Never to be Forgotten.

Our little Suzie has passed away today. She was my Mom and Dad's dog. It is a very sad loss. She was a wonderful pet that gave us all great memories of our time spent with her! We were lucky to have her for 9 years of whimpers, whines, chewed blankets, and lots & lots of kisses. She loved everyone, especially her Daddy! She was his baby...tho she was supposed to be Mom's dog! She was a great dog, and will never be forgotten! We will miss you dearly,

Suzie, we love you!

A new best friend!

We have a new addition to the family! He has actually been a member of the Ray family for quite awhile! This was Grandpa Ray's dog! His name is Puddles (because he looks as if he jumped in a mud puddle!)!! Clint and I had been thinking of getting Ethan his own puppy this year for his birthday. I have wanted this dog for a long time, and we finally got Clint into taking him!! We decided against the puppy and to take Puddles for a "trial" run....well things are going awesome! The girls are adjusting......Soph is trying really hard, she is a big dog stuck in a little body she thinks, and has no time for big dogs!

We are falling in love with him! He is the perfect dog!! And Ethan has found a buddy!!

Snack time..before bedtime!!

(This was also after bath time..which Ethan, Puddles, Soph, and Sally all got!!)

Trying out his new doggy bed!

Spring has Sprung!

This is a baby robin we found sitting in the bush! We were on the front porch, and happened to notice him perched in the bush! His parents were yelling from the high trees above, I believe giving him flying tips! We went inside and watched from the window, and he continued to practice flying! It was soo cute!

Sniff Sniff

Mini backyard makeover!

Our backyard has sadly been neglected of plants and flowers!! I have finally decided this year to try to "brighten" it up some! I have many of ideas...but they will come with time and money! For now, we did what we could and repurposed some wood that was left in the garage! The giant hosta was hidden on the side of the house, which we replanted in the back....along with a few others! So with some craftiness, wood, and dirt we put together a small flower bed!

Clint's handy little flower box!
Flower box #2

We have a couple other spots, but they are not bloomed out yet. We have Ethan's sunflowers that are doing well, and when they bloom, will have some great pictures!!!

Blooms from the Ray Garden!

All the flowers below our from the past two year's of Mother's Day gifts! It's become a little tradition to buy Me flowers for the garden that will return year after year, and I love it!!

These are my lillies that have bloomed so far...they are from Mom's day this year! I also have some yellow ones from last year, but they are not in bloom yet!

I am very proud of these, they are sooo pretty!

This is a plant from last year. I cannot remember what it is called. It did not have blooms last year, so I was very excited to see flowers this time! But what strange ones they are!

I love it!

And another from last year!

There are lots more, but these are my favorites!!

Rodent Adventures!

These little rodents have been causing quite the ruckus in our house during the summer months! This is the first one of the year. Thank goodness Clint was home for this, (because I needed a great laugh!) Just picture the scene from, "The Great Outdoors" and I say no more! I got chased down the hall to the bathroom, and Clint (who is seriously terrified of bats) was cornered in the living room!! Luckily, after about a ten minute ordeal, this one flew out the door.

Hanging from our skylight in the kitchen!

This window was broken by chasing another bat!

Bat #1- Broken window, escaped out the front door, after a two-three hour chase!

Bat #2- Tried to catch for over an hour, finally the following morning, Grandpa Ray came to the rescue and grabbed it with gloves and pliers....I will say no more. R.I.P.

Bat #3- Caught by the cat, I was awakened to screeching from the bat, who finally made it to our bath tub, where he met an unlikely death with a towel and a level!

Bat #4- Luckily escaped, with nothing but a hilarious story to tell about Clint!

Old toys.....New fun!!!

Clint had his legos stored from when he was a kid, and decided to "pass" them on to Ethan.

Not sure who enjoyed them more at first....Ethan....or Daddy?!

A busy Sunday!!

Sunday was a wonderful day!! The weather was PERFECT! We spent the day outside cleaning and mowing the lawn, and planting some flowers!! Ethan decided to play in some mud...boys and dirt, the perfect pair!!

Ethan's Imagination Adventures, Part 2

This past weekend we all went out to Grandma and Grandpa Rays for a cookout. The adventures can be endless there! The big one for the night was driving Papa's big blue truck. This was Daddy's truck, and Ethan has always loved it!! Ethan usually will not have Papa Ray do much for him, but he realllllly wanted to drive the truck. After asking Mommy and Daddy unsuccessfully, he finally got the urge to ask Papa. And as you can see, the two were off on an imaginary adventure!! Though Papa wanted to start it up, Ethan said no!!

Then Mamaw Ray had to try it out...and the dogs go where she goes! They were off to the candy store for chocolate and suckers.
Then it was Mamaw and Papa T's turn. I am not sure where he took them, but they had a good time!

The driving went on through the evening....I believe everyone there went somewhere with Ethan!!

Ethan's Imagination Adventures, Part 1

Yes, those are ponytail holders hanging from Ethan's ears. At first you may think he is pretending they are earrings....that would be too simple. No, they are "the things that the lady at the store gave him. They make him eat, sleep, and go real fast. They help him do all the things he does," says Ethan.

Seriously???

My favorite flower!

My clematis has finally bloomed out. Ethan and I counted the blooms and there are 26 so far! It is so pretty!