Today is Monday and sorry I haven't written in a while, but with all the last minute Christmas shopping and a stomach virus, things have been a little out of whack. Yes, I said the dreaded word: Stomach virus. I am the only one that had this terrible bug. That leads me to believe that it may not have been a virus afterall and that it was probably something I ate. Well, stomach virus or not, it was terrible and left me out of commission for about 3 days. I was feeling much better on Friday. Friday night me and Matt went out to eat with Brad and Holland. We love spending time with them one on one without the kids. Although the kids would have LOVED to have been together, Mom and Dad's need some time too! We stayed out until around 10pm. We sat at this restaurant for 3 hours talking. Needless to say our poor waiter was getting tired of looking at us! Paige came over that night and babysitted my boys. Lance had to go to his company Christmas party. The boys love aunt Paige. Will said that Paige played hide and go seek and gave then Coke! No wonder they love her!
Saturday, Matt got the boys up bright and early and out the door by 8:30 to do some Christmas shopping! He took the boys alone! What a great Dad! I spent the alone time cleaning the house and then running some much needed errands. When we all came back home, we laid the boys down for some naps and then made plans to go out to dinner with Scott and Amy and their two kids, Luke and Caroline. We met at CozyMels in Cool Springs. We had a great time with them too! Matt and Scott see each other everyday, but Amy and I don't get to see each other often, so we just chatted away! Matt and I are so very blessed to have such good Christian friends to hang around and have our children grow up with. I love talking with them, laughing with them and just watching our kids play together! It is such a blessing from God.
After church on Sunday, Paige and I did some last minute Christmas shopping and then I headed to the grocery store to stock up on some great deals I found.
Thursday is Matt's birthday, so I have arranged a little party with cake and ice cream and some other goodies that he likes with some of our friends and family to come over to the house. Paige and Lance, Joel and Marcie, Scott and Amy and their kids and Holland and Brad and their crew to name a few! It was going to be a surprise, but I just couldn't wait to tell him. He loves having company over and entertaining friends.
Well, I better go and try to get these boys to rest. We just came in from outside and walking on the trail. I can't believe it is 70 degrees in the middle of December! Crazy!

I'll write later!

Today is Monday and sorry I haven't written in a while, but with all the last minute Christmas shopping and a stomach virus, things have been a little out of whack. Yes, I said the dreaded word: Stomach virus. I am the only one that had this terrible bug. That leads me to believe that it may not have been a virus afterall and that it was probably something I ate. Well, stomach virus or not, it was terrible and left me out of commission for about 3 days. I was feeling much better on Friday. Friday night me and Matt went out to eat with Brad and Holland. We love spending time with them one on one without the kids. Although the kids would have LOVED to have been together, Mom and Dad's need some time too! We stayed out until around 10pm. We sat at this restaurant for 3 hours talking. Needless to say our poor waiter was getting tired of looking at us! Paige came over that night and babysitted my boys. Lance had to go to his company Christmas party. The boys love aunt Paige. Will said that Paige played hide and go seek and gave then Coke! No wonder they love her!
Saturday, Matt got the boys up bright and early and out the door by 8:30 to do some Christmas shopping! He took the boys alone! What a great Dad! I spent the alone time cleaning the house and then running some much needed errands. When we all came back home, we laid the boys down for some naps and then made plans to go out to dinner with Scott and Amy and their two kids, Luke and Caroline. We met at CozyMels in Cool Springs. We had a great time with them too! Matt and Scott see each other everyday, but Amy and I don't get to see each other often, so we just chatted away! Matt and I are so very blessed to have such good Christian friends to hang around and have our children grow up with. I love talking with them, laughing with them and just watching our kids play together! It is such a blessing from God.
After church on Sunday, Paige and I did some last minute Christmas shopping and then I headed to the grocery store to stock up on some great deals I found.
Thursday is Matt's birthday, so I have arranged a little party with cake and ice cream and some other goodies that he likes with some of our friends and family to come over to the house. Paige and Lance, Joel and Marcie, Scott and Amy and their kids and Holland and Brad and their crew to name a few! It was going to be a surprise, but I just couldn't wait to tell him. He loves having company over and entertaining friends.
Well, I better go and try to get these boys to rest. We just came in from outside and walking on the trail. I can't believe it is 70 degrees in the middle of December! Crazy!

I'll write later!

Sweet brothers!

Will singing "We three Kings" at his Christmas Program

Jake singing "Jingle Bells" at his school Christmas program...

Dad doing a little painting.

Matt hard at work!

Playing while everyone else was working!

