The Lyon Family

NEW YORK CITY WITH THE BOYS

2008-10-23T17:53:00.000-07:00

The boys at the AMERICAN NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM
TIME SQUARE (JP wanted to go back to Toys R Us)

After eating at Carmine's

In Bryant Park

Eating at TAO

The week of October 15th we took the boys to NYC while I had work and they had a blast! Here are some pictures from that.

Broken Bones, Climbing Boys, Football Games and Fun

2008-09-22T07:10:00.000-07:00

Luke after his climb to the top of our magnolia tree
Luke handing off to Brady Logan in their flag football game
My injured ray of sunshine ...John Patrick
Charlie and Kate at USM v Marshall
After the game Saturday, Brady, Luke and JP

We have been so busy this month. It is only the 22nd but it seems like years ago that it was Labor Day! We have been enjoying college football and running around with the boys to their activities. Greg and his friends have been gearing up for the upcoming hunting season. John Patrick broke his left collar bone last week and it has been drama every day with him. He hates his sling and he whines about it all the time. The actual injury doesn't bother him anymore but the doctor said 3 weeks so he must wear the sling for that time. This makes getting ready to do anything a constant battle with him. He is enjoying school and has made alot of good little friends. He is supposed to play soccer but he won't be able to get involved in that til the 2nd week of the season.

Luke is playing flag football and begins soccer this weekend. He is on his team from last falla dn spring in soccer so we are excited to see this little group of guys compete this year!He is growing fast and enjoying all that comes with that. I am posting some pictures and yes they are quite spread out but its been a while. I hope to get better at this blogging going forward.

College Football is here

2008-09-03T07:03:00.000-07:00

John Patrick and Daddy
Dad and Mom
Christy, Jaime, Deidra and Kate
Real excited!
Darren and Charlie

Luke, Rafe, Rook and JP pre-game
Jaime, Kate and Christy towards the end of the game
Kate & Greg
Daddy and Luke watching the game
PawPaw/Daddy and Kate

A funny JP moment

2008-08-27T12:04:00.001-07:00

JP and his VAS -O-LEEN....August 2005
John Patrick was so proud of his accomplishment!
while looking through the Katrina damage pictures I found these pictures of John Patrick from that same week...many of you will remember getting these emailed to you back in 2005. JP was 2 and he got into soem vaseline that his older brother "encouraged" him to "clean" with after they were already put to bed. If I remember correctly Greg heard them talking and at that time their rooms were across the hall from each other. When Greg walked up and opened JP's door this is what he saw. Luke later confessed but I of course took plenty of pictures!

Getting ready....and remembering

2008-08-27T11:56:00.000-07:00

My grandmother Byrd's house on Church Street Columbia (AUGUST 2005)
My parents iron fence around perimeter of property (AUGUST 2005)
The yard next to the pool at my parents (AUGUST 2005)

Well, everyone around me thinks I am crazy but I have been preparing for the impending Hurricane Gustav all morning. And, I believe that I have us all ready in case of any horrific storm. We didn't live down here when Katrina hit, however, it affected so many people that we love and care about that I wanted to be ready.

I registered on http://www.msema.org/ so that I could receive correct information and I also got our family communication and evacuation plans set. We have out-of state contacts so that we can all communicate if local service is down...thanks Lindley and Gordon!To some it may sound silly but we went hours and in some cases days without talking to people down here. Above are some pictures from my parents the day after Katrina...it was a good reminder for me. I encourage everyone to be ready and if it ends up not even coming close to us..what have you really lost?

Getting Ready for Football Season

2008-08-14T13:50:00.000-07:00

view from our suite at Southern Miss
View from the field
View from inside with the retractable wall up in center

First Day of School

2008-08-12T07:06:00.000-07:00

Daddy and the boys
Luke outside his classroom
Luke in his desk by Mrs. Anderson's desk!
JP not so sure about "big boy" school at this moment
John Patrick in his chair in Mrs. Newman's room
The boys ready to head to school
Luke Lyon 1st grade
John Patrick Lyon Kindergarten
Walking to school across Lincoln Road
Mom and the boys... notice JP is excited!

