Monday, May 31, 2010

Happy to be back!

Even Callie is happy to be back!




After a whirlwind week of travel, we have decided to take our time unpacking the house and have a little fun. Hunter has been completely happy with being back in our house. He is sleeping a little later and playing by himself daily. We visited a few of our favorite places within a few days of being home, Can U Dig It Park and the beach. These are just a few pictures of our fun adventures.

Sunday, May 30, 2010

The Big Yellow Truck


This past week has been a whirl wind of events. We were in Nashville on Monday, drove to Bristol on Tuesday, took Hunter to school and loaded the truck on Wednesday, and then picked Hunter up from school and hit the road to Florida that afternoon. We stopped in Sweetwater, TN, to see Aunt Wendy for a few moments. Hunter loved her cat and all the cool stuff she had in her "game room". That night we made it to Macon, GA. We started early the next morning with our ending destination being Naples, Florida. Hunter loved following "The Big Yellow Truck", but it was a little rough on me. The truck did not have Cruise Control so anytime that I put the car on Cruise Control I would either fall far behind or be to close to the truck. It was a long trip, but Hunter did really well. Once we arrived at our house, we unpacked as little as possible and just enjoyed our house. The yard was cute, thanks to our wonderful friends/neighbors the Mendicino's and the inside of the house was left in perfect condition by the guys!
Friday morning we ran a few errands and then came home to get ready for the unloaders, Jayme and Kevin Deardorff and Michelle and Dave Legried, to come over to help out. As Adam and I were rearranging the garage Hunter asked, "Is this whole house ours?" My response, "Yes." Adam then asked him, "Do you like the Virginia house better?" Hunter's response, "No, this house is just perfect!" Needless to say, but he is so happy here at home. The house came together quickly that night with the help of everyone. Adam and I had worried about having an overload of furniture. We had purchased a Rooms To Go package for the family room this past December for the renters and visitors to our house. We weren't sure how we were going to fit everything in, but with the wonderful help of everyone and their suggestions our home looks more like a family home now than it did before.
I want to say a special thank you to our family for your wonderful support, our wonderful friends for helping us in many ways, and more importantly our Father above. I have said it many times, our life seems to be a roller coaster of events. We don't know what He has in store for us next, but we are ready for where He leads us.

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

Grillin' Out at the Reynolds

The Girlz...all 5 of us!
I think our baby girls are smiling in the picture you just can't see them ;)
Yummo! The boys loved the dinner that Virginia put together for us.
Funny face made with carrot sticks.
The boys chillin' on the patio.

Kelly, Virginia, and I have been wanting to get Luke and Hunter together to play for a while. While in Nashville, we decided that we would take this opportunity to do that. Virginia invited us over for burgers, grilled veggies, and sweet potato fries. Hunter and Luke had a blast. Hunter took a few minutes to warm up, but once Paul put together Luke's train set Hunter started to open up. Luke ended up being Hunter's shadow the rest of the evening. We had a great time eating and catching up. The next time we all see each other again, we will have some new additions to show off. Kelly and I are due on the same day, August 27th. We look forward to our girls and boys running around and playing together.

Splish, Splash, Splosh

The boyz
Blowing bubbles in the water.
Colin has a sign for everyone and this happens to be my sign. When he was about a year old, I made him laugh by sticking my tongue out and going "Aaaaaa". Never in a million years did I think that it would become my sign.
Colin loves water. He is a wonderful swimmer and is working towards being on a swim team in the next few years. A permanent fixture on Nannie's patio in the summer is the pool. Hunter wanted Adam to go swimming with him. Little did Adam know that he would actually be getting soaked. The boys loved splishing and splashing around.

Planting and Playing with Nannie and Papa


Hunter and Nannie saying a prayer as they plant.
Hunter giving the plant some plant food. He poured so much on these 2 plants that I think Nannie will see them thrive more than any other in her garden.
Hunter working in the garden with a wheel barrow that Nannie had a child.
Papa and Hunter walking Callie.

