Last Day of Christmas

Today is the day after Christmas.  We are busy today doing absolutely nothing!  The boys stayed in their pajamas all day and played with their new toys and Matt and I laid around watching them.  It was a wonderful day!

Santa at Lowery Farms

Today we went to Keith's house.  He had the community come over to play on his bouncers, eat, and visit Santa.  It was a nice afternoon visiting with people who live close to you, but for some reason never see!  Keith lets us borrow these for the boys birthday parties, so when Sam walked in he said, "Look mom, he has the same bouncers that we have!"  

 Sam took his visit with Santa very serious.  He told Santa everything he wanted and was sure to repeat some of the items twice!  He wasn't much on smiling, but he loved every minute of it. 

 Ben wasn't real happy about sitting on Santa's lap, but he did it for a quick minute so I could snap his picture.  He definitely was not going to spare a smile!

 Sam on Keith's tractor.  It was funny, because he was quick to tell me it was the wrong color.  I guess he decided he liked red tractors at a very young age!

Ice Storm

For those of us who lived during the 2009 ice storm, we were dreading Thursday night and the uncertainty of the weather forecast.  The weather started around midnight with freezing rain and then it sleeted until morning.  Matt and I both had snow days, so we enjoyed our time inside watching tv and spending time in our pajamas!  

We did not get any snow, just ice.  It was a disappointment for the boys, but I was glad because I really didn't want them playing outside in the cold.     

We spent the majority of our time this weekend in our pajamas, but we did venture out to church on Sunday and then to Murray to eat and go to the movies.  We took the boys to see Frozen and they loved it.  Well, I guess I should say Sam enjoyed it because Ben fell asleep 1/2 way through!  When school was canceled for Monday, Sam was so sweet.  "Yes, that means another family day for the Dobson's!"  I sure hope he always enjoys spending time with our family because they are pretty special days to me as well!

The boys took turns watching for deer and would announce each and every one they saw.  Ben counted to 20 which was impressive to me!

Decorations

Decorating the house for Christmas is one of my favorite times of the year.  The boys were great helpers this year and I loved watching the excitement on their faces grow with every tote we brought in the house.  

The boys have always had small trees in their rooms, but they had definitely outgrown their trees and their ornaments wouldn't fit anymore!  After a trip to Lowes, the boys now have new trees in their rooms and they put each ornament on by themselves.   

After a few hours of Christmas music and having two boys following me around like shadows, our house was decorated with 4 trees.  One in each of the boys rooms, one in the living room, and Matt's White House tree in the office. 

The only thing I hate is that the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is only 27 days apart.  If it were up to me, I would keep up the Christmas decorations for a couple of months!! 

Thanksgiving

I always look forward to my Thanksgiving Break where I can spend some extra special time with my family.  This year we ate our dinner at our house, which was very special.  When mom and dad arrived, she brought out the books and Sam and Ben were all ears!  

We of course ate way to much and then sat around and played cards.  It was so nice getting the chance to slow down and visit with family.  I really missed by brother, sister in-law, and two nephews, but I know they had a great time spending time together also.  My family might live out of town, but they are always close to my heart and I love them dearly!

Family Picture 2013

Partners

Sam has asked to go hunting for the past two years and every time he brought up the topic of hunting, we told him he would have to be five years old.  Needless to say, he did not forget what we promised!  

One afternoon, Matt took Sam shopping at Gander Mountain and bought all the necessary clothes and boots to keep him warm. He could not wait to go, but quickly told his daddy he would prefer to hunt in the afternoons because he was not a morning person!  

Sam went on the afternoon hunts with Matt both weekends.  His daddy described him as the perfect hunting partner and Sam said he loved every minute of his time watching for deer.  They did not shoot a deer together this year, but Sam reminded me that "If you kill a deer every time you go it would not be called deer hunting it would be called deer shooting!"

As for me, I am glad they were safe and I am glad they enjoyed their time together.  Matt has two more years before he needs to buy a bigger stand!

Safari Park

During Fall Break, we traveled to Almo, TN to visit the Tennessee Safari Park.  We left early in the morning and were not really for sure what we were getting ourselves into.  When we arrived, we paid the man at the gate and bought 4 buckets of food.  The only instructions we received was to stay in the car.  I guess we should have asked a few more questions.... 

