Isn't she Lovely..........................

Ok, so I lied, but I couldn't resist. I swear, this is the last post about my sister's visit. It's hard to believe that Sarah, my only niece, is now 13 years old. It seems like just yesterday that she was an adorable 6 month old baby at my wedding. Right before my eyes she has grown into a beautiful, smart, caring, sweet and sparkling young woman. I'm so honored to be your Aunt and give kudos to Renae and Jarrod for raising a stellar young lady. You should both be proud of yourselves for a job well done.

Sarah - thank you for helping out with Nolan and for caring and playing with all of the boys. I know it's tough sometimes being the only girl. You have such an amazing attitude and your poise and dignity is top notch. You are a wonderful person and don't let anyone tell you differently. Let's get together again real soon for some girl time. Love ya bunches, Aunt Alisha

Part 3: Easter Celebration

Ok, so this should be the final post about my visit with my sister and her family and our Easter celebration.

Uncle Wes and Nolan are smiling ear to ear. I think they've both been hitting the Easter candy a little too hard! What great smiles.

Brian caught on film trying to blackmail Ryan for his Easter basket. All of this going on while Jarrod is obliviously jumping away on the trampoline. Poor Ryan. Where's dad when you need him.

Ohhh come on..........a little snow won't hurt ya while you're fishing in the mountains!!!!!!! Where you going Jarrod?? Fishing trip gone bad by some very unexpected weather. No dinner tonight.

I love this family photo taken while panning for Gold. Quit it - you guys are scaring me......


Well, that's all folks. As you can see from my many photos, there were a lot of good times, good/bad weather, delicious food, and great company. I loved having my sister and her family, my family and Brian's family all together for one great visit. I'm delighted that we could all be together and thankful for every one's safe journey home. Until next time...........I love you all!

Part 2 of Easter celebration/visit

There must be a limit as to how many pictures you can blog about at a time, but as my father in law says, "no hill for a high stepper." So, here is part two of our visit. We had a house full on Easter Sunday. All together there were 14 of us and 6 of them were under the age of 14, so you do the math. I should also mention the oldest in attendance was 90 and the youngest was 7 months, so we had quite the spectrum. We had ample amounts of food - a mouth watering ham that Renae and Jarrod brought from up North, homemade baked mac n cheese, crock pot green beans, pickles, olives, horseradish and bread that Paula brought and delicious homemade brownies baked my Aunt Jan, and oh she also made broccoli salad - yummy. Thanks to everyone for their contributions towards a wonderful Easter dinner.

Everyone sitting at the dining room table in anticipation of the Easter meal. Is that a stomach I hear growling?

Here are the cousins striking an Easter pose for the camera just minutes before the egg hunt begins. I can see the anticipation in their eyes. Sarah - 13, Steven - 10 almost 11, Zachery 10 - Ryan - 7 and Adam 4 - Nolan 7 months, not pictured.

What a sweet picture of Nolan and Grandma Paula, I love how Grandma adoringly looks at Nolan on his first Easter.

Guess who found the Grand Prize $5 Easter egg? You guessed it...................Ryan! Is that a great action shot or what? He was so excited that he found the top dollar Easter egg. Isn't that face priceless?


Sorry to go on and on, but there is a part 3 to this. More pictures to share.

Easter celebration.......I know it's late

I know it's over a week later, so sue me. No really, I meant to get to this sooner, but just got caught up in the daily grind. So, anyway, I guess better late than never. At least I've sent everyone the photo album with the pictures of the visit. I know no excuse, but that's all I got. I've picked a myriad of pictures that give a highlight to our time together as one great big loving family and hope it shows the gist of the visit. We all had a blast together even Tucker....hhmmmm......by the way, he misses Adam! I'd also like to mention that magically Zachery has 5 fish again - actually, it's not magic it's called WalMart. With the exception of a few minor glitches, I'd say the trip was a success............dog humping, floating fish, chewed up clothes, snowy fishing trip, back breaking walk up the mountain, gusty, blow your food away picnic and all!!!! Did I leave anything out?




This is my favorite picture! Sarah and Nolan both have such perfect smiles! This was on the first night of the Kelley's arrival. I will always treasure this photo.

