Tornado 2011

Today I am so very thankful that i have a roof over my head, that my family is safe and sound, and that our area was not effective by the devastating tornados that hit parts of our state!this picture of a tornado taken only about 5 minutes from my house... thank you Jesus it did not touch down in our area... we are so blessed! Tonight i go to bed with a heavy heart... for those in areas that have lost it all, for those who have lost love ones, for these poor college students that have seen devastation in their college town... it is just oh so sad... Oh God I pray for these families!

Happy Easter!!!!

We had a great Easter Weekend full of children on a chocolate bunny sugar high who did not want to have their picture taken filled with lots of fun easter activities, egg hunts, bunny visits, church, and lunch and dinner with our families!

We dyed easter eggs... how cute are my our monster easter eggs... i love their hair... i thought they were so fun! we made resurrection rolls...

i am happy to say they enjoyed these more than easter eggs :)my silly bunnies... saturday we went to a local churches egg hunt...

the kids had a great time and found lots of eggs..then came easter sunday... and you all can thank me b.c the devil was working over time at our house that morning... i am so sure "he" left your household alone b.c there is no way he could have been "working" at your house b.c "he" certainly had the "troops" at house... i am really just kidding but easter sunday sure can be a little stressful trying to get it all done... shoo! :) the easter bunny came and left baskets...

The Easter Frock....After church we went to richards aunt and uncles for lunch and an egg hunt... brylee got to hunt with the "little kids" (ages 3 to 6) and she smoked them...she filled her first basket up and had to start on another one... i think she will be moving up for sure next year...:)she even found the "prize egg"! jackson had to hunt with the "older kids" and he did not get as many eggs but he still had fun... honestly he would rather play wiffle ball instead of hunt eggs! :)

Then we went to my parent house for dinner, easter surprises and an egg hunt! brylee was all excited about her big ole bunny! jackson got him a new alabama hat in his basket! :)

We enjoyed our easter weekend... all the Easter activities were of course fun... but i am so glad we celebrate a risen savior... as my all time favorite song (In Christ Alone) says...

"For in the ground, his body lay

Light of the world by darkness slain

Then bursting forth in glorious day

UP FROM THE GRAVE HE ROSE AGAIN!!!!!

(and all the hands in the church go UP) :)

my baseball dude...

i love watching my second baseman, clean up hitten, number 4 **Tampa Bay Ray**!!!!!he is going to turn a double play before the seasons out... i just know it...he wants to so bad! :)

33

I have the BEST friends and family a girl could ask for... they all went out of their way to make me feel special on my 33rd birthday! :) Thursday, the day before my birthday, I took off work and met my friends Katy and Sherry at Olexia's for lunch and a little shopping before and after. We had a great day catching up and the food and desserts were wonderful as well!

check out this dessert... cloud 9... it was so yummy...we got chocolate cake... it was good too... by not near as picture worthy as the cloud 9!

Friday was my actually birthday... and look what my sweet hubby and kiddos sent me to work... I was so surprised... this was actually the first time in 10 years my hubby has ever sent me flowers... he will do the grocery store pick up thing but not the "real deal"... they are my favs!:) I was suppose to go with some of my friends to the Sug*rland concert friday night but we had horrible tornado/stormy weather so the concert got canceled :( so we just opted for dinner and which was still fun and enjoyable... no pics from that night! Saturday me mom and brylee went shopping all day and then we met up with the boys and kk and ate birthday dinner and enjoyed cupcakes from ashleys macs... they were yummy just like i had heard... if you like edgars strawberry cake... then you will love Ashley Mac's strawberry cake... i think it is better! : ) Tuesday my sweet friends had me a birthday breakfast at Edger's... which i forgot about... i was at work working away and Paige called me and ask me if i was coming to Edgars... still not registering in the ole brain... she said for your birthday breakfast.... oh my i totally forgot... thankfully it only took me 5 minutes to get there... gezzz.... can we say easter outfits for needy customers... off thursday and early dismissal friday behind on the brain! ha :) Needless to say I had a great birthday week.... thank you sweet friends and family for making my birthday a great one! :)

Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini...

well it doesn't really have to be an itsy bitsy teenie weenie yellow polka dot bikini... of course any one will do.... Please read below about an opportunity to donate swimsuits and towels to foster children in Alabama....You can read more about the swim suit and beach towel collection on Darby's blog here and Ashley's blog here... I am so excited that favorite laundry is a drop off site for these NEW swim suits and towels and I am even more excited that I am the one that gets to put these precious children's names on their beach towels! :) It is no secret that i am obsessed with matching swim suits for my children and i love me some monogrammed items as well.... lets face it my baby girl has monogrammed undies... well ok bloomers :) you get the point... therefore i know it is going to be so fun to provide these monogrammed towels for these children... I am so excited to take jackson and brylee to the store to pick out a bathing suit and beach towel for a child in need! If you would like to participate you can comment here, email me at powersshelly (at) yahoo (dot) com, or you can drop it off at Favorite Laundry in Mt Laurel... there is an incentive for you as well.... you will be entered to win a $100 gift certificate to the store!

