The Gardner Gang

Friends, Family, Fall and FUN!!!

2011-11-22T13:30:00.001-08:00

I must say that I am partial to the Fall season and seem to come 'alive' during this time of the year! I love to decorate for fall and Halloween and do as much as possible during this time of the year, aside from Christmas!!!

We have several October birthday's, so after Colton's we celebrate my neice's and then my mom's.We enjoyed a beautiful fall birthday party that was outdoors for my niece, Zhenya"s 2nd birthday, and let me say that was fun with all the little ones together. Bry hung out with a little girl the whole party (go figure)! While Colton and Avner were thick as thieves and then the princesses stayed side by side and enjoyed the food!

Then, we had fall break and Bryson took that literal and had a fall then a brake on his left wrist. He was "doing a first grader flip on the monkey bars for a GIRL, nonetheless!! Do you see a pattern here? Well luckily we were able to get a wet cast and move our stay at The Wilderness for a few nights so that we didn't loose the nights we had paid for. For our trip to the Wilderness of the Smokies for a couple of nights, I took my parents with us to help with the kids. We loved it! We played and I shopped a little, it was a nice getaway and we hope to go up there again soon! SO over all we had a great fall break!

Oh lord, Colton is 4!!!!

2011-11-22T13:29:00.000-08:00

Oh lord, Colton is 4! I really cannot believe that my baby boy is four! Wow, it seems that we just brought him home and were trying to adjust from 1 to 2 babies. Colton is absolutely a special child in may ways. I don't say this lightly. Colton is reckless abandonment wrapped up with compassion and love. He is sort of like a sour patch kid, mean then nice! I love this child's spirit and he is such a challenge and blessing all at once.

Enough of the mushy stuff..
Colton wanted to have his party at Chuck E Cheese after we decided having it at Ray's grandmother's house wasn't going to work due to her having a recent hospital stay and a couple other obstacles we were facing. SO Chuck E Cheese it was...and on a Saturday! Well, I must say they make the party process pretty smooth and streamlined. No complaints in that department. However, Colton was a weee bit overwhelmed when it all started. He didn't want to get his birthday crown, medallion, or stand up in his seat to be recognized as the birthday boy. Moreover, we did get him to blow out his candle, that was progress. We invited family and our neighbor so it was a small group but was way easier to manage.

Oh, and Colton didn't want to get in the booth so Deedaw stepped up to the challenge! Ha. Well after hours there and a puppy trip next door, it was all and all a good party.

And Colton racked up on a ton of guns for his presents!!!??? Eekk!

A September to Remember!

2011-10-23T15:39:00.000-07:00

To kick off September and Labor Day weekend, what better than to get away? Well, that we just did. We went to the mountains with my family for the weekend and to Dollywood. We were really fortunate and planned this trip on a whim and came across an amazing deal with this cabin right behind Dollywood, making it more than convenient to enjoy the mountains as well as the park while we were in Pigeon Forge. The kids loved the cabin, as well as the adults! Oh and my kids LOVE hot-tubs!

Also to help usher fall in, one cool evening we I decided to get the fire pit and make a fire to roast marsh mellows. I'm still not exactly sure what I was thinking because for some reason I thought it was gonna be relaxing? There is nothing relaxing about 3 kids and fire....anyways...

Oh yeah and the house...is coming along!! Its the back addition; garage, with new master suite, Brin's room and powder room. Yay for Ray the husband, dad, carpenter, contractor, electrician, excavator, laborer and everything else he does for us to have the home we live in! We love you Deedaw!

All good things must come to an end...

2011-10-13T15:59:00.000-07:00

As all good things must come to an end, so has this summer. We have had such an awesome summer. It has been filled with long, fun, hot days coupled with water, food, and friends. What more could we ask for?

To wrap up the summer we had a couple more water slide days, lake days, some watermelon, more play dates and cookouts!

Farewell summer 2011 and welcome fall ya'll.

My Babies started school !!!

2011-10-13T10:41:00.000-07:00

My baby, big boy started Kindergarten!!! He was so excited to start school. I think I was just as nervous as he was as we where walking into the school but then we saw a lot of kids and parents we both knew and both of us were at ease!
Bryson looked adorable his first day, I may be a little partial! Brinley and Colton wanted to go but their school, mother's day out, hadn't started yet.
Moreover, big brother was proud he was going to big school and happily took pics with Brin. I walked him to class after setting in bus hall with him and honestly he was ready for me to go. Their were no tears, not even from me! Yay, mom! I am very pleased with the school Bryson goes to, it has been an 'Achievement School' three years in a row! Also, I know a lot of people there as well and that helps!

Finally, Brin and Colton started mother's day out. I was really sad and happy at the same time they were going, I guess it finalized the end of summer and also they had graduated to new teachers and classes after you work so hard at building those relationships over the previous year, it is just a little sentimental.

Oh yeah, I think Brin and Colton looked pretty cute too!!

Brinley Rae is 2!!

2011-10-13T10:40:00.000-07:00

Who would have thought its true, Miss Brinley Rae' is turning TWO! Well, I believe it...she is scratching the surface of terrible two's and her being a PRINCESS doesn't help that at all! Anyways, we had a small little party for her 2nd birthday party celebration coupled with a water slide and cupcakes!

It turned out to be a gorgeous and HOT day so it was perfect for the kids, not so much the adults, but the waterslide was a big hit (thanks to my friends Marie and David)!!

Brinley was slightly cranky at the beginning thus the grouchy pics and then the party was such a whirlwind she didn't really take it all in till she was playing all alone in the kitchen with all her new toys!

I must say this was one of our more successful birthday parties, yet.

4th of July!

2011-10-12T14:44:00.000-07:00

Then this year, we decided to have a small get together at my moms. It was a lot smaller but quaint and fun.

