The Mejia Family

Christmas 2010

2010-12-28T05:38:00.000-08:00

Our Exciting New News!

2010-11-20T11:04:00.001-08:00

This is our New News!!

The Mejia Family is getting Bigger!

I didn't trust just ONE test....so I took another!

(I actually bought more, but Danny asked me how many it was going to take to believe it....Ha..ha..) so I stopped taking them.

After realiting set in and a few days passed, I'm really excited. Don't get me wrong, I wanted another, but for some reason it hit a little harder this time.

God is so Good to us and I know His hand is in this too!

The kids didn't believe us either....isn't that sad? It took them about 2 days, then they started asking questions. They heard us telling people and then realized we weren't joking. Lily wants a sister....Lucas said he wanted a brother...then said, "Acutally, I want one of each, a brother and a sister!!" Oh, boy!! Becareful what you ask for son.

Anyway, we are thinking we are due July 22nd, 2011 (which is one of my Grandmother's birthday and one of my Aunt's birthday...how exciting!)

Until my Dr's appointment (which I haven't scheduled yet) that's all we know as of now. :-)

New Giveaway

2010-11-15T11:07:00.000-08:00

5 Vinez Monkey's is having a giveway on Nature Made Prenatal Vitamins. Go to their website and check it out: http://5vinezmonkeys.com
Also, check out Nature Made's website also and read all about this wonderful vitamin and what it can offer you! http://naturemade.com

October camping trip

2010-10-25T08:27:00.000-07:00

October 9th weekend we went camping with our good friends, The Kinsey's.

They have a pop-up camper that they allow us to stay in with them.

We have had so much fun. This was our 2nd trip recently...I'll have to post the other pictures later.

We really enjoyed our time! This was a camping area that was very primitive! No water and NO electricity!! We survived and enjoyed it.

Here was something that Lily had written in the sand by the creek.

How sweet!

We chilled by the fire because it was quite chilly out.

The kids enjoyed getting sticks and poking at the fire, or throwing more wood on the fire to keep it going.

We roasted marshmellows, made warm ham and cheese sandwiches, and hotdogs.

What wonderful memories we made!

Even the dogs enjoyed themselves!

Here's sweet Bella.....

And adorable Ridge, Bella's favorite friend....

Making blueberry bread

2010-10-25T08:17:00.000-07:00

On October 6, 2010 The kids and I decided to make some Blueberry bread from a receipe that I found online. They enjoy cooking in the kitchen with me and I'm trying so hard to get better at letting them help me. It's so easy to just do it myself but the memories we make in the kitchen will last forever.

They enjoyed making it....they took turns mixing and adding the ingredients.

Here it is all finished! It looked very pretty. It was eaten up....however, I didn't think it was sweet enough. Daddy really liked it because it wasn't so sweet. I'd make it again and I think that I'll have helpers, too.

A fieldtrip Lucas took

2010-09-10T07:49:00.000-07:00

Make your own free digital scrapbook

An Awesome giveaway from Raising Homemakers

2010-09-10T07:09:00.000-07:00

I LOVE Little House on the PRarie!! Acutally my whole family does! WE just bought a small farm to try and live like them a little (as much as we can or know how to :-))
Here is the link to a wonderful giveaway from Raising Homemakers. I hope I win!!
http://raisinghomemakers.com/2010/if-you-like-little-house-on-the-prairie/comment-page-4/#comment-9004

A great Give away

2010-09-08T05:45:00.000-07:00

Want to have a wonderful relationship with your daughter? Here is a give a way that can get you started with building a relationship that will last forever. I would be so excited to win this and start sharing with Lily. Check it out!

Raising Homemakers

2010-08-23T06:35:00.000-07:00

My life has been so busy with building a house, moving , unpacking, trying to catch up on our homeschooling that I haven't had time to post on here. But Raising homemakers has posted a give away and I wanted my friends and family to be able to check it out. Thanks to Raising HOmemakers for this give away!

The Arrival of our house

2010-05-31T17:41:00.001-07:00

This photo slideshow generated with Smilebox

building our home slideshow

2010-05-24T09:15:00.000-07:00

Photo album made with Smilebox

A little bit of knitting

2010-03-28T12:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I learned how to knit last year and it has become such a joy in my life.

I wonder sometimes if the lady who taught me how realizes what joy she gave me.

I've knitted several different things, and I'm trying to venture out away from just doing scarves.

I usually laugh and tell my hubby that it is cheap therapy.

Here is a cocoon that I knitted...

A lot of photographers use this to put the baby in.

I think it is adorable....I've asked the photographer that I gave it to, to send me a picture of a baby in it...so I'll update when she does....Hint..hint...hint..

Here's another cocoon that I sent to her.

this has that earthy, organic look...

I'll update when i get a picture with the baby inside...

Here it is finished....

Here are some adorable baby booties that I knitted and then felted.
This was fun to do and loved the way it turned out.
I made another pair of these in black and red for a girl at church who had a baby..they are crazy over the Georgia Bulldogs...they turned out adorable also...don't know where the picture of that is right now.

This is a pom-pom scarf that I made for a little girl.
I've made several of these. They are so light and warm.
These work up so quickly that I've made them for several gifts.
I made one for myself and wear it all of the time.

This is a neat little scarf that I made for Lucas and another for a little boy that's a friend of ours.
It's a nice scarf because I made a hole in the middle of it so you can slide the scarf through and it holds it. You don't have to tie it or loop it to get it to stay on. It's great for active boys. It is very soft and the colors are great: chocolate, creme and light blue.

This is a scarf that I made for Lucas...the colors are great! Lime green and teal.
However, he doesn't want to wear it.
So I think I'm going to sale this online, just haven't made time to list it.

Here is one of the pom-poms scarves in pink....this is the one I made for myself.
I LOVE it!!

I made this one for a friend in Florida. The colors are gorgeous and springy...bright colors that go with anything.

This one of the pom-pom scarves that I made for my mother at Chrismtas time...I love the look of this one...and have the yarn to make for myself one day!

Here's me knitting with the pom-pom yarn...

Fun...fun...fun....

Okay.....here is my first hat. And I LOVE IT!!!!

I had been wanting to make this hat that I saw online. I told Danny that I was wanting to make it so bady but didn't have the yarn....so last week, he said drop me off at the farm and go to town to the yarn store...well, you don't tell a knitter that and her turn that offer down!!

So off I went....to the yarn store in Blairsville. I love that store!

Well, I picked out 4 beautiful wool yarns: creme, chocolate, teal and green.

Oh, it turned out gorgeous!!

I love the look of it...it is also used for photographers a lot.

Well, I couldn't stand it....I had to make that hat...I couldn't sleep...I couldn't clean house...it HAD to be made....

So that night, I put the kids to bed and off to my bed I went to KNIT.....

By the next morning....I made the pom-pom for the end....stitched it on...and whal-la....

Here it is....and I'm so proud of it...

Now I want to put it on a baby and take pictures!!!

When I can, I'll update my blog with a picture of my hat on a baby....fun..fun...fun...

I had really wanted to do all natural colors: creme, tan, carmel and chocolate...however, they didn't have 4 colors like that I can use. So I chose the best colors that I saw. They also had pink yarn...I think I can go back and use these colors but change out the teal for pink and it will be a girly hat...

Oh, how I love to knit!!!

Our New baby Bella

2010-03-28T09:35:00.001-07:00

Our Cute Baby Bella....

Well, now that's a story...

One night Danny was coming home from work late...and when I was talking with him on the phone, I heard this whimper from what I thought was a puppy....Well, guess what? I was right....about midnight January 5th.

I was laying in bed, he walked in and put her in the bed with me. She was adorable! A little fur ball.

I couldn't help it, we HAD to bathe her before I could snuggle with her in the bed with us. She was 6 weeks old.

So, here's our little Bella who has already grown so much!

This picture was last night (March 27th)...I found Bella laying right beside the trash...wanting it so badly!

A couple of hours before, I was sitting on the floor training her with some treats. I put one on the floor about a foot away and made her sit there. She could only look at it...not eat it. I thought she did a great job. When I told her that she could eat it, she did. She was really good.