On the go-cart with Pop Pop

Nana and her boys
Well, it's been a little while since I've written. This past week has been somewhat busy so at then end of the day, I just crashed. Matt had a big project due this past Wednesday, so Monday and Tuesday he literally got about 4 hours of sleep b/t the two days. He is a project manager at a healthcare software company called GHX. He and a few other guys developed a special software designed for some the top healthcare leaders in the world...HCA and Johnson and Johnson and a few other spin-off Hospitals of HCA. Wednesday was the day that Matt had to present this program to the group. It was VERY important. Tuesday night he didn't get to bed until 4:30 and then had to be at work at 7am. Needless to say he was exhausted by Wednesday night. And to make things a little more hectic, Tuesday night was Will and Jake's Christmas program at their pre-school. So, of course, Matt wouldn't have missed that for the world. I don't complain to Matt about his long hours sometimes for work, b/c it is because of his hard work and dedication to this job that makes me able to stay at home with my boys. I thought that Matt needed a little break to be by himself and to just relax so, the boys and I headed to Tullahoma on Thursday. We just intended on staying until Saturday morning, but I talked to Matt on Saturday morning and he said he wanted to come up. So, we ended up staying until tonight (Sunday). My parents are re-doing all their molding in their living room. Changing them from oak to white, so my cousin Tommy and his son, Jonathan came over every night of the week and all day Saturday and Sunday working on this project. Of course Matt helped out on Saturday and Sunday. When power tools are involved, Matt can't help himself! My Mom and I spent most of the day on Saturday Christmas shopping in Murfreesboro. We had a great time. On Friday night, before Matt got there, my uncle Ron suggested going to a little restaurant called Miller's Grocery in Christiana, TN. It is between Shelbyville and Murfreesboro. It took about 25 minutes from Tullahoma. It used to be an old filling station and then a little grocery store. It was finally turned into a restaurant a few years ago. It had a write up about it in a magazine that Ron was reading and he was dying to take us there. Another couple of my parents friends went too. Miller's had a live Bluegrass band that was awesome! The boys loved the place. They hung out by the band the whole time! Miller's Grocery had great home-cooked food and wonderful display of the building's history. It was a cozy place to be on such a cold night! We all had a blast.
Not much exciting happened in Tullahoma. The boys chased the cats around and rode the go-cart and played outside in the rocks most days. We went to the Mexican restaurant last night and saw my Aunt and cousins.
We are so excited about Christmas! We talk about it all the time. My Mom is planning on hosting her family Christmas party on the Saturday before Christmas. Her family is quite large. Their will be about 40 people there. We are doing it a little different this year. We are having each family bring either a dessert or an appetizer and Mom will have a smoked turkey with rolls. We haven't had this party in about 5 years. We quit doing it after Grandma and Uncle Bobby died. It just hasn't been the same since we stopped doing the Christmas party. We all miss seeing and having fun with our family. So, me, Paige and my cousin Faith decided to get it together again. We plan on playing Dirty Santa that night too. On Christmas Eve morning we always have a BIG Christmas breakfast for my Dad's side of the family. That's alot of people too! About 35. Matt's family always has a great traditions too! We go to his house in Huntsville on Christmas Day. His Mom fixes Mexican food for dinner! Sounds crazy, but it is sooooo goood! It's a nice break from the traditional Turkey/Dressing. Matt's family is always so much fun too. Lot's of talking and telling old traditions and stories. So, you can see why I am so excited about Christmas!
The boys went to see Santa on Wednesday. We took him their lists and they sat on his lap and told him all what they wanted. Even Jake told him he wanted a dinosaur. They both looked so amazed as they were sitting close to this big old guy in a red suit. Will asked where Rudolph was....Santa said he was tied up outside. The weird thing is I can remember like it was yesterday, sitting on Santa's lap telling him all what I wanted. What a wonderful memory it is. I only hope the boys have such precious memories. I know they will!
Maybe I can write more this week. Talk more later!

Will and Jake waiting patiently for the Christmas parade to begin.

Matt and his boys at the Parade

Me and my boys at the Christmas Parade

Will devouring the cotton candy in less than 5 minutes!

This is Jake 2 minutes after the Parade

This is Will 2 minutes after the Parade

Will and Jake going to church with the blazers NaNa got them.

What a fun-filled weekend we had! Saturday morning I got up early and fixed some sausage balls for the boys and Matt. Matt loves these and so I make them fairly often in the winter time. I went and got a one hour massage on Saturday morning. My parents got me 6 one-hour massages for my Birthday. They were Heaven sent. So, believe me, I plan to use them b/c Lord knows I need them!

The Franklin Christmas parade was Saturday and so we were very excited to take the boys to their very first parade! We got their early enough so that the boys could have a great view of all the floats, cars and candy throwers! Although it was a bit chilly, it was very much a great adventure for the boys! They absolutely loved it! Will's favorite part was diving into the street for all the candy that was thrown from the floats. Jakes favorite part was listening to all the bands coming by playing Christmas music. It brought back so many memories for me as a kid growing up in a small town. My family and I had a great tradition of going to the Tullahoma Christmas parade. It was always on a Friday night (it still is...) so my Mom got off work early that day and went and parked the car to"save our spot." Me, Paige and Dad would go meet her to pick her up. We did this a few hours before the parade began. We always parked it in the same area. It was our tradition to meet my parents friends, Donald and Marilyn there too. Mom and Dad got us Hot Chocolate and cotton candy. My dad always bought us the crazy plastic dolls and toys that were way over-priced hanging from those rickity carts. It was so much fun!
Of course I had to buy the boys some cotton candy, but I just couldn't bring myself to buying those crazy over-priced toys...Sorry Dad! Will ate the whole cotton candy bag in a matter of 5 minutes. His face, hands and tounge were as blue as could be! Jake didn't particularly care for the cotton candy; he couldn't get used to the texture of it. Only time will mend that. Who doesn't like cotton candy???? After the parade was over, we hurried back to the car to drive home. We weren't in the car 2 minutes and both the boys were sacked out!
Saturday night Matt and I got to go out to eat by ourselves and then go Christmas shopping for the boys. Our neighbors and good friends, Bonnie and Nancy came to babysit. They are wonderful. Always helping us out. They wanted to come keep the boys so that Matt and I could have a night out by ourselves and get some shopping done. They won't let us pay them for babysitting. We just trade services when the need arises. Great huh?
We got home around 9pm and Bonnie and Nancy looked worn out and the boys looked like they had been playing their hearts out! They love Bonnie and Nancy!
We got up and headed for church this morning. My Mom bought the boys some blazers from the Gap and this was the first Sunday it was cold enough to wear them. They looked adorable! I was so proud to show my handsome little boys off! We had another great sermon today from Pat Bills and Albert Lemmons. Pat is our Youth Minister and Albert is one of the ministers there too. Albert is quite amazing and so is Pat. So needless to say, the sermon was out of this world! They are both so inspiring and speak exactly what needs to be heard. We had a double baptism today. It was a husband and wife who were newly weds. Albert married them on Thanksgiving Day. He has been studying with them for a while and wanted to start their marriage off with baptism! It was very emotional. We are so very blessed to be going to this church and have our children at a church like this. I can't wait for Will to begin the UpStreet for kids. He will start that when he is in Kindergarden. Upstreet is a ministry designed to lead children to know, love, and follow Jesus by having an environment where they have Bible study, worship and connect relationally through small groups.
Paige and Lance came over after church today to visit. I made a really good homemade soup for lunch and they wanted to take some home with them. The soup was good. It was called Chicken and Wild Rice Soup. Very simple to fix. I got it off the Southern Living website.
Well, I am so worn out from this weekend. I need to go have my grape juice with Matt. Maybe I will get a shower before bed. That would be great! Ha...Ha.......
Write more later......