We got our feel of food, fun and fireworks along with fellowship and family! Happy 4th!!Our Fourth of July tradition is to go Ray's aunt Wanda's for a cookout with the whole Gardner family and then some. I absolutely love the atmosphere there! Their is a plethora of food, family, fireworks and fun!

Memorial Day, park dates, and lake days!!

2011-10-11T18:54:00.000-07:00

Memorial Day (water), park dates (water) and lake days (more water)...see a pattern! Its HOT and we are cooling off in the water!!

Yeah, I'm back blogging and usual but moreover again because I skipped from the beach straight to Brinley's bday and forgot a few important events in between! :) I was just excited...

For Memorial Day we had over a few friends and family, cooked out, and set up a water slide. Of course the kids had a blast as well as us!

Normally, we have my mom's pool and my mother in law's pool but they BOTH decided to get new pools. So they tore the pools down at the beginning of summer and didn't get them in til the middle and almost end of summer. I must say we are grateful we have a boat and also that they both got bigger and better pools for us to enjoy! We LOVE the lake and especially this year because we found the best cove and hung out there for hours and let the kids swim, play, and eat all day! I remember the first boat ride of the summer like it was yesterday! We really enjoy water! :)

So we went to the splash pad a few times to help combat the heat too!

Myrtle Beach 2011

2011-10-01T13:15:00.000-07:00

We decided we wanted to take a beach trip and go back to the same resort we love so much at Myrtle Beach, Mar Vista Grande! We went with my mother in law and sister in law with a couple other cousins and Aunt that came for just a few nights too. The kids absolutely LOVED it! They keep asking when are we gonna go back?! We met a little boy there that just thought he belonged to me and the kids enjoyed having him to play with. We also hadn't learned how to swim yet, thus I was on my toes since Ray couldn't make this trip due to his work schedule. Trust me I set up camp right beside them and we stayed out and enjoyed the fun in the sun.

What we also love about Myrtle Beach is Broadway at the Beach, we just love to walk and browse stores, eat, pick up treats, and just be tourists! SO the kids HAD to get the tattoos and ice cream!

Can't wait for our beach trip next year!

Baseball, Camping, Birthdays and more...

2011-10-01T12:58:00.000-07:00

Well now that spring has sprung we are playing tball and baseball almost every night of the week! Colton is playing tball for the first time and Bryson playing coach pitch for the first time! Both teams just so happen to be purple! Oh well. Bryson vastly improved as the season progressed, he went from struggling to hitting the ball to smacking it to the fence! The outfield part was slow but Bry understands the concept of getting it to first for an out. Then, there is Colton, whom has NO interest in tball at all! Thankfully, I went to high school with his coach and was able to explain to her his temperament and they worked with him. Lets just say that tball is NOT Colton's sport. He was FUN to watch though.

As soon as Bryson heard about one of his friends camping it was a must that his Dad go and buy at tent to camp, and that he did! Good job, Dad. Well lets just say that is sounded much more glamorous than it was.. we pulled out the fire pit for a fire, set up the tent and blew up the air mattress for the boys to camp out for the night! I must say they did great, they slept in the tent until it just got too cold about 3 in the morning. Brin and I just made smores and then went in to sleep in the house! :)

We love, love, love Anchor Park and the boys cousin, Avner had his 3rd birthday party there. Unfortunately for it to be mid May it was quite a cooler day out. However, it didn't keep the boys from enjoying the Power Ranger themed party!

Easter 2011

2011-10-01T12:40:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love Easter and the celebration of the resurrection of our heavenly father!! I must say just like I do with any other holiday I get carried away. I try really hard to be a minimalist and I guess its just not in me so I get carried away with trying to make sure our outfits coordinate and the kids baskets have to be perfect every year...this year was no different. I began trying to plan these outrageous outfits and then I decided to go more for comfort vs look.

I must say I was pleasantly pleased at how our outfits turned out! We went to Park West for our service and had an awesome service and then we went to Ray's grandmother for Easter lunch followed by the annual Easter Egg Hunt..which included some cash incentives this year! We had a blast together as unusual. Oh yeah and for the pics this year..epic fail.

March happenings...kids growing, park play dates and more

2011-09-03T16:05:00.000-07:00

Bryson lost his first tooth on March 4th 2011!! He was wiggling the tooth for days and days until it happened, finally! However, we were unaware of the "going rate" and had to do some research and we set the bar pretty high and the 'toothfairy' gave him $5! So now we have the rates, they may decrease!? Ha!

The next tooth loss wasn't as delightful becuase he said it hurt trying to get the tooth out and it bled a little ( a lot in Bryson's eyes) and we kept the rate the same! Ha!
We have spent a lot of time outside since it has warmed up after all the snow so we have taken advantage of it and went to the park to play with dad one day and we went to feed the ducks at the park one evening too!

` We have had cabin fever real bad!!!

Looking forward to warmer weather and summer time!

February Happenings

2011-05-24T16:21:00.000-07:00

February is almost gone and spring is on the way! We had a fantastic Valentine's, Ray and I got to go out on date night and the kids got to stay the night with Nana and Papaw. We were gonna go somewhere that we hadn't ever been and then we ended up at the same place we always go, Pelancho's, but that's what I love about us! Simple Folk!
For Valentine's Day, I had to work all day, delivering cupcakes and chocolate covered strawberries to all my 'key' accounts. Therefore, Nana stepped up and took the kids to the Zoo along with my sister for the day! They were adorable in their red and white for the day. It made me sad that Bryson thought we really celebrated Valentines day but we really don't do anything special for this day. Mostly, they did get to celebrate Valentine's and Mother's Day Out with little parties and valentine card exchanges!

Also this month, cousin Aly had her 6th birthday party at Chuckee Cheese. I will let the pictures explain how Bryson feels about Chuckee Cheese! Ha! I felt so bad for him but I had to take pics of him and all his expressions! After the mouse went back in his hole Bry was fine and started dancing and playing games. We had a great time. A sweet young couple gave us about 300 tickets and so the boys racked up with all kinds of junk at the end of the night!