Then a little while later, I had this trash bag sitting on the floor in the kitchen. She had stuck her nose into the bag, I scolded her and told her NO. She walked away and so did I. About 30 minutes later, I walked into the kitchen, and this is how I found her. I thought it was so cute! She was laying there, with her nose to the bag, kind of saying, "Mama, can I have this now?"...like I had done earlier with her treat. She was so good about not messing with it....that I had to give her another treat.

She's only 4 months old and she's so smart!

We love her!

Bella at 4 months old at the farm.

We had gone to Wendy's this day and I had gotten an M & M Mixed frosty. I had eaten most of it, but left a little in the bottom. Bella decided she would like to try it also.
Here is a picture of her trying so hard to get the M & M's out of the bottom. She licked that cup for a long time! She even got it stuck on her face. She loves Chocolate just like the rest of the girls in this family.

Bella at the farm.

I'm not really sure why, but Bella liked sleeping on our shoes since she has been with us.

So you will see lots of pics with her sleeping on different shoes. I guess she liked the smell???

Looking back...she was so small....ahhhhhh.....

We had a booster car seat sitting on the floor and she would get in it all of the time. She loved to let her head hang over onto the floor....looked uncomfortable to us...but as many times as she did it, it must not have been to her.

Bella sleeping in Daddy's house sleepers.

Bella sitting in Mama's boots in the snow....

She's adorable!

Let's try a hairbow....and polka dots...

Yeah...that's my girl!

Bella running in the snow....

Bella with the snow falling on her.

I couldn't believe the snowflake that is up on her right ear (our left)...look at how perfect the shape is...

Daddy with little Bella...

Oh yeah, I think she started out being "his" dog.

Ha...ha....ha....

Bella's first bath...the night she came home at 6 weeks old...

Little Bella is a handful at times (but what puppy isn't?)

She has already brought much joy into our lives.

We love you Bella.....

Our NEW Farm

2010-01-08T06:13:00.000-08:00

Well, God has truely Blessed our family. A few months ago, we purchased what will be "our farm" one day. We have a lot of hard work to put into it but we are so excited about our future journey. Our 17 acre paradise is in the Trackrock area of Blairsville, Georgia. This land is raw and will take many years of hard work.

You will see our journey begin here in a few pictures. We are super excited to see what God has in store for us here.

Here's to the beginning of us future farmers :-)

Lily, Bella & Lucas playing on the big dirt mound that was taken out of future basement.

They love to play "king of the mountain" up there and get all dirty!

Here's the kids and Bella running to the trampoline to have a little more fun.

The beginning of the 17 loads of big gravel that was used to put down for our future driveway.
We have several spring heads in this area, so it took more gravel than we anticipated.
OuCH!!! 17 loads is NOT cheap~

The grating of the road prior to the gravel going in.
We have had TONS of rain this year and therefore, it all turned to red, mushy, wet clay!! Yuck!

This is Danny making sure it is all done right. He had worked all night the night before and came straight out to the farm because the grating had begun and the gravel was starting. It was a good thing that he was there or there would have been a few mistakes.
How he stays up all day after working all night, I don't know...but he's a great hubby and daddy!

Here's the beginning of the gravel being smoothed out at the road.

This is the septic being put in. Danny was explaining it all to the kids as they watched.

Our future basement. How cool it is to see it at this stage. I've tried explaining this to the kids also, but I think it's too much for them to comprehend. Although, Lily did go down here and pretend where her room is going to be...and the other rooms.

This is the guys starting to dig out the basement. It had started snowing here...its hard to see it, but they worked in the snow for hours. How cool!! They were in nice tractors with heat and a radio...it was us crazy people who were standing out in it, taking pictures and watching!

A picture before we cleared some. We have cleared the top part of the property for now.

More digging out of the basement.

Lucas and Lily watching as they got started.

Lily and Lucas playing down at the lower part near the creek.

Here's our beautiful truck getting stuck before we put a road in. The spring head was letting a lot of water out and it had rained so much. We got stuck and had to call some friends to come and get us out. We missed our Girl Scout meeting where we were suppose to sing Christmas Carols at the nursing home....oops...sorry.

Here's Matt and Jami to the rescue!! They got us out....

thanks a lot guys!

More to come later when I get time to post again.

What an exciting journey to be on!!

Visiting Down South

2009-12-31T07:12:00.000-08:00

After leaving Brian's house, we stopped in Gainesville to visit our house and check on it. Danny decided on a whem to go and visit Nana and Tio Gus in South Florida. So we loaded up again and a-way we go!

We got to Uncle Gus's house (Tio Gus) and enjoyed a few days. The boys were all there visiting also, but they left the next day...and I was really bad...I didn't get any pictures of them!! What a horrible Aunt!

One of the days we went to Boyton Beach to walk around a little.

Here's Daddy, Nana, Lily and Lucas

Daddy, Nana Elizabeth & Lily

They all look so much alike.

Lucas loved playing in the sand at the edge of the water.
It was too cold to get in!

It was a short time, but we loved getting to see them.

We LOVE you guys and miss you so much!

Thanksgiving 2009

2009-12-25T08:59:00.001-08:00

This year for Thanksgiving we all went to Brian's house. (my brother)

My Aunt Nita, Nana Inez, Pat & Mom and my family all met there. (with exception of Ty).

We had a great time hangin' out.

Here's the whole gang! Even the dogs. :-)

3 Generations ...Me...My Mom....and My Nana..(my Dad's mom)...

Nana and me....I love you Nana so much!!

Aunt Nita & Lacey, Nana, Brian and Holly

Brian's family....

Brian, Candace, Riley, Peyton and Pepper

Granddaddy "rocked" Lucas to sleep...ahh...how sweet...

The night before, Granddaddy was standing up holding Lucas, and he fell asleep..

I think Granddaddy found his calling!

Peyton and Riley

The kids throwing up leaves...

Peyton, Lily, Lucas and Riley....

Cousins....

Obviously you can see we didn't plan for this "photo shoot"....b/c

none of us are matching...and Lucas has a red gatoraid smile!

But it was wonderful memories made.

Granddaddy and Grandma.....

Pat (aka Buford) and Mom

Brian letting the turkey get the most of him....

The kids were a little tired after they ate too....

Brian and I with our Nana.....

This is the MOST LOVED lady that I know of....

Yummy food that was prepared and devoured!

We had so much to eat....

Baked Turkey, Fried Turkey, Baked Ham, sweet potatoe sufflet, cranberry jello salad, corn casserole, squash casserole, watergate salad, greens, cresant rolls, and cornbread...not to mention all the sweets....

Choc. chip pecan pie, chocolate cake, several different kinds of cookies, pound cake,
pineapple cake, blueberry cheescake and Lord...there was probably more....

The girls making name cards for the table with a turkey on them.

Brian frying the turkey....

We enjoyed ourselves....we played and enjoyed each other.

Danny riding Lucas on the 4-Wheeler....

The girls playing "Holey Board"....

Danny made this set for Brian and his family...

Great job, Honey, for doing such a great job making and painting those!

Candace setting up the batmitton (prob. misspelled it)....

This was the night before...the ladies were hanging out at the table....

Don't be fooled by those red solo cups!!!

Except for Nana...she so sweet and innocent...LOL....

Brian taught Danny how to shoot a compound Bow....

Here Danny is explaining to Lucas about the arrow...and where to hit the "deer"...

DAnny is so good about explaining things to the kids...he's such a good Daddy!

Danny practicing!!!

How sexy he looks doing this!! :-0

DAnny and Lucas walking out to take a look at where he shot the deer.

Riley...

She's getting so big!

Here's the lesson going on.....

The addiction has started!

Peyton....Brian's youngest daughter...

Peyton and Lucas...

Thanks to Brian and CAndace for letting us come and crash your house for Thanksgiving.

We had a wonderful time!

Halloween 2009

2009-12-25T08:17:00.000-08:00

Halloween is fun around here. The Young Harris College puts on a great time. They set up booths with fun activities for the kids to do and one of the dorms decorates and the kids can go in and trick or treat. There is also a haunted house, but we haven't done that yet.

Here we are on the square in Hiawassee. It's a lot of fun also. A lot of businesses here in town set up tables and give out candy. With the houses being too far apart, this makes it easy and fun for all the kids.