Our car was the first one in the park and the animals started coming towards us as soon as they saw us.  Not really knowing what to do, we rolled down the window and he found the bucket real quick!  We were definitely not expecting him to come in our car, so we were all laughing until our stomachs hurt.   Matt tried to pull away, but we were afraid we were going to run over it.  Finally, Gail started to roll up the window, but that was almost a disaster as well!  

Ben loved the animals, but preferred sitting in the backseat with MeMom and watching from a distance.   

We enjoyed most of the park from our car, but there was a small petting zoo.  The boys enjoyed feeding the giraffe carrots, but we were all a little surprised at how much the giraffe slobbers!  

This last animals were the camels.  It was funny because instead of eating out of the bucket, this camel decided to take the entire bucket!   

We had a wonderful day and laughed more than we have done in a long time.  I loved watching the boys get excited and the animals were up close and personal!  

Halloween

Halloween is not my favorite holiday, but I think it might be Ben's!  Since the beginning of October, Ben has spotted every pumpkin, scarecrow, or any fall decorations from our house to Mayfield.  He would scream, "Look, Look, there is Halloween!" or "Look Mom, its spooky!"  

 

We were afraid it was going to rain on Halloween night, so Matt and I took them trick-or-treating a night early.  We started at MeMoms and Grandaddy's house and then Gran Gran's before going to Murray.  Since neither one of the boys like candy, they were excited to become a little richer than they were before!   

I was glad Sam had on a mask so I only had to worry about one son looking at me for a picture!  I thought they were both adorable Power Rangers.  Ben is wearing Sam's costume from last year because he wanted to be just like his older brother!  

When we told Ben Halloween was over, he cried and said he wanted Halloween every night!

Father/Son

It is hard to get a good picture of these two because Gail hates having his picture taken!  I am lucky to have such a wonderful husband who has learned a lot from his father.  They both treat the women in their life like queens, have kind-hearted souls, and are just good Christian men.   I love them both!

Fall

This is Sam going to his last game of the season.  He enjoyed soccer, but his team didn't win a single game.  I am glad he had fun and doesn't care about winning yet!

 MeMom decorated her front yard for Halloween and it was a hit with Ben.  We had to drive by it every night before going home.  He called it his spooky.  He is going to be sad when it has to come down!

 Grandaddy had help picking up the pecans.  Sam and Ben loved to go out with him to see if there were any pecans to pick.  They loved gathering them and bringing them in to see who picked up the most!

Cute Boys

It seems like everywhere we go these days, we are running late!  Today, we had a few minutes before we left for church.  I love my two handsome boys!

Fall Break 2013

Today is the last day of our Fall Break.  Matt and I are very blessed to have the same breaks to spend together.  We did not go anywhere, but we spent every day together and we were very busy the entire week!  

We started our week with Chuckie Cheese, which is always a hit.  I am not for sure who had more fun, the boys, me, or Daddy!  This was our first trip to Chuckie Cheese where we felt Ben truly enjoyed the games!   Of course, we left with a few silly prizes and lots of memories.  It seems we always dread going, but when we leave Matt and I always say, "We should come here more often!"  

During the week we were able to catch up on odd and end tasks around home and at Matt's school.  It was a great sense of accomplishment to see everything we did.  The house is clean inside and out and Matt is is caught up on his "to do" list at school.  

On Tuesday, we went to the Tennessee Safari Park in Alamo TN.  I have to say, it was the highlight of the week.  If you have small kids, this is a trip you do not want to pass up.  The animals came to our car and ate right out of our hands.  It was like going to a zoo except the animals were inches away from you!  

I was called to be a teacher.  I love every part of my job, but I have to say, I look forward to Fall Break, Christmas Break, Spring Break, and Summer Break!!   Our lives are very busy, but we are happy doing what we do.  It is so nice though to slow down and spend all week doing things for yourself!

I spent 9 days with my three favorite boys...I am so blessed!!

Silly Saturday

Water Hose

One of the best things about living in the country is when we are able to play outside.  Some of our best days this summer were playing outside blowing bubbles, drawing with chalk, driving the jeep, and catching bugs.  It seemed as if most play days outside ended with the kids playing in the water!  Who would have thought the water hose could be so much fun!