I am sixteen going on seventenn

 Wow- Sixteen years ago we completed our quiver. So hard to believe sweet Caroline turned 16 this year. Being the youngest has its advantages (like lots of eating out) but then the down side is that all your older siblings are now working...

 But after work surprises.......

 Homemade with Love....

And when all other siblings are not available, then you take your stand in for breakfast brunch. Thanks Laura Bean!

 

Red Velvet Waffle Cake Anyone?

 Have you ever put red velvet cake mix in a waffle iron and made 40+ waffles, food color, cream cheese icing and a creative birthday girl at a kitchen table with a crowd to observe? Me either. This is what happen and after Happy Birthday was sung, there was no cutting the cake. Just handing out waffles. Katie Ann turned 19 this year.

A Few of My Favorite things......

Simple things make me happy the older I get. I love an umbrella and a good chair at the beach. Give me a water bottle and a book and I can sit for hours. Just ask my kids....

one of my favorite places....

It is one of my favorite places. Where heat is not sweaty. There is always a breeze and it is even fun to watch a storm come. Blue Mountain Beach is now one of my favorite places to be. And when I mean be...I mean just that. Nothing fancy. Books, suntan lotion, peanut butter and jelly.

 The girls decided to have some official beach pictures that did not include khakis and white shirts.

Freshman Year done.........Home for the summer to babysit and just be here. Birmingham Southern is a good fit for KA so far. Glad to have her home. The summers with college kids home get shorter and shorter. Plus having another driver is nice.

Mama Does not always know Best

 When it comes to not doing the norm, Stephen can always attempt it. When he was little, we would go to the gym to shoot basketball. Instead of free throws, he would practice half court shots. He even shot a few half court shots in middle school basketball. I don't think any went in. But at the age of 20, he was selected to attempt a lay up, a free throw, a 3 pointer and a half court shot for $5000. The catch was it had to be in less than 30 seconds. Little did Golden Flake know that they had chosen a boy who spend a lot of time shooting and getting  his own rebounds. Little did they know they chose a boy who knew his own shots and when he knew it was a bad shot, he had already began to rebound it when it left his hand. Little did they know, that this boy had played many "games" with the half court shot being the last shot, and lastly, little did they know, that this boy had been waiting his whole life for this 30 seconds. Stephen was chosen. He made the lay up and free throw with now trouble. He shot an air ball but he did not give up and when he made the three point after two tries, he turned around and shot the half court shot at the other end. A play I know he had done many times while shooting around.

 Here he is receiving his check for  $5000. He was ESPN and a few radio shows. He 30 seconds of fame lasted about a week. His mom did not know best. She always said he should have been practicing free throws instead of half court shots. And now Stephen is a little richer.

Turning 20

Stephen turns 20........And having another 20 something year old in the family makes me wonder where did time go. Over the last twenty years, we have seen this boy do some amazing basketball shots, soccer plays, ride a unicycle, ride a unicycle backwards and stand on his head while watching TV. We have also seen his grow. We have seen him struggle with death of friends, life, schoolwork and close games. We are excited to see where his journey of life takes him after 20 years.

And then there were 20.....

I love when family blossoms.......Friends and their friends and they all come to ice skate. Memories Mom takes pictures while Dad watches all the "phones"

oh you know...just stuff

I cannot believe it is December. I am 48 and I am married to a man in his 50's. And our children are.....well they are....Going to college formals

 Caroline is going on youth retreats

 Jason is in AU pondering his next life step (a major)

 

 

And KA is running and going to college...

And we are off....

I remember when Katie Ann was about to be born. I wondered how we were going to afford three in diapers. So much that I tried to potty train way to early. Now we have three in college. And I do wonder but I know how God provided the things we needed when there were three in diapers. I am trusting him to do the same with three in college. Don't know how it will work.

 

 Sometimes diapers came in unusual ways. I am expecting college tuition will do the same. KA is at Birmingham Southern and J and S are at Auburn. There is no other place I would want them to be at the moment but where they are. And sweet Caroline is still at home.

Just in a moment.......

How many times did I say "Just in a moment" Seems like they grew up in "Just a moment"

Tradition and the 4th

Some people go to the lake, some people go to parades for a traditonal fourth of July

 We started our own tradition. We go to Evergreen Alabama and Slip and Slide for Fourth of July

 Line the kiddo's up by age......we now have a college graduate and some college students....

What to do when it is 114 degrees outside

There is always talk of global warming. Always temp records to be broken. But there was one week in Murfreesboro when it was 114 degrees outside and when you would breathe, the air was warm. It wasn't humid. It was just Hot. It was June. And we had company. So what do we do...bring out a 100 piece puzzle. Actually I had already started it and it was finished in two days.

We also attempted to go to the Vineyard in 100 degree weather. And guess what...it was not crowded. It wasn't as bad as you would think. But you couldn't do too much but listen to the band and play some cards. Still the atmosphere was nice and we saw the sun set.

 The moon when it is 114 degrees.......



When I gave birth to Katie Ann, I was in a daze. Three kids under three. I have memories and then the few memories I wrote down. So when the third graduation in three years came, I realized I needed to enjoy and remember. 

#3

Katie Ann is a artist of many kinds...with paint, words, objects. She creates in ways I don't even think about. My prayer is she continues to seek the Creator and know him more and more. 

Even with the 3rd graduation in three years some things stayed the same and some were different. No banner just colors. No brother at Stephen's and no brother at KA. But we did have Moe's, Oreo ice cream, corn flake candy and more of the same food that the Bass family seems to need to help us graduate.