Here we are with some of our friends....The Holton Family

Glenda, Calvin, Lily, William (in the back) and Lucas.

Lily and Lucas getting candy from one of the tables downtown.

Lily and Lucas inside the dorm with one of the residents at Young Harris College.

Inside the hall at Young Harris College.

Lily and Lucas decorating cookies at one of the booths at the Young Harris College.

Lily loved watching her dress when she would spin....it would glitter in the light...

she thought she was a princess....

This year, the kids decided what they wanted to be all by themselves....When Lily decided she wanted to be Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz...it was cute, Lucas just said he wanted to be The Tin Man....no direction needed on my part, which was cool!

Dorothy and the Tin Man

The Tin Man....

Ah.....How Cute!!!

Sweet.....

He looks like he's going to get into trouble, doesn't he?

After all this fun, we went to our friends farm, The Ledford's, and enjoyed great food, fun fellowship and a bonfire! They are always so hospitable and we enjoy ourselves so much!

Fall 2009

2009-12-25T07:56:00.000-08:00

Fall is such a beautiful time of year here around the mountains. We love seeing the leaves change their colors. The reds, yellows, greens and oranges just makes you feel alive!

One of our local banks dresses up their lawn with wonderful backdrops for me each year. Last year it was removed before I was able to take my pictures. So this year, Lily kept reminding me to get my camera and let's go to the bank. Lucas was really good at letting me take the pictures. Normally he pouts but this time he really got into it. The sun was bright and in our eyes...but we were just happy to be here.

So hope you enjoy our pics ....

The Mejia's doing Disco~I've got some moves!!

2009-11-12T06:24:00.001-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

The Mejia's doing som Hip Hop! I haven't had those moves in a long time!

2009-11-12T06:15:00.000-08:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Young Harris Trick or Treating on Thursday Night

2009-10-30T13:20:00.000-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Visit with the Henley family! Fun...Fun...Fun....

2009-10-21T04:27:00.000-07:00

The Henley family came to visit us this August. We had so much fun. We went on a hike. The kids enjoyed it so much.

This is their youngest boy (the third child), his name is Joshua.

He is a mess! This boy constantly talks....repeating exerpts out of movies...Keeps you in stitches laughing the whole time...

This is their first born, his name is Jordan. He is the sweet, quite reader in the family. I hardly saw this child without a book in his hand.

He's a joy to have around.

This is little Miss Sophia....and you can't tell that in a few minutes of being around her...you just want to eat her up. Well, this started a love for babies in Lily....she is still talking about wanting a "Lil' Sophia" to join our family. I just keep telling her to pray to God. (he's going to have to change Daddy's heart.) :-)

Needless to say, its been 2 months and we are still praying!!!

Here is Lily....we are getting ready for our hike.

Here's ole' cutie boy! Mr. Lucas is ready to go!

The gang ready to go...let's make sure we read ALL the signs....

This is an adorable picture to me:

This is the beginning of the trail. They could hear the waterfalls, see way down below, and hear people. Too bad that Sophia was too small to get in there too. Isn't that so sweet?

Poor Lily though, the only little girl.....

Daddy and his little girl walk just alike. No lie, they both walk on their tippy-toes! I love this picture.

Daddy helping Lucas go pee-pee....I missed the stream on the other side....Lucas doesn't care where he's at....he LOVES to go pee outside!

Daddy is the one that potty trained Lucas....and it was outside. When Danny was home, he was working outside with his tools...and of course, Lucas always wanted to be with him outside....so he would get excited to pee outside...well, it started a new love....and it still continues! Sorry if you come in our path.....

Lily checking out one of the landings.

BEAUTIFUL....BREATHTAKING....ONLY GOD COULD DO THIS!

Awwww....how sweet....my little lover.....and he looks like a Mountain Man....Wow!!

Daddy doing his explaining. He is so good about explaining things to the kids. I hope that they remember this trait about their daddy. He's such a good one.

WE love you, Daddy!

The Men!!

A few moments later, they were both stung by attacking Bees.....the kids still talk about it.

Danny down in the water. It was freezing....I don't know how he was doing it! BUt he said it felt good....the power of the water hitting his back.

Lucas and Lily had watched as all the boys were down in the water. It was just VERY scary to get down there. The girls couldn't do it. There was another group of people there that brought all of the bungy cords. They came prepared! So since they had them all tied up, the boys took advantage of it. They were very nice to allow us to use it. Here is where DAnny was helping Lucas get down to the water. I was so scared!!! It took several men to get the kids down there. Tracy and I were up praying!

This is Jackson, their 2nd born, he was so cold from being in the water, that he layed out on the big rock that had been heated up by the sun....pretty smart!!

Lucas doesn't look very happy. It's because he just felt the water and realized that it is freezing~~

Doesn't he look like "King of the mountain"....I thought this was a good pic.

He was so funny looking down there.

This is Jackson...he was scaring me so bad! He was standing on a huge rock...but if he was to step backwards...he could fall way down....I paniced....yelled at Tracy...and she yelled at Jackson....but in the meantime, I took a good picture.

Little Miss Sophia...always happy as can be.....

Mr. Lucas collecting rocks so we can paint them....

Chad and Sophia....

Lily watching from up above....they had thrown some rocks up....she was checking them out...and putting them in her pockets.

Chad, Tracy and Sophia walking back....ahhhhh.....

Tracy and Joshua.....

Daddy and Lily waiting in front of us....waiting patiently for us to come....

By the time we were almost back to the car, notice that Lucas is now dragging his stick.....not using it as a walking stick anymore.....too cute....

Danny and Holly for a quick pic afterwards....

Lucas and Lily getting silly..... gorgeous background!!

Lucas Preston Mejia.....3 years old....

I LOVE THIS PICTURE!!!!

Then we went to the river afterwards so that The Henley family could collect some rocks.

Lucas having fun throwing rocks in the water...

Daddy, Lucas and Lily walking in the Hiawassee River....this wasn't our watermelon, but it was tempting....it was all nice and cold....ymmmm.....

Lily showing me one of the rocks that she found...

It was a keeper....

Jackson.....he's the very quiet one....what a good picture....

Okay....this is a good and bad picture....Awesome shot of Tracy taking pics of Sophia....but did you see what Sophia has in her hand? Yuck!!! She was teathing on a rock from the river.

Mommy and daughter....I'm so happy that they finally had a little girl....Thank you God for having favor.

Here's Jordan reading again.....but I thought this was an awesome picture....

Here's Jackson meditating....not really....but it was cute....

Lily and Sophia.....girls....girls.....girls.....

More pics from the waterfall...Here is Chad and Jordan....

Joshua down at the waterfall....

King of the mountain again....He's so handsome!!!

This was a fun day....the weather was gorgeous.

July 21, 2009~ Fair time!

2009-10-18T13:27:00.001-07:00

It's the Fair time!! Riley and Peyton are still here to enjoy it.

Here we are getting ready to go in.

Riley and Peyton.....peace....

Grandma and the girls....

Lucas riding the rides.....

Danny riding the slide with the kids....

At first Lily was scared, but after Lucas did it one time she thought she would try it.

Lily standing in front of the mirror to make her look shorter
The kids went into the house that had the window maze and these weird mirrors, they loved it!

Lily and Lucas enjoy riding most of the same rides at this point...thankfully. They love the rides...each year keeps getting better.

They met up with Anna Claire (one of Lucas's friends from church) and they had a blast together. She's so sweet and cute!

Lucas riding the merry~go~round....He thought it was too high sitting up on the horse, but he did it.

Peyton and Lily....

Peyton wants to act big most of the time....but deep down she's still so young...and enjoys being a kid too. She hung with Lily and Lucas for a little while and they loved it!

After finally doing it the first time, she loved it! She wanted to do it over and over again.

I think Daddy enjoyed it too....can't tell you how many times they rode this...Lucas loved it!

Okay.....well, let's just say...we live in North Georgia!!! I got a big kick out of this...

This is an actual dumster in the fairgrounds here in Hiawassee. Read it.....it's hilarious!!!

Every year I get a picture of my kids in front of the water wheel....so here's this years....

There was a husband and wife team this year that used chainsaws to make cut outs of different animals....here the man was making a bear. It's amazing to sit and watch them do it. They are very talented. Up here in the mountains, this is considered education....this counted for day of teaching..:-)......ha...ha...ha...

