Special times with special friends!

You know how you have those friends that you honestly can't remember ever not being friends with?? It's almost like life started and BOOM they were there? I have to say that I am fortunate to have a few of those types of girlfriends and I am SO thankful for each of them! We can go a month and not talk and then when we do, it's like no time has passed at all. LOVE,LOVE, LOVE them! Don't know what I would do without them!

The Skalon's got to see one of these girlfriends of mine over the holidays and it was WONDERFUL as always to see her (and her great hubby)! Lena and I grew up living right next door to each other from the time I was four and she was two. Four and two!! Crazy, huh? My parents lived in that house for over 2o years and moved out the summer I got married - Lena's parents still live there - and that's a LONG time to live next door to someone. I have so many memories with her and her family and I can only hope that we build that same type of relationship with our neighbors here in Ivey Chase. It's really neat to think that Lena and I are at the same point in our lives that our parents were when they each moved into that that subdivision in Lawrenceville and now we are getting to raise our families together. Pretty neat..... :)

Lena now lives in Nashville with her awesome husband Jason and we love visiting with them when they come into town. We grabbed dinner with them over the holidays and played catch up on all the exciting things we have going on and of course, snapped a few pictures....


Pretty girls!

Look how much Addison has grown over the years:


(Barely a year old)


(Just turned 2)


(Three and crazy) :)

Since Addison was up (it was WAY past her bedtime) we decided to attempt a group shot...at least we're all in the picture! :)



We had such a fun night catching up with the Cox's and can't wait to see them again soon!

He's still here...

Remember my post around the holidays about our new "friend" the HAWK that had taken up residence in our backyard??? Well, guess what??? He's STILL here!

We have had some really cold weather lately and we didn't see him for a few days (which did NOT hurt my feelings in the least), but as soon as it warmed up...he came back. Lucky us!

I will admit...he is VERY pretty and he is fun to watch from our kitchen window BUT I would love to be able to let Belle outside without searching my backyard first and I would love to be able to let her stay outside for more than 3 minutes at a time. That is the reason we got the darn fence in the first place!

Here are a few recent photos of him (we really should have given him a name by now!)...


He likes to perch on our fence...


He's very photogenic and looks right at you when you ask him too... ;)


He even likes to play on Addison's swing set!

Crazy, huh? I just really want him to find a new "home" before the spring gets here and we all want to play outside. Anybody want him??? I will gladly give him directions to your house! Just let me know...we are currently accepting adoption applications.

Happy Friday!

Birthday fun!!

We had so much fun celebrating my Dad's 60th birthday! Here are a few photos from our special night!





Make a Smilebox slideshow

Chris-nina came to town!

Wow! I feel like we are still in "holiday mode" around the Skalon house and believe me...that's not a good thing! Good thing I only have to show you guys what I want you to see. Hee! Hee! Don't you wish things were always that way?? I do sometimes!

Anyways...over the holidays (maybe that's why I still feel like we're in holiday mode...because I'm still BLOGGING about the holidays!) Christina and Daniel came to visit and as you can tell, Addison was SO excited to see her. Christina moved to Destin, FL a few months ago and Addison and I have missed our lunch dates with her terribly. This was also a very exciting trip for me because I got to meet Daniel for the first time and give him my "stamp" of approval! Him and Christina got engaged over the Thanksgiving holiday so we definitely had a lot to celebrate! :)


Addison loves Aunt Chris-nina!


The future Mr. and Mrs. Cole!

Daniel got Christina this PRECIOUS puppy for Christmas and all of us had the best time playing with her. Belle and her were so cute playing with each other the entire night and Addison thought she was the greatest. Maybe it's time to get another puppy???? ;)



Just kidding! Don't worry...I know my limits with Duke! :)

Wonder What This Means???

Think this means Addison has spent too much time in time-out lately??? I was cooking dinner the other night and this is what she did with her dolls. The best was when she left the room only to come back a few minutes later, bend down to one of the dolls and ask,"Are you sorry?"