Our baby, John Patrick, started "big boy" school today. Finally both boys are at school together. John Patrick has been going to full day school since he was 3 so that was not so surprising. However, watching him get ready in his uniform and go with Luke was different. Greg and I both went in with them this morning. Traffic was insane getting to PCS but when we finally all got there JP got real nervous. He had been so excited all night long. He could hardly go to bed because he was so excited, however, after we took Luke to his 1st grade room ... baby John wasn't so thrilled about going to "big boy" school! We walked him to his class (which is the same as Luke's last year) dropped off his backpack and then he wanted his daddy to hold him before walking in to the room. A little later I was still at the school and saw him walking with his class and he was smiling because he had discovered all his friends were there too! Just everybody was in different classes.

Luke was excited and calmly told me to leave after I walked him to his desk. He wasn't into the picture taking or other 1st day fun!

Summer is almost gone.....

2008-08-01T12:52:00.000-07:00

John Patrick
Kate and Christy
Luke
Greg

This summer has been very eventful and busy. We have spent most of our time outside and doing activities which is just how I like it to be. The boys completed the all sports camp at the country club last week and are doing some fun things like painting pottery, skating, going to McD's and Chik fil A - with the babysitter/nanny we hired for the final weeks of Summer.

Greg has gotten back fully into his golf game and is in yet another tournament this week. He has decided that he will either be on the Sr Pro golf tour or the bassmaster fishing tour by age 60! ha haha

I am currently working on opening my company's new store in Ridgeland which has become a HUGE undertaking! We will get it done and I hope that all of you will come by next Friday night and enjoy some food and drinks to see the new store -- Friday August 8th from 7pm to 10 pm at 242 Hwy 51 Ridgeland ---

Here are some Late Summer pics to share and I hope to get back on the "blog wagon" in August with the boys school stuff and all our others stuff......

End of June 2008

2008-06-28T20:35:00.000-07:00

Our new golf "pro"...Luke playing a round with Daddy
Dad and Luke
That's right Luke lost another tooth! That makes 3 for June.
JP and Caleb beat Luke and Cayley in a game of chicken
Caleb and JP at Lake Serene

Luke and Greg

2008-06-20T09:30:00.000-07:00

Luke and Greg won Runner-up in the HCC Parent Child Tournament this past weekend. I thought I had gotten a picture of them with their trophy but I didn't so I decided to just put this cute pic of Luke. The win is a BIG deal because Luke just started playing two weeks ago and Greg just started getting back into the "swing" of things recently. They were so excited!

Happy Birthday John Patrick!

2008-06-15T08:10:00.000-07:00

The birthday boy...John Patrick turns 5!
. Mom and Dad get ready to sing with the cake
John Patrick with his cake
Opening presents while we waited for rain to stop
Happy Birthday to you...Happy Birthday to John Patrick!
John Patrick turned 5 this past Friday the 13th. We held his party at the country club pool and it rained. However, after about an hour the rain stopped and we had a great time in the pool and hanging out with everybody.

Happy Birthday Uncle Charlie!

2008-06-14T07:48:00.000-07:00

Mom, Charlie, Holly, Daddy and Luke
Kate, Charlie and John Patrick
Holly and her mom, Ann
Heather (holly's sister), me and Luke
The boys with Unce Charlie and Aunt Holly

Charlie celebrated his 28th birthday this past Thursday, June 12th...We all enjoyed dinner and catching up.

Birthday Weekend

2008-06-08T19:06:00.000-07:00

Getting ready to jump in...JP and friends!
Luke and Caleb
JP and his buddies ready to rock n roll
Happy Birthday to me....Jaime, Me and Christy
Our table finishing up dinner ready to head out in the limo...

Well this weekend started off with lots of fun...after work on Friday I met Lisa at her Mom's house on Lake Serene and we let the kids all go tubing on the lake and swimming at Mrs. Dale's. After that Lisa, me and Christy took all 6 kids to el Rancho for supper! It was quite interesting to say the least!

Saturday we hung out at the pool and then got ready to celebrate my big 30+1 birthday. We all had a fabulous time and enjoyed Purple Parrot, the limo and all our other stops along the way!

Today we hung out at the country club and really enjoyed taking a break...Greg played golf but came over to the pool afterwards and we all ate supper and just made it in. Now on to another exciting week in our house.....

Happy Birthday Kate

2008-06-04T11:49:00.000-07:00

Byrd and Kate...Edgewater Pool June 1979

Today I turn 30+1...not quite ready for the zero to go away! I am not celebrating until Saturday because we are way too busy this week after our return.

I love this picture of me in my wonder woman bathing suit and my grandmother so I decided since it was my bday I could post it!

Have a great rest of the week....