We enjoy the fair every year....it's a big part of living in Hiawassee....this year we saw a few concerts, but can't remember their names right now....they usually make it big about a year or two later....Lily and I really enjoy the music part of it. I hope that we are making great memories for the kids each year.

July 19th, 2009~Hiking at High Shoals

2009-10-18T10:17:00.000-07:00

While Riley and Peyton were here visiting, we decided to take all the kids and go hiking. It was a lot of fun. We went to High Shoals falls right out side of Hiawassee. It was 1.2 miles hike down the mountain to the waterfall. Then it started getting dark and we had to hike the 1.2 miles UP the mountain to get back to the truck. I think it was great for the kids and we got lots of good pictures.Danny, Holly, Peyton, Lily and Lucas getting ready to go!

Thanks, Riley, for taking the pic.

Riley and Peyton ready to go with Uncle Danny's hiking sticks that he made last year. They are ALL Girl...with their poses....

On the trail....

The first falls that we came to...it was so beautiful and peaceful!

Daddy and Lucas at the falls....

Daddy and Lily ....

Riley and Peyton.....sweet sisters!

The Mejia family at the falls.....what memories!

Holly and Lily...

Danny, Holly, Lily and Lucas

All of us posing at the falls.....

The girls being silly.....my kids wouldn't do it...

Daddy taking a moment to "teach" to the kids....he found a grub, centiped or something...and took that moment to show the kids....of course, being ALL boy, Lucas was right up in it.

If you notice, Lucas has on swimming goggles...yep...that's right! swimming goggles....

We had just bought them and he loved them so much that he didn't want to ever take them off. He even wore them in the grocery store.

He's a mess!

Danny and Lucas walking out...the hike UP the mountain...and it was getting dark. We kept smelling a bear also...but never saw one....Danny and I kept giving each other "the look"...we were a little worried.

It was a fun trip. I think overall the kids enjoyed it. I was sore for a day or two (which means that I need to do it more). All the kids made it...even Lucas....he walked the whole time.

I hope that good memories were made with them.

It was great!

Happy Hiking!

Lily's Kindergarten Graduation

2009-10-16T18:15:00.000-07:00

This has been an interesting year for us. Lily started out going to Towns County Public school system. She went the first 9 weeks. I started questioning some of what what was going on and I wasn't happy with the progress that her particular class was doing. After discussing it with her teacher and then the principle, giving them 3 weeks to try and help Lily progress, we decided it was God's call for us to pull her from school and homeschool her. Wow! I'm so excited that we did.

Lily has done such a great job! She has been so eager to learn. Her reading has taken off so easily and she is progressing so quickly. Lily is a joy to have as a daughter and now as a student. It has definately been a calling from the Lord, there's no way that I could have done it alone.
Lily, I'm so super happy and proud of you. Keep up the great work!

2009-08-08T13:44:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Happy Birthday to Nana~~July 22nd

2009-08-05T12:55:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to you...Happy Birthday to YOu....

We went over to Mom and Pat's house for dinner and to celebrate Nana's birthday.

We ate a wonderful meal and enjoyed time together.

Nana getting her groove on before dinner...

Pat lovin' on his doggie....Spot
The kids got to make their own Ice Cream Sundae...they enjoy this every year together.
The amount of "junk" that they put on their banana splits or sudaes makes you sick just watching them eat it!!

They enjoy it though...

Aunt Mel and Uncle Doc came over too...

Here's Uncle Doc and Riley

Lily, Uncle Doc, and Peyton....

Lily is scared of him for some crazy reason, but he enjoys aggrevating the kids...

I remember him doing it to me when I was a little girl, too.

Hope you had a great Birthday, Nana~
We were glad we could be here with you to celebrate!

Yee~Haw...Our New Truck!!

2009-08-05T12:30:00.000-07:00

We are SOOOOO Excited to have a NEW truck!!

God is so good! He blessed us with more than we had ever hoped to get.

We bought our truck from a Christian family off of craigslist. We feel that it was a divine appointment by God....

Yeah....whooo......it's Gorgeous!!

Can you tell I like it? I was a little nervous to drive it at first, but now I love it.

The kids like it too....

I'm no longer a Mini-Van Mama!!! I'm a truckin' Mama....

Could you say that we fit in in Georgia now?

Danny driving it away....First drive..

We were taking Elizabeth and Abuelita to the airport so they got to see it before leaving.
Less than 24 hours and he was already washing it!!! And the gentleman (Ron) that we bought it from actually had it spick and span before we picked it up....so I know it was because he wanted to not because he had or need to....(heee...heee..heee)

Thank you God for Blessing us!!!

Lily's Birthday Tea Party~ July 16, 2009

2009-07-29T05:56:00.000-07:00

Lily, turning 6!! Boy, has she grown up! And I don't like it!!

We had a little Tea Party for Lily.

She invited several of her little friends and they came dressed up.

We had it at The Plantation House in Blairsville and they did an excellent job!!

We would definitely recommend this to anyone wanting to have a Tea Party (or a great lunch).

Lily getting ready for her guest to arrive.

Happy Birthday to You...Happy Birthday to you!!!

This is Lily's cake that she special ordered. Jami (from Smoke Rings BBQ for those of you who want good food and are in Hiawassee~~go visit her) specially made this for Lily...she wanted chocolate cake, with chococlate icing and chocolate mousse on the inside...

YUMMMMMY!!!

Lily with her cake...

Ms. Phyllis pooring the ladies some tea (or whatever they wanted...sprite, lemonaide, tea, etc)

She taught them how to pour.

All the girls...the Princess Gang!

Here we have:

Katy, Sydney, Me (Holly), Lily, Malia and Glenda

Thank you guys for coming and making Lily's day so special!

Here are the ladies with Ms. Phyllis, she made them feel so special!

Lily and Malia taking it all in....getting used to being all dainty!

All the girls at the table having some snacks....

Ms. Phyllis even had cute little games for them to play...what a cool idea!! They were to hold up the frame and put their face in it...and the goal was to NOT smile....the other girls had to try and make them smile or laugh. What fun!!

Katy's turn!!

Glenda was one of the best ones....she was good at this!

Lily didn't want to do it...but held it up for a picture...

The girls having some tea.....

Ms. Phyllis explained to the girls how to take a plate and pass it, or how to pour their "tea", etc...

It was a good lesson for them.

Here was the grown up table...with all the family and friends...

The girls were nice enough to let Lucas join them at their table...they wanted him to wear his "top hat" so he could be their Prince....but he wouldn't do it....

The gift table was even so pretty at The Plantation House....

Lily literally having some "tea"

(We won't tell ya' that it was the good 'ole Southern Sweet Tea! Shhh)

It was really cool because they had us all set up in the "Lily's Tea Room"...not knowing that it was for OUR Lily.....too cool...that's how we knew it was special for us...

Ms. Phyllis doing the neat games with the girls....

A twist from "pin the tail on the donkey"...they had to try and get the purse in the little girl's hand....and Lily was the winner....

Sydney giving it a try.....good job!!

I really liked this picture....

Katy pouring her some tea....

She's so pretty and dainty!

Glenda having some tea....

They all loved it so much!

The Plantation House had several different accessories that the girls could play with...so every now and then they would go and trade out and change...

Here's Lily enjoying her jelly sandwich...

Yummmy Dipped Strawberries and grapes....

Holly and Jami....

Great friends!!

Abuelita and Holly

Lily and Glenda....they have been great friends since we moved here to Hiawassee....

Daddy had to get in on the dress-up too!!

Way to go Daddy!

The Birthday girl and her Mommy....

Lily and her Nana Elizabeth...

Abuelita....

Grandma and Lily....

Lily opening her gifts...

Lucas ended up sneaking behind me and getting the top hat on and letting me take a pic of him....

Lily loves this Weaving Loom that Katy got her!!

The girls watching her....

Lucas chillin' with Grandma during the opening of the gifts...

Thanks Sydney for the barbie, beautiful bag and chocolate!!

Lily was so sweet to let Lucas help her open the last gift...She's such a good sister!

One of her favorites....scrapbooking stuff!!!

Thanks Grandma and Granddaddy!

