New Pictures

Lisa Sawyer volunteered to take a family picture for us after church this past Sunday.  I still had on my volunteer shirt, and the kids weren't posed very well, but here we are ...

Here is a cute face from each of the kids ...

Everyone is playing so sweetly ... 

And lastly, I love pics like this last one.  This was on the way home from Blackshear.  We were down there celebrating June, July, and August birthdays.  Everyone's asleep (including Clara, who apparently didnt want us to see her sweet face).  

Eve's Birthday Surprise

This entire year, Eve has been practicing "surprise parties".  She loves to hide and then jump out and yell, "SURPRISE!!!", and she loves to get the little kids involved too.  She has practically BEGGED for us to throw her a surprise party for her 5th birthday.  How can you say no to something that means that much to her??

We started the day with a lunch date with daddy.  Eve got to pick the place, and it was no surprise that MONTERREY was her choice :)

Then, that evening, we had a family celebration at mom and dad's house.  We ordered pizza, had cake and ice cream, and opened presents.  She loved it.

And then, I asked mom to help me coordinate the SURPRISE.  Some of mom's friends, the Powell's, brought their two new horses to the field behind the church and let Ella Kate, Miley, Josiah, Katy, and Eve ride them.  Eric took the little three home, while I blindfolded Eve in the backseat, and tried to have her as surprised as she could be.  We pulled up, she saw the horses and her cousins all standing around, and she was THRILLED.  She loved it!! 

 So, our attempt at a surprise party was a success!  Happy Birthday girl, happy momma!!