Beach Trip 2008

2008-06-04T08:32:00.001-07:00

Putt Putt in Panama City
Brothers playing in Pool
Crab hunting
Our great shirts David designed for us!

Aunt Holly Uncle Charlie and the boys
Kate and Greg
The boys storlling down the beach
Gee Paw Paw and the crew

There are so many stories and things to tell about this trip but I don't have a lot of time since we have been gone so long! We cut it short and came on back last night but I wouldn't say 11 days is a short trip by any means. I needed to get back to work and Greg had finished his work down there. My phone didn't work which was nice for the escaping part but bad for the communicating with work part. The boys had an awesome time and the weather couldn't have been better! Here are some pics and I'll add in the album later...but it is like 400 pictures so no worries on not viewing. I understand that everybody doesn't love pictures like me!

John Patrick Graduates Pre-school

2008-05-23T14:31:00.001-07:00

John Patrick and his diploma
JP and Uncle Charlie...Aunt Holly had to work
The Lyon Family
JP and Paw Paw
Gee and JP

John Patrick graduated from Preschool at Parkway Heights last night. It was amusing and interesting to say the least. They did a little show of what they learned from counting to 100 to saying abc's and reading. JP lead the pledge. After all was over we headed to McDonald's which was JP's choice. The boys played and then we headed home.

Graduation Time at the Lyon Household

2008-05-21T09:22:00.000-07:00

Uncle Charlie and Aunt Holly with the graduate
Luke and PawPaw
Luke and Gee
Dancin' at Crescent City

Luke and John Patrick before the program
Luke holding up the "I"
Our graduate!
Daddy and the graduate
Mom and the graduate

Luke graduated from kindergarten last night. He was so excited for us to all see he and his classmates sing their songs and do their program. This is the first of two graduations for us this week. JP's is Thursday! After the program we went and ate at Luke's favorite...Crescent City Grill...he loves the corn and crab bisque and the crab claws geutreaux. Our boys are growing fast.

Luke lost his first tooth (teeth)!

2008-05-20T07:35:00.000-07:00

Luke so proud of his missing teeth!
He really wanted to show everybody all the blood he lost. I was not very excited about this picture but he was so insistent.

Last night after Luke's game he told his dad and I that his lose tooth felt like it was coming out. So, Greg proceeds to pull it on the baseball field. It didn't work out and Luke was sitting there with a bleeding mouth and a dangling tooth. Of course, Greg thought it would be fine. I called Dr. Chan (Chandler Humphries 601-450-3368 Call for appointments in Columbia and Hattiesburg)and he said come on over and he would take care of it. Luke and I went to Chan and Kim's house and in his kitchen he pulled not one but two teeth! Luke didn't even feel it and was so excited because he was thinking it was going to be so painful. Chan was so sweet to do that but he is a great dentist for our boys and they really do good with him. I realize that this is not normal for losing teeth but the whole trauma from trying to pull it at the ballfield to a crying child...I am so lucky to have a great friend and dentist in Chan!

Luke wanted to make sure all our friends saw his missing teeth. So I took some pictures to share. Also the tooth fairy visited last night and left Luke a $20 bill! He couldn't believe it. I think that when the tooth fairy stopped by the ATM "she" forgot how much to leave. But Greg and I explained that he probably got that much because he lost two at one time and that it would be more like a $1 a tooth from now on! On another note, JP said he saw "her" come into their room last night. He said that she had a green glowy dress on and a wand! I love the imagination children have.....well Luke graduates from kindergarten tonight so we have another busy day ahead of us.

Weekend Fun!

2008-05-19T08:26:00.000-07:00

John Patrick at the ballpark Friday night being funny

Luke poses by a statue at the ballpark
After the game Friday night...
John Patrick and Gee after his last game
Jaime and Kate at Shadow Ridge
Luke making us laugh saturday night on the porch

This weekend really began on Thursday night for us. Greg and I went out to eat with some friends at Outback and then on to Shuckers. It was kinda a going away dinner for Robert, who left Sunday for Egypt. He works there every other month. It was a fun time and unfortunately I don't have any pictures to share from that.

Friday Luke had a ballgame and Greg skipped his BFL fishing tournament to be there. Luke was so excited his Dad was there! We ate Magic Tomatoe, this new italian place in Oak Grove, for supper and it was excellent! I would highly recommend to everyone to try it out. Their calzones are amazing but 2 people can eat one and both be full. They also have Chicago deep dish pizza and some great pasta dishes.