Lily checking out her party favors...

Lily with Ms. Phyllis

Katy and Lily....

Malia and Lily....

I truely think that she and all the little girls had a blast...It was a party that she will remember forever!

Abuelita and Elizabeth's visit and the Fair~July 15th

2009-07-28T09:47:00.000-07:00

We were so excited to have Nana Elizabeth and Abuelita come to visit us. The kids counted down the days. We had not seen Abuelita in several years and she hadn't changed a bit...she still looks so good! She is one of the sweetest ladies. Abuelita doesn't speak any English, so comunicating with the kids isn't easy. The kids try and Abuelita just enjoys watching them go about their daily activities.

When they got here it was really late at night. So we tucked them in and couldn't wait until the next day to get caught up. The next morning was so hard for us, because the kids woke up early being so excited but Nana and Abuelita were so tired that they slept until lunch time!! We couldn't believe it!

The next few days went by so fast! But we enjoyed every moment we had together. Abuelita says shes coming back to stay a month in December. I can't wait!!

Here is Abuelita and Nana Elizabeth on the boat...

Abuelita.....Carolina
We went to the fair. It was during the "free rides" time. It is the hottest part of the day...from 2-5 pm.....The kids had a blast!! This year was a lot of fun with them. They didn't get scared and enjoyed the rides.

Daddy, Abuelita and Nana

Lily and Lucas riding the rides....

Lucas loved the cars and motorcycles....He's ALL boy!!!

Lily wouldn't ride the slide, but Lucas was a champ and rode it with Daddy. It was really fast!! He liked it though.

Lucas riding the motorcycles....he loved it!

This was a cool ride....it was like a "mini- roller coaster"...for kids...

it would go and then right at the corner, it would sling them around the corner....the kids loved it!!

Lucas riding the worm....

Daddy and the kids walking off...they enjoyed the rides so much...Now, Daddy bought them an Itialian Ice...it was pretty hot. That was such a great treat ending such a great time!

Abuelita resting at the top of the hill....she was a champ, though.

I think it runs in the family!!!...getting them to both smile and look at the camera would be a MIRACLE!!!!

We then walked through all the booths at the arts and crafts area of the fair. Here Daddy was showing the kids the neat knives that this gentleman made by hand. He does such an awesome job! Lucas thought it was really cool, too.

I love this picture of Lucas looking up at his Daddy!

Nana Elizabeth and Abuelita brought the kids some gifts and one of the ones that Lily got was a set of PJ's...with the PJ's came this eye mask for the night....She thought it was cool....

That night I went to check on them after they went to bed and this is how I found her, she was fast asleep with her mask on....The funny thing is she is so afraid of the dark!! So we had night lights on/lamps on and she was wearing this. Too funny!!!

This was a full fun packed day....Thank you God for blessing us so much!

Lily learning how to knit

2009-07-28T09:18:00.000-07:00

Lily wanted to learn how to knit, so I sat down and showed her. She really caught on very quickly...I couldn't believe it! Here she is one morning knitting while watching TV...she wanted me to start her on her first project, a scarf for herself.

Lucas watching....he really wants to learn how too.

I really hope that they both continue to want to do things like this....it is so good to the soul!

Going to the Movies~Ice Age

2009-07-28T09:10:00.000-07:00

I took the kids to see Ice Age and they loved it!! This was the first movie that Lucas sat through. Here's a few pics of them.

Of course, Lily had to bring Charissa to the movies too!

Lily watching the movie, and Chrissa right next to her!

Mom and Lucas chillin' out

It was a lot of fun! The kids have to get the kids pack too which comes with a slushie, popcorn and a candy. They aren't spoiled or anything.

More Swimming lessons

2009-07-28T08:23:00.000-07:00

The kids did NOT enjoy swimming lessons at all!! They would complain about them all day....our lessons were in the evening, so they would stress about them all day. On our drive to the lessons, they would both start to cry...once we got there, they were both crying, most of the time I would have to lift them and put them in the pool to Ms. Carol. Once they were in the pool, they would do what Ms. Carol would tell them to, but they didn't like it. Both Lily and Lucas already knew how to doggie paddle but neither one of them wanted or liked putting their faces under water, so this was our most important challenge. Ms. Carol doesn't ask them, she taps them on the back of the head and they have a choice to do it by themselves or she will do it for them, they learned quickly that they would do it for themselves!

Here are a few pictures of the kids taking more lessons:

Ms. Carol working with Lily

Making sure Lily gets her head under enough.

Lucas learning how to float

Lily swimming to Ms. Carol..

Here are a few videos of swimming....you can see how neither one of them enjoyed the swimming lessons. I think part of it was because they stressed about it all day and built themselves up to really not liking it!! You will hear Danny and I argueing some, disregard that please!! Danny gets upset when Lily would cry, but that was just her nervousness. She ended up getting better.

The very last day of swimming lessons, Ms. Carol had them jumping off the diving board, doing dives....and of course, I forgot my camera!!! I hated it....Mom came to watch and she had her camera, so I took some pics that I will upload later, but I didn't have videos. The kids were so proud of themselves.

Now when we go out on the boat, both of my kids jump in from the boat and put their faces under!! Yeah...Whoo!!! The lessons DID work!! I'm excited about the outcome and the kids are too, plus we got to meet a very neat lady and become friends.

Thanks to Ms. Carol for touching our lives!

Thursday, July 9th~ Lunch at the park

2009-07-18T09:45:00.000-07:00

Today after the storytime at the library, our friend Jami & Glenda called and said they were at the park having lunch and wondered if we could join them. So we said "Sure!!"...we went through Zaxby's drive-thru and picked up lunch and took it to the park and ate. A little later a few other friends joined in...The park here is the "hang out"...and it is so much fun...we spend a lot of time there.

Glenda, Lily and Vanessa

The girls swinging....;
Lucas and Zane pushing the girls....caught in action!!!

The girls wanted to do silly faces....but Lily is too prim and proper...she didn't want to!!

Here are the boys pushing the girls...

Made the boys leave the girls alone, for a minute anyways.... you can see the girls in the background....
,

Another Library day~July 9th

2009-07-18T09:33:00.000-07:00

Today's theme at the Library was quilting. Two sweet ladies came in and talked about quilting. They showed some of their charity work and then the kids got to quilt their own bookmark.

It was neat, because Lily and Lucas already know a little about quilting from Grandma, so they thought that was even more special.

Lily quilting her bookmark...

Lucas working hard on his...

Their finished product....

It was so much fun...Thanks again to the library ladies for working so hard to make our summer fun!!!

First Day of Swimming Lessons~ July 6th

2009-07-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of swimming lessons....

Lily has had a wonderful day at the American Girl Doll store....but now she's NOT so happy!!

She didn't want to take lessons at all!! She whined about it for days...and then in turn, made her brother stress over it too...

This was a tough day...neither one of them like to put their face under the water, so today was the day that Ms. Carol spent time putting their faces under....

Lily's dunk.....
With a smile...it's not too bad....YET!!!!

Lucas's dunk.....

Ok....I survived that....it's okay.....

Another dunk for Lucas....check out Lily's face...

Oh....I'm NOT liking this!!!!

Another dunk for Lily....check out her how her toes are pointed...pretty good!

These were her "bobs"....Lily did okay with these...but Lucas didn't like them too much.

Watching with anticipation!!! Do I have to go again???

After it was over, they were very happy....Although the next morning, Lucas woke up saying, "I don't want to go to swimming lessons today!!"...he stressed over it so much and cried several times during the day....They went to lessons everyday for 30 minutes...they each got 15 minutes...More pictures to follow in the next few days....

Lily's Birthday~Turning 6!

2009-07-12T08:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to Lily!!!

Today Lily turned 6 years old!! I can't believe it!! Time has

passed so quickly.... I can remember when she was born. I was so excited to have a little girl! She is beautiful!

Today is a day that we have been planning for a long time. For Christmas last year, Lily got Kit (an American Girl Doll). She loved it! From then on, Grandma and Lily have been planning a trip to the American Girl Doll store for Lily's birthday. For 6 months, Lily has been saving her money....doing chores, school work, etc....in order to save up to go on her birthday to the store.