A day with Sis

Today the boys were in Little School from 9am until 2pm. I took full advantage of my freedom and spent the day with my little sis, Paige. She had the day off, so we went straight to the mall. We shopped a little for some of our family members. While we were going up the escalator, we saw a famous face going down the escalator. Some of you guys might not now who I am talking about b/c the famous person is on a soap opera called Days of Our Lives. It was Jennifer from Days. I remember reading that she was living in Franklin now. But it was weird seeing her in person.
Anyway, after the mall, Paige and I headed to get some lunch at a little restaurant in the Factory of Franklin. They have great Chicken Salad sandwiches and soup and many other goodies. We then headed to a little antique place off 2nd avenue in Franklin called Harmony Home. I have written about that store before. We love going there to get one of a kind gifts. Paige went with me to pick the boys up at school. They were very surprised and happy to see Auntie Paige there. The boys had a great time at school. They made lots of crafts. Will came out with half of his face painted red. When I asked the teacher what happened, she said that they had fun with the red markers at craft time. Will must have tried to paint his entire face red. It looked like he had the chicken pox. We took Paige back home and then headed back to the house. I hadn't been home since I left this morning, so I needed to clean up just a bit. After a few minutes of being home, the doorbell rand and there stood little miss Miranda our 3 year old neighbor, wanting Will and Jake to come play. We went out and let the boys play a while. Rebecca (Miranda's Mom) and I love to talk catch up since the last time we talked (which is usually only a couple of days!). She is great to talk to. She has really become a good friend. She is trying to get pregnant right now and is having a tough time. She is going through her 3rd round of Invitro. We pray that it takes this time b/c it will be the last time she can try.
It started raining about 30 minutes into our playtime outside, so we all scurried in out of the rain.
We ordered a pizza tonight for supper. I didn't feel like cooking. I couldn't have gotten away with that 50 years ago when my Grandma was a mama. But, I say, if Grandma were here today, she'd tell me to order a pizza every night of the week!
The boys were over-tired tonight so it took them a while to get to sleep. We kept hearing little footsteps jumping out of the bed and running around. Finally after enough threats from Mom and Dad, they wore themselves out and went to sleep.
Another day in the life in the books....write more later, Lord willing.
Steph

Today we attended a funeral for my great Aunt Nell in Russellville, KY. We left the house around 8:30 to meet Paige and Lance. We drove up there with them. Nell was the youngest of my grandmothers sisters. She was a wonderful lady that I will remember forever. She was so dainty and sweet. Most people can't even say they know who their great aunt was. But I can, and always will because she was my grandma's sister. I was very close to my grandma and grew up listening to grandma tell stories about her sisters, especially Nell b/c they were very close. The funeral was a sweet and simple funeral that really told the story about Nell. They played a great video of her and her life in pictures that was set to music. The funeral reminded me of my Grandma's funeral. Seeing all the familar faces that were there at Grandma's funeral. After the burial, we all walked over to where my Grandma and Grandpa were buried. Mom brought a Christmas wreath and put it at their grave. I really miss my Grandma so much. I wish that she could see me with my kids. I think about her every single day. As I am doing my daily things around the house, I often think...."How would Grandma do this? or How would Grandma handle this situation." It isn't fair that she isn't here to help me, but I know her spirit is around me everyday. I hear her voice sometimes telling me to play with my kids and not to worry about making sure the house is perfect. My Mom tells me that too. Both Grandma and Mom were clean freaks. I am somewhat a clean freak, but I actually like playing with the boys rather that cleaning house. Kinda weird I know...
After the funeral, we went to their church and had a lunch that was provided by the church. It was good to see all my distant relatives. My Mom pointed out a little old lady sitting at a table whom she said knew my Grandmother very well. She was one of my Grandma's best friends when they lived in Springfield. Of course that intrigued me, so I scurried over to meet this lady who was so close to Grandma. Her name was Ms. Price. She said that she and Grandma were best friends and they used to do so much together. Go play cards, make dinner, and just talk about things going on in the town. I asked her what she remembered about Grandma. She said she remembered Grandma being so beautiful. She said she always seemed to have things together and that she was fun to be around. Ms. Price remembered my Grandpa too. After chatting a while, it was good to have found that connection to my Grandma who I miss so much. I love talking to older people. They have such a history. This lady was 91. She looked so good for her age. Her mind was clear as a bell. She remembered so much about Grandma. I love hearing stories about Grandma.
The boys did great at the funeral b/c Matt and Lance kept them in the playroom during the service. When we went to the church for lunch, the boys barely ate b/c they were running around with their cousins. My 2nd cousin Andra has a little boy, Campbell who is 4 1/2 and a little girl who is about Jake's age. We don't get to see them much except for special occasions. So when they play together, they play hard. Needless to say, the boys conked out as soon as we got in the car.
After dinner, Matt turned off the TV and we listened to Christmas music until the boys went to bed. Matt and I love listening to Christmas music. It really calms us and gets us in the spirit of Christmas. Matt and I also have a little ritual we have been doing every night for about a year or so....we always have a glass of grape juice.(It has to be Welch's). Don't know why,,,,but we are addicted. After the boys go to bed....we come downstairs and pour each other a glass and drink it and un-wind after the busy day we've had. It's kinda funny, but it's our ritual.
Write more later....

Will on Pop Pop Spraggins' back while he does push-ups in the morning.
Jake's turn on Pop Pop back. Yes, Pop pop likes to show off!

Turkey Day at Pop Pop and Nana Spraggins' House!