Hello Blog World....

Hello Little Blog World... Long Time No "SEE"! :) Gezzz we are so busy right know i feel like i don't have a free moment to blog... and I guess if I was honest I would own up to the fact that i love my little iphoney and it's way more "FUN" to lay in bed or on the couch and "do" all my computer work from it so therefore i don't pull out the ole lap top very often... promise i will try and get better! :) So here is my forever long list of pictures and things we have been doing...

1. Happy Spring School Picture Day...

my little social butterfly has had quite a busy social calendar here lately... she has been to some rockin fun birthday parties in the last two weeks... it seems that most of her friends were born in the spring... :)

Party #1. Avery's HOP Birthday Party at the movies...

Silly Girls: Heidi, Abbie, Brylee and Avery

2. Party #2: Ashleigh's Horse Riding B'day Party...

Party #3: Carsyn's Birthday at Storyville Station

(this place was way cool... might be one of the top 5 birthday parties we have ever been to)

Party #4: Jill's Horse Riding Birthday Party

B and A on the playground

(thank goodness for sweet friends who take pictures of my child when i can't be there)

Loosey Goosey looses another tooth (this make 3 total)

she lost the one of the top this time! Happy Sunday!

And this my friends is why we are so busy... BASEBALL!!!!!

My Little Devil Ray! ;)UP TO BAT!!!

HITTING THE BALL!

I L-O-V-E me some baseball so i am ok with being busy and always being at the park... however i am not a fan of these 7:45 games we have had... wow that makes for a LONG night and some tired little kiddos in the morning... but we are surviving! :)

Hope you are having a great week... and guess what????

it is only 6 more weeks til SUMMER!!!!! :)

Whoop- Whoop!!!!!

I DID IT... 13.1... my first half marathon....

Today I completed something I have always wanted to do. Something I have trained for since January. I completed my first half marathon... I can't believe it really I RAN 13.1 miles!!! I started my day very early this morning and traveled to Talledaga for the run. I was nervous the whole way there... I worried about dumb stuff really... I was so afraid I was not going to finish in the 4 hr time limit, I was worried that I would not know what to do {since it was my first}, and I was so affraid I was going to have an "accident" during the race! All of which were dumb bc I finished with a little over an hour to spare, the trail was very well marked no chance in getting lost all u have to do was run, and there were portapotties all over the route and I did not even need one afterall! Once the race started I was not nervous anymore I was excited! I started out slow with hopes to keep a good pace I did well until about mile 3 and for some reason no matter how many miles I running I always struggle with miles 3 and 4. I got into a good grove for mile 5 and 6 but them when I got to mile 7 we were running back on the track and people were actually finishing and you could hear the announcer announcing their names and times... I could not believe people were finishing in less than an hour and a half... That was hard to hear I was thinking oh my I am only half way done and these people are finished... So I just cranked my tunes up on my iPod and drowned it out and just ran...mile 8 was good and I missed the sign for mile 9 and I was thinking oh my where is that sign this is the longest mile and then when I saw that I was at mile 10 I was all excited! Double digits!!! Mile 11 was probably the roughest that is when I really thought oh my I am going to die... My right foot was hurting and my left knee and hip flexer were hurting... Then there was a water station with oranges OH SWEET JESUS that was the BEST orange slice I have ever had {and I don't even really like oranges} I was struggling through mile 12 and 13 but then when I saw my family and the finish line I was good to go and I made it! My finishing time was 2:56.57 I was really wanting to finish it closer to 2hrs 30 min but I hit that about mile 11 and I knew that was not going to happen so then my goal became before 3 hrs and I made it! I was actually surprised at how hard running 13.1 miles really was... Whoever said you can run 10 miles and your adrenaline will carry you the rest of the way is a BIG FAT LIER... The next time I train I will run 13 miles... Just so you know 10 miles is not going to do it for you... Just saying! And you marathon runners who have run 26.2... I don't know how you did it... My hat goes off to you for sure!! I am also a little surprised at the toll it look on my body today... I am hurting from the waist down and I am walking like a 90 year old man and I am whipped to say the least... I am a little fearful of tomorrow too! I will say I am very proud of myself {is it bad to be proud of yourself... Oh well hope not} for completing my first half marathon!