Today is here!!! WE finally get to go. We wake up early and drive to Atlanta....

Here's what happened....

Lily and Grandma putting on their "lipstick" to go into the store...

We are here!!! Yeah!!!....
Walking in....so excited!!!!

Grandma and Lily making a quick pose for my pics....

But Lily was dying to get inside....

Right inside the store, Lily starts shopping....

Here it is...after 1 1/2 hours!!!

Wow....look at her!

She was so excited...

Grandma had made a reservation for us to enjoy lunch in the cafe'.

They treated us so good, calling Lily by her name, giving her a birthday sticker so everyone knew it was her special day, and treating us so special.

There was lots of food!!

What a special time together!

Here's Lily with her new doll, Charissa.

They even have a doll seat for your doll and the doll even gets her own menu!

This was the ladies singing to Lily for her birthday!!

Lily was so shy!! She buried her head into my chest...

This was the ice cream sundae that they brought Lily!! Yumm.....

She was too shy to blow out her own candles!!! So she wanted me to....

Wow!! What a day....it was so much fun!!! Thanks to everyone involved!!

4th of July, 2009

2009-07-10T21:10:00.000-07:00

We were really sad that Daddy had to work on the 4th of July this year, but we Thank him for working so hard (without complaining) for our family. Daddy you are our Hero!

The 4th this year was pretty relaxing. We layed around in the morning and then made some cakes/cupcakes for the evening celebration. We have a new pastor at the church we are going to, so we made him (and his wife) a little version of our larger cake....the American Flag. (they moved into the house behind us..Great Neighbors to have!)

The kids thought it was so cute...and neat that I would think this up!! We won't tell them that most people do this....shhhh....

The bigger cake that we took to our friends house that evening...

The cupcakes that we took also....

Lily decorating her own cupcake....but of course, it didn't make it 2 minutes before it was eaten up....

Lucas decorating his too.....

The kids showing me their finished product....

Lucas enjoying his cupcake...eating it from the icing down.....

Lily too....I wonder who they got this from....(hint..my mother!)

We were invited over to our friends house to watch the fireworks and enjoy some family and friends....Thanks Darren and Kristi...your family is so sweet and adorable...we loved being apart of it. You made our July 4th!

Kristi grew up here, so she has a lot of family!! Wow!! Trying to learn everyone's name and who they are was not an easy task. Kristi whipped up 3 cherns of ice cream...Yummmm! You are good, Kristi!

Kristi and Mason checking on the ice cream....Can't wait....

I think that Mason was the first person in line...Yumm.....it was soooo good!!

Lucas and Mason sat there without anyone telling them to, enjoying that awesome ice cream!

Here it is...the yummy table!!

The kids running and playing....what good ole' fun!

Katy and Lily running and kicking the ball....

Adam and Lucas running too....I actually think Adam was chasing Lucas with a stick....you better run faster Lucas!!

The view from their yard...Wow!! You can't help but to say a little prayer while looking at that!!

The girls hangin' out...check out Katy's arm on Lily....uh oh...drama already :-)

They all had jewerly on...and Katy wanted to make sure it was seen....too cute!

Sydney can actually drive this golf cart very well...so she piled all the kids on, and off they went! They didn't go far, though....

How many kids can you get on a golf cart?

The gang is almost ready!!

A few of the fireworks...they were awesome!!

Lily and Mason chillin' out watching the fireworks....watch out when they get a little older!

Lucas wanted to come up and sit beside me, but he LOVED the fireworks...the noises he was making was so funny!

It was such a great evening and day! Again, thanks to the Cook family!

The kids were so dirty when we got home, that even though it was 11:30...I had to still give the kids a shower....Then they were ready for bed!!

Thanks to ALL the military and Law Enforcement for all you do for our country...and

God Bless America!!

Storytime on July 2nd

2009-07-10T20:50:00.000-07:00

On Thursdays we go to the Library for storytime. Today Ms. Diane read them 3 books related to the 4th of July. We then decorated a flower pot. Ms. Diane opens up every storytime the same way:

She greets everyone kindly...

She turns on her music and dances for them...they get the biggest kick out of this...

she makes them all laugh!

She then gets out Petey...she makes everyone yell...
"Wake up Petey!!!!"
The kids love this too...they know it's coming and look forward to it...

Then she puts on some kind of silly hat and reads to them....she is very theatrical and they love it!

Lily and Lucas painting their flower pots....

Lucas showing me that he's done...and Lily is still putting stickers on...

All finished....how festive and cute!!

The whole group showing off their work..

This years storytime has been very busy. We have had an average of 32 kids each week that we've been there. We love all the hard work that our librarians put into making our day fun!

Thanks for everything y'all do!!

My Followers

2009-07-10T19:13:00.000-07:00

Hello Everyone,

Tonight I added a link on the upper right that will show who follows me, or who comes to our family blog and actually looks and reads our blog. I would greatly appreciate it if you would take a minute and add your name so that I know who all is reading about us. It helps me to see who appreciates all the hard work and time it takes to keep you all updated. I greatly appreciate all that stops by!

Thank you in advance for following The Mejia Family!

Happy Summer!

Lily got new shoes and Loves them!

2009-07-05T12:06:00.000-07:00

Well...Lily worked her magic again!

We went into a shoe store with Grandma and these are what Lily came out with!

She picked them out all by herself...

Lily sportin' her new Twinkle Toes!

Boy we are in trouble when she gets older!

Maria, Rhonda & the Boys come visit~June 28th, 2009

2009-07-05T10:06:00.000-07:00

Welcome Friends!!

Rhonda, Maria and the boys came to visit us on Sunday, June 28th.

We went out on the boat. This was the first time the boys had been on a boat, and the first time they had swam in a lake. So they had a blast!

Lucas, Lily, Ryan & Max

Maria and Rhonda relaxing...

Breathe in and breath out...

Rhonda and Max doing a little swimming...

Maria and Ryan doing a little swimming too...

We joined up with Alison and her family...we tied up together and enjoyed several beautiful hours of being on the lake...

Here's Danny, Brody and Riley...

Lucas swimming around....

Alison's family has a jet ski and were very sweet to let us use it!

Thanks guys!!

Rhonda had never been on one before...so Danny decided to take her for a spin!

Was this a good bye forever so in case she doesn't come back?

She became a Pro very quickly and took the boys for a spin....or two...or three...

Here's Karen (Alison's mom), Alison, Riley & Brody chillin' out...

Rhonda enjoying a little floating in the lake.

Lily and Max having fun in the raft

Holly and Lucas chillin' too!

Karen riding Brody on the jet ski

Karen, Riley, Brody & Alison riding on the jet ski..

The kids normally don't like to go..but they did today and loved it!

After the time on the lake, we picked up pizza and went to the park/beach area.

We ate and the kids enjoyed playing.

Just a swingin'

Ryan climbing on the bars...

Rhonda and Maria taking a break....

Now it's Danny and Holly's time, too....

Here's Max enjoying the beach part of the park...

Where is Lily's legs?

Good family picture....

Lucas showering off at the beach....

Thanks guys for coming to visit. You are so good to our daddy while he's away from us!

We appreciate all you do....you are welcome to come anytime...

Maybe next time you can come and stay longer!

Thanks for a memorable day!

On Saturday, June 27th, 2009 Lucas hurt his fingers

2009-07-05T10:01:00.000-07:00

On Saturday, June 27th, 2009 we went to a pool with our friends, the Holton family. The kids enjoyed playing in the nice pool. As we were getting ready to leave, Lucas's fingers started burning...

After looking at them, he had little blisters because he was holding on to the side of the pool. Of course, it was drama for about 30 minutes! He thought he was dying!

So we left the pool and this is what ended up happening..

Neosporin and BANDAIDS!!!

ALL 4 fingers!!! :-)

Sometimes, it's whatever makes them happy!!

Granddaddy's Birthday~June 28, 2009

2009-07-05T09:23:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday to Granddaddy!!

Wow!! We won't say what number##...

We'll be nice!

We had company coming to spend the day with us...so we got up earlier

and went over to Granddaddy's house to surprise him with a card

and his gift. The kids were excited.

We walked in and found him in his office.

This was Lily waiting for Granddaddy to finish whatever he was doing,

so she could hand him his card.

