Fall 2020 Pictures

Bonnie always does such a great job no matter what mood or setting we have. This photo session didn't disappoint!

I love my sweet boys face in this one. He has such a tender heart and yet is so steadfast in his opinions. He has no filter, letting you know just what he is thinking. We laugh often about how he will listen intently to a conversation and then drop a one liner that will have you rolling. He doesn't budge a bit when he delivers it either. Layne gives the best hugs to those he loves. He doesn't hug just anyone though. His affection is only for those he truly trusts and knows. He does talk a lot more to people even if he they aren't part of our usual circle of family and friends. 

Oh and I must mention how much Layne acts and looks like his daddy! They are definitely twins! Only difference is Layne's lighter hair and the fact he likes more foods than Tyler ever has!

And this one, he is tender hearted, too. But quiet and more reserved. He is growing so much and so fast. I have to stop every so often and just be with him cause I feel he is so independent and quiet. We are usually talking about sports or food when we go to and from school. Garyn loves to check ESPN and we are currently all apart of a Fantasy Football League. He manages my team for me.

Almost as tall as Tyler!

Our baby girl is growing up, too. I see this picture and cringe a little because she looks so grown and beautiful. She is a strong willed yet sweet girl who challenges me daily. She has opinions, wants and desires that sometimes go against what Tyler and I say. Imagine that! But man, she is my little shadow. We love to shop at Goodwill, play dress up, paint each other's nails, watch girly movies and decorate together. She will be a wonderful wife and mother one day!

Now here is the funny story of this session. Layne had spent the night at Nana and Poppa's the night before. We had a big dinner there before heading to meet Bonnie. On the way downtown, Layne fell asleep. We had gotten there earlier so let him sleep about 30 mins and then woke him up. He was ok but a little irritable. Well when he kept running off and not cooperating for pictures, Tyler said, "Boy, I'm gonna crush your skull if you don't get over here" Layne took that quite literal and this was what we got for that picture......

It was funny to everyone but Layne. I don't think we got many pictures of Layne after that because he was up under the bushes hiding from Tyler half the time. And in a cascade effect, Garyn was getting mad at Layne which got him in trouble and  he started to cry, too. But hey, like I said, Bonnie always gets the best of our craziness!

Somehow, we just laugh it off every time. The craziness will only last a little longer and then we will miss it!

Dollywood Fun

This past Spring we were able to get Dollywood season tickets at a discount. Knowing that we all love rides from going to Disney a lot, we were so excited to be able to enjoy the rides at Dollywood anytime we could!

Our first trip, we were given a grand tour by the Blazek family. They have season passes as well and are well versed in the attractions. They also have 4 girls for ours to enjoy the rides with! After that first day, we knew this would be a place we could come to enjoy each other and not have to travel far!

Since, we have been 3 more times. Garyn loves the Wild Eagle and Lightening Rod rides. Daddy rides those with him since Mommy just can't stomach them. Ansley loves the Fire Chaser, we all do really. Layne loves the water rides, unfortunately for us :). Layne also likes Blazing Fury. Thunder Head, Jump Line and Barnstormer are some others we like, too.

 2020-

Tonight we sat around the table talking about funny stories from the past. This is one of our favorite dinner discussions. We love to talk about Garyn's "I still have my rocket!" story, Ansley's "Why you got that baby on your hip??" funny and the time Layne peed on a playground during a birthday party. I pulled out my blog book to get some more ideas and new stories. That is the reason I'm starting to write again. I love looking back over stories and having memories written down. Unfortunately, I have a terrible memory. There is so much to try to catch up on and I probably won't get through all of it. 

          For now, I want to start with this year. The year 2020 has been one for the books. I know it will be a year we talk about forever. The Covid 19 pandemic has lasted most of the year! For our family, school letting out was the first we really noticed. March 16th (maybe 17th) school closed with the anticipation of going back at some point. That never happened though. 

             We began our quarantine at home that lasted about 2 months. The government issued mask mandates and closed "non essential" stores, malls, bowling alleys, theatres and all sports were cancelled. We got a lot of drive through, stayed home and only saw Nana, Poppa, Uncle Philip, Aunt Kadie and the cousins. Tyler went to work 3 days a week to bus food out to Bradley County kids. I kept working part time but usually had shorter days. The school posted work online and sent home packets. Everyday was spent getting on zooms and watching videos to learn. 

             The great part about quarantine was getting to play Monopoly, watching movies and all the family time spent together. We had moments of feeling stir crazy and tired of not getting to go places but mostly loved the laid back days. One of my favorite memories, was the week long Monopoly we played! We set a bear in daddy's place if he was at work and would roll for him. I noticed each one of the kids personalities in how they played. Garyn was smart with his purchases and always wanted to make trades to his advantage. He also hated when he got close to loosing starting to give up or swindle someone out of  money to redeem himself. Ansley loved having money making sure she didn't run out of one particular bill. The hard part for her was letting it go! Tears would flow every time she got down to $50 or so. The world was ending; everyone needed to cut her a break so she didn't loose because that wasn't fair at all! Layne, sweet boy, was the first to give someone a break or money if they were about to go bankrupt. However, he was wise in purchases and usually had plenty of money to spare. Fun times those were!

              The summer and fall were fairly normal but still had to wear masks some and social distance. Some things did open up, like school and most restaurants. The funny yet sad thing is Chick fil a still hasn't opened up inside. We have been doing drive through for months and the kids have been so sad it won't open until the spring. 

             

Fast forwarding to now, we have gotten to experience the quarantine again.  Little different this time cause we are in a new house and Garyn has had the Coronavirus. Thankfully, Garyn wasn't bad sick and has been recovering well. We don't think anyone else got it either. We all had some mild symptoms but tested negative. Nana and Poppa had the virus as well and were also mild. They actually were able to do a clinical trial and got antibodies that most likely helped them recover. Unfortunately, Aunt Sharon got the virus October 8th and passed away on November 10th. It has been a sad day for us and a lot of other people who have lost loved ones from this virus. I'm just so glad Garyn and the rest of us weren't bad sick. The schools may be closing again if it keeps getting worse.

       

          I know our story with this pandemic probably isn't over so I guess it's ..........

                                TO BE CONTINUED.......for now!