Family Picture Time....

Those words send a feeling of dread to every mother, I think - well at least it does for me! The pressure to make sure everyone is somewhat coordinated and in a reasonably good mood, not to mention keeping faces scratch and bruise-free (a challenge for my little ones!), hoping you have decent weather on the day of the appointment, and finally, anticipating at least ONE shot in which everyone is looking in the same direction with a pleasant look on their face (ha - check out Madi in the pic above)! Well, I have to say this one went well. As long as I was pumping Madi with candy and using bribery with Clay and Jake (Kristen was easy - the girl loves the camera ;) - it was actually a pleasant experience. Of course our favorite photographer, Bob Dyer, made everything turn out great.
Here's a few favorites:

The Five F's.....

No, that does not stand for my children's grades this nine weeks (A's and B's thank you!).... but it does stand for:

Family
Fowl
Food
Football
FUN!

Or at least that's how Russ summed up the weekend! He had a neat opportunity to take Clay and two of our nephews, Jep and David on a youth duck hunt. They had an absolute blast! They finished in time to see Jake win his football game :). Along with our niece and the grandparents, we had a great day with our family (missed the ones who couldn't be here, though!)



Later that night Russ, Jake, and Clay went to a bonfire party to watch the Ole Miss/Arkansas game (*sigh*), while I stayed here with Kristen and her friends Alexis, Luke, Sarah, and Jordan as they carved pumpkins - so fun! (Sorry Sarah - you took yours before I could get a pic of it :) - but it was cute!)

Happy Birthday Clay!!!!!!!!!

We had a birthday weekend at our house. Our oldest son Clay turned 12 years old on Saturday! We spent the evening go-carting and playing mini-golf - it was a blast! Let me tell ya, Clay is a terror on the speedway - sure hope that gets under control before he turns 16 (in just 4 short years - yikes!) I'm not sure which of the Tyler men had more fun - Clay, Jake, or Russ (see pic below!)



Saturday we watched Jake play football, and Clay brought along some buddies (Ben, Cole, Dakota) to cheer the big man on. I'm not sure Cole got enough sleep the night before ;)




Madi snuggled up with Dad on this chilly morning. Too cute....


Final thoughts about the birthday boy:

** I thank God for his precious life. It's funny, three of our kids came at times we did not exactly "plan". But not Clay - we "plotted and planned" this guy - we wanted a boy and we wanted him in October (ha - so he would be two years younger than Kristen and for school and sports reasons - seems silly now!)
** He was a HAPPY baby and had the biggest open mouth smile I had ever seen. :D
** He was a RAMBUNCTIOUS toddler - not in a mean way - just always energetic and always looking for a good time!
** He's been off the charts in elementary school - although 5th and 6th grade has given him a challenge in being motivated and organized!!!
** Loves to LEAD - gets that from Dad....
** Lives and breathes sports and anything related to sports
** Has a GIRLFRIEND - oh my - I'm so not ready!
** He knows his Mom and Dad LOVE him and are his biggest fans.
** He's given his heart to Christ, so therefore our greatest prayer for him is that he grow in his walk and impact his world because of that relationship.

This school got it right. Enjoy....

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=6025166&page=1

Bragging rights

Big stuff going on in the lives of my kids - the days are flying by - so I'm indulging in some accolades:

Kristen - Handling beautifully a tough slate of pre-AP classes, along with flute, majorette, swimming, and a social life. It's hard for me to see her when she's stressed, but it's an opportunity for her to lean on Christ's strength when hers is gone. She had all-region choir contest in Russellville this past weekend and placed #26 - not bad for a girl that refuses to sing in front of anyone (anyone that she knows, that is ;)

Clay - HUGE game last week! He had an interception and ran it 60 yards for a touchdown. Followed that play with recovering a fumble. I love my #11!

Jake - Every week he manages to get a paper on the "Good Work Wall" at school - he is lovin' first grade - may it continue until 12th :)

Madi - Mastered the front roll and does it constantly. She also loves to hold on to the chair, kick one leg out and do "ballet" moves. We could possibly have a dancer in the family!

Ok... I admit there was also some bad judgements, lost assignments, whining, and temper tantrums (I won't say who was who ;), but I am so grateful for these four blessings - not sure what the flip I did to deserve them!

Awesome movie

Russ and I got a chance to sneak away and watch the movie "Fireproof" - I loved it - such an inspiring film! He's also doing a sermon series in conjunction with the movie. So powerful, yet so relevant to the state of families these days. There's also a powerful song in the movie by Casting Crowns called "Slow Fade" - check it out on YouTube:
( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-8SYA6rfbs&feature=related)

Words cannot express how blessed I feel about my husband and my marriage - as great as it is, I know that I must be vigilant to pray God's protection and blessings over it. Not only for Russ and I, but we've got 4 pairs of eyes that are watching, listening, and taking notes.....

~* Photo Shoot *~

Yesterday Kristen and the majorette line had their pictures made downtown at the "West End" - it was a blast! I'm anxious to see the professional shots - here are some candid - and oh so amateur - shots that I took!