What we been up to...

I tried to narrow the pics down from the past week but this is a warning.... "LOTS of pics!!"

I wouldn't normally post a pic like this of my baby but since she had a good laugh about it too, I think its ok. Anna had 4 teeth pulled last week so she was home from school Thursday and Friday. She was such a GREAT patient.... but unfortunately this is how she looked most of the day Thursday.

Luckily, Saturday she was much better so we could go on our trip to Louisiana... Although Cayson woke up with a cough, we loaded up (with the breathing machine and cough medicine) and headed out. Our crew consist of me, Casey, Anna, Cayson, The Sullins (Lacy, Bryce, Cruz, Jax), The Robinsons (Lauren, Clark, Brooke, and Tyler)!!

 

We started off at the Global Wildlife Center (that we will definitely go back to) then us and the Robinson's ended up in New Orleans for a parade (that was not family friendly)!! The website said "great for the whole family" but what it really meant was everybody over the age of 21... thankfully, our kids weren't really old enough to realize what they were looking at. We were in New Orleans at night so you can only imagine!! All together, we had a GREAT trip!!

 Baby Tyler was definitely ready!!

 Anna and Brooke

 

 Sally the camel

 The boys!

 not sure why Cayson looks so unhappy in this pic....

 the kids table at "The Gumbo Pot" in New Orleans... GREAT food!!

 Parade

After we got home Saturday night, Cayson had a fever of 102 and kept it till Sunday morning. We went straight to the doc Sunday and of course... flu positive!! We had done so well keeping it out of our house until now! It has ran in and locked the doors... Cayson - Sunday, Me - Wednesday, Anna - Thursday, Cayson relapse - Thursday.... Its finally making its way out of our house. Casey has been the only lucky one (knock on wood)!
We are hoping to get out of the house tomorrow to go see Scooby Doo at Ghatti Town in Hattiesburg and then a mardis gras parade in Waveland on Sunday... We will see how everyone feels in the morning.
Have a great weekend, be back soon!!

Weekend Fun!!

This weekend was a little lazy and a little fun all wrapped in 2 days. Friday and Saturday we laid around the house thankful the weather was beautiful and we had nothing to do... Saturday night we went to a great event with Lauren and Clark. The Oncologic Clinic in Laurel had their annual Relay for Life fundraiser "Krewe of Docs". This is such a fun event that benefits a great cause that I have become to LOVE!!! The American Cancer Society has gathered alot of my time over the past couple of years and I have to say that being a member of the Jones County Relay for Life Committee is such an honor. I could go on and on about how wonderful the ACS is but here a few pics from the event Saturday night.

 Lauren and Clark

 My great friend Paige (aka my ACS staff person)

 Paige and our friend Freddie

 My hubby who was so nice to go with me

The girls

Today was a very busy day.... Church, cleaning house, baking cookies, supper at moms, decorating cookies, making pigs in a blanket for work tomorrow!!

This year, thanks to my husband, I was given the idea to make Anna and Cayson's Valentine treats for school instead of spending a fortune at Wal-Mart. So, ME and ME baked 42 heart-shaped cookies and when Anna got home from her moms house, she helped me decorate all of them (with a little help from Cayson). It was alot of work but once the rolling and cutting of the cookie dough was done, it really was worth it...

 Before Church today... Yes, I need to find a tanning bed FAST!!

 Sift the flour, roll the dough!!

 Our pink icing

and of course sprinkles!!

Yes, then I had to tie them up in cute little bags!!



It was all in fun, and the kids were tickled (which is all that counts). Hope everyone has a Happy Valentine's Day tomorrow and a great work/ school week!! Be back soon!!

Super Bowl & Birthdays

For the first time since me and Casey have been married, we actually got to watch the super bowl in our own home... Not that I care anything about it or who won but I love any reason to have a "get to together". Our great friends, Lauren and Clark Robinson and Jennifer and Jason Parnell came over to eat, chat, and listen to the game in the background.... My hubby is such a wonderful cook (unlike me) so we had some GREAT food!!!! On the menu was Casey's homemade seafood gumbo (AMAZING), chips and salsa, pigs n a blanket, white chocalate trash (thanks MIL), and a pepperoni and cheese platter (again thanks MIL). It was all wonderful and I think I gained the 5 lbs that I was so excited about losing... Oh well, its all in fun.... right??