So far its been a 'sweet' month!

To offset this sweetness we have been doing a little exercising and the kids have started putting in videos and working out! Here is a pic of Bry doing P90X! Ha!

Mountain Trip 2011

2011-02-07T13:44:00.000-08:00

We decided for my birthday and for a little getaway for a moment to Gatlinburg, and it was so fun. We got a cabin for a couple of days for us and the kids and then had a couple of days without the kids and had some close friends come up and stay with us.

The kids absolutely loved the cabin and thought it was the best! They loved the hot tub and the theater room. It really took some convincing to get them to leave and go see the fish at the aquarium because they wanted to stay at the cabin all weekend and not leave. Moreover, they had a blast at the aquarium once we got there. We also stopped and Ray let the kids play some arcades in Pigeon Forge on the way to meet Nana for the kids to go with her so that the kid free part of the trip could begin! I felt terrible leaving the kids but after they found out that Nana and Papaw were taking them to 'Monster Jam', they could care less how fun the cabin was.

Our friends finally joined us late Friday night, we grilled out and enjoyed all the amenities of the cabin. Then Saturday, our friend, Jesse, had a birthday or "a life celebration" as we named it and we went to play some black light put-put. We opted to just go back and enjoy the cabin and had a nice relaxed evening of playing cards and shooting pool.
All in all it was a great weekend and we really enjoyed our mini getaway!

I'm 28! Wahoo

2011-02-07T13:40:00.000-08:00

I must admit I am so excited to be 28! I wouldn't have ever imagined this is where I would be at this age but I am so blessed and highly favored!! Also, I love even numbers, thus 28!! Wahoo.

This has been a phenomenal birthday for me! I have celebrated with 'Birthday Week'!! Ha! And I'm loving every minute of it. It kicked off with me getting my hair 'did'. Then, followed by a day at the spa with an hour massage and facial. Next, was birthday dinner with my parents and sister and of course all the kiddos. Then, it was birthday dinner with my mother in law, sister in law and her boyfriend along with all the kids. I also scored a Kate Spade hand bag on my birthday that cost me $9.47, after the price tag showing it had sold for $365, that's what I call a deal! Not to mention it is an adorable hand bag and perfectly fitting for me! :)

Last but certainly not least, we got a cabin for a long weekend getaway in Gatlingburg!

Now, that's what I call a BIRTHDAY!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow

2011-01-20T19:41:00.000-08:00

We have gotten so much snow this winter, it is unbelievable! I think we have had 4 measurable snows already and its not even the middle of January! Wahoo for snow! We have done all the fun things with the kids every time it snows; building a snow man, sledding, snow ball fights and the attempt at snow cream.

Lets just say the snowman was an adventure because the kids didn't like packing the snow and working at it and then once we were trying to decorate 'frosty' they were eating the candy pieces for the eyes and mouth! Ha!

The kids really enjoy sledding with their daddy because they hold on to him and he takes off running and dives onto the tube, me I just set down and scoot. Lol.

Bryson LOVES snowball fights and he will camp out quietly getting all his ammunition ready to come attack you with a whole heap of snow balls. He is always prepared and has a plan.

Colton on the other hand is totally opposite with no plan and is complete reckless abandonment, thus he gets out his tractor and "goes tractoring" in the snow!

Brin likes the snow for about the first 10 minutes and then she is over it only because the only thing she wants to do is eat the snow and then it freezes her hands and face.

We have enjoyed all the snow this winter and hope their is more to come!!

I resolve for purpose....

2011-01-20T19:23:00.000-08:00

Well, Happy 2011 to you all, or the two people that may read my blog...
This year has already been great (well considering we have had the stomach flu for days and days and days). We all have had it and some of us twice!

To kick off the year, I officially cut back to part-time again and I have such a peace about it! I had made the decision to go full time in September and the pressure for me to hit quota every month and to always give more than I was capable of doing was not a good mixture for me trying to still take care of my three little munchkins, a house and be sane was more than I could pull off. Also, people were seeing the stress on me and letting me know that I needed to do something about it. Finally, after a word from one of my spiritual mother's settled in my spirit I had peace to loose the income and go back to part time because her words will always be with me, "not to miss God on this one!"

SO I am much happier and back to being an overly hands on mom again, which I LOVE!!

This year I resolve for "purpose" and for all that I do to have purpose for God and for my family! I know that through him all things are possible and he can give back to you pressed down shaken together and overflowing so that you cannot contain his blessings. So watch out, I am on a mission to be fullfilled!

Santa Clause Came to Town

2011-01-20T19:22:00.001-08:00

Our Christmas tradition starts off with Mamaw's house on Christmas eve, it always is more than imaginable. Mamaw(Ray's mom) really likes to spoil us all at Christmas time and she makes sure that everyone gets what they want or need! This year was no exception!

Santa came!! Wahoo!! Christmas this year was great! We got a little bit of snow, enough for everyone to post pone the 3 Christmas dinners we were supposed to attend. All the kids managed sleeping in our room on Christmas eve night and so they slept really late and finally Bry woke up and only after a few moments he remembered it was Christmas morning. He went to the living room to check it out and he came back and said, "whoa guys you gotta come see this!!", and woke Colton and Brin! Seeing their little faces is PRICELESS! I was in tears watching their little eyes scan over all the presents and my heart melted to know how blessed we are to give our kids everything they wanted!

Colton had asked Santa to bring him a helmet and a motorcycle to go with his jeep, tractor, and four wheeler in the garage and Santa delivered.

Bry asked for "dragonoid colossus" the ultimate bakugan with battle gears as he would describe it

Brinley still doesnt talk but she wanted the "baby alive" that bounced up and down. Every time we went to Walmart for anything at all she would cry for 'kiss kiss' that baby doll!