This breathtaking photo was taken after a 1/2 mile climb up to the highest point in Georgia. The location is Brass Town Bald and from a top you can see Georgia, Tennessee, North and South Carolina. The view was breathtaking and I'm not sure everyone would agree if the climb was worth it, but it was to me. It was a clear day and although I was sore the next day it felt good to climb to the top - Yoldalayhehoo!!!!!!!!!!!

Once we left the mountain we headed back home by passing through Helen and made a detour for an ice cream cone. This was the inspiration and justification for climbing the mountain. Boy was it worth it. My big handsome boy Zachery and the "expressionless" Adam. Aren't they adorable?

Here's the crew in Helen posing for a picture in front of the town wishing well. This is post ice cream cone as you can see by the happy and smiling faces.

I'll have to finish up with a part two to this post as my other pictures did not fit into this blog. To be continued..............................

Chivalry alive and kicking in the South

One thing that I love about living in the South, are those Southern Gentlemen. I'm old fashioned and proud of it. I have no problems with a man opening the door for me, carrying something for me, pumping my gas or treating me to lunch. In fact, it makes me feel like such a lady that I feel kinda bad wearing pants instead of a dress. Not too bad though, considering I haven't worn a dress since the last wedding I attended about a year and a half ago. Just today, I went to the tag office and as I turned to leave the clerk and head for the door, a gentlemen who was next in line turned around and walked to the door and opened it for me as I made my exit. I can't say that I was shocked, because this is a common exercise in these parts, but the beauty of it just never gets old. It made me feel so special. Around here, most drivers, instead of butting their cars as close as they can get to the person in front of them so as not to allow the next driver to pull out, will instead sit back and let a car or two out in front of them. If you have just a couple of items in the check out line, I've been told, you go ahead of me, you only have a few items. I've even been brought lunch because I couldn't get away from the office and payment is always refused. My sister commented a couple of times about how friendly everyone is and she couldn't get over the fact that the cashiers were so friendly and would actually carry on a conversation with you. It was mind boggling to her and made her realize how disgruntled the people are where she lives (up north). I really treasure these small town rituals. As a matter of fact, I can't imagine living anywhere else. Small town charm versus big city bustling....I'd pick the small town any day. A slower, calmer, safer, quieter and more peaceful lifestyle is what I've become accustomed to. Since I've lived both kinds of life I can say that the lower stress level and inner happiness is well worth it. So, continue on with the manners, chivalry and friendliness, it makes life for others so pleasant and shouldn't we all embrace the simple kindness of one another - it doesn't take much to make someone else's day. Even the simplicity of opening the door for someone - if it puts a smile on someones face - then one good deed for the day has been met. Maybe this explains the huge growth that's going on around here. Quality of life - there's a lot to be said for that.

Stay Tuned

I've been out of the blogging business for a few days now, but I will begin posting again very soon. My sister and her family just left yesterday and I miss them already. :(

Look for pictures and stories from our visit.

More later.

Change

Change – it’s not easy, or usually welcomed, but it is inevitable. Every facet of our lives is affected by change. Why then do we have such a problem with it? We are no more in control of our lives than we are of the weather. We are frightened of the unknown, nervous and uncomfortable about a change in our routine and we get down right angry if someone else tries to tell us we need to change our ways.

Change is good. Think about all of the positive events that have come about because of it. We change our eating habits to promote good health, we change our sleeping habits to benefit from a good nights rest, we change our attitudes to get along with others and we even change clothes to present ourselves in a clean and hygienic manner.

Change gets old. On the flip side, why do I feel like I’m the one always changing? I change to fit everyone else’s needs. I change my schedule to accommodate others. I change my wants and desires to please someone else. How do they know what’s best for me? I change my routine so as not to interfere with another person’s schedule. For once, why doesn’t someone change to fit my needs?

Change is a whirl wind of emotions and an unsettling action in constant motion rapidly evolving. We can either ride with the wind and land on our feet or fight an unnecessary battle that will end leaving us in exhaustion and defeat. Don’t get me wrong – if you don’t like something you have a right to stand up and take charge, but sometimes the raw energy surrounding us is already in formation leaving us in a lonely stance against an unforgivable force.

