Storms and the TIMES

I was chatting with a dear friend yesterday morning during my walk. We were talking about pictures and making memories, and it got me thinking...we are so FORTUNATE to live in a time where we have digital cameras, video and the internet. It used to be that house fires and storms could destroy EVERYTHING special in one's life (pictures and memories), but that's simply NOT THE CASE in our generation. I am thankful that I am able to use the internet to blog and upload pictures and journal about memories--memories that will never be lost (or not to my "techie" knowledge--I don't think the internet is going anywhere?). In fact, my brother in law told me about a website that actually backs up all your files for free. I back up my files the "old fashioned" way with an external hard drive and a USB (our computer has crashed 3 different times in the past couple of years).

With all the storms raging across the states and towns getting completely wiped out, you can't take anything (or anyone) for granted. One thing that puts my mind at ease is this blog. I am able to preserve many family memories that can never be erased. BTW, if you haven't done so lately, you may want to export your blog and save it. Hackers can also destroy blogspots--stinkin' nerds!

Here are a couple of things that I would like to have preserved but haven't blogged about yet. Miles's t-ball experience...although not the most pleasant of times (he's quite stubborn on the field), it's still a fun memory.

Don't mess with #3!

One thing Miles does LOVE is golf. Matt takes him to play. The picture above is from Crosswinds Golf Course. But the best places for Miles to play are Hobson Grove and The Trace--both fairly small and not maintained as well--Miles gets mad and throws his club some. He also loves playing mini-golf at Beech Bend. I call it speed golf because he manages to get through the 18 hole course in about 10 minutes.

Don't let that sweet smile fool you =)!

We would MUCH rather ride the blow up raft on the trailer and not behind a boat. Whoo HOO!

More of my favorite memories to preserve involve my adorable 8 year old. I'm sorry girls, if you don't have a daughter, you're missing out on some fun girl time--you may have to steal a niece or call a friend with a daughter--everyone needs girl time. I love the times I get to hang out with Karson, just she and I. We talk. We pedicure. We shop. We love The Olive Garden.

We coach.

We swim (or in this case, chill in the boat). I love every moment of our time together. I am blessed having one amazing daughter--smart, talented, beautiful, caring, helpful, love her!!!

Life is good! Everyone be safe!

Has it Been a Year Already?

Not sure why this picture came out blurry in this post? It's quite clear in my documents folder. This preschool year is coming to an end, sniff, sniff. I have been spoiled rotten the past couple of years with the most WONDERFUL students. I have to admit I was a little worried at the beginning of this school year. When I was sifting through all my paperwork, I noticed a majority of my students were born in the spring and summer months--young--and 8 of my 12 kids were BOYS--eeek. Boys are awesome. BUT let's be honest, they have way more energy and are way more hand-sy than us girls (or at least that has been my experience). My hardest year at EEP was when I had seven boys in my class. Simply put, I was scared about this year, but I am happy to report that it has been a great year. They are such a cooperative little bunch and very SMART. We have had a fantastic year together! My students and parents alike are one of the best groups I've ever worked with.

Ms. Windy and her bunch. As you can see, she TOO, has 8 boys =).

This year is an emotional one for me as my youngest MILES will complete his first full year of preschool. It's hard to believe he only has ONE more year at home with me before he starts pulling HARD TIME at Plano. Miles fortunately LOVES school. He never complains about going and gets excited when we pull into Greenwood Park. Ms. Melissa snapped our spring photos and as usual, did a fabulous job. Enjoy the pictures of my baby.

Love my little guy!

Mother's Day

Didn't get around to making this post on Mother's Day because I was TOOOO busy

...enjoying breakfast in bed, compliments of my daughter Karson who made me the fluffiest pancakes EVER. No pictures here folks, I'm not the most photogenic especially at 7 a.m.

...enjoying all the treasures my children gave me.

...and enjoying my Mother's Day cards.

Hope all you mother's out there had a memorable day like I did. What a blessing to be a mom!