So after the kids got most of their presents opened, we had some lunch with Ray's mom, Lisa, Gabe, and Aly at our house since all of us had prepared food for all these meals it turned out to be a fantastic lunch.

We got to stay in our 'jams' all day and the kids played with ALL the new toys they got.

I must say it felt a little different not having to go to GG's, Madisonville, and my moms but getting to spend the whole day with the kids at home was great!

We didn't get to have Christmas at my mom's this year because our entire family had the stomach flu for 3 weeks starting the day after Christmas so I only have one picture from her house because it took a ton of effort to even go over there to let the kids open presents.

All and all it was a great Christmas!

Bry is my little wise man

2011-01-20T19:22:00.000-08:00

Bryson's mother's day out does an annual Christmas performance for the 4yr and 5yr olds and I must say that it is adorable! The kids did exceptional this year considering the kids didn't have a dress rehearsal because school go cancelled for snow when they were supposed to practice.

Bryson loves these performances and does so well with memorizing his lines and movements for his performance! He did so good!!!! He asked me, "are you going to go crazy with the camera?" Ha! Yes, I will always be the kids number #1 fan but they don't understand that yet....give them a few years! :) Bry, Wwas a wise man along with his bud, Wyatt. I think he was just absolutely adorable! I got so choked up in their performance when they sang, 'Happy Birthday Jesus', and he signed to it! I love that they go to a school where they learn about God!

Also, Bry was surprised by his mamaw coming to his performance because he thought she was supposed to be at work. His reaction was priceless.

A December to Remember

2011-01-20T18:46:00.001-08:00

This December is one to Remember!! It has been the BEST December I can ever recall!! I was determined to make sure we did anything and everything we could as a family to make sure the kids enjoyed the holiday season and hopefully made some great memories!!

Its the most wonderful time of the year!! One morning Ray and I decided to get up and take the kids to IHOP for breakfast and head up to Bass Pro Shops to see Santa! We had so much fun and the kids behaved so well! We didn't have any major melt downs the whole day!!

We also decided one evening that we wanted to do something and took the kids to Mellow Mushroom and then went to see the lights at Cove Park. The lights at the park were so pretty and we had a lot of fun!

We baked cookies and helped mamaw set up her Christmas tree then played some Wii one evening.

I took the kids to Dollywood with my sister and mom to see the lights the day before Christmas Eve and we got to ride plenty of rides and see the lights. We missed the parade because they were on holiday schedule and the parade started at 7:30, we were on our way to dinner by then!

We decided to take the kids to the mall and finish up last minute shopping. Finally, we got to see Santa and tell him what Colton wanted for Christmas, Bry is terrified of Santa and wouldn't step foot near him. Brinley wasn't too sure about him either until he gave her a cookie then she was perfect! Lol. While at the mall the kids had to ride the train, which I thought was adorable!!

All the activities and memories of December will be treasured in my heart forever!!

Baby Bry turns 5!!

2011-01-20T18:46:00.000-08:00

Ok, I have one question, where has the time gone? I have REALLY struggled with the fact that Bry is turning 5! He is so brillant and challenging at the same time but he is my lovie and my friend. Bryson's personality is so much like mine and my sister's that it shocks me! I love this little man so much and can hardly wrap my mind around the fact that he is about to start kindergarten (that will be a whole other day of tears). Enough of my sobbing.

Bryson wanted a "BIG" party for his 5th birthday and we didnt want to go all out and be extreme wasting tons of money on a party...so my mother in law or Mamaw got us the hook up on an inflatable for his party and helped us host it at her church in the gym. Bry wanted a G.I. Joe themed birthday, so thats what he got. Bry got to invite all of his classmates, only 8, and a few more of his close buds for his party. They all had a blast in the bounce house and Bryson ended up with a ton of new toys from this party!

Happy Halloween

2011-01-10T12:59:00.001-08:00

Happy Halloween from my little witch, spiderman and Snake Eyes!

I really enjoy halloween and try to get the kids to all the fall festivals and activities I can. Some of you may disagree but I don't teach them any of the "evil" that is associated with the holiday and allow them to just enjoy dressing up and getting candy (for me to end up consuming)!!

Ray's family is the greatest family in the whole world, they always plan large family events and Halloween always proves to be great! This year, they decided to set up a small carnival theme and let the kids play games along with our traditional chili dinner and pumpkin carving contest.

We also went to the fall festival at mamaw's church.

Then, we trick or treated on Halloween to wrap up a couple weekends of Halloween festivities.

Holy Geez Colton is 3!!!

2011-01-10T12:59:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that my BABY boy is 3!! Oh, how time flies!! Well, Colton and I decided to go and pick out his birthday decorations and he initially wanted a 'Team Umi Zoomy' birthday party and then he wanted a 'Harley' party but finally he choose 'Batman'. SO we bought everything he picked and prepared for a small family get together.
Colton is passionate about motorcycles! He loves real ones, toy ones any kind of motorcycle and Ray wanted to get him a motorcycle for his birthday. After realizing he couldn't have a 'razor' motorcycle because it wasn't age appropriate we opted for a four wheeler or as Colton says "fo-wheewher".

He loved his chainsaw

And goody bags to go

Colton is your typical little boy and strives to be just like Ray and is pretty much a mini-me of Ray! He got tools and trucks for his party and LOVED every second of it!!!

Its Fall Ya'll

2011-01-10T12:58:00.002-08:00

Well its been a good fall already, good weather and mom has mended from being so sick for over a month! Fall is my favorite season by far and I love to do family activities during this time of the year! We are still going to Ray's games on weekends and with us working we decided to go have a family fun day at Maple Lane Farms in Greenback with the kids and it proved to be a fun time!

We got icees, went through the monkey maze, rode the train, played on the inflatables and of course got some punkins!