Nannie is famously known for her beautiful garden in our backyard. Every year she plants and says a prayer for someone as she plants each plant. This year her choice of flower was penta graffiti. She had 4 different colors for 4 different blessings. The purple flowers were prayers for Evan, Sara's baby. The dark pink flowers were prayers for Briley, Martha's little one. The light pink flowers were prayers for "Baby Sister". The white flowers, which you see Nannie and Hunter planting above, are for Papa. Her prayer garden will grow and blossom along with the loved ones she prays for.

Family Dinner in Ashland City, TN




Pops and Annmother had a few members of Adam's family come and join us for lunch on Monday afternoon. Adam's great aunts Ruby and Blanche, Meemaw, his uncle and aunt Jimmy and Joyce, his uncle and aunt Junior and Linda were all able to join us. The weather was perfect. We enjoyed a wonderful lunch and each other's company the whole afternoon. Hunter loves being outside and playing. Aunt Ruby, who is 90 years young, asked Hunter to play
Hide-n-Seek. Hunter convinced a few more members of the family to play also. He loved it! Being at Annmother's and Pops' house is one of Hunter's favorite places to visit. We loved spending the day with everyone.

Family Dinner in Madison, TN


Baby Evan is in attendance.
Our family is getting larger every month. Hunter missed the dinner due to being exhausted after 2 hours at the park that morning. He didn't miss out on dessert though.
Nannie's gift to "Baby Sister". It is beautiful!
Mawmaw enjoying a little Evan time. Not many people get the chance to bottle feed Evan, but Sara had pumped to give someone the opportunity.
Hangin' Out
Baby Sister's afghan made by Mawmaw.

Saying good-bye has been the hardiest thing to do this weekend. Nannie decided to have everyone over for lunch on Sunday afternoon. Everyone squeezed in around the dinning room table to enjoy steaks, potatoes, corn on the cob, and strawberry shortcake for dessert. Our family is expanding so fast that I don't think this time next year we will all be able to fit around the dinning room table. We received our first baby gifts due to not being back in the area until after "Baby Sister" is born. Aunt Sallie gave us a beautiful picture frame. Mawmaw gave us a pink and white afghan. Hunter and I sleep with our afghans every night, no matter the temperature outside. Mawmaw had made me a pink and white afghan as a baby. It is one that I still have and will be holding on to forever. Nannie gave us "Baby Sister's" hand-stitched baby quilt. It is beautiful. The work on this quilt is so detailed. I don't know how she found the time to do this, but it is something both my daughter and I will cherish forever. The day ended with Daddy and Adam going to play 18 holes of golf, which made Daddy's day. He loves to play and doesn't get much of a chance these days. I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful husband and father. The day was a wonderful way to say good-bye to my sisters, brother-in-laws, and nephews. Thank you Papa and Nannie!

Monday, May 24, 2010

Gone Fishin'






This past weekend Pops, Adam, and Hunter went fishing. Hunter loves casting, but you have to be careful of where you stand while his casting is in action. Prior to going on their expedition, they visited the mud pile to find some juicy worms. Hunter did not want to touch the "slippery, slimy worms". I have a feeling that Pops and Adam baited the hooks for him.
When Adam and Hunter returned from their fishing expedition I asked Hunter about his experience. He said that he caught 7 fish and they where "This big." He showed me with his hands how big they were and Adam confirmed that he was correct. They had only caught 7 brim. Hunter is closer to mastering the concept of fishing, but he is far from mastering the art of telling fish tales.

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Having Fun in Ashland City



Hunter loves playing in water. It doesn't matter if it is in a bucket, a pool, or coming out of a hose. I have learned that I need to keep at least 2 extra outfits in the car when we are out and about. This is an example of Pops and Adam catering to his love of water.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Recycling



Hunter and I have always recycled. Every time he throws something away he asks if it can be recycled. He doesn't understand the process, but is understanding the concept. Hunter found Nannie's recycle bin by the back door (it had just been washed out...yes it was clean) and decided it would be funny to jump in. Just some cute pics that I thought I would share.