Celebrate

Does it get any better than Mother's Day weekend for us moms? Absolutely not. It's such a great thing to be a stay at home mom, and I am fortunate that Matt has be our sole provider (and a wonderful one at that) and allowed me this privilege. I can hardly believe that my time as a SAHM is coming to end soon =(. It will be strange being back in the "real" working world, but I don't want to think about that now. Moving on...Plano had an event on Thursday morning called Muffins with Moms. It was from 7:00 a.m.-7:30 a.m. which meant I needed to roll out of bed around 6:30 a.m. and get the kids up and going too. My hair was SUPER uncooperative that morning which didn't help matters so I whipped it up into a side braid and managed to get loads of compliments on it. Weird how that happens, it's dirty, it's frustrated me to NO end, I whip it up hoping it doesn't look awful and get loads of compliments. Hey, I'll take it =).

The morning was such a nice tribute to us mommies--thank you Plano staffers. I loved seeing and hanging out with other fellow moms at the school. We love our Panthers!

We had another celebration on Thursday. It was Matt's last official day at South Warren High School. He is now a certified teacher. WOW. I can't believe his journey is over. Matt is quite the student. His PRAXIS scores were super high--he scored in the top 15% of all test takers and received an ETS Recognition of Excellence honor. He has also maintained such a high GPA these past couple of years along with all his other responsibilities as a husband, dad, minister, etc. We're so proud of him and his hard work. We had a nice supper that night. Karson and I decided to make a celebratory run and got him a cake from Culver's and some party favors from Dollar General.

Happy Graduation to YOU! Miles is ALL about blowing out candles these days. I can't even light a candle in the bathroom or in the house without him begging to blow it out. This has been a big year for the Deaton family and graduations. Our sister in law Laura graduated in December with her degree in nursing, and Seth will graduate as a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant certificate on Monday in Louisville from J.C.C. We're so proud of them all!

Confetti poppers!

More celebrating...I decided to celebrate my Mother's Day yesterday. I didn't want to wait until Sunday because Sundays are usually pretty BUSY for me. I know they are for Matt as well, but being the wife of a minister brings many responsibilities whether you want them or not. I WANT them, but I don't consider Sunday(s) as a day of rest for our family. SO, since Matt is officially done with his student teaching and had promised to take Miles golfing, I had yesterday all to myself. I decided to make the most of it. I called up Regina Webb and scheduled a full hour swedish massage with Heather (who is the best in town). It was awesome! Afterwards, I went over to my favorite nail techs. at SOHO. I didn't want a pedicure since I had just had the wonderful massage so I did a toenail polish change instead. Love my new toes. The day was superb and exactly what I needed. Later that afternoon, I took Karson to see MacKenzie at Panche for a haircut and decided to get one too--love those sister in laws of mine =). Afterwards, we headed over to the ballpark to see Evan's first ballgame. And after that, we took Karson over to Pap's house (where our boys were) to spend the night. Matt and I had a late dinner at Outback. The PERFECT day all together.

Debbie told me on Wednesday night at church that she wanted have everyone over this evening to celebrate Colvin's 60th which also happened to be Derby Day. As soon as we arrived, we chose our horses (it was a chance drawing out of cup). I pay zero attention to any of the derby hoopla, so I wouldn't have known which horse to pick anyway. We put our money in the pot, and off to the races we went. Our picks were #13 Mucho Macho Man (Matt), #10 Twinspired (Tiffany), #5 Decisive Moment (Karson), #4 Stay Thirsty (Isaac) and #8 Dialed In (Miles). We didn't win, but it was still fun to watch and cheer our horses on.

Celebrating Pap Colvin's 60th birthday!

Miles is all about opening up cards for people. He manages to get every shred of the envelope ripped open. We also gave Nana Debbie, Granny and Mamaw their Mother's Day cards. Miles was very helpful in that process also.

Family photo shoots.

We've been doing lots of celebrating in our family. I love my large family-in-law. I can't wait for it expand even more with sister in laws and nieces and nephews one day. We're blessed beyond measure!