Evan's Birthday/Meeting the Gaithers

Evan had a great birthday on Friday. I chose the easy option of cupcakes from WalMart, and his class didn't seem to mind. :)

Isaac, Evan, and Zachary...


We always take the kids to a restaurant of their choosing to celebrate their big day. Usually they choose Skyline, but Evan said he wanted a homecooked meal at his mamaw's house...

Yummy Oreo Delight was a great substitute for birthday cake!
Evan's menu: fried chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, green beans, mac-n-cheese (the best ever), cottage cheese, dill pickles, dinner rolls, sweet tea...yum!
A mouthful of cupcake...
On Saturday, we took the kids to Alexandria, IN where Bill and Gloria Gaither were hosting the premier of the new GVB reunion recording. It will be released next week. The Gaithers took questions following the 2 hr dvd preview, and then spent time at Gaither Family Resources signing autographs and chatting with visitors. We did a little shopping at GFR, and picked up an early copy of Fireproof, which I can't wait to watch! It was an interesting and fun day!
In the kid's corner at Gaither Family Resources...the last time we were there, the boys were probably 2 and 3...


These pics jumped out of order...Evan with Granny...

Evan with Daddy...
Mom and Dad in Studio C, where the recording was made...

Bill and Gloria, entertaining and taking questions from the audience of about 200...


Gloria with the kids (Allison had just messed her diaper - didn't think it would be appropriate to plop her down on Gloria's lap!)...
Bill and the boys...
Mom and Dad getting autographs...
Allison wasn't too thrilled about being confined to the kid's area...
On our way out of the studio, we spotted one of Greg's favorites, Woody Wright...

And My Baby Boy Turns 8!

At 9:02 this morning, Evan completed his eight year! Wow ~ time absolutely flies. Evan is a special kid. He is very intense about everything he does, and often becomes frustrated with himself if he doesn't achieve the goals that he sets. He can't stand to lose...once we get the attitude tamed, that will be a great trait! A couple of years ago, Evan shared with me that God had given him a calling. Every now and then, he will pull me aside and share something that God has told him. He is very sensitive to God's will and God's rebukes. I am confident that God has a great plan for Evan's life. He is a great student, good athlete, and has a mighty fine singin' voice! Oh, and don't let me leave out the most important thing...he could live on ice cream alone! :)
Happy Birthday, Evan! You are loved!























Hope you have a wonderful day, Evan!!!

Expressions...

Allison's personality and individuality has become quite apparent in recent weeks. She likes to move about at her own pace, and explore the things that interest her. Her siblings aren't quite used to this yet, and are still of the mentality that they can control her. Not so! She is quite animated when letting them know that she is her own person! Here she is "explaining" to Kaitlynn that she does not wish to be touched...

This one cracks me up...I was trying to get her to smile at me before church, and this face came between a laugh and a smile.

Testing my new camera on Kaitlynn's face...the flash was evidently a bit much!

First Oreo Cookie...

No words necessary...

Kaitlynn had way too much fun shopping at Claire's last weekend...she found some "treasures" for she and her good friend, Emilee...

My Alli-girl loves "her" cell phone...she runs around pointing it, saying "Cheese!" to the top of her lungs.

This pic is probably not even blogworthy (son #1 needs to work on his manners - or at least his mouthful of food!). Greg suggested that I post a pic of Evan to show you his "facial" progress. You will remember that he had an accident in early December that left him with lots of surface scrapes and a few deeper cuts. I'm happy to say that he is looking really good, and we are coating the areas with the strongest Vitamin E oil available at GNC. The insurance statements are beginning to roll in, and I am once again amazed at how hospital pricing is so over the top. Unbelievable. I noticed a couple of weeks ago that Evan has a molar on the left side that is chipped from the top of the tooth down to the gum...I really think that it happened at the time of the accident. He said that's when he remembers it feeling cracked, although he didn't tell me about it. At the ER they only checked his front teeth...not the ones in the back. Fortunately, it looks like the rest of the tooth is in great shape, so I'm hoping they will be able to fix it, even if for a small fortune. He's gonna need that one for many years to come! :)