Thursday, May 20, 2010

The Rollercoaster of Life

This past week our lives has taken another turn on "The Rollercoaster of Life". Adam's experience at The Olde Farm Golf Course came to a halt. We quickly made arrangements to head back to the place we love the most, other than home, Naples, Florida. This is "bitter sweet" for many reasons. Bitter because of the timing and moving so far away from the ones we love the most, our family. Sweet for many other reasons: living in our home again, being able to play outside year-round, the beach, and most of all our friends. We are visiting the family this weekend and saying our good-byes. We have a fun-filled weekend planned. I am buckling my seat belt tight and am ready for the ride on "The Rollercoaster of Life". Who knows what God has in store for our family, but we are ready ;)

Wednesday, May 19, 2010

The Adventures of Chocolate Chip



Let me introduce you to one of our family members, Chocolate Chip. Chocolate Chip has been in our family for about 2 1/2 years. He was a Christmas gift from Aunt Wendy, Adam's sister. He did not do much with Hunter the first 1 1/2 years. When we made our move to Bristol, VA, Chocolate Chip wanted to hitch a ride with us. Hunter and Chocolate Chip soon became BFFs (Best Friends Forever). Chocolate Chip sleeps, eats, and plays with Hunter every day. They are happy together.

This past weekend, while in Nashville, Chocolate Chip decided he wanted to have a little adventure of his own. One rainy evening we went to eat at a Mexican Restaurant. While dogs are not allowed in the restaurant, Chocolate Chip decided that while we were eating he would hop out of the car and play in the puddles. Chocolate Chip had so much fun splishing and splashing in the puddles that he didn't see us get back in the van and leave. A little while later a nice family found Chocolate Chip and decided to invite him in the restaurant to eat chips and salsa. After he had had his fill of chips and salsa, he decided that he would check out the kitchen and hang out with the cooks. The kitchen was so busy and full of life that Chocolate Chip felt in the way. That is when he decided to take a nap on a shelf near the front door and wait for us to come and pick him up.
Meanwhile...Hunter did not realize that Chocolate Chip had hopped out of the car. After a few hours he began to look for his BFF. When he could not find him, he asked me, his mama, to help find him. We looked high and low. After about 15 minutes of looking, I realized what might have happened. I immediately jumped in the car and traced our steps back to the Mexican Restaurant. While driving, my heart was sitting in my stomach. Chocolate Chip has been so attached to Hunter this year and it would be a tragedy if he was not found. I pulled into the Mexican Restaurant and looked around in the puddles, no Chocolate Chip. Walked into the the restaurant and asked the manager. The manager was not aware of a missing dog, but asked a waiter just in case. The waiter pointed to Chocolate Chip sitting on the shelf snoozing away. I immediately took ahold of Chocolate Chip and told him that he needed to take adventures with Hunter, not without him. After the warm reunion of Chocolate Chip and Hunter, we decided to give Chocolate Chip a bath. While Chocolate Chip was getting a deep cleaning, Hunter had to go to bed. I promised him that Chocolate Chip would join him as soon as he was nice, clean, and dry. Sure enough the next morning Hunter awoke with Chocolate Chip by his side.

Monday, May 17, 2010

Welcome Evan Ryan McNatt!

Evan Ryan McNatt
May 13, 2010
9:45 pm
6 pounds 2 ounces
19 inches long
The happy McNatt family.
Hunter looking on in curiosity and excitement.

This past Thursday my sister Sara called and announced, "It was time." We, Hunter and I, immediately started packing to head to Nashville. We arrived in time to spend some time with Colin, the new big brother. Hunter and I stayed with Colin while Nannie and Papa went to the hospital to wait for the arrival of Evan. After a good 8 hours of labor, Evan was born. Sara and Evan came home Saturday afternoon. They are doing well and enjoying being home. Colin has done remarkably well. Holding Evan has made "Baby Sister" a little more concrete for both Hunter and I. Hunter continually asks if "Baby Sister is popping out next." Only 14 more weeks left and Baby Sister will be here.