Our Dina...

Mrs. Dina...she's an amazing photographer. Her patience is unreal and her hubby gave my hubby beers while we were taking pictures at her farm! Family pictures + Brent = not so happy husband. Brent + Farm + Beer - Family pictures = hubby that can smile through the session!

It's been a while since we had our pictures taken with Dina. Three years in fact. It was time. Time to break out the wallet and get our family pictures done by a professional (and that does not include me!!!!!!).

The Farm. That is where we took our pictures. Where we captured Palmer at the wonderful age of 4 (here the sarcasm in my writing). Where we captured Peyton with all of his baby teeth still in his mouth. Where we discovered Palmer's true love for ALL animals (you'll see below that he wasn't even scared of the gigantic Clydesdale-related horse). Where Brent discovered that taking family pictures isn't nearly as bad when you a have a beer in hand. Where we discovered that giving a 4 year old an egg and asking him not to break it is definitely hoping for too much. Where Dina tried to talk us into building on our own farm...not. going. to. happen. (simply because of the possibility of snakes)!

Narrowing these pictures down to just the 11 that we purchased was HARD. VERY. HARD. It pains me to not be able to buy all of them (It all goes back to Peyton's 3 week old "Yawn" picture that I didn't buy -- that's another story for another time).

I gave a sneak peek in my last post, but here's the rest -- thank you Mrs. Dina for letting me post these!!!

Horses like carrots too!

Unless you don't give the horse the carrot...then he tries to come after you!

Our family...my little boys are so grown up in this picture!

Just you, me and the grass buddy!

Us...I love the tire swing hanging in the background and the moss hanging from the trees!

They're a mess. A big, huge, messy mess!

My favorite firstborn!

My Favorite Sweet Baby!

Palmer being Palmer!

Palmer being Palmer Part 2!

And, we're done. Done with the pictures. He'd had enough!!!!

It was a beautiful day for beautiful pictures...these are going to go very nicely in my newly redecorated bedroom!!!!!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to know a wonderful photographer like Mrs. Dina,
Chasity

PS...Happy Mother's Day (My Mom's in Alaska right now, but I wish she was here)!

Us Lately...

It's been a while (ok, two months) since my last post. So much has been going on that I just haven't had time to update this the way I should be.

So, here's a quick run down (with pictures) of our lives from the past two months...

Spring Break ~
We went home for Spring Break and took the boys to an FSU baseball game. My old stomping ground!!! Besides being outside on a beautiful (yet cold) day, the boys managed to eat their way through the game!


Dina Ivory Picture Day~
It's been 3 years since Dina photographed our family. While I would love to think that I am a great photographer, sadly, I'm not. So, we headed out to Dina's Farm and somehow managed (I suspect it was her fast finger) to get some great photos. We captured (for possibly the last time) all of Peyton's baby teeth in tact and little Palmer at the wonderful age of 4!

Boys will be boys, I suppose! And this is classic Peyton & Palmer!

Palmer decided to tease the horse with a carrot...the horse responded by kicking the fence and scaring us half to death. We all jumped back!

Opening Day of Baseball Season~
It finally arrived -- opening day of baseball for Peyton. As part of the Brentwood Astros, Peyton is killing the ball. Now, if only we could get him to run (fast) to the base...And oh, to add craziness to the schedule, we now have karate, baseball and soccer games every Saturday!

Love this picture...

Life's little lesson -- standing with one foot on the ball when you are 4 years old is REALLY, SUPER HARD to do (it's really very funny to watch too!).

Knowing which way to kick the ball is also a really hard thing to remember, so the coach has to constantly remind them!

Easter Weekend, April 4, 2010
Brent's mom needed help painting her house and since Good Friday made Easter weekend a 3-day weekend, Brent went to Destin to help his Mom. So, it was just the boys and me for Easter...it was kind of sad not having Bren there, but we somehow managed to survive without him. We spent Good Friday by having Peyton's best friend Cannon over to spend the night (as an early 7th birthday celebration)...we managed to go to McDonald's (a treat for the boys), see
How to Train Your Dragon and go to Chuck E Cheese. We also made Rice Krispy treat Eggs!