I guess Aunt Amelia had a little too much Eltriptophan in the Turkey!

Will and cousin Owen playing in Pop Pop Hawkins' tool box!

This is the tree limb where the boys decided to hang about 10 ornaments!
Will and Jake decorating the Hawkins Christmas tree!

Well, it's been almost a week since my last visit. We have been a little busy with the Thanksgiving Holiday and everything. We had a great Thanksgiving and always have so much to be thankful for. We went to Tullahoma this year for Thanksgiving. We left on Wednesday and stayed until Friday morning and then went to Huntsville to visit with Matt's family and his cousin Keri. Keri lives in Arizona. She has never seen Jake so we wanted Jake to meet her and visit for a while. We just stayed a few hours and then headed back to Franklin. On Saturday, we got up early and cleaned up the house; getting ready for the Christmas decorations. Matt and I got up in the attic and brought down several green and red boxes full of Christmas decor!!!! We spent most of the morning decorating. We then made the excursion to Home Depot to find a Christmas tree. We found the perfect one and loaded it up on the car and put it up that night. I made some homemade vegetable soup for Paige and Lance to eat that night. Paige hasn't been feeling well, so I thought some soup might do the trick. I also made Lance some cornbread muffins. He loves cornbread!
We decorated the tree that night with Will and Jake. It was so cute watching them put all the ornaments on the tree. We explained to them what some of the ornaments were; like the one that Matt and I had when we first were married and the "Baby's first Christmas" one, etc... Will loves to hear stories about things. Jake could have cared less. He just wanted to hang them up. It was funny b/c they kept hanging all the ornaments on one branch. The branch started sagging and I said,"Boys, I think you need to spread the ornaments around, don't hang the ornaments all on one branch." I took pics and made a video. These are moments we will remember forever.
We went to church today and had a great speaker from Franklin Christian Church. Very lively man. He has so much passion for the Lord. I wish we all had that kind of passion. Does he know something that I don't? Probably so. I need to get in that Bible and read more. Can't wait for the next Beth Moore study. Should be in January.
The boys played outside most of the day today with Miranda. Madeline came over for a while and then Jennifer (Madeline's mom) had to get back to her baby. She just had a baby boy about 2 months ago. Sweet baby boy!
Me, Matt and the boys went to visit Paige and Lance tonight. The boys love going over there b/c they play with Maddox (the bulldog). We didn't stay very long and then we headed for Cracker Barrel. Jake can spot a Cracker Barrel a mile away! He says, "I love the butter and the biscuits." Me too.
I'll write more later.

Will and Jake waiting patiently for Mama's Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole to get done!
Will and Jake watch as the Casserole bakes and the rolls rise!

Today was another great day in the Hawkins House. You will find that we live a rather plain but blessed life. I thank God every night and day (when I think about it) for the wonderful life he has given me. We woke up this morning and I fixed the boys some good ol' pancakes. Will wanted some Cheerios too, so I made them for him too. Jake wanted a cereal bar with his. Everything like big bro. These boys are really growing. I can tell by the way they are eating. I can only imagine when they get teenagers. Oh my! I got the boys dressed and hair combed and we went to the YMCA so that I could exercise. This was the first time the boys have come here. They would go with me all the time to the Rec Center, but this was new for them. They did fine b/c they got to go into the Kid Center together no splitting them up. Mama insisted.
I burned the treadmill up! Or should I say, the treadmill just about burned my legs up! I love working out! It really rejuvenates me. I have much more energy and my mood is better throughout the day. I plan on doing some aerobics classes next time.
After the Y, we went to get my car inspected b/c our tags will expire at the end of the month. We arrived at the inspection place just when everyone else decided to go. We waited in line for about 20 min or so. The boys and I passed the time by singing all the Nursery rhymes songs we could think of. After passing the inspection, we headed to the Grocery store to get some basic necessities, bread, milk, etc. Will and Jake love going to the store with me b/c they get cookies from the bakery. Yes, even though it was lunch time! You only live once, right!!!
I made the boys some bologna sandwiches and then it was rest time. The boys were very tired from the busy weekend we had, so they went right to rest. So did Mama. I made Will's favorite meal tonight....Poppy Seed Chicken casserole! He ate 2 helpings. They love watching the meals cook in the oven. Just about every night, they come watch the food bake in the oven. They are so intrigued. Not much to write about, just that I cannot wait until the Christmas Holidays! I love shopping for everyone and seeing Will and Jakes' little faces light up when we talk about Santa Claus. The innocence they have. I can still remember that feeling of believing in Santa. I swore I saw Rudolph's nose blinking outside my window on Maple Hill Drive when I was about 6. It was so real. I guess I was dreaming. Obviously!
I can't wait to hear the stories and the imaginations my boys will have of Christmas. I pray that Matt and I can make their Christmases as special as ours were.
Write more later.....

Birthday Weekend

Will trying out the sleeping bag with Daddy!

Singing Happy Birthday to me!

Family Photo in front of the camp fire.

Dad play-fighting with the boys. By the time it was over, all the furniture in the living room was turned over. Mom almost blew it! But it was funny!

More camp-fire fun with Pop Pop!














