Jessica Shines - Prims to Star

Just a few nights ago, Jessica (and many other girls) were honored for their accomplishments in their individual classes. Jessica recently "graduated" from a Prim to becoming a Star. She was recognized for the work she has done over the past year in her Prim's class. I am so proud of her!

ROLL TIDE!

Fall Fun

Last weekend, we took a trip out to Walden Farms for pumpkin picking. The weather was great, but still really warm to be picking out pumpkins! This is a great little farm in Smyrna that offers fun things for the kids and a small petting zoo too. Getting into the farm is free and so are all the activities. You can purchase food items and crafts for reasonable prices and the pumpkin selection is always good. I wasn't able to get Jonathan to stick with us long enough to get pictures, but that gives us a reason to go back. I love the picture of my parents and Jessica, and obviously the flowers on the farm are just beautiful.

Orange Beach, AL

We recently got to go on vacation at our most favorite place on the planet, Orange Beach. We had a great trip and the week went so quick....but all vacations do. We are blessed to have friends that own a condo in Orange Beach, so we go as often as we possibly can. Windward Pointe has become our second home and hopefully our retirement destination. The area was hit hard by Ivan a few years ago, but the community has made a remarkable comeback. There is so much new construction going on, and we captured some of that in our pictures. Enjoy!

Some of the animals we enjoyed at the zoo

Meet Oliver - an interesting little fellow

At the Alabama Gulf Coast Zoo we were able to have some play time with the newest editions! They are only here for a short time and having them all to ourselves was an incredible experience. They are 7 weeks old and full of energy....and claws!

wonderful sunsets everyday

13 and Growing

Jonathan had a great birthday with friends and family. It is difficult to believe that he is already 13. He invited friends over for a night of backyard camping. They all had such a great time playing and let me tell you....eight boys can be really loud. We celebrated his birthday the weekend of the Alabama vs. Arkansas and boy was that game a roller coaster! All events in our family relates to what ballgame was being played that weekend. We are die hard Alabama fans and Jonathan has played football since he was 6. Thankfully, Alabama was able to win the game and that was the icing on the cake for his birthday. Hope you enjoy the pictures.