On Easter Sunday, we went to church then after nap time (a necessary for Mommy after being up at the butt-crack-of-dawn with two little boys anxious to see what the Easter Bunny left them), we had our first Easter Egg Games...it was a ton of fun!

Easter Egg Spoon Race

It takes talent...ok, maybe not, but for me and 3 little boys it did take a whole lot of patience!

Easter baskets from B.B.

Easter baskets from the Easter Bunny...pool themed, complete with goggles, beach towel, new swimsuits and swimshirts and of course, tons of candy!

Peyton's 7th Birthday~
It's crazy to think my baby boy, my favorite firstborn, turned 7 years old. After a little persuasion, we decided to forgo the big birthday party and save that money for a Disney or Beach trip, so we had Cannon spend the night, spent all day partying and then capped it off with a day that began with a Krispy Kreme Doughnut Cake, a Cupcake party at school, dinner at Logan's (chosen by the birthday boy himself) and a trip to Toy's R Us for two boxes of Legos and a DS game (after a little persuasion on Mommy's part...it just took a little convincing that he could spend $150 on one box of legos OR he could get two boxes of legos and a DS game for the same amount)...I think he had a great birthday (of course having your birthday announced on the loud speaker at Toys R Us just topped it all off)!

Nice hair! Being born at 5 a.m. has it's problems!
And yes, I do wake him up at 5 a.m. EVERY YEAR!

If you have to go to school on your birthday, might as well do it with cupcakes!!! Especially, the Harry Potter kind!

Peyton and Cannon -- buddies since Pre-School!

Client Strategic Visits~
I'm pretty sure I brought this idea up to our team and somehow, I've been the only one to do these trips...3 trips in 3 weeks...back to back...Bryan, TX (of course, flying on a leer jet is pretty cool), Washington D.C. and Bowling Green, KY (2 times in one week)! These trips are killing me, but at least I have a job and a fun one at that...with great clients. Would you ever think these groups are attorneys???!!!

Daniel Stark Injury Lawyers -- Bryan, Waco and Austin, TX

ChasenBoscolo Injury Lawyers -- Washington D.C., Virginia and Maryland

Room Redo~
Finally! It's only been 3 years that I've been planning this. When we first moved in, we painted the room chocolate brown and blue. Of course, I loved the colors, but could never find the right bedding. So, I finally found bedding that I liked (thanks to Pottery Barn) and wouldn't you know, painting the room a different color had to be done. After weeks of begging, Brent finally started the project. He still has to build the bed (yep, there's a really cool blogsite that shows how to make Pottery Barn furniture -- http://www.knock-offwood.com). Once that's done though, I get to decorate and then hopefully we'll have a nice and peaceful relazing bedroom! I miss the blue and brown, but our "hotel room" color seems to be warming up on me (Peyton called it a hotel room)!

My painter!!!!

Rain, Rain and more Rain~
On May 1st and 2nd, Nashville received more than 13 1/2 in. of rain in just two days. It rained a lot. It rained hard. We've never seen that much rain. EVER! We never thought it would flood the way it has over the past week. Who knew that 13 1/2 in. of rain could make rivers and creeks rise 30 feet above flood level and literally devastate a town. It's been crazy! The boys have been out of school for a week. Brent and I pulled together this past week to take the boys to work with us. Thanks goodness for great friends and neighbors...they've helped us so much this past week. On Monday, Palmer and I (he went to work with me) walked down to the point where the Cumberland River crested (at the exact time it was cresting) just two blocks from my office! Thankfully, our house was fine. We live on a hill and other than a minor roof leak (because of all the rain), we came out good. Brent's 101 year old great grandmother and her 90 year old sister lost their home in the flood. It's so sad, but a blessing in disguise, as they needed to be in a nursing home! Now, they are in a nursing home thanks to Brent's Aunt and Uncles that came to
find them a place to live. They left today after staying with us since Tuesday while trying to find them a new place to live and literally, throwing out everything they owned and trying to replace it all.