I love it when my birthday rolls around. Not many people can say that, but I can. It's not because I am so excited to turn another year older (although that is a good thing and not a bad thing like we have been trained), but it's because I get to go home and have a relaxing weekend with my family and do absolutely nothing. This Friday, me and the boys headed to Tullahoma a little early. We left around 2:00 and Matt, Paige and Lance came later that evening just in time for some food Mom cooked. We didn't have a big meal. Mom just made a bunch of appitizer food and we snacked all night long! In fact, my tummy was rumbling all night b/c of all the food I ate! But it was my birthday, I figured I could do that.
Right when we got there, Dad grabbed the boys and immediately took them for a ride in the go-cart. They are in heaven when they come to Pop Pop and NaNa's. I mean, our house isn't by any means extravagant, but to Will and Jake, it is comparable to Disney World. There are tractors, a go-cart, hay-rides my dad fixes, trails to walk on all out in the woods, dogs, cats, toys and most of all....attention attenion attention.
Will and Jake have no problem going to sleep at Pop Pop and Nana's house b/c they are just plain worn out. We got up Saturday and Mom fixed eggs, bacon, biscuits, cinnamon rolls, etc. We usually have a big breakfast when we come home. Mom likes cooking normal, good-tasting, food b/c my Dad is so health-conscience that it is hard for Mom to cook anymore. It is good for her too that Dad eats like he does b/c I believe like Dad does and that is "you are what you eat." Some people might think that healthy living takes the fun out of life, well I think that you won't be having any fun in a few years when you've had a heart attack or stroke or diabetes is taking over your life. I think there is a balance, though, and Matt and I feel we have some sort of balance.
Anyways, off the health-food kick. Paige and I spent most of Saturday visiting with our high school best friends who both have had babies recently. We went to see our good friend Wendy first. She looks great and her baby is adorable! They seem to be doing really well adjusting to the whole parent-hood thing. She asked for some advice and of course I gave her my two-cents worth. We shared birthing stories and all that. It was good to see her and baby Parker.
We then went to my best friend Annie's house to see her and her new baby boy, Logan. Annie seems to be doing good too. Her baby looks exactly like her husband Josh. I couldn't believe it! Annie seems to be so relaxed and just a natural at being a Mom. She is going to be a wonderful Mom!
That night Mom fixed Chili and we had my uncle Ron come over. He and his wife Patricia live in California 9 months out of the year and they live on the lake in Winchester the rest of the time. My Aunt Patricia wasn't feeling well that night, so she stayed home. We opened presents, blew out candles, had birthday cake, the whole 9 yards. It was great. Will and Jake just loved helping me blow out all those candles!
Matt and Lance went and set up a tent in yard. I guess they thought they were going to sleep out there or something! It was freezing. Matt and the boys stayed out there and had fun playing in the tent, but when it was bed time, they all came running into the nice warm house.
I feel like I didn't see Matt all weekend b/c he was out next to the camp fire all the time with the guys! That's okay, I know he enjoys that and I want him to have a nice relaxing weekend too!
Us girls talked about Thanksgiving and what we were going to cook and what we needed to get at the grocery store! Typical girl talk.
All in all we had a wonderful weekend. The boys are fast asleep right now and it's not even 8:30. They were exausted! I love bringing the boys back to the home I grew up in. It is so special to me. I want them to have the same memories I had there. As I was putting them to sleep in my old bedroom, I just kept thinking of all the memories I had in this old room and now Im putting my two little boys to sleep in here! It is wild. The circle of life.
I hope to write more tomorrow.....

I don't plan to write much tonight because I am worn out. The boys were in Little School today so I went to clean Paige's house and then came back to my house and did a little cleaning as well. Trying to get caught up on laundry and the little things. The boys had a great day at school. Will said that he won at a bingo game they played. He was so proud! Jake's class did alot of painting. I could see from his little hands and clothes.
I went out with my good friends who happen to be my neighbors as well. They both have girls who are 3 yrs old. My boys play with them all the time. We, mothers, have become good friends over time. Now it was our turn to go out and have a little fun without chasing down kids. It was good to have a good adult conversation without interruptions. We went to a new, trendy, resturant in down-town Franklin called The Red Pony. The food was great and the atmosphere was different than I anticipated. We stayed there for about an hour or so and then headed across the street to Sandy's Downtown Grill for some coffee. I had a great time getting to know these girls who I see nearly everyday, but don't REALLY know. We learned alot about each other, we laughed, we almost cried, and we just let loose and had a great time.
Well, Im going to go see what Will is afraid of...He keeps saying "Im scared of the dark......"
Write more next time!

When I got up this morning it was pouring rain. I looked at the forcast and it predicted rain all day. This is going to call for some creativity on my part today. With 2 energetic, rowdy boys, I must come up with something fun to do indoors today. I thought it would be good to make cinnamon rolls for breakfast on a rainy day. This is something we rarely have. So with the help of Mr. Pillbury dough boy, I threw some cinnamon rolls in. The boys love them! They probably think I make these homemade and you know what, I am going to let them think that for now. I mean, why ruin that precious innocence now? That won't damage them for life, will it? One of these days they will figure it out.....
We colored lots of pictures today. WIll is getting really good at drawing squares. He does it all the time. He also can identify all his letters and is beginning to spell simple words like cat, dog, Dad, Mom, etc. Jake still likes to color on the walls, so I have to sit close by to monitor him. LOL. Jake loves to draw circles. He also likes to try and draw trianges. He says, "Look Mama, I draw a triangle.." I look at it and it looks like a cute scribble...I say, "Oh, Jake that is great!!!"
After lunch, I made a tent for them to play in. I had to get creative with this one, so I got their bedspread and just hung it betweeen their twin beds. THey absolutely loved it and played in there all afternoon.
My parents called yesterday to say they wanted to take us all out for my birthday (11/18) and Lance's Bd (11/10). So, tonight we all met at Macaroni Grill and had a GREAT time. I love being with my family. The boys love being with my parents. My Dad acts like a kid just like them! Sometimes I find myself correcting my Dad instead of the boys. We all had a great meal and great family time and got to talk about some real important family issues. Thank you God, for our family. What is life without family? Not much. Not much.
We are all planning a trip to Tullahoma this weekend to continue the birthday celbrations. Matt is going to be bringing his tent and my Dad loves to show off his bon-fire skills. So, needless to say, Will and Jake will be having plenty of hot dogs and marshmellows this weekend.
Lord willing, I will write tomorrow......(just for you Faith....Ha!!!)