Yes, he is peeing in the maze

Semi Pro Football Season 2010

2011-01-10T12:58:00.001-08:00

Semi Pro Football Season, kicks off 9 years of Ray playing semi pro football (one year longer than anticipated) After, 2 Championships, 9 all-star teams, All-American linebacker and a ring, I presumed that we (Ray) would have hang it up!!

However, I absolutely LOVE football and I am Ray's biggest fan! I have only missed 3 games in 9 years, and i was either sick dying or dead, if that tells you anything!? This season we have lost several of our starters from last year and this year has been a rebuilding year, thus making it a hard season to follow...
Moreover, we are in playoffs and of course I am hoping for another championship and a glorious retirement! We better not have a Bret Favre on our hands!!! HA!
this is one of the pics from back in the day

The coach made the choice to pull the team from the playoffs due to "lack of player commitment".

Moreover, Ray played in another All-Star game and his division won. The game was freezing and we took our kids to it to see daddy play and lets just say they had to leave at half time.

AND He has still yet to RETIRE!!

An August for the books!

2011-01-10T12:58:00.000-08:00

Well, the month of August in year 2010 is one that I would rather not have in the history books because this month was a month for me!! I started feeling bad just a couple days into the month and next thing I know, I am at the doctor with a fever and chills to be diagnosed with a UTI and Strep. So they put me on antibiotics on that Wednesday then by Friday, I am not improving so Ray takes me back to the doctor and versus a shot they give me more and different antibiotics.

THEN, I still hadn't completely gotten better so they put me on a 3rd round of antibiotics and I was still running a fever, really lethargic and weak. They did tons of blood work trying to determine if it was mono (which I had in my early 20's) and treated it as it were in fact mono.

Finally, after the 4th time to the Dr within 2 weeks they think I have an abscess in my throat and cart me over to Parkwest Hospital for a CT on my throat and had prepared for emergency surgery to drain the abscess and possibly pull my tonsils out as well. After, the scan Dr Seals had me go to his office, an ENT. He decided another round of antibiotics and steroids should solve the "big beefy tonsils" as he called it. Not to mention during all this Ray is playing football and I had a lapse in judgement and went with him to his game in Nashville the very next day after my hospital visit! What was I thinking!? I better get "wife of the year!!" Ha. Anyways, I didn't improve, wonder why? I didn't tell Dr. Seals about my trip so he put me on another round of antibiotics and steroids!
A couple weeks into September I finally start to recover and then realize from all the steroids and sleeping I had managed to gain 12pounds!

What a freaking month and a half! :(

The 4th of July

2011-01-10T12:57:00.001-08:00

Happy Fourth of July!! We always enjoy the summer months with some of our closest friends and hanging out at Ray's moms. Cooking out and swimming is how we spend every weekend and this just proved to be another one of those fantastic weekends together!

Playing with sparklers with Ray supervising

Happy 4th

watching the fireworks

For the 4th we have tradition with Ray's side of the family to go to his Aunt Wanda's and have a big cookout with about 30-40 family members and the kids absolutely love it! They have a great set up for the kids to play and swim and then of course the firework show is always fantastic!!

Brinley Rae is ONE

2011-01-10T12:57:00.000-08:00

Brinley Rae is one!!! This little girl is a ham, to say the least. We had Brinley a water slide party and invited just a few family members and friends but you would've thought that the president himself had came to see her. She LOVES attention.

We grilled out and had Cupcakery Cupcakes and they were yummy!!

She was sooo exhausted but still radiated energy as usual Brinley style.

We also had a mini photo session before by a friend of the family that is in photography. Not to mention that Carley helped wrestle the kids so that I could finish putting the final touches on everything right in time for everyone to arrive.

We really enjoyed the party and we are so glad it wasn't any larger than it was because we (Ray) was busy the whole time trying to chef, host, and ref!

We are so thankful for this group of friends and family for making this day special for our little princess!All in all it was a great party.

Summer FUN!!

2011-01-10T12:54:00.000-08:00

Every chance we get we are outside in the summer!!

Just thought I would update everyone with some pictures of our summer! We LOVE summer time and summer fun!

A Family Mountain Trip 2010

2011-01-10T12:52:00.001-08:00

The boys were with the big boys and wouldnt come for a picture

Breakfast time anyone??

Well for some insane reason, a family get a way to the mountains with 30 people or so sounded fun!?! To say the least it kept me on my toes and I left more tired than I arrived. The trip started out with, "are we there yet", "I need to pee", and "I'm hurn-gay" (in the words of Colton). It took us a while to find the cabin to, due to lack of directions....that's all I will say about trying to get there. However, we did get there and the place was amazingly nice! It was four stories and had an indoor pool in the bottom for the kids, a climbing wall, and all the other amenities that come with a cabin. The only thing I had underestimated was my ability to keep up with all my babies amongst the several families and friends gathered at the cabin, stressful for me to say the least. Not to mention, a loft bed room with over 8pple and the noise traveling up-stairs was not ideal for me getting my little ones to bed in a timely manner....

AS NICE of an idea it was, I was actually more relaxed and happy once we got in the car and was headed home....I just needed my locust of control back! Nevertheless, we did enjoy some of the stuff while we were there.

Summer Break!!!

2011-01-10T12:52:00.000-08:00

Our Summer Break, began with just that a summer 'break'! Colton broke his elbow. It was actually referred to as a sub-condyler fracture? Anyways, it changed the dynamics of a lot of things for the 6 weeks that he was in a cast. We couldn't get his cast wet and that was quite a daunting task! Also we were given the instructions to slow him down as much as possible (key words; as much as possible)! However, we endured! Colton thought it was super cool to have a cast! Crazy little boy!! All I can say is our wallet better be ready for this kid!!!!

As soon as we could fully enjoy the water after the removal of Colton's cast, we hit the lake! Oh how we love the lake!! Bryson was initially a little anxious as expected with his personality but soon as he got a taste of it, he was like a fish to water! Not to mention we also hit up the pool at Mamaw's and have been cooking out every Sunday since the beginning of summer, its a tradition.

