Our Elf on the Shelf

Last year, we had our first visit from our Elf on the Shelf.  You know, the Elf that keeps and eye on you boys each day, then reports back to Santa each night at the North Pole.  Every morning, he re-appears at our house in a new location...but he is ALWAYS watching.  We named him Buster, and he keeps you boys in line.  But the funny thing is, he likes to get in funny poses or hide in places that make it difficult for you boys to see him.  He usually shows up around Thanksgiving night and stays with us through Christmas.  Every morning, it is fun to watch you boys come downstairs and see where he is.  In the picture here, he was sitting on the side of a candle acting like he was roasting marshmallows....silly Buster!

Family Skate Night

Boys, tonight the church had a family skate night for the kids area for meeting your giving goal of $200.  We had it at Skate Country in Buford, GA.  I remember when I was a kid, I used to go roller skating every weekend.  One of my very favorite Christmas presents was my first pair of roller skates....Pacer Racer boots with Red Devil wheels.  Mommy makes fun of me sometimes because I even won a speed skating trophy when I was younger.  Your mom and I actually went roller skating on our very first date.  You boys really enjoyed it tonight.  Riley kept trying to march in his skates, and I bet that he fell about 150 times, but he kept getting up and trying it again and again.  Cody fell a few times, too, but he finally got the hang of it...and now you keep begging us to take you back.  Jay did really well.  I don't think that Jay ever fell down....but he sure was wobbly a couple of times!!  Mommy and I even laced em up and skated all night, too.  We have said that we are going to take you boys skating more often.  It was fun to see you boys enjoying yourselves so much!

Photo Shoot

Boys, the folks at NE GA Pediatric Dentistry must have been IMPRESSED with the 3 of you.  They called Mommy and asked her if she would mind if they used pictures of the 3 of you boys for advertisements in their office.  Of course, we said that we didn't mind.  We took you boys out to Hurricane Shoals park in Maysville, GA for the photo shoot.  There are a lot of old buildings and cabins out there...perfect for outdoor photos.  You boys were on your best behavior, and the photos turned out super.  I'm so proud that other folks can look at you boys and see how handsome you are...inside and out!  Love you, boys!

Click here to see more pictures from the photo shoot.

Riley's first UGA game

Riley made his first trip to Sanford Stadium today to watch the Dawgs play the New Mexico State Aggies  'between the hedges'.  You were so excited....you asked me 100 times on Friday night, "Daddy, what time are we leaving in the morning?"  We got up and went to eat breakfast at McDonalds before heading down to the stadium...you love to eat chicken biscuits for breakfast.  Once we got to Athens, we walked around campus a little bit before going into the stadium.  I showed you some of the statues, and we went into the University Bookstore and looked at all the cool stuff in there.  Once we went into the stadium, your eyes lit up...you could not believe how big the place was....before today, the only stadium that you had been in was the GA Force Field....and Sanford Stadium is about 4 times as big!  The Dawgs did not disappoint us today.  They won handily, 63-16.  You loved every minute of it.  You especially liked watching Hairy the Dog on the sidelines, and you loved getting to see Russ, the real bulldog who was filling in for UGA.  All in all, it was a very fun day, I am so blessed that I get to have days like today with you and your brothers.  I pray that you always remember days like today!  I love you, buddy!

Click here to see more pics from Riley's first UGA game

Jay's 12th Birthday

Happy 12th Birthday to our big boy, Jay Tyler.  12 years ago today, we changed from 'Scott and Jennifer' to 'Mommy and Daddy'.  That day 12 years ago was one of the happiest days of my life....it was life changing.  It is absolutely amazing how you can look at a newborn baby that you know that you had a part in creating, and immediately fall in love with him.  To know that we prayed and waited....and prayed and waited...for God to pick out the perfect little boy to send to Mom and me.  And, I'll just tell you, God really knows how to pick em....He gave us the best little boy that we could have ever asked for.  I cannot begin to tell you how proud we are of the young man that you are becoming.  You are unashamed of your faith....I told Mom the other day that I got to sit with you in church last week, and during the worship portion of the service, you were just singing out to God at the top of your lungs....just praising Him.  It made me so proud of you!  I can't wait to see what God has in store for you.  I know in my heart that He has great plans for you, because you are going to allow Him to use you in a big way!  I pray that you never lose that, Jay.  Keep on trusting in Him, and never doubt that God is always with you!
Today on your birthday, you had 3 of your friends come over and spend the night:  Jack Weaver, Ben Bade, and Trey Hall.  We took you boys to the movies to see "Real Steel", then came back and had ice cream cake.  I told mommy that it was funny that when you looked at your cake, it looks like it says "Happy Birthday, Jax"...instead of "Jay".  We love you very much, buddy....and Mom and Dad are extrememly proud of you!