 Jennifer and Jason's baby, Zach

took Tyler's bumbo seat and Brooke's cell phone!!

 no nap all day...

 Even Casey had a blast!!! lol!!

 love them eyes!!

My sweet Tyler... Lauren and Clarke's little boy.... Hate I didn't get a pic of their little girl Brooke.

This week has been nothing but a blur.... Monday - Aerobics, Tuesday - house cleaning, Wednesday - church, Thursday - MIL's birthday party at Charlie's

Here are a few pics from my mother-in-law, Charlotte's, birthday party.

 This added to the 5 lbs I gained on Super Bowl Sunday!!

Charlotte and her sister, Rhonda

Its gonna be a quite and lazy weekend around the Pickering house so have a wonderful weekend!!

Me and Casey are going to the annual Krewe of Doc party at the Train Depot on Saturday night. This is a great funraiser the Oncologic Clinic does for the Relay for Life!! I should be back with pictures later this weekend!!!

Lazy Weekend!!

Lazy weekends do not happen around our house very often.... but when they do we take complete advantage of it!! Friday night we had a "pallet party" in the living room... We try to do this at least once a month but with all the holidays its been several months since we have had the time. We bring our king size mattress to our living room floor and watch movies all night. Although Cayson ran fever all night long for no apparent reason, the kids still had a blast!!

The castle I had to help build when I got home!!

After a trip to the doctor's office Saturday morning to make sure Cayson did not have the flu, we were able to go to our friends Lauren & Clark Robinson's house for supper. They have 2 baby calves that we took the kids to bottle feed.

Thankfully Cayson did not have flu and has stopped running fever so we have ended our weekend with a lazy Sunday at home.

Hope everyone has a great week!!

Muffins w/ Mom!!

This morning I had the GREAT pleasure of taking Anna to "Muffins with Mom" at her school. I absolutely love going and being a part of activities at her school. Being a Mommy & Stepmommy is the greatest gift God has ever given me (I guess I need to add being a wife too??) lol! :) Anna had so much fun sitting around eating muffins, talking with her girlfriends, and waiting on them to call her ticket number for a door prize (which they never did).... I tried to explain to her that her Mel Mel is very unlucky when it comes to winning prizes but she still looked at that ticket every time they called a number... :)

Lindsey, Anna, and Paige (Sorry for the terrible quality but my phone has become retarded!!)

I wasn't able to be there but about 30 min but its the LITTLE things in life that mean the most.... and that we sometimes take for granted!! Once it was time to go and I told her bye, she came running after me in the hallway not wanting me to leave... So even though I really needed to get to work, I walked her to her classroom, helped her put her backpack up, and then walked her to Star Reach class.... I know she is not always going to want a parent at school with her walking her to class and hugging and kissing her in front of her friends so I said the heck with work... I wasn't passing up that chance....I love my sweet ANNA!!!
Hope everyone has had a great week!!! Be back soon!!

2010 Farewell!!!

Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011!!! Hope everyone had a safe and happy new year!! We finished up our Christmas this past weekend with Casey's sister from Texas. We only get to see them about 2-3 times a year so our visits are alot of fun!!!

We attempted to make them wait until Saturday night to open presents but they had to open "just one" on Thursday.

Friday night we had supper with Casey's dad

 

Since the weather for New Years Eve was so yucky, we decided to stay indoors at Casey's mom and have a "slumber party". We went ahead and let the kids open presents, made them a pallet on the floor, and watched Twilight and New Moon till 3 a.m. Casey's mom and sister are a "little" obsessed with Edward...

Casey's sister, Patti, bought Charlotte luggage for their trip to Forks this summer!!!

We finally got to shoot our New Years fireworks on Saturday night once it finally quit raining.

 He doesn't love fireworks yet!!

 but she sure does!!!

 love this picture!!

 and we had to play Patti's new Twilight game... which Casey won!!

2010 was a great year for us and I know 2011 will be amazing!!! We have been so blessed with a wonderful family!!! I know 2011 will be filled with lots of pictures so I will be back soon!!!