Smith Lake Fun!

We had such a fun trip this summer with Mimi and DoDad to Smith Lake! The past few years we have had a great lake trip with the Bullard family all together, and this was one of the most fun! The home that we stayed in was beautiful, and with the kids being a little older it is a little easier to enjoy it all! Sarah Caroline almost got up on water skis, and Ben, Luke and Sarah Caroline loved knee boarding. Sam even rode in the inner tube behind the boat! VERY SLOW!! Uncle Talmadge was very patient to entertain us all with driving the boat! Luke became very independent with the kayak, and was pretty content kayaking around the cove by himself most of the time. Sam and Graham took more notice of each other, which was fun for us to see. And of course we ate a lot! Thanks, Mom and Dad, for a fun vacation! Thanks, Rebecca and Justin and Katie and Talmadge for putting up with us and our kiddos for several days!!

Not the best picture, but Katie insists we have pictures made despite our appearances, after all, how will we remember these fun times with no pictures!

Mimi celebrated her birthday while at the lake, and we won't say what number. But we have pictures of her skiing, and how many grandmothers out there water ski???. We are so proud of having such "youthful" grandparents!!

Sam and Graham checking each other out!

Sarah Caroline is wondering why there are no pics of her on the knee board or skiis. ???? She really was there. I think I was videoing the events, and I don't know why Marcus and I didn't split that job up better. We never are very organized about this!!

Ueltschey Reunions

In June we had a weekend full of reunions in Forest. The most interesting was a ceremony and reception to reveal a new historical marker for the Ueltschey Tannery in Morton. We had the chance to see many several Ueltschey cousins as well as visit with several state senators who came for the big event. This marker had been destroyed over time, and over the past several years the Morton Homemakers raised the funds to have the sign replaced. Marcus shared with the group the history of Albert Ueltschey, his great great grandfather, who founded the tannery during the Civil War. We were all relieved when the sign was "unveiled" that the spelling of the family name was correct!!

There was also a family reunion later that same day with another part of the Ueltschey family, which Marcus and his brother and two of our kids made an appearance for. That same night, he had a small get together with some high school friends who were in town. What a weekend of reunions!

Special Father's Day

Our kids certainly do love their Daddy, and this year he was given a really special gift! Luke had the idea that Daddy needed a new "toy" rifle like his real one, so that they could all play guns together. But also part of the deal was that Ben and Luke needed some new guns too! Of course I thought it was a great idea so Luke and I did some special WalMart shopping this year in the toy department. What a fun gift! I think he was thrilled, but I know the kids were glad to get new toys too! Is that being creative or manipulative? Let's just say it was creative for the sake of fun!

Beach Bums!

We started summer a little early, and left for the beach before the last day of school! After the piano recital we drove to Mobile to get a head start on the drive. We had a great little visit with Rebecca and Graham. We loved where we stayed this time, and were close to the beach and could bike ride to Rosemary Beach and Alys Beach. It was so much fun playing in the sand, biking, eating, and swimming. We also had a great time to worship at the church at Rosemary Beach. We had sweet Mea with us, so Marcus and I got to go on a date too! It was hard to come home after such a great trip!

Piano Recital

We were so proud to see Sarah Caroline perform at her first piano recital! She did so well, and all of Mrs. Ginger Howe's students were so talented! Sarah Caroline and her special friend Sally Grace also played a duet together. I was most nervous about this part of the recital, as many of their practices were filled with giggles. But they did great and it was good to learn some teamwork!

TBall Time!

Ben and Luke had so much fun playing tball with their friends this year! They have improved so much from last summer, and it was great watching them play! They think they are ready for coach pitch now!

Happy Birthday, Sam!!

Sam is two!! On May 19 we celebrated his second birthday with our family, with a fun frog theme. He loves all things frog, mostly his frog ("fog" as he calls it) that he sleeps with. Frog has gone most everywhere with him, including swimming lessons and on a kayak. Sam also loves his frog hooded towel, which he asks for after bathtime. So we had a frog cake, a frog outfit, and played pin the fly on the frog! Also, he got a fun radio flyer scooter and a tball set from his grandparents, so that he can be big like his brothers. He rides the scooter and hits the baseball really well for a two year old! He really does think he is so big, but he is a baby to me!!

Congratulations, Ben!

Ben graduated in May from Kindergarten at Calvary Baptist! They had the cutest program reviewing all they had learned this year. He loves Ms Elizabeth and Ms. Fredda so much! He already misses his special friends from school! It is hard to believe that my second child is so big! He and Luke both will be going to "big"school at Church St. this year!

Fishing at Mawmaw's

Sam thinks he is 12, not 2! Mother's Day weekend we spent time fishing at the pond at Mawmaw's house, and Sam insisted that he have his own fishing rod like his brothers and sister! We all had fun catching fish, but thankfully none large enough that we had to have a fish fry! Maybe next time!

Ueltschey Runners

Now, when I say we have Ueltschey runners, I am not talking about myself! I am doing really good to run 1/2 mile with my sister Katie. But the kiddos, on the other hand, have taken after their speedy daddy! Ben and Sarah Caroline did the 1 mile fun run at the Gum Tree Festival, in the yucky rain. They both loved it! Since then, Sarah Caroline has won two 5K's in her age group. She won the TieDye/Healthworks race and a few weeks later won with a 31 minute time at the Elvis Presley race. She doesn't practice running yet, but we (Marcus) should start working with her. At this point she is pretty motivated by competition. It is fun to see what our children enjoy!