My lil family

Easter 2010

2011-01-10T12:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Easter

I love Easter, the holiday and its representation of our Heavenly Father rising from the dead for us makes it so beautiful, especially with all the 'new life' on the trees and everything is so pretty and bright! Of course I love the idea of the Easter bunny along with it and hope that the boys believe in it for along time so I can keep making them wonderful baskets! I am pretty goofy about our spring pictures as well, I have to make sure our outfits coordinate and not to be repetitive of colors we have worn before! Ha! I'm a loon!

This year we went to our Easter Service at Parkwest then went to lunch at GG's house like we do every year and just so happened to capture some great pics.

Then, after that we went to Madisonville to see my dad's side of the family and granny. Granny had a tough time at this years gathering and had to go to the hospital for a breathing treatment and some other meds but then was released. Mostly, the kids still got to Easter egg hunt and had a ball doing it!

A little update

2010-04-24T19:00:00.000-07:00

Well as the world turns, we continue to have change! Duh, we are the Gardners and a busy little family we are! Well here are a few more updates:

*Brinley climbs stairs!! She has made it up to the third stair!! Ahh! (And the way our stairs are temporarily, they can't be gated)
*Only one week into P90X, I sinned! Ray and I went to Pelancho's and I felt awful after. So here we are starting all over! I think I just had to fail and get it out of my system! Then I did it again for a week and took 2 weeks off and now I am starting back up again....
*We are working on a fireplace in the upstairs living room and we have also got the markings finished for where the new addition on the back of the house will be (don't know if that's grammatically correct lingo in the contruction world)! Yes another 1800 sq foot to be added! More construction and more demolition, but it will be worth it when its finished!!
*Bryson had a spring performance and stole the show by singing 'bah bah black sheep' and 'oh where or where has my little dog gone'
*For the kids MDO spring break they all three had croup so to say the least,we didnt get to have any fun family adventures

More updates to come!!

Bring IT

2010-03-10T15:13:00.000-08:00

Bring It...
Well I have committed to working out after eating anything and everything for the past year and a half. I had a diet much like the kids, including hot dogs, nuggets, pop tarts, etc. To say the least, I wasn't loosing any weight! So I whined and finally managed to get P90X into my hands (thanks to the Mother In Law for ordering it)!! Well like any kid, I PROMISED if I only had P90X, then I could get in shape. So there ya go! We have it and I'm doing it! I will tell you this, I have always considered myself an athlete but this work out is the real deal! I'm only in week one and feel 10x better than what I did. I already feel stronger, faster, and more lean! In addition to working out I am also following the eating plan for my body and making sure I eat healthy so that I will get the results I want (without loosing my milk)!! I am going to stick with this plan and not drink my starbucks and eat mexican or the kids menu and see how I feel post 90days. Right now I'm excited and loving it!
Oh I have to tell you, Bry came downstairs and said, "Mom, why are you working out with the DDD (dvd)". I told him so I could be more healthy and run and play with him. Nevertheless, his response was " and so you won't be fat anymore!?" Ha, guess they call it like they see it. Well no bones about it, I'm pumped! See you all in 90 days and then we'll talk!

Lots of Change!!!

2010-02-26T17:30:00.000-08:00

from newborn to this....

New Beginnings continue....

So there has been a lot of new beginnings in the last few weeks:

*Brinley has taken front and center stage of our lives! She is eating baby food, and flying through all the baby foods. She eats anything and everything, seriously. Colton has fed her poptarts, granola bars, chicken nuggets, and eggs (this is all I can think of at this time)!!!! Hilarious!
*Brinley has started crawling and is into everything!!! She tries her best to keep up with the boys.
*Brinley has said "da da" and "good", no mama yet :(
*Brinley has officially moved to her crib as well! It was mixed emotions for me all at the same time. She is sleeping better in her crib and so am I! In addition to Brinley moving to her crib, we have changed the boys bed time routine! The boys go to bed every night by 8:30 and they fall asleep in their room after book time! They used to fall asleep with a TV on!
*I refereed Upwards basketball for the first time and that has been a blessing and a ministry!
*I have also ventured to attempt to play competitive basketball (9 years post high school grad nonetheless!) I had no idea that in this league there were going to be so many good teams! Ahh.
*I have a new job, with three kids!

Wow!!!!

I have only worked a few hours so far, its been manageable thus far. I have a great job, working part time selling respiratory therapeutics! I set my own hours and have the opportunity to make a great residual income to help the family and it gives me adult interaction and self identification outside of cleaning and taking care of the babies 24/7. I know that I am blessed to have this job in this economy and for the flexibility I have! All I can say is thank you Lord!

I know with all the changes of these past few weeks, and our new beginnings will continue throughout the rest of this year, especially with our little ones growing and changing everyday! I am thankful and trying to hang on to every moment and enjoy every second I have! Hope you do the same!

No COMPUTER!!!

2010-01-31T11:40:00.000-08:00

Oh my I have almost went crazy without the Internet and TV! No, its not a fast or anything along those lines but just a matter of us determining our "needs" or better yet our wants. Its been tough for me, no doubt. However, I have accomplished a lot more in an average day than what I normally would because there is no loss of half hour time increments from the TV or internet trapping me!

Well to catch up on this month, I decided that I wouldn't make a New Year's Resolution because I didn't think it mattered, I felt like 2009 was such a hard year so I had decided to just float on my back through 2010. Then, on the last day of the month, today, I watched a sermon on claiming your blessing and on Eichboh, meaning the "glory is gone." My glory isn't gone. I may have had a tough 2009 but I was still blessed and highly favored and rewarded with a gift from God, Miss Brinley Rae, our little angel. I have decided that I am going to go forward and run, not float through this upcoming year. I am going to do things with deliberation and know that MY God is in control and. HE will guide my steps, and I AM blessed because I'm still standing!