I think I change my mind. Why can woman do that without cause or explanation? Do men lack in some complex chemical that allows for such a thing in ones brain? Do we possess some special skill that enables our minds to wander back and forth between right and wrong, good or bad or is it the lack of decision making skills. I am guilty of second guessing myself after making a decision, maybe that’s why I do change my mind so often, but I usually learn from the outcome and move on.

Change is active, it is all around us, yet we still fight it. We try desperately to understand and reason with change. We question ourselves, others and aren’t happy until we can make sense of the change and fit it into our neat little life. If it doesn’t fit we try to brush it aside, we resist, we deny, we obstruct.

Change is a way of life. The seasons change – they shed the old so the new can sprout. Each layer fades so that bright new beginnings can form and take shape. Each passing day the birth of change unfolds before us. This is like a new wonder, an enchantment of possibilities. What does the future hold? We will see - one change at a time.

Boys and Mud

What is it about boys and mud? It's like a magnetic pull so strong they are unable to resist.
It rained most of the day today, but as soon as the rain cleared up, Zachery took off outdoors.
He has a basketball hoop, trampoline, bike, pogo stick, skateboard and many other things, but what does he do? He goes straight for the nearest mud hole. The doorbell rings, so I open the front door to find him introducing me to his wonderfully messy glob of mud. He was so proud of this that he requested that dad come and take a look too. He beamed with pride and of course was covered in this earthly mess from head to toe. He and his dad even saved this inside a freezer ziplock bag and placed it in the freezer. Brian then proceeded to tell us both that when he was a little boy he would save his mud in the freezer too. Once he went to bed that night he would make a wish that when he got up the next morning that the mud would have turned into chocolate..................it never did. Gosh, I guess that would be a child's dream come true. Instant, home, grown chocolate from your own back yard!

Sister Visit

In exactly 2 days my sister and her family will be arriving for a 4 day visit. We're all excited that the entire family is coming over the Easter holiday. The fun family of 6 will be in town Friday evening. We have an Easter dinner and egg hunt planned for Sunday. It will be so much fun to have all 6 kids together running around the yard in search for Easter eggs. We're also going to celebrate Jarrod's birthday - he'll be 25 - right Jarrod? A Mexican dinner is planned for this celebration. I'm a little worried about the sleeping arrangements and hope the kids don't mind sleeping on an air mattress. Hopefully they'll have so much fun during the day that it won't matter and they'll crash quickly into slumber. The weather should be nice and hopefully the spring time temperature will continue on through their visit. I know this visit will go by quickly so I want very much to enjoy every second. See you guys in a couple of days and drive safely!

Wacky weekend weather with a springtime twist

Saturday proved to be eventful. Brian headed out around 6 a.m. for the final USA wrestling tournament - aaaahhhh! So Zachery, Nolan and myself rode out the storm alone. This strange weather lasted all day and begin with rain, rain and more rain. This was Forest Gump rain. It came down hard, soft, sideways, and any way it could fall. It pounded our roof tops, washed out our flower beds, came in our storm door and our yard was literally standing under water. Given our drought, it was welcome, but at the same time unwelcome. The lightning and thunder wasn't too bad and it was windy at times. We were without power for at least 3 hours, thank goodness for cell phones - I was able to keep in touch with my husband that way. Just when we thought it was all over - I noticed something strange fall in the yard. It started falling faster and then I couldn't believe my eyes. Hail balls started pounding the ground and soon after our yard was white. After this came more rain and finally our power came back on. Well we made it without any major damage, just a messy yard, driveway and sidewalk, but who are we to complain? The next day was gorgeous! Bright, blue skies, sunny and warm. We opened up windows and enjoyed the fresh outdoor air. It was like the outside got a good spring cleaning. I'm so ready for this time of year. Just thinking about it makes me take a deep breath, close my eyes and instantly relax.

What Next?

Well, I've had an allergic reaction to the medicine I was taking for my UTI, so they think. I'm broken out all over my body and I itch everywhere. My face is red and my skin is blotchy. I've been to the doctor a total of 4 times in the last week. I'm OVER IT! Now I'm taking Prednisone for this rash and an antibiotic for my sinus infection. Let's pray that this is it for me for the rest of 2008. I had taken a Benedryl the night before and slept soundly - but I paid for it the next day at work. I was groggy, irritable and so sleepy. I felt so bad that I went to my mother -in- law's and laid down on her couch during my lunch break. Needless to say, I did not take another Benedryl. I feel much better today, just a little jittery from the Prednisone. I can deal with that.