Of coure, Lily loves being right there to watch him read it.

This was Lucas, excited but not going over just yet, it was too early and he still has his "blankie".

Lily took this picture of Granddaddy on his birthday!

Candid shot...

Lily climbing all over Grandaddy...she loves to "love" on him..

To Many more years together!!
We Love you very much, Granddaddy!!
And we are so happy to be here with you celebrating your day!

Vacation Bible School-June 22nd-26th, 2009

2009-07-05T09:13:00.000-07:00

Vacation Bible School was a Blast!

I was able to take this year off from working it, except for Friday.

I really enjoyed my time off!!

The kids had a blast...they loved it!

They would come home telling me what they did that day, what games, crafts, food....the first 30 minutes after I picked them up was chaios because they were all trying to talk at the same time. We picked up our friend, Glenda, for her mom each day, so with all of them talking...it was funny!

This was the day that I filled in...in the crafts class. It was a lot of fun!

Here's Lily making her face mask...

writing her name on the back...she follows directions so good!
She is a rule follower...thank God!

On Friday (the last day), they invited all the parents, grandparents, friends, etc. to come to the santuary for a little singing presentation. I loved it!!

I actually teared up watching my little Lily...she is growing up so fast.

I really believe she has God in her heart. Watching her really brought tears to my eyes, I could tell she was singing to the Lord with all her heart and soul. Enjoy these pictures and you will see the same.

Later that day, I told her how proud of her that I was...I even told her that I got tears in my eyes watching her praise the Lord...she said, "Mommy, I did too!"

That made it even more special!

Girl Scouts party June 22nd, 2009

2009-07-05T09:00:00.000-07:00

Girl Scout Troop #11501

We met at the Nursing home to plant some flowers.

(of course, I couldn't find Lily's tunic...so she's the only one without hers!..what a bad Mommie"

This was the end of the year..so we were having a party at Fun World right after this.

But before that, Lily had a dentist appointment to have sealants placed. I'll get a picture of that later.

So heres, the party for Girl Scouts.

Kira, Holly, Hanna, Lily, Glenda & Caroline

Party at Fun World

They had pizza, drinks, cake and ice cream!! Yummm...

Elizabeth joined us here...she's moved away but was able to join us for the party...

We miss you Elizabeth!!

Our Daisy cake...that's what we are called.

Glenda and Lily having some cake and ice cream.

The girls at the top of the bouncy slide...Here we go!!!

Lily and Kira coming down!! I think Hanna ended up bumping her head and crying..

Sorry Hanna...but the other girls enjoyed it!

The got to pick out a stuffed animal to be their mascot for next year.

They ended up picking a pony.

Here they are watching the lady put it together.

They are making a wish to put inside the pony!

We had a lot of problems with this year's girl scout troop. It was a rough road to travel.

However, many memories were made.

Happy Father's Day 2009

2009-07-03T08:17:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day!!

We went over to Pat and Mom's for a wonderful Father's day lunch.

We ate wonderful food and opened presents.

Here, the kids climbed up on Danny's lap for a little lovin' and I was

able to snap the picture.

We have such a wonderful Daddy...

We Love you!

Danny & Lucas

Danny & Lily

Lucas grabbing some of Granddaddy's sugar, too.

Lily couldn't stand it so she had to have some too!

Papa Harry & Nana Erin came over too.

The Mejia Family

We LOVE you, Daddy!

Te Amo Mucho

Sitting on the porch swing is so relaxing. The kids really enjoy it.

The weather was perfect!

Lucas, Mom & Nana

Mom & Nana up to no good!

Me & My lovely hubby!

I love him so much...

he's such a wonderful husband and father to our

children. We couldn't ask for any better!

Pat loves pictures!! Doesn't he look so excited!

Nana & Papa

Papa opening his presents....he wanted some
long pj's that wasn't flannel....so that's what he got!

Lily showing Daddy her card that she picked out...it said this is one
card that I will never take out of your wallet...it was a Wonderful Daddy card....
She's giving him a heads up that she's going
to be taking his "credit cards"!
She thought that was so funny and had to get it for him.
Lily LOVES picking out cards! We would be there all day if I'd let her.

Now she's moved over to Granddaddy. She wrote in his card and helped

pick it out too. She loves giving people stuff...she has such a big heart.

The kids helping Granddaddy open his presents.

Daddy opening his gifts, too. He loves his watch!!

The food was so good, we don't want to get up!

Enjoying a few moments together...

God has blessed us all so much!

Grandma & Granddaddy had just bought Lucas a few rubbery animal toys...

He loves them so much!

So they thought it would be funny to put them all over Granddaddy...

He was a good sport about it, which made the kids love it even better (and they

were cracking up!!)

Thanks Granddaddy!

We love you!

We had an awesome day!

Thank you God for the wonderful Father's that we have in our lives! I have been blessed to have several in my life, I'm very thankful for all of them.
We also wished that Abuelo could be here with us too.

Videos of the kids swimming for the First Time

2009-06-28T22:01:00.000-07:00

These are the videos of the first time Lily and Lucas swam without swimmies. They still need swimming lessons but I was so proud of them for trying and being brave. Way to go guys!! I love you.

Daddy was working in Atlanta so we recorded these and sent them to him right away on his cell phone. We wanted Daddy to be a part of it!

A Trip to St. Petersburg Florida

2009-06-28T19:25:00.001-07:00

On June 10th 2009, the kids and I joined some of our friends on a trip to Florida. We left early that Wednesday morning. We drove to Gainesville and stopped for the night so that we could see Ty. We got checked into the hotel and Ty came over to swim with us for a little. We then went out to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. It was sad to say goodbye to Ty, but hopefully he will come visit soon.

We then got up on Thursday and drove to St. Pete. The humidity about killed Alison and I as we unloaded the car. Mind you, we were staying in her cousin's condo which was up 3 flights of stairs. I think we lost about 30 pounds from sweating so much!! :-)

Then for the next few days we took lots of pictures at the beach and pool. Thank you very much to Walter, Michelle and Madelynn for letting us stay in your condo. Thank you, too, to Alison for taking us. We had our moments when we wanted to put the kids to sleep, mute them!, b/c of all the fighting...but we survived.

This is the kids right after we got to Gainesville and checked in to the hotel.

We wanted them to burn off some steam, considering we had just rode 8 hours in the car!

Ty and I ....boy, he is getting so tall! I miss him so much...I wanted to cry when he walked up there. He was so sweet with us...the kids love him and miss him so much!
The kids were like leaches to him...they couldn't get enough.
They were just so excited to be spending time with him!

Oh...My Goodness!! Ty is driving by himself!!

This is his First Car...I'll keep my opinions to myself (for you guys anyway, I let him know what I thought :-))

I decided to ride with Ty to eat dinner...I was afraid that I was going to have a heart attack! I think he has a hole in his floor board on the passenger side....he doesn't start pressing the brake until we are almost on top of the car in front of us!!! Wow!!!

He has already had one fender-bender...I think this is why! But, over all he did really well...he wants to drive up to Hiawassee to visit us soon, but I'm too scared about that.

So we made it to the beach...the kids loved it!

Playing in the sand....

Alison and Holly

This is Alison's cousin, Michelle and her daughter Madelynn. She let us stay at her condo at the beach...Thank you!

The kiddos....

Lily and Lucas posing for me...

Lily has started really enjoying me taking pictures of her. You will see a lot of her "posing" for pictures. It has taken many years of me pestering her to get her to now enjoy it and ask me to do it. I guess persistance pays off.

This was Lily's idea of taking a picture in the grass...however, I wouldn't let her go and walk into the grass b/c it was the kind that will cut you...so she got mad and wouldn't get her picture taken. Drama...Drama...Drama
It was a pretty good hike to get onto the beach....and Lucas and Riley were good troopers for helping carry the sand toys!! Thanks guys...
This was the view from our bedroom window. You felt like you were on a cruise ship, b/c just a few feet away you were looking at water. This was the bay side.

Alison and I decided to have a glass of wine and unwind on the porch looking at this beautiful view...

We had brought several bottles of wine, thinking we were going to relax...well, this was the only night that we ended up doing it. The other nights we were just too tired!

This was one morning...I caught the kids sleeping...how sweet!