This flood has taught us that Nashville is a wonderful community. The people are helpful, kind and willing to do what is needed to help others and get things done. It's a sad time, but one that will be overcome but beautiful people willing to help and rebuild! Going through something like this has taught us sooooo much about life in general.

Federal Emergency, 1,000 year flood. WOW!

Downtown Nashville

The Country Music Hall of Fame under water!

Lobby of the Opryland Hotel...so sad!

Turkey Hunting~
Life has been crazy. So Brent hasn't had much time for hunting. The man is going to drive me crazy if he doesn't get to go soon! Turkey hunting this, Turkey hunting that...good Lord...get that man a turkey.

I woke up at 7 a.m. this morning to look out the window and see Brent walking through the backyard with a turkey in his hand. Of course, my early-riser, Palmer, joined him out in the backyard and they both posed for a picture...

Soccer Don'ts of Soccer Season~
Amongst the flooding and craziness of this week, life still somehow goes on. Karate, soccer and baseball all in one day. While at the soccer field, I decided to take pictures...they pictures for the day were Soccer Dont's!!!! Don't pull your shirt of your head, don't pick the grass, don't do a somersault during the game, don't step on your teammate, don't hang on the net, don't pull up your shorts and show everyone your undies. Oh my Palmer...he somehow manages to make everyday interesting!!!!

Life is crazy. Life is good. Life is beautiful. Life is interesting. Life is a blessing!!!!!!

Mother's Day is tomorrow, so more pictures to come...

Is it June yet? Summer Camps and pool time are sooooo much better than the school year!!!!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have a crazy, beautiful life,
Chasity

PS...Since we've lived in Nashville, we've had the hottest Summer on record, the most snow on record and the most rain on record. Kind of tired of "records."

It's Official, Official...

I'm a Soccer. Mom.

I have to admit that I've never really wanted to be a soccer mom, but now that I am, I think I have the cutest little booger out there on the field.

This past Saturday was Palmer's first soccer game. Of which, almost turned out to be an EPIC FAILURE!

Yep, between him not wanting to play (at first), me almost being in tears because I couldn't figure out a way to get him to go play and then literally kicking Brent and my MIL off the field (telling them to go home), it turned out that Palmer is one little soccer stud...when he decided to finally play!

(He's official...He's a "Shark")

(He was having fun before the game started...)

(Then for whatever reason, he decided he didn't want to play!)

(Finally, after promising him everything under the son, including a new Best Friend, Zach #3, he went out and played -- with only 5 minutes left of the game)

(He is actually pretty good!)

(Go Palmer...I'm pretty sure there's never been a mother as proud as I was during that game!)

(of course, the coach had to keep reminding the kids which way they actually needed to kick the ball and which goal it needed to go in!)

(Palmer and Zach giving each other a hug...it was so cute, but unfortunately, I couldn't find the "Zoom Out" button fast enough)

(1.2.3...GO SHARKS!)

Now that we've established that it is fun to play (and not sit on Mommy's lap and watch everyone), hopefully, Mr. Palmer will remember it and want to play next week...we can at least keep our fingers crossed;)

So proud of my favorite sweet baby!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful for my little soccer star,
Chasity

PS...Don't worry! I did make Brent feel bad about missing Palmer's first game! Bad attitudes and overly competitive fathers need not apply!

I'm a Slacker...

or just really busy. Can't really decide which one.

I know I haven't posted in a while. I'm going to fix that...I promise.

Life has been busy and about to get busier...yikes!

Stay tuned for more. I have a "creative" need that is just a huge part of me...it flares up sometimes. Right now, it's laying low. I'm thinking it won't be long until it flares up.

Please be patient with me!

Chasity :)

Don't Mess With Me...