My sister, Renae, and I were talking a couple of days ago, swapping health problems, medications, aches, pains and then all of a sudden, I stopped and said, "Oh my Gosh!" We're doing it. We are becoming old people. You know, how all they talk about is their trip to the doctor or pharmacy and about their health issues, what kind of meds they're taking, so on and so forth. We got a big laugh out of that.

I will do my best to make this the last post about any kind of ailments. (please, please!)

Sick and Tired

I just came back from the doctor's office and I have a sinus infection. If you've had one then you know what I'm going through. Fever, sore throat, headache. The pressure around the eyes and nose area is so excruciating that it hurts to move your eyeballs or head. All you want to do is sleep and hope that when you wake up it's gone. In this case, it will take some antibiotics to clear this up. I can't wait to feel back to normal again.

I hope no one takes this as whining.

Happy Birthday Grandma Paula

Yesterday was a flurry of events. From cleaning house, getting Zachery ready to spend the night at a friends house, going to the grocery store, baking a cake and preparing a meal. Brian and I were both scurrying around in the kitchen; stirring, chopping, slicing, measuring, baking, frying and cleaning and even a last minute run back to the store for a must have ingredient for the cake. This was all in preparation for a birthday party for my mother-in-law, Paula.

We had 6 guests plus Nolan and my husband prepared a dish that was absolutely delicious called Chicken avocado melt. This dish is very tasty and makes for a colorful presentation. For the birthday girl I baked a White Chocolate Fudge cake from a recipe that I got from my sister Julie. This being the first time trying this recipe I wasn't quite sure what to expect. It was fabulous! Definitely a keeper. Thanks Julie!

Brian and I really enjoyed having everyone over for dinner and dessert and had a lot of great laughs talking and sharing stories from the past to the present. It makes me realize that we don't do this often enough. I've been thinking that it seems we only get together for birthdays or holidays. Maybe we could make an effort to get together more often throughout the year. I know everyone has a "busy" schedule, but this should be a priority.

I hope Paula enjoyed her party as much as we enjoyed having it.

Happy Birthday Grandma Paula!

Craving Chinese Food

Have you ever craved Chinese food? Well, I did today. I also craved to see my very good friend Julie. She and I met back in August of 07 and hit it off instantly. Every time we get together we find out more and more how much we have in common. She is independent, hard working, caring, trustworthy, sweet, pretty, and an "excellent" mother who never meets a stranger. She always brightens my day with her spunky and infectious attitude. Today as a belated birthday gift, she treated me to Chinese. The food was delicious, but the conversation was even better. We laughed, (loudly I might add) shared stories and connected once again like we've known each other all of our lives. I'm so thankful to have Julie's friendship. Good friends are hard to come by these days so I cherish our relationship dearly. So thanks girlfriend, I hope we'll be friends for life.

Thanks for lunch and by the way, your new do looks FABULOUS!!

Matthews/Bingham Rock Band

Have you heard of this newly formed Rock Band? Alisha is thumping the base, Zachery is banging those drums, Wes is strumming the guitar and Brian and Nolan are belting out the tunes. They rocked the Matthews house on Sunday, March 3, 2008 and played 4 straight hours of non-stop hits.






Here the vocalists show their stuff with notes that would send chills down your spine.

Look at Grandma Paula play that guitar, she looks like she's in the groove. Uncle Wes is a pro at the drums and shows off his natural talents as he dazzles us with greatness!

Thanks Uncle Wes for bringing over the Rock Band equipment. We had a blast playing in the band and would love to do it again sometime. I know, don't worry................I won't quit my day job!

