna looks so grown-up in this one!

I could just eat him with a spoon... look at those yummy toes!

This is one of my favorites....it's just soooo Beth!

And our handsome boy... 

So the hilarious thing was that Faith Anna's two front teeth have been loose for months...and she's been wiggling them daily of course.  Well, I had really wanted to get these pics done before those teeth came out...so the night before she let me know this was it.  So we scheduled the pics for the next day....took them....and then right there in the lobby of the studio as we were waiting for the proofs to load on the computer, she and her Daddy pulled the first one out.  She was so proud, bloody kleenex and all!  Walking around showing the photographer and anyone else who cared to look....that she just lost her front tooth!  Then when we got home, they got to wiggling the other one....and out it came too.  Hilarious!  She is too cute.

The Gap

All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth...

Faith Anna lost her two front teeth on the same day... Nov 19th.  They had been loose for awhile, and that evening she and her daddy took the plunge and pulled both of those suckers out.  She was so excited!  The Tooth Fairy even left her a $2 bill to commemorate the occasion...

See the next blog for all the gory details....literally!  :)

The land has stolen our hearts...

Luke's birthday weekend, we were able to get away for a night...just the two of us (!)...without kids (!)....to some good friends' farm just north of here. Rick and Bev Brown are our dear friends from church...they have a beautiful place where you can just go and be still and take in God's creation. We had a great time...and Luke got to do another of his favorite pastimes besides golf....yes, fishing!  Thanks to the Browns for having us out.

I'm trying to learn how to take sunset pictures with my camera.  Didn't quite get it with this one, but you get the picture.  It was just gorgeous. 

They have a big stone pavilion right out beside the house....with this amazing fireplace built into it!  Just perfect for roasting marshmellows and warming up your toesies.

The horses ate apples right out of our hands...

Bev has a special love for her cows...

See the new baby calf lying there in the middle of the pic?  So sweet...

This is a bull named Curly the IIIrd....seriously, look at his curly hair between his ears! 

This is one of my favorite parts of the farm...the jeep!

The fishermen.

I love how the sun is sparkling behind them on the lake in this one.  Must be my amazing photography...

Luke caught a good size bass!  Course it doesn't compare to Henry the Ist.  But that's another story for another time...

P.s.  Rick is one of my new fav authors!  He has written two books now... check him out at www.rickbrownonline.com

His newest book, The Journey, has become one of my favs!

Soccer lady

Faith Anna completed her first season of soccer this fall! She was on the Cowgirls team and really enjoyed this new sport. She is very fast and had a lot of fun racing down the field to defend the goal...and I must say, she was very good at it! Go Cowgirls!

Faith and Coach Chris

Receiving her trophy in the sub-zero-gale-force-wind weather.  (I wasn't cold or anything...)

The trophy is the best part...

Birthday golf...

My man had a birthday in November....and what do you think he wanted to do more than anything on his big day? You got it.... play a little golf. So we went out with his mom and Chris and had a great time. Almost got blown away by the crazy winds that day....but that's another story. :)

Chris, Boo, and Luke

I love this pic...the trees in the background were so pretty!

There's those trees again...

This course was called "The Cliffs"... can you tell why?  It was really beautiful.

I liked this iron fence around the lake....very rustic. :)

This is one of my fav pics of Luke.  He just looks like such a golfer.  Well....he is.

This was one of my favorite holes.  So pretty to look down on....

Beautiful day!  I love you so much, Luke.  You are my perfect mate...my best friend.  I am so thankful for you today!