The boys playing in the water...they like to ride the waves in.

Lily jumping a wave!

More sand time....

One of the evenings we went to the Tampa mall so that the kids could play in the playground. They really enjoyed. When we first walked into the mall, Lily saw a Hello Kitty store..Oh, my goodness, I thought I'd never get her out of there... she loved it! I wished I had thought about taking a picture of her in there...but I didn't...sorry.

The kids would climb up here and jump off. They had so much fun...we then went and had some ice cream.

On Sunday, June 14th, Both Lily and Lucas decided to start swimming without swimmies!! They still won't put their heads under the water, but at least they are dog paddling....The were so proud of themselves!

Riley was already swimming very well, she enjoyed jumping off the sides...

Lily swimming!!!

A little Mommy and Daughter time.

Alison and Riley

Lily and Lucas swimming!!

Brody also decided to swim without swimmies! Although, he was a little braver, he put his face under the water...way to go, Brody!

We went out on Sunday evening to try and get a few sunset pictures. Here's what we got. We then went to a resturant on the beach and ate dinner. We parked in a tow away zone b/c there wasn't any other parking and by the time we finished dinner at 10:30 pm we remembered that we might not have a car waiting on us. We rushed out and found our 2 cars being the last one in the parking lot. There were other people screaming mad and cussing that their car had been towed. God was definately with us!! We were probably on the next truck to be towed.

Lucas showing me his shell that he found.

One day they will look back and LOVE this picture...how sweet!

They are really good at taking pictures for me!

Riley and Lily standing in the water. This picture just screams innocence to me. I love it!

A beautiful sunset!

We missed Daddy and Ty so much. We wished they could have been with us.

After watching this helicopter chasing this jet ski for almost an hour, we finally figured out that they were filming a movie. Alison and I watched this from inside the condo. At first I thought it was a drug bust...ha..ha..ha....not until I talked with Danny on the phone did he make the suggestion that they might be filming. Then I was able to zoom in and see the camera man. It was excitement for us for a little while. Just remember, we are from a little town!

The girls making a sand castle.
The boys playing in the sand.

Lucas loved playing with the bag that the sand toys came in. He said he was trying to catch fish in the bag so he could eat them.

Holly, Lily & Lucas...what a beautiful day!

Alison, Riley & Brody

Lily and Lucas playing in the water.
Taking a little quite time to read a book. Lucas actually fell asleep while I was reading this book.

Riley and Lily ending the vacation with a little bit of coloring time.

Camping Trip on June 5th weekend

2009-06-20T07:27:00.000-07:00

June 5th Weekend we went camping with 4 other families at Jack Rabbit Campground in Hayesville, North Carolina. WE had a BLAST! The weather was perfect! NO BUGS or RAIN, Thank you GoD!! Yes, we tent camped. Some others were in better luxury, but we survived. Thanks Darren and Kristi for letting us borrow the tent! We enjoyed great food, fun play times on the water, campfire times, and great memories were made.

This was the car packed to go...the bikes were on the outside back of the car.

Group Picture of everyone but Brody...he slipped away to go and see his Grandparents
The Mejia family...excuse all the dirt :-)

Darren was such a good sport....he had to help ALL 5 families get set up...
That's what happens when you are a Pro...
Danny putting the final touches

Riding bikes and playing

Enjoying some watermelon and snacks!

We had great sites...right on the lake

Enjoying a little fishing time!

Darren & Adam

Riley and Brody

We had 3 boats tied up together and the kids could walk back and forth. That way we could all share the snacks and jump in the water. It doesn't get any better than this!

The boys got so tired that they had to take a little siesta!! How cute!

Danny tried a little wake boarding...Kristi & Darren are teaching him and pulling him on the Jet Ski.

He was able to get up for a little bit...still need some more practice

FUN...FUN...FUN

Well, Alison talked me into getting on the tube with her! I'm not so sure she's my friend! LOL

Here we are....not sure it is picture worthy.

It was a lot of fun...I think everyone on the lake heard us!

This was Lucas while I was gone on the tube...he didn't like it that I was away from him....ahhhhh...how sad but sweet!

A little resting time in the water...it felt so good!

Some cookin' action going on....JR and Andy at work...good job guys!

Holly washing dishes after eating....don't let me fool you...Alison did it most of the time!

Steve celebrated his birthday with us..

Couldn't get the candles to lite..

So Kristi held out a match for him to make his wish!

Camp fire stories...we laughed until we cried!

Steve shared his Chocolate cake with the kids the next morning...

They really enjoyed it.

What a great time we had!!

We had 12 children between the ages of 1 and 6...but everyone

got along well.

Storytime at the Library

2009-06-20T06:51:00.000-07:00

The Library here in Hiawassee has always worked very hard to make our summers lots of fun. We kicked off our Summer with the first week of storytime. Ms. Diane read 3 stories and then Ms. Debbie lead us in a craft of learing how to Tie Dye a T-Shirt. Thanks guys for lots of fun!

Lucas and Lily Tie Dyeing

Lucas adding color

They had lots of friends there too!

Here they are with Riley and Hannah

Listening to Ms. Diane reading

Here's more friends:
Garrett & Brock, Riley & Brody

Lucas didn't want to separate from me, so he's attached to my leg (which you can't see).

2009-05-30T07:54:00.001-07:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-27T14:16:00.001-08:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-27T14:16:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Lily's Piano Recital

2008-12-19T18:40:00.000-08:00

Lily has been so excited for couple of weeks anticipating her first piano recital. Yesterday, on December 18, 2008, Lily did a great job. She played a solo of Good King Wenceslas and then she played a duet with her teacher, Ms. Kim. They played Away in a manager. Lily has really enjoyed taking lessons and has never complained about practicing! I pray that she sticks with it and that it doesn't grow boring for her.
Lily, you made Daddy and I proud, Great job!!
We love you, mucho!
Daddy and Mommy

Lily's Piano Recital

2008-12-19T18:31:00.001-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Christmas 2008

2008-12-13T19:09:00.001-08:00

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Fun on the Jet Ski

2008-07-17T09:06:00.000-07:00

The boys had a great time riding on the jet ski...they were a little more adventurous than the old folks!
Grandma wanted a try on it! So Danny was sweet enough to let her drive...this jet ski has been upgraded with a larger engine..so it can go really fast! Watch out!!
Lily was timid at first, but then she got used to it and didn't want to get off! Lucas fell asleep on this ride...he loves the wind in his face. We could get used to this life!

Lily's first ride on the tube

2008-07-17T08:30:00.000-07:00

While Gustavo and his boys were visiting, Lily decided she wanted to ride on the tube. She didn't want to go too fast...but she had a great time!

Danny's Brother and boys came to visit

2008-07-17T08:18:00.000-07:00

We had a lot of fun the week that Danny's brother was here. We spent most of the time on the lake. We went to see this waterfall one of the days they were here. Pictured here in this picture was from left to right: Giovanni, Michael, Little Christian and Tavo. We never made it up to the top of the waterfall. They were all ready to go after this photo shoot....later I found out that we didn't make it to the top... One of these days, I would like to go back and actually make it to the top. But we enjoyed our outing. During the ride there, I almost jumped out of the car, because Danny was driving really close to the edge of the road (gravel, I must add) and there was a straight drop off. Thank God! we made it safely :-)

Getting ready for Lily's Birthday Party

2008-07-02T08:40:00.000-07:00

Lily wanted to have a Hello Kitty birthday party this year. I decided to make our invitations. Lily got all dressed up in her "princess" outfit and got Hello Kitty and out we went for yet another photo shoot. It was a lot of fun and worked well...This is the picture we used.

We can't wait for Saturday to come! She's getting excited with all of the preparations.

My Easter Photo shoot with the kids

2008-07-02T06:53:00.000-07:00

More photos to come soon!

One morning I woke up and decided to go and take some pictures of the kids. I have to ask Lily to see if she is in the mood for pics, of course, she was. She really gets into it these days, which makes it a lot of fun. There is a field near our house where we stopped off and took the pictures in the yellow flowers. Then we went to the Rhodadendren garden at the Georgia Mountain Fairgrounds. It was a gorgeous day! Lucas is not really into the whole taking pictures thing...but we got a few.
Enjoy!