The boys went to school today and they had a great day. I used this day to get some things marked off my list that I had to get done. It's amazing what you can get done without two little boys tagging along for the ride! Nobody to put in the corner, no refereeing, no making meals for 3 people. It is quite awesome and I am totally blessed to be able to stay at home with these beautiful boys and also to be able to send them to a Mother's Day Out program twice a week. It is great for them and for me. I feel like it has really benefited Jake, especially. He is quite shy when it comes to groups. The Mother's Day program at our church has allowed him to understand that it is okay for someone else to take care of him and that Mommy WILL be coming back to get him. On the way to school today, we were singing our regular "It's time to go to school, it's time to go to school, Hi HO the dairy oh, It's time to go to school." I say, "Who's gonna be at school today?" Will usually chimes in and names his whole class one by one. Jake, on the other hand, usually just sings along not really understanding the whole song thing. But today was different, he said "John will be there, John will be there, Hi Ho the dairy oh, John will be there." He then began naming 2-3 other little friends of his (Camille and Caleb). I thought to myself, that is so good that he remembers that! He is becoming quite a socialite. So, when we got to the classroom, Miss Karen greeted us as usual and Jake said, "There's John, there's Camille, and Caleb!" Oh, it was soooooo cute!
While the boys were in school, I went to the YMCA and joined me and Matt and the boys. We have been wanting to do this for a while, so now is the time. We used to be members for about 9 years and quit last year to pay off some debt. Now we are at a point where we can afford it and desperately need the excercise!
I also ran a few more errands and then went to pick the boys up at 2pm.
I fixed a great chicken casserole for dinner. It is called Chicken Cranberry Casserole. Matt loves it and it's a great casserole for the fall time.
The boys were very wound up last night for some reason. I guess it had something to do with Matt wresting with the boys right before bed. Ha!
I will write more later.....

After getting some of the mundane household chores out of the day, me and the boys headed outside. It wasn't too cold today, about 55-60 degrees mostly cloudy. We went walking on our trail in the back of our yard. For those who haven't been to our house, we have an awesome neighborhood because of all the common grounds. There are acres and acres of woods in our community. Our house backs up to the common area and so we have a mile or so of wooded trails in our back yard. Perfect for growing little boys. There is a creek right behind our house that our boys love to throw rocks into and play with their sticks. I took some pics of our adventure today. Nothing really exciting to write about today. Will helped me fix tacos tonight. He is a real helper most days. He is learning something new everyday!
Tonight I wanted to watch the Bachelor which comes on at 8 o'clock. So, I went to my favorite rocker in our bedroom and began to try and watch it. Will and Jake kept coming in and out and finally, Will, looking very tired, said, "Mama, can you rock me?" Awwww, I said, "Sure." So, as I was rocking him, I was telling him that one day he will meet a girl and one day get married. Of course he doesn't have a clue as to what I am talking about. But he said, "Does that mean one day I can be the daddy?" I said, "Yep, it sure does." He said, "Mama, will you still make me Poppy seed chicken and chocolate cupcakes?" I became sorta teary-eyed, and said, "Yep, I sure will, anytime." These days are gonna fly by I know it. I am very observant when it comes to being around my in-laws b/c they are more emotional than my family. I have seen Matt's dad become emotional serveral times at family gatherings over the past few years; mainly when he prays before meals. I know what he is thinking....He can't believe the years have flown by....he is so proud of his family and so thankful to God for his wonderful growing family. I've also seen my parents become much more emotional over the years since I have had kids. They are probably thinking the same things Matt's parents think...they can't believe time has gone by so fast and that they are proud of Paige and I. I hope me and Matt will be there, where our parents are someday, praying at a table with all our grandkids and children. Knowing that these are good kids and that we did a great job as parents with help from Above.

We all loaded in the car and headed for church this beautiful, but chilly, fall Sunday morning. Church was very crowded as usual. It was a great service. Phil Williams is our "fill in" preacher since we are looking for a full time pulpit minister. Phil is great. His talks are usually very historical in nature. It is always very interesting. Somehow He always ties it into today's world. The best part about church is the worship service. Ken Young is great. We weren't too sure of him at first. Just b/c he was new and we weren't sure what he was going to be bringing to our church as far as "worship leader." But he is a wonderful man and I truly believe he puts his heart and soul into his work. As Im leaving the building every Sunday, I look around at all the people driving here and there and wish they could have been apart of the great service and fellowship that I just did. I have been asking my neighbors to come. They don't go to church anywhere right now. I think they would love it there. Maybe one day they will come.
We ate some leftovers for lunch. They boys played outside for a good while. Miranda came over and they played swords with tree branches. Miranda hangs right in there with my wild boys! After I layed Jake down for his nap, I headed to the Grocery store. I love going to the grocery store to find my bargains. For example, I went to Walgreens and spent 35.00 and saved 28.00. The cashiers always look at me and ask how I manage to get so much savings. I tell them I just look for the sales and use my coupons only for that item. If it's a good deal, I stock up.
Anyway....the day was a typical Sunday at our home. Matt watched the Titans get beat. Not by much, though. We were pretty proud of them. They somewhat stood their ground against Steve McNair.
Before I came in here to write, I stopped by the boys room to tuck them into bed. Will was fast asleep, but Jake was up. I got into bed with him and snuggled oh so tight. He was sucking his thumb and I was brushing his soft hair back. He was talking to me about lots of things on his little mind like snakes and cows. And how Pop Pop was digging a ditch. (my dad is digging a ditch for a garage he is building) Jake remembered all these things. Then he said Nana is making eggs. That was so funny! I just laughed and said "You want some eggs?" He said "No, I want donuts." I stayed in there just talking to him. Jake and I rarely get moments to ourselves, so when I can get a minute or two in, I find it priceless. I told him that I loved him and that he was such a special little boy who has so much life ahead of him. I kissed his little fat cheeks and said "night, night." My boys are so precious.
Will write more later.....