Saturday morning bright and early we headed to the ballpark for both boys to play. My mom met us there because Dad and Charlie were playing in the MidSouth 4 ball. JP had his last regular season game at 9am and Luke played at 10 am. After their games Mom took them to BooBoo's house (my aunt) to swim for a little while. We eventually met up with Miss Jaime at Shadow Ridge Pool and hung out til late in the afternoon. Everybody headed over to ur house for supper and we had fun on the prch visiting and watching the boys dance!

After church, we did some yard work and I wish I had a picture but Greg, Sloan and LUke burnt my natural area down in the front so that we could get rid of all the poison ivy and prep it for sod or new pinestraw. I got a bit panicky about the fire being so close to the house but everything turned out good. We then headed to the country club for the boys to swim and watch the boston v detroit game at the tiki bar by the pool. David,Phillip and Christy met us out there. The boys loved the new slide at the pool and playing with their friends. We finally got home around 9 and we were all worn out. Now on to this week.....both boys graduate and we leave for 10 days at the beach on Saturday!!!

John Patrick and the Rangers Play Again!

2008-05-13T14:05:00.000-07:00

UNCLE CHARLIE AND JOHN PATRICK
GETTING READY TO BAT
RUNNING IN TO SCORE A RUN!!!
SO EXCITED AFTER RUNNING INTO HOME!
John Patrick had a ballgame last night vs the Yankees. Daddy coached and Uncle Charlie helped Mom cheer for him. Luke wasn't able to make it because his pal Harrison had a birthday party at the theater to watch SPEEDRACER. Luke had a great time but John Patrick wanted lots of pictures taken so brother could see him. JP is in that stage of wanting brother always included and involved. He doesn't want his brother to miss out on anything. It was funny...when we went to pick up Luke at our friends the Prices house he had gotten JP a favor bag from the party!! I guess it is true that these brothers will always take care of each other. That makes Greg and I happy and feel good for sure.

Happy Birthday Luke

2008-05-12T09:25:00.001-07:00

Happy Birthday Luke!
All the kids getting ready for Luke to go down to pitch!
Luke getting ready for his pitch

On Saturday we celebrated Luke's 7th birthday at Pete Taylor Park during the Southern Miss v Memphis game. Luke had a lot of his friends attend with their families. We surprised Luke with the help of Southern Miss by letting him throw out the first pitch of the game. He did such a good job! He threw from the pitching mound and threw it straight into the catcher's glove. People complimented us all day on how well he threw it.

On the mound....Luke Lyon

Check out that form

Job Well Done!

Luke's Team Wins!!

2008-05-09T09:18:00.000-07:00

Luke Lyon #9
Last night was an exciting night for Luke and his teammates. Since moving to Hattiesburg, Luke has been put on expansion teams due to the fact its his first year in the league. His team is a great little group of kids, however, their experience level is not equal. Last night against a very good Pine Belt Trophy team they won 15-14! Greg was the "pitcher" and only had 2 strikeouts the whole night...thank goodness. Luke had 2 triples and a single driving in 7 runs. He was so excited ! We brought cupcakes to the game to celebrate with his team his birthday (May 10).

The picture above is from a game last week and when Luke still was into the whole at your knee pants. We did get rid of the porn like tight pants after week one but as you see him above is where we were until this week. This week he wants loose and long pants like Southern Miss players. We are excited about his birthday Saturday...I can't believe he will be 7!!!

Chillin in his shades at the suite planning his birthday party!

Congratulations!

2008-05-07T13:03:00.000-07:00

Jessica and Kate

Jessica and Alex's Wedding May 2006

Jessica and Alex are going to have the best Christmas Eve EVER!

A Celebration of Strong Women

2008-05-07T12:35:00.000-07:00

Lisa and Kate

Today was the Celebration of Strong Women presented by Wesley and Comcast at Lake Terrace Converntion Center. I had nominated my friend Lisa Gatwood for one of the awards and since she is a nurse at Wesley she was not eligible but they asked that she and I attend the ceremony in honor of her nomination. I nominated Lisa because of alot of things but mainly because she has taken on so much this past year and been so successful! She works full time, goes to school full time to become a nurse practitioner and is the mother of 3. All of her children are very active in school and church and she coordinates all of this with ease. I say ease but she gets it done. They do not go without and always make their practices, parties, etc. At today's ceremony program thing they read a poem and I wanted to share it with you to share with any strong women in your life.