Motherhood

Being a parent has caused my inner soul to bloom, bloom wide open for the world to view. Open for all to see, judge and criticize. My heart beats one steady, strong beat at a time and feeds my body with love and compassion for all humanity. I feel so deeply for my children that it causes me pleasure and pain. Giving that love strengthens me to the core and allows me to sail through life with pride, confidence and peace. I look adoringly at what I helped to create through my eyes that were once young and innocent. Now I look with the eyes of a mother. The view is outstanding and takes my breath away. I smile from the inside out knowing that this is what life is all about. I've done my job, I've brought precious life to the world and witnessed the magical and beautiful growth from my womb and into the air that we breath. I feel blessed to share this with other mothers, because they are the only ones to understand this sacred emotion. I ask nothing in return except the joy and satisfaction that my children are healthy and happy. That payment would far exceed any other thing this world has to offer. As a mother I want my children to be true to themselves and never compromise their disposition or give up on their dreams or passions. Never lose focus on your path, stay on course and don't look back, only look to the future with wide eyes and anticipation that life will lead you in the right direction and never fail you. Motherhood is an endless role. A ride that never ends. A ride I don't want to get off.

I love you Zachery and Nolan. You are my shining stars that lead me through the maze of life and show me what living is really about.

SSHHHHH

Nolan and I were invited to see Domonique's baptism at church this morning. Ms. Domonuque used to work in the baby cottage and took wonderful care of Nolan. I often caught him staring and smiling at her and he used to love it when she sang to him........"You are my sunshine." She has since then moved up to the one year old room, but we still keep in touch and were honored to witness her special moment. Nolan did quite well sitting in church and we did see the baptism, but not long after he got restless and started making endless, babbling baby noises. It was a small church and he was the only baby so there was no hiding or pretending that it wasn't us. I could feel my face burning with embarrassment and could feel the looks from all of the church members. Nolan didn't seem to mind or care for that matter. As usual he was in his own little happy world. We decided to make a get a way and headed to the back room to allow everyone to hear the preacher in peace. I didn't want to Domonique to miss service so after a few minutes of catching up and chit chat, she went back out to the main worship area and Nolan and I made a mad dash for the back door. I'm thankful that we were able to stay long enough to see the baptism and we are both proud of Domonique's decision to become closer to God. Oh and we can't forget to say Congratulations on your engagement!!!!!! We wish you all the best.

Nolan's Entourage

From Left to Right
Faith, So (holding Nolan), Felicia (back) and Kayla

Let me introduce you to the ladies that lovingly care for Nolan while I'm working during the day. They are all unique and interesting woman who bring different personalities and talents in caring for children. I'm always greeted warmly in the mornings when dropping my little one off for the day and even told to have a good day at work. I've become quite fond of them all and because I go everyday at lunch to nurse Nolan, I feel like I've gotten to know them all quite well. I actually feel like one of the girls. We laugh together, share a great deal of stories and experiences with each other, and I feel great comfort in how easily we all get along.

Nolan has changed so quickly in such a short amount of time, but the girls are always one step ahead; anticipating his feeding habits, sleeping patterns and playful routines. They are all such great communicators and give him top notch care. Every time I walk into the baby cottage, if he's not sleeping, he's usually playing and having a good time or being loved on. Keep in mind, he's not the only baby they care for. They have up to 12 babies between the 4 of them and they're all on different shifts. I don't know how they do it and still manage to have a smile on their face. Nolan is lucky to have such wonderful care and benefits from a fun and loving environment. A round of applause and a bouquet of appreciation to Faith, So, Felicia and Kayla. You are all so wonderful and I feel blessed to have you caring for my Nolan-pie. I will be so sad when Nolan moves up to the one year olds :(

Thanks to all of you..................

Nolan's 1st haircut

OK, so my husband has been bugging me about Nolan's hair. Everyday for the last couple of weeks...."His hair is too long...he needs to get it cut....when are we gonna cut his hair?" Finally, a couple of days ago, I say, "OK, I'll cut it soon." I've been reluctant to do this, because he's so young and wobbly. The thought of having scissors that close to his precious head scares me to death! But, in order to please my husband, I've got to overcome this. Well, I had my mind made up to "eventually" do this at some time or another, but my time frame quickly changed to - IMMEDIATELY! This decision came after two different people mistook Nolan for being a GIRL! I politely corrected them and said with a smile, "he's a boy." So, tonight after his bath, my husband held him while I carefully clipped away his baby hair. There will be no mistaking him now. He without a doubt looks like a cute, baby boy. What do you think?