Saturday mornings are usually always a treat here in the Hawkins Household. One reason is because Matt gets up early and fixes everyone homemade pancakes! They are absolutely out of this world. He says he does nothing different to them than the recipie calls. I guess they taste so good to me b/c he cooks them for me. The boys love them too! Today Will helped him out in the kitchen. Will is starting to really enjoy helping me and Matt cook in the kitchen. I have shown him how to unload the dishwasher utensils. So he puts all the forks, spoons, knives, etc. where they belong. Sometimes they are out of order, but it is alright with me. The more help I get, the happier I am. It teaches the boys a sense of responsibility and that they are apart of this house too. I can't wait till Jake gets of age! Man, I'll be sittin' pretty! LOL!
Matt says he is excited when they will be able to cut the grass. I'll bet!
After breakfast, we all got ready and headed to Paige and Lance's house for me to clean. I took the whole family b/c they wanted to get out of the house. Matt helped me clean, too! So, we got done fast. We headed home for lunch and then we all rested a while. We ordered pizza tonight. YUM YUM! They boys have been watching Fox and the Hound in between throwing the football with Matt. He's down there watching the Alabama football game. I hear the boys throwing that ball down there and it makes me nervous! Ha Ha!!
I folded and put up about 3 baskets of laundry. Will it EVER end!!!! I feel like that's all I do sometimes, wash, fold and put away laundry. Every now and then I will iron. Now that's a job. I remember my Grandma ironing and washing all our clothes. At the end of the day on Friday, she would look at Paige and I and say, "Now, look, every single bit of clothes you girls have is washed, dried, ironed and put away!" We would look at each other and say, "Thanks Grandma." Not having a clue of the hard work she had done. I hope that she knew how thankful we were of her before she died. I think she did.
Well, gotta go. Write more later, Lord willing!

Friday we got up, ate some breakfast and headed to the Dr. Office for the boys' flu shots. That was a lot of fun! Actually it wasn't that bad. Will began to cry as we were walking into the Dr. Office saying, "I don't wanna get a shot, I don't wanna get a shot!" This was not very encouraging to Jake. As Will was crying, I ran into a friend from home going into the elevator. His name is Greg Hollis. He has a twin brother named Jeff. He said, "Don't I know you?" I said "Oh, yes, from Tullahoma." We went to church together. He was a few years older than me, so I were never close friends. Will was so worried about the shot, so I didn't get to talk long with Greg. He looked as if he worked for a medical sales company. Maybe we will run into each other again soon.
The Dr. office didn't take long at all and so we headed to Mc. Donald's and then to the park. We had a picnic at the park. We decided to go the the Rec Center. It is usually not crowded and we can play soccer there. After we ate, I took Will to the BIG HUGE hill that goes down to the soccer fields. I showed him how to roll down it. I didn't think he would do it b/c it was so high, but just like a little boy, he rolled so much he got dizzy! Jake like running up and down the hill. He wasn't so impressed with the rolling thing! We had a blast playing soccer, rolling and playing on the playground. We ended up stayed there playing for a couple of hours.
We came home from the park exausted, so we all rested for a while.
Matt came home from work and we ordered in from Off the Grill. It was delicious! We didn't feel like cooking or going out anywhere so we enjoyed the meal double!
Well, I better go!

Thursday was a gorgeous day here in Franklin, TN. I took the boys to school and then I had a visit with the Chiropractor. My neck has been bothering me ever since I gave birth to Will. I had a long-drawn out labor with him. And then while I was pushing him out, I must have torn a muscle in my neck b/c the pain that I had on the right side of my neck was horrible for about 2-3 weeks. I finally had to go to the doctor and get some muscle relaxers. Those times were hard, but we got through. Now, my neck just bothers me and I saw how chiropractic care helped Matt with his back and so I went yesterday and my neck feels great today. I will continue seeing him every week for one month and then less frequently after that.
The boys had a great day at school. When we got home, around 2:15, they wanted to go play outside. It was a beautiful day, mid 70's and sunny. So, we headed outside with the bubbles. It didn't take long for our neighbors to come out to play, so Madeline (3yrs old) and Miranda (3years old) came over. We played outside until 4:15 or so. Then I remembered I had to get going b/c I had to meet one of my good friends, Jen Thorne, out for dinner and a movie. I got the boys in for a snack and then we met Matt at the resturant me and Jen were going to eat. Matt took the boys back to the house and had pizza. They watched Fox and the Hound and ate Pizza upstairs.
Jen and I ate quick and then headed off to see "Departed." It had a great cast. Matt Damon, Leodardo D'Caprio, Jack Nickolson, etc. It was a great movie. There was quite a bit of bad language, but the movie, in general was very good. Jen is a friend whom I met in college. We were in a few Marketing classes together. We never hung out in college, just good aquaintances. She and her husband, Trey, started going to Fourth Avenue and we have been close ever since. Not to mention that Trey and Matt work together at GHX. We all went to Denver together last December. We had a great time out on the dance floor at around mid-night!!!! She is so much fun to be around. We are so much alike. We like the same food(although believe it or not, she is a little bit more picky that I am! Hard to believe!), have alot of the same interests, and have children around the same age. She has a little girl, Averi, who is 3. Avery just started going to the Little School where Jake and Will go. Jen and I love to "get away" and get out all of our girl talk. Last night we didn't have much time to talk, so maybe the next "get away" we will just spend 3 hours talking.
Well, I better go. Tomorrow we are supposed to go get the boys' flu shots and then off to the park to play with Luke Westerman, maybe James Adcox and Carson Pearman! Busy day.....