Going forth, I am proclaiming that we are blessed and highly favored. That the call of God won't take us where the Will of God can't protect us. So I am putting on my armor from God and preparing for war fare because I'm not going to be passive and set on the bench just because I had a set back in 2009.

I know that God has a plan and a purpose for our lives and I can already see him moving, since my new mindset. I have confidence that this year will be a year of growth and just because I don't like "growing pains", I am still thankful that I am not were I used to be but I'm not were I am going to be! SO here we go God I am letting go of my "buts" and going with you God!

Fantasies, Fallacies, and Fairy Tales...

2010-01-01T16:31:00.000-08:00

Fantasies, Fallacies and Fairy Tells of the life of a stay at home mom!

So for some reason I had this idea or image of the "stay at home mom life." I thought it was all about working out at the gym, getting lattes, play dates and the glam life of the stay at home moms!

Oh how wrong I was, there are no fairies that magically clean your house, change butts, feed the kids, or help you even get a shower in peace without the kids opening the bathroom door half a dozen times and causing you to freeze half to death. The fallacy of illogical thinking was ever so present, when, I thought I would be back at the gym only a couple of weeks after having baby #3. On top of that what was I thinking? I wasn't trying to get three kids loaded and unloaded, dragging them kicking and screaming all the way to the Rush every day... Not a chance.

So next, I decided I would workout at home....enough said.

Well the next fallacy was, lets go shopping! Or not! What is fun about pushing a 45lb 4yr old combined with a 35lb 2yr old, along with the weight of the stroller, diaper bags, and Brinley strapped to the front of me in the Bjorn! (Yep that's my workout) Also, I must add that people would rather stop and stare at a struggling mom trying to open the door or get through impassable passage ways than stop and help! So the shopping went out the window too!

So then I was like, we will just have play dates all day every day but I didn't take it into consideration that other people work, they are busy, their kids are on different schedules, and its just not simple to have play dates all day every day. In addition, to trying to have play dates, I try to make sure the kids, the house and myself are perfect! (That's not reality what so ever!)

So what I have learned; is, that the life of the stay at home mom is very humbling. There are no awards, thank yous or fairies! Its all about cleaning the same stuff over and over all day, feeding the kids all day, doing the endless mounds of laundry and letting go of your preconceived notions of what I thought it should be BUT rather enjoying the real moments that count with your children who will remember me more for playing with them than they will remember the gym dates, perfect play dates, mall trips or any of the unimportant things in life.

However, I must say that my wonderful husband foots the bill for my kids to go to Mother's Day Out and they get the opportunity to receive educational time, personal interaction with other kids their age and it gives me, mom, a day (well 5hours) without three kids under the age of four. MDO allows me to either clean, run errands, or just grab a latte with a friend and maybe just come home to watch an episode of Ellen with my best friend Brin.

So in the end, its not a fantasy, not a fairy tale but I am humbly content and blessed to have the opportunity to pour into my children's life and mold them into the children and one day adults that I hope pray for them to be.

October; Tricks, treats, and Tractors!

2009-12-30T19:14:00.000-08:00

What a great start to the month we had...Ray's football team the Knoxville Knights won the Alliance Football Championship, back to back champs! Let me give you a little history on this for those of you who are not familiar with the AFL. This is a semi pro football team who plays teams from all over the east coast and gives those guys a second chance at football to be scouted or just to play for the love of the game. Ray has been playing for over 8years now. He played with his first team the Raiders and now he plays with the Knights. We have traveled to Chicago, Georgia, Kentucky, and Virgina just to name a few! With that, I must add I love watching him play and went to watch Ray play a game only days before having Bry and to top that I was in Kentucky with him not even two weeks after having Brinley! I support him and so does my dad! We are Ray's biggest fans!!! By the way, Ray was supposed to "retire" this year but I am not holding my breath! lol.

Next, we celebrated Colton's 2nd Bday!! Yep he is in the terrible 2's!!! Colton's alias is "crash" he has like this moment of reason in his eyes but it immediately flies out the window and there he goes like reckless abandonment! Lord help me with this child! Oh yeah back to the party! We had a wonderful birthday celebration with several of our closest friends and family! He had a John Deer tractor themed party because he loves tractors. He got tractors galore! It was a wonderful party and for the grand finale he got a ride on lawn mower, just like his late pappaw (his idol)! So Bittersweet.

Last, we Trick or Treated! We kicked off the Halloween festivities with Boo at the Zoo and we took cousin Aly!Brinley was a princess (of course), Colton was spiderman, Aly a princess and Bryson was the blue power ranger! It was insanely crowded. What can I say we still loved it! Then on Halloween we trick or treated at the neighbors and family! It was a lot of fun and we got tons of candy! Bry said he wanted to do that every night! Lol. He also loved our house decorated and called it a "spook house!"

It was a great October!

November a month of Thanks?! Or A month about Bry?

2009-12-30T12:45:00.000-08:00

November was a month of parties! For Bry that is! My little man turned the big 4!!! So we celebrated and celebrated and celebrated!

Bry wanted a party with all of his friends and I didn't think we could pull it off but we did, we took the party to Bry! His Mammaw, Nana and I got pizza, balloons and decorations then headed to Bry's mothers day out with Colton tagging along to have a party for him and his friends! We set up the big party scene for Bry to walk into and he was scared, and surprised all at once. Not the reaction I was expecting. However, after the initial shock he was happy as a lark to have us all there for his "real" birthday. The only thing he didn't understand was, where are the presents?! So presents he got. He got a big new transformer (that's totally un-transformable) and Buzz Lightyear. Bry's typical response was, and any 4 years olds, that's it?! He is just like his momma! I had to explain because his birthday was on a weekday, he would have another party on the weekend. Trying to make it to the weekend seemed like eternity for this child! Guess what, he made it and, we partied down! We had pizza, Transformer cookie cake and most importantly he got more presents! Whew, I am partied out for the big #4, wonder what he expects for his 5th birthday, thank the good lord I have a whole year until then!

