A Big Weekend

We made the most of this long and gorgeous weekend! My grandparents took me to the fair and now my parents have continued the tradition.  The best we can remember, we've been going to the fair for 32 years.  Most years, my sister Elizabeth and her family are able to come!  This was one of those years.  

We got to the fair a few minutes before everyone else and jumped on a ride--well everyone but me.

Of course we hit up the petting zoo.

I found a cool spot to sit to give Ayres her bottle!

Millie Ruth's first fair ride--safe to say that she is hooked!

Someone got a little motion sick...

This was the first time we have gotten corn at the fair--it won't be the last.  That stuff is good!

Saturday morning we were up and going.  First off we had family pictures and then Sam had the last two soccer games!  Both girls finished a book on the fields.

Finishing the year with a  trophy!

After rest time we headed up to the farm.

All smiles leaving on the gator...

 and then we saw them walking back--ha ha.  The gator had broken down!

Sam spent a lot of the afternoon in my lap--poor guy--he had a 102 fever by the time we got home and no voice!

 Sam and I spent Sunday at home while everyone went to church and lunch.  That afternoon the girls went back to the farm to spend the night!  

I'm sad I missed the s'mores--maybe my favorite dessert!

Austin

About six weeks ago our sweet puppy of almost fourteen years died!  Zeb and I got her the day before Thanksgiving the first year we were married.  I don't even know how to put fourteen years worth of memories down ...so I will just pick some of our favorites!

Top 10 Memories of Austin:  (in no particular order)

1.  For the first two days we got her she only walked backwards.  We were very thankful when she finally started walking normal.

2.    She ate a Nilla Wafer every single night with Zeb.

3.  She could also jog 12 miles with Zeb.

4.  She caught a foot long catfish in our backyard in our first house.

5.  During Katrina she ran around our backyard snapping and biting at the wind.

(Austin wanted an excema check also.)

6.  For some crazy reason we thought it would be a good idea to hook Austin up to Sara Beth's wagon (SB was about 18 months old).  Austin pulled her straight into a mailbox!

7.  The countless hours the kids played with her, sang to her, and read to her!

8.  The time she jumped out of the window of a moving car.  Thankfully Zeb was in our neighborhood and had a leash on her.  He grabbed her leash, slowed the car, and slowly let her down on the ground.  (Also, glad she had a full body harness on and not just a regular collar--the story may not have ended the same.)

9.  These definitely  aren't our favorites memories of her--but they still are some of the most memorable.  We joked that she was like a cat with 9 lives!  

Once when Zeb was mowing, she jumped between Zeb's legs and the mower.  When Zeb looked down there was a water moccasin ready to strike his ankle--it bit her instead!

Also,  she got attacked by the dog down the street on Dec. 23, 2007 and ended up with something like 30 staples after surgery.  

10.  This picture is one of our favorite memories.  Sara Beth was laying on the bed in Zeb's office with her fists up like this and Austin jumped up right beside her with her "fists" in the same position.