Steph

Today was a typical Wednesday. We had a good breakfast! The boys had pancakes and strawberries and bannanas and I had my ol' standby...toasted bagel with Peanut butter (all natural of course) and a bannana! Like anyone really cares.
The boys helped me sort all their summer clothes and winter clothes. I took all the summer clothes of Jake's and put them up and away. All of Will's will be good for Jake next summer so I put them under the bed in a storage container. Will helped me push all these under the bed. "Let me help Mama, I have BIG muscles!" I said of course you do. He really does help me alot around the house when I need an extra hand. After tiding up the house and watching President Bush say that Rumsfield was out, we all went outside to blow bubbles. It was a great day. Mid 60's and sunny. They love to blow bubbles. They will blow them and go chase them into the neighbors yard until they bust or blow away! I let them play some more and then I went in and made lunch. We ate lunch late. We all had Turkey and Cheese sandwiches with pretzels and yogurt. Yum Yum.
Rest time couldn't have come sooner. The boys were tired and so was Mama.
I am so glad the election stuff is over. I was getting very tired of all these negative ads.
Matt came home to quite some chaos tonight. I was making Salmon cakes, salad and peas when Jake decided to fling his peas and ketchup all over the dining room! In the midst of spanking Jake and making him pick every pea up, my Salmon cakes started to burn! They didn't look very pretty, but they tasted great. Matt cleaned up everything as usual. Afterwards Matt played with the boys while I got to watch "Biggest Loser."
I talked to Paige tonight before she and Lance head to New York. They leave Friday. They will be back on Sunday. Paige has to go there for business so Lance took full adavantage and got him a ticket too! I don't blame him. I will go and take care of her house while she is gone. I usually go and clean it on Thursday. But, I will go Saturday instead. Maddox, their bull dog, is staying with my Mom and Dad in Tullahoma.
Well, I will talk later.

Tuesday, November 7

The boys were in school today. They had a great day! Jake made a turkey out of a coffee filter and Will made a scarecrow to put on the door at school. It was a rainy day so they didn't get to play outside, so they play in this big room at church. It looks like so much fun. I went and watched Jake play in the big room after I took Will to his class. Jake didn't know I was watching. He went straight for the little car that he can push with his feet. He sat there for long time before pushing it to go! He looked like he was having so much fun. His teacher says he is extremely shy. He doesn't say much at all. He just likes to observe. Just like his Dad! Matt loves to be in a crowd, but he is happiest just watching everyone else. On the other hand, Will's teacher says he is a talker and loves to play right there with his friends. Will is somewhat shy, it takes him a while to warm up. But once he feels comfortable, he is a socialite!
I stood in line to vote today. The line took about an hour. I also went grocery shopping. I am proud, I spent $100 and saved $45. My dollar goes far when I used coupons and buy things on sale. I use a website called The Grocery Game. It saves me big bucks every month.
Holland called me about 4 pm today and wanted to go out to dinner tonight. Of course I consented and we met at Garcia's at 7pm. But before I went out with Holland, I went ahead and gave the boys a bath. They love the bath! I wanted to get that done so Matt wouldn't have to when he got home. I made the family Tacos and black beans. I sat with them and had a few bites of the delicious tacos (I was a little hungry). Then off to Garcias to meet Holland. We talked for 2 hours there! She is such a good friend. I am so blessed to have her in my life. We talked about kids, politics, family and yes, the dreaded s.e.x. word!!!!!!! Ha! ha! What goes on at Garcia's stays at Garcia's!!!! I think it is so important to have a good friend to talk to in life about life! It's good for me to talk to other Mom's having the same struggles I have. It makes me feel normal when sometimes at the end of a long day, I feel quite inadequate. Thank God for friends.
We didn't leave Garcia's till around 9pm and when I got home, I was glued to the TV with Matt watching the Election Coverage. Then off to bed!

Today was a typical Monday at the Hawkins Household. Matt went to work. I managed the boys and house. The boys had their breakfast and then were washed up and dressed. They love to watch Disney Channel. Their favorite shows are Wonder Pets and Handy Manny. Today they showed a disney movie, so they watched that while I cleaned up the house. I usually use Mondays as my cleaning day b/c it is usually a wreck after the weekend. I just cleaned the master bath and kitchen and did about 4 loads of laundry. Wednesdays I usually clean the upstairs and do more laundry.
The boys and I played doctor today when I pretended to fall down and hurt my leg. Will immediately went to locate the band-aids. But he couldn't find them and so he brought back a book of stickers and began to stick them all over my leg. Jake kept saying, "It's okay Mama, it don't hurt." Will said, "You'll be feeling better next week." I said "Next week? Don't you have anything stronger, Doc?" He didn't seem to get it. Ha!!!!
After rest time which is from about 1pm-3pm, I made them go run around the back yard. I told them they needed to do the obstacle course 5 times. They ran around the yard, swang on the swing 3 times and climbed up the ladder and then do it all over again. They were tired!!! Will made me do it too! Of course I did. I just ran the yard, no swinging or ladder climbing for me. I was tired too! Ive got to get into shape!
I made Poppyseed Chicken casserole tonight. Will ate 3 helpings. Jake is not a big fan of Poppyseed Chicken, but we made him eat it. Matt was a sweetie and did all the dishes! His Mama sure did train him up right. Actually, when I go home with Matt, his Dad helps out alot. He does dishes, laundry, whatever is needed. Matt says he always saw his Dad helping out, and I guess it stuck with him. Thanks Keith and Sherry!
I love being a stay-at-home Mom. There are days, though, that wear me down. Not so much physically, but emotionally. The boys begin fighting or they become bored with me. I have learned much within these 4 years. I truly believe that if the task is easy, then it ain't right. I believe that hard work pays off and hopefully me and Matt's parenting and sacrifices will pay off. I look into the boys eyes and see so much hope and amazing promise for them. They do seem to be hard workers and very driven boys.
I heard something today that has stuck with me all day. It was a quote from a girl from Uganda speaking to a group of Holocaust survivers....She said, "I don't believe I can change the world, but I can change people. And if you do that, then you will change the world." It is so true. Hope this inspires someone.
I hope to be back to write tomorrow....
Steph

Super Sunday Farm Pics

Happy 2nd Birthday Noah! Myla made this cute "Horse Farm" cake!
Jake and Dad on the hayride!

Getting a quick Family Pose in!

This is me on Govenor, the horse

Here is Paige, posing proudly. She claims she was a horse in another life.
And, here is Big, Bad Jake. No fear!