A STRONG WOMAN....

by Susan Light

is a mother, a daughter, a sister, a wife, a partner, a neighbor, a best friend for life.

She may live down the street. You'll know her when you meet.

What makes her so special? What gives her this power? Its her caring for others each day, and each hour.

Strong women are persistent. Her spark makes us smile. When facing a challenge, she goes the extra mile.

She's someone we seek out for inspiration and belief. Her light shines like a beacon even in grief.

She may be quite dynamic, or a quiet soul. Regardless of demeanor happiness is her goal.

She leads us by example with style and charm and grace. Always there to lend a hand with a smiling face.

A STRONG WOMAN is a mentor who shares her time with love, knowing she makes a difference with guidance from above.

She can be a defender standing up for what she believes. She keeps the flame of hope alive as a champion who achieves.

A STRONG WOMAN shows great promise. She is a joy to nurture. Her roots are firmly grounded as she looks forward to the future.

Well, back to work for me... the baseball game for Luke! I am sure I will have some pics to share tomorrow. Have a great rest of the day and be sure to say thank you to that special strong woman in your life

T-Ball

2008-05-06T07:33:00.000-07:00

JP looking at his coach...Daddy Greg

John Patrick had a game last night and here are some pics from his game. He is really enjoying playing but they are all so silly out there. Four year olds aren't real interested in playing an hour long game that is for sure!

Biloxi - Bocepus - Beer -Blackjack

2008-05-05T06:46:00.000-07:00

Greg & Kate in line for beer...Greg is obviously trying to watch concert while we wait!

Kate & Katie after surviving the Coast Coliseum crowd and parking!

Lynrd Skynrd

Jamie, Christy, Kate, & Katie

Robert, Greg, Howard & Phillip

This past weekend Greg and I went to the coast for the Lynrd Skynrd and Hank Williams Jr concert. My mom came over around lunch Saturday and we headed out. My mom couldn't believe I was going to this concert and warned Greg and I that there would be different people there and that they might even be using drugs! ha ha ha We found that pretty humorous since this would not be the first concert we had ever attended and the fact that my mom talked to us like we were two 18 year olds! It was sweet though.

When we arrived at our hotel to my surprise we ran into other people we knew. We already had a group of 10 meeting us there so that just made the day/night more fun. We watched the Kentucky Derby before dinner in the lobby bar - LAVA- and then went up and ate at Farraday's at Isle of Capri. It was really good and then we headed to the coliseum. We were in traffic for what seemed like days but I think it was only about an hour.

The show was great and both acts were entertaining. However, it took 30- 45 minutes to get a beer and the crowd around us included many interesting people. A girl that had on no underwear and kept standing in front of Greg and I lifting her skirt, a guy that was "from Auburn Alabama" as he kept telling us that was evidently the boyfriend to the stripper girl and he enjoyed throwing things while unbuttoning his shirt, and of course a wide array of characters that were swooning and singing all the words to all the songs.

After the concert, we headed to Hard Rock to meet up with the rest of our group AND for Greg to catch the last part of the basketball games. We went to their new bar Roadhouse LIVE which was pretty nice. I met up with my friend Reggie's host there and he took Christy and I on a private tour of the VIP areas. Everybody (minus me, Katie and Jamie) gambled but nobody really won especially at the Blackjack tables.We eventually made it back to our hotel and left the next morning.

Mom had the boys all ready to see us. They were full of stories and things to tell us! She had taken them to McDonald's , Painted Zebra, McAlister's, Uncle Charlie's, church and according to JP they were headed next to the beach! (he thinks we are going to the beach every day since someone mentioned it was this month)

Mayor's Prayer Breakfast

2008-05-01T07:24:00.000-07:00

Mayor Dupree's Prayer Breakfast 2008

National Day of Prayer

Lake Terrace Convention Center Hattiesburg, MS

Deuce McAllister - Ole Miss Rebel - New Orleans Saint
Deuce sat and talked with anyone that wanted to speak, get an autograph or picture. There were over 600 people in attendance and I was very impressed by his composure and presence.

Kerry Morris, Kerry Stringer, Deuce and Me

After all was said and done, Deuce took a picture with us so we didn't have to lean over the table. He also spoke to us a little while about things and of course we mentioned Big Buck Sports! Just a note, I am not a marshmallow! I just thought cleavage was inappropriate at a prayer breakfast so I wore that jacket which I now regret!