Oh the fun of having a 3-year old! :)

Happy 60th Birthday Daddy!

Today is my Dad's 60th birthday! 60!!! Can you believe it? It seems so weird to me that he is turning 60! (Sorry Dad!) ;)

If anyone deserves to have an awesome birthday, it's my Dad. My Dad is one of the most selfless people I know and has always put our families needs and wants before his own. Even now that my brother and I are grown, most of the time it seems like you have to beg my Dad to purchase something for himself. I think Duke wishes everyday that I would have inherited this trait from him. Hee Hee!

I am lucky to have a wonderful relationship with my Dad and the older I get, the more I realize how precious that relationship is to me. I was definitely a Daddy's Girl growing up and still am to this day. I have learned so many wonderful things from him and I can't wait for him to teach Addison so many of the same things. I love to watch the two of them interact with each other and watch her bring out the "soft" side of him (Yes, Dad....you have one!). :)

Thank you Dad for always being there for me no matter how big or small my problem was. Thank you for coming over to my apartment and putting my very first Christmas tree together for me. Thank you for leaving your golf game to come and rescue me when I was stranded on the highway when my car had "died"....(it really was just out of gas!). Thank you for teaching me how to balance a checkbook and save money (Duke also thanks you for that one!). Thank you for teaching me to always believe in myself and listen to Margo...the rest will be easy.

Most of all, thank you loving me and ALWAYS believing in me.

Happy 60th Birthday!!! I love you!

Christmas Day at Mom & Dad's

I love Christmas Day at my parents house! I have so many wonderful memories of long mornings spent sitting in the floor of their living room playing with all of our surprises. I remember how much I used to love to watch my parents open their gifts from each other. I loved watching my Mom open the gifts that were usually hidden deep down in the bottom of her stocking or watching as my Dad went and got the box he had hidden in some other room of the house so my Mom wouldn't find it. I have always been in awe of their love for each other and still am.

We headed over to my parents in the afternoon and enjoyed a great day of friends and family. We were lucky enough that Pat and John were able to spend Christmas with us again and they brought Addison's favorite 4-legged friend, Sandy.

Addison was so excited that Santa had also came to visit her at NaNa and PopPop's house! Who knew the old man made multiple trips?? PopPop was thrilled he brought her a kitchen so Addison could always make sure he had a snack waiting for him! ;)



Addison educating Captain John on how these kitchens work...he caught on beautifully! :)



Addison was so excited about her kitchen and new food that we ended up doing most of her Christmas in the floor of her room at my parents house.



I love the look on Addison's face in this photo. Addison LOVES pajama's and if she could have it her way, she would never take them off. Look at her face when we agreed to let her take off her dress and put her new pair on! Classic!



So sweet!



The Tesh's (minus Sandy!)



The 4 Divas! (More explanation on this photo later...promise!)



Poor Addison was so tired and worn out...she laid down right on the floor!



Stockings are a BIG deal in my family...you just never know what you're going to find in them! Duke was very excited about his deodorant and shaving cream. :)



See...like I said...you never know what you're going to find in them!



Addison looks so grown up to me in this picture. She sat so quietly and watched us open our gifts. I love how her little legs are crossed.



Pat got Mom and I glasses...a princess one for me and one with flip flops for her for all our fun memories at the beach!



My brother got Addison a bible and wrote her the sweetest message inside of it...I know she will treasure this one day.



My parents have the greatest neighbors and they have basically adopted Addison has their grandchild. This photo proves how much Addison has them wrapped around her little finger! If you only knew Scott...you would know how funny this picture is.



By the end of the night, Addison was exhausted and Duke and I were overwhelmed by how blessed we are to have such amazing family and extended family. We had such a wonderful Christmas and it's hard to believe it's come and gone. Hope Santa was as good to all our friend's and family as he was to us!