So...Seeing that I'm NOT happy about having to buy a new washing machine after 2.5 years AND having to spend my Saturday morning doing something I shouldn't have to be doing at 2.5 years, you'd think a slimy, wormy sales guy would notice the skowl on my face and NOT try to approach me...you'd think...

So I went to HH Gregg (which is where we bought the first one, so I was determined to get them to give me a discount for selling me a lame washing machine) and of course, this slimy sales guy comes leisurely walking over to me. Poor guy. Stupid guy (didn't he see the skowl??!!). I was honest though. I told him up front...now is your chance to walk away from me because I am not happy about being here and I won't be playing nice today. He stayed. Bad move.

After warning him and getting his General Manager out to the floor, I got a BRAND NEW model marked originally $1,100, on sale for $887, down to $667. Not bad if I do say so myself. That's not including the 25% I'm getting from Whirpool (I admit, I lied to the sales guy and told him I was only getting 10%...ha ha)!

It doesn't match my dryer and I still hate that I had to spend that money, but I feel like I worked them over for a great deal...meet my new washing machine (that includes a 3 year warranty)!

After paying for the darn thing, the sales dude looked at me and said "Enjoy your new washing machine." I promptly looked at him and said: "1) Does anyone ever REALLY enjoy buying a new washing machine? 2) I would enjoy a beach vacation a lot more, but since I had to buy this, I guess I get to 'enjoy' doing laundry instead....yeah. right." JERK!

I'd like to say I'm blessed because I was able to buy the new one and didn't have to rely on a laundry mat like a lot of people do, but I've decided to be a little spoiled today. And whine. And complain.
Chasity

PS...still upset that they don't match! I know, stupid...BUT!

Are You Serious...

This is what I said to the washing machine repair man when he told me about the things below -- a huge hole in the tub, a crack ALL the way down the side and a water pressure gage not working...GREAT! $900 dollars to repair. I can buy a new one for that!

Only 2.5 years old and I have to buy a new washing machine. NOT HAPPY. NOT. HAPPY. My old yucky top-loading, never serviced washing machine was 10 years old.

Ugh. Great. Now I get to haggle with Whirlpool and HH Gregg. Great. Just Great.

AND, to top it off. We found out today that the trip we thought we were getting for Brent's award isn't happening. Double Great!

What a crappy day. Officially.

Not so blessed today,
Chasity

PS...my phone call to Whirlpool is not going to be a nice one!

Welcome February...

4.5 inches...that was what I measured on the back deck. I'm sure we got more as the day went on, but that's my official measurement.

It's amazing how 4.5 inches can cause such chaos and confusion!

The pictures below document the snow storm:

Our poor fish...there's something so wrong about this picture!

This is what 4.5 inches looks like.

Bama isn't sure what to think!

Our mountain...covered in snow!

The treehouse...covered!

Our house!

My poor car parked all alone at the neighbor's house! I slid into our driveway and parked in the middle, so Brent had to park at the neighbor's house. The next day, Brent tried to move it and decided we weren't going to be able to move it, so he put it in park and put the parking break on...it slid into the middle of the street all by itself...scary. very scary!

The neighborhood...no one was getting out. Trust me. We watched as many people tried to get out. Just wasn't happening!

The mailbox...this is for your Mom!

Pre Wipe-Out...

Post Wipe-Out!

SSSNNNOOOWWW FFFIIIGGGHHHTTT!

Palmer eating snow!

Our snowman. Making a snowman is harder than it looks!

Palmer helping...I think!?

It was a crazy week. And on top of all of this, the washing machine broke. Yep, broke and wouldn't you know that I had a million piles of laundry to do. I ended up borrowing our neighbor's all-wheel drive car so that we could get out of the neighborhood and go to the laundrymat (haven't been to one of those in a VERY long time). What a rough weekend!

The snow is beautiful, but we're over it. OVER IT!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to be able to enjoy all of this with my family. We won't soon forget it,
Chasity

PS...called the washing machine repair man...fingers crossed! But not a good feeling!