Well, today started off pretty busy. I had to be up at 5 in order to make it to the Mayor's Prayer Breakfast at 6:30 this morning. That is not my strong suit but I made it happen. My "loving" brother arrived bright and early at 6:00am to stay with boys and get them to school. Which is where I will begin...every morning Luke asks for money and JP asks if it is Show and Tell so he can take his DS to school and every morning Luke only gets his $.50 and JP gets a "no, it's Friday" As I sat listening to the program at Lake Terrace, I received the text in order for Luke and JP from their Uncle Charlie! It is good to see that they are consistent and that my brother was wise enough to question them.

Back to the prayer breakfast, it was held by Mayor Johnny Dupree (Hattiesburg) with Deuce McAllister as the keynote speaker. Many ministers and choral groups preformed throughout the morning. Then came Deuce...he is a very good speaker and humorous at times. He called the NFL ...The "not for long" league....which got some laughs. But a point he made that I whole heartedly agreed with was his last statements. He challenged Hattiesburg and the state of Mississippi to get their education systems straightened out NOW! He said that there are many paths we can choose to take but that if children don't get the education they deserve then their path choices become very limited and it affects not just the child but the community as a whole.

In this my first day of fulfilling my blog commitment, I challenge everyone that reads this to make a difference in their part of the country by donating their time, money and/or goods to a school or group to help children succeed. Do it today....online, by phone or in person. Stop by a school at lunch and ask "How can I help?" or go online and donate money. There is something that we can all give. I hope that this has urged at least one of you to make a difference. That was something else that Deuce said...he said that if him speaking and sharing touched one then that makes a difference. Touch One and you have the ability to touch many.

Have a great Thursday!

Luke is turning 7

2008-04-30T15:01:00.000-07:00

I am posting this unedited invite because I thought it was pretty cute. David was fixing it for me...mainly the spelling. But we are excited about the party. Luke had his very 1st bday at Pete Taylor.

I can't believe he will be 7!

Welcome to our crazy world!

2008-04-30T13:33:00.000-07:00

John Patrick Lyon at Pete Taylor Park on the field after the game on April 5
Luke throwing with Greg after a game at Southern Miss
PawPaw with JP after his very first baseball game ever!
Easter 2008 with the boys and their eggs.

I have gone back and forth on starting a blog about our family. I have attempted a couple of times but never follow through on it. So, today I am starting this blog with a delayed new year's resolution to keep it up!

We stay so busy that it is hard even in this world of facebook and myspace and email to keep up with everyone. So, after checking out other friends blogs and realizing that it was possible...here we are!

Just as a catch up this first blog will give a brief run down of where we are and where we've been the past year.....

We moved back to Hattiesburg area last February after spending almost 9 years in Memphis. Our boys are 4 and 6 (John Patrick and Luke) but about to be 5 and 7.

Greg is working for Georgia-Pacific Paper Division and got transferred to Hattiesburg in October of last year....yep that's right he lived in Germantown for 8 months without me and JP...Luke stayed til June with him to finish school. But thankfully, the week he was to transfer we sold our house in Germantown!

He mainly works from home but has to travel for meetings since his district is centralized in Atlanta. He enjoys his job and his counterparts throughout the Southeast so its a good fit!

I work for Big Buck Sports...www.bigbucksports.com....shameless plug! as the Chief Operating Officer. We have several divisions (Retail, TEAM, Ecommerce, Production) and I oversee those areas. It has been very over whelming but I was warned it would be. In addition to all that I am overseeing the future developments which now include a 60,000 sq ft flag ship store here in Hattiesburg and 3 satellite stores coming to an area near you this June!

Luke is finishing his kindergarten year with Presbyterian Christian (PCS). He has been so involved as always in sports...soccer, baseball, basketball, tennis and golf! He is begging for football next fall but we will have to talk about that!

John Patrick will graduate from Junior Kindergarten at Parkway Heights this May. He will begin at PCS in the fall. JP is still always playing his video games but has gotten excited about soccer and baseball this year. It has surprised us he would leave his wii and ninetendo DS for enough time to play but he does!

Ellie (our dog) is still living in Columbia with my parents and every time we try to bring her back my dad says "next time" So I think Sharon and Bubba enjoy the company!

As most of you know, my grandmother Byrd passed away January 3rd. I was so happy about the move during that time since I was able to be here and visit with her more than I had in the past. She was such a driving force in all of our lives it is still an adjustment not having her here.

that's about it... I will start tomorrow with new news...and I am sure there will be something exciting that happens in the lives of me and my boys!