A December to Remember...

2009-12-30T11:57:00.000-08:00

Its been a December to Remember! I think I will quit my job every year for the holidays!

This was a busy month!

First, we got snow! Yes it only lasted a few hours but we enjoyed every minute of it! I have no idea how I managed to even get Christmas shopping done but I did!

We went to the Fantasy of Trees and that was an adventure, to say the least. It was not bad but the kids just weren't that into it. I think we may nap before we go next year! However, Bryson did tell Santa what he wanted (Bry is petrified of people dressed up in costumes) Spike the Ultra Dinosaur! And what did Santa bring? Spike!

Then, Bryson was a shepherd for his school performance, or other known as mothers day out. He did excellent! He had two lines, "thank you for coming to our naniviny (nativity) performance. We hope you enjoyed the show!" He said his lines in front of a full auditorium and I gave him a standing ovation, of course!! Got it all on tape and he said, "mom you went nuts with the pictures!" Too funny but I love my babies!

Then, we went to Dollywood to see the lights and Christmas parade with cousin Zhenya, cousin Avner, Aunt Alisha and Nana. This was also an adventure. Not many pics from this one! Lol.

Last, but not least was Christmas! We attended 4 Christmases, dinners and presents included in all not to include Santa on Christmas morning and too say the least it was good but exhausting! We all got more than we need or deserve!

So here we are counting down to the near year of 2010, wonder what this year will bring? Praying for grace and favor.

Change, Change and more change

2009-12-30T06:10:00.000-08:00

Well to say the least there has been change going on....

I have continued to struggle with whether or not I should, could work with three kids and what would be the best for the family. I miss medical sales but I don't miss setting at a desk all day from my previous job. I am praying for the perfect part time job to fall into my lap! In the mean time of me and my dilemma there has been even more change.

First, Colton is officially off the bottle! Yes, to some this would seem simple but for Colton, his bottle became his second mommy when I lost my milk supply and wasn't able to nurse any more. So at 2yrs and 2months we had a detox on our little man and he is "ba-ie" free!! I mean he still asks but then he immediately says, "ba-ie fooora babies." So cute. Then on top of detox mode for Colton he lost his beloved potty monkey, where you ask, I don't know or else it wouldn't be lost! So he has a new friend, baby lion! Whew! Glad he cuts his losses and moves on quickly.

Speaking of cutting, that is another change we are experiencing, Princess Brinley is cutting her teeth! This girl has no pain tolerance at all, poor baby! She is also growing and thus her appetite is too. Therefor we have embarked on the adventure of baby cereal and she loves it so much she growls and pushes the spoon into her mouth if I'm not feeding her fast enough! I will upload you a pic of this messy scene!

Last, we are still working on project remodel the whole house! Ahhh! Curse you HGTV for your ideas! Well they are not entirely to blame. We needed the space and I am not complaining, except for its a lot more to clean....and soon to be more!? To top it all Ray has mentioned he is almost ready to do phase #3 of the remodel the addition of the garage and new master suite, etc! AHHH! Ray, can I have a maid??

.....Change~no one likes it except a wet baby! :)

Things in Review 2009

2009-12-28T12:57:00.000-08:00

All I can say is what a year...
It has been a year of good and bad, ups and downs and life lessons learned. We began 09 with a fast for "protection, provision, and prosperity" and that he did. God kept us, protected us, provided for us and prospered us but not in the way we had in mind. I was blessed with a job in medical sales, the job I fasted for and prayed for over 2 years. However, it turned out to be the job that took me away from those I loved most, my family. I took the job in October 08 to unexpectedly find out weeks later we were pregnant with our third baby. I had to travel to Tampa during the Christmas season to ponder the whole time on the decisions I had made and if the sacrifices were worth this job I wanted. Also on top of all that I was dealing with the fact they couldn't find the heart beat in this 3rd pregnancy, so literally my wonderful doctor waited till I got off my 2hour delayed flight in from Tampa, past office hours to find out if the baby had a heart beat or not just days before Christmas. Thankfully the heartbeat was strong and we knew in 09 our family would be growing. Immediately we began transforming our house from duplex to a fully functional 2 story home and added an additional living room. Its very challenging to live in a construction zone and better yet when your pregnant!
Things with work continued to be stressful and take me away from my family and then I began to have dehydration problems and it began to put me into labor at 30 weeks. SO for the next five weeks I would spend it in and out of the hospital trying to keep Brinley in till week 36. Then in the mean time the unthinkable happened, Ray's dad passed away after having a double knee replacement he had a blood clot travel and block the backside of his heart. This is still hard to talk about. I may blog on it more later. So here we are just a couple of weeks from having Brinley and we are mourning the loss of the best father in law ever. The good and the bad of 09....

July 23rd 09 and 10:20, after 17 hours of labor in addition to 3hours of active pushing and seconds away from a c-section, Brinley Rae makes her grand appearance. She was not the biggest of my three weighing in at 9lbs and 1oz but to say the least she is and was the most difficult of the three. That's all I can say about Princess Brinley Rae!

Back to the job thing, I had finally established my territory and was doing great with West Knox as my territory. I was on maternity leave for a planned 12 weeks, which is a lot more than most people get but it just wasn't enough time for all that was going on in me. So I quit. Now I embarked on the journey of a stay at home mom of three babies under age 4!

Yes,this year has been a year of changes....

This is for my fans

2009-12-28T12:25:00.000-08:00

Well I have decided to start a blog for all of my fans and for myself. I will attempt to keep this updated to allow myself to be a little more transparent and for self therapy in my blogging. I am sure of this I am sure you will laugh, cry and hopefully be inspired. Wish me luck!

Kendra