The Luck O' the Irish to You!

Little Leprechaun footprints...expertly avoided the trap...




Twenty pairs of little feet doing the Irish jig...we just had to clap...





A St. Pat's story, yummy snacks and crafts, too...






I can't think of a "Luckier" way to spend the morning...can you?

Congratulations, Mom!

My most amazing Mom, who is the kindest, most generous, thoughtful and selfless person that I know deserves a huge, "Congratulations!" After many years of hard work, she is officially retired! We are so excited for her, as she begins a new phase of her life that will be a little more relaxing (not totally relaxing, mind you, as our kiddos will surely keep her on her toes !). The picture above is Mom clocking out for the last time! Here are some more photos of the big event...

We surprised her as she got off of work (at 1 AM)!


We headed straight to a very happenin' Marietta Diner for a late night (early morning) celebration treat...


For a proper celebration, with the whole family, we enjoyed a wonderful brunch at the Old Mill in downtown Acworth on Sunday...


Congratulations, Mom! We love you and are so proud of you!!!

Snowmen at Night

After we warmed up from our romp at the lake, and several more inches of snow fell at our house, we were back out playing in the white, powdery stuff. Margo Anne is our snow-family builder and Clay is most definitely our snowball fighter...I only had about 200 snowballs thrown at me! Unfortunately, he has pretty good aim!

The beginnings of our biggest snowman...



Clay's snow castle...



This snowball didn't quite reach me when thrown!



Clay's snow angel...he was too quick for me to snap a picture of him actually making it!

Snow for Valentine's Day!

Well, it has certainly been awhile since we have made any posts. Our incredibly busy lives just got a bit crazier now that I have gone back to school. Luckily, all of my classes are online and I can relax in my jammies while I fill my brain with all sorts of good stuff about education! But, now for the main attraction...SNOW!!! Margo Anne and I got to leave our school an hour early and strangely enough, my online class was cancelled due to the snow...not what I expected, for sure! So, on the way home, Margo Anne, Clay and I stopped at the lake in our neighborhood with their little friend Alex...they got some good snow-time in...running, playing, snowball fights...until they could take the cold no more!

Happy Halloween!

Despite the cold, rainy weather, we got all dressed up and made it down the street and back for some trick-or-treating. Margo Anne came up with her costume idea all by herself...the Tooth Fairy! Clay was Optimus Prime, his favorite Transformer!


Clay helps light his jack-o-lantern...




Trick-or-Treating at our favorite neighbor's house...Mr. Tex and Miss. Holly. They had some yummy treats for us!





We ended up at our own house, with PaPa, giving out candy for us. Thanks, Pops!

Punkin' Patch and Fall Fun

We made it up to the pumpkin patch a little later this year than we had originally planned, due to all the rain and flooding and such. It was a little more crowded than we are used to, but it was still a great time. An added bonus, we discovered that Amacolola Falls is just five minutes down the street from the pumpkin patch! We had a FULL day...pumpkin patching, picnicing, hay riding, then a big hike up to the falls, and ended with a dip in the creek for the little ones! THIS is GOOD STUFF!






Decisions, decisions...


Found the perfect ones...


I was itchy all day after Clay decided that a hay fight was a good idea!


Clay, enjoying the hayride...


Here's our girl, taking a break and snacking on real kettle corn!


The choosing of the pumpkins...couldn't get this one into the wheelbarrel!




On the hike up to the falls...


We made it to the base of the falls...this was all we could handle on this busy day!


Whew, that water was COLD!




What a fun, refreshing day! We'll take a day in the mountains anytime!

Flood 2009

Well, it has been quite an unusual (putting it lightly) week for us here in Georgia! It has been raining and raining, and flooding and receding, and now more rain! We are very thankful that everyone is safe; however, please keep Dave's parents in your prayers, as their home was flooded...almost up to the second floor...they lost everything on the lower floor of their home to the flood waters. Thanks to everyone in our family who jumped right in and showered them with support, they are now settling into a rental home. A special thank-you to Carolyn's dad, who found a rental home and worked his magic for a move-in, in less than a week! Thanks, also to my home-away-from-home family at school...they have been so gracious and have kept a non-stop supply of the most AMAZING meals in the Griffin home! Another thank you to our many incredible friends who have kept us in their thoughts and prayers, sent gift cards and clothing for Dave's parents and provided so much moral support. This has allowed us to focus our attention on Dave's parents and their immediate needs. Here are some pictures of what a bunch of rain does to our drought-stricken land here in Georgia! The picture above is of the front of Dave's folks home early Tuesday morning...the water level was starting to go down...you can see the line above the front door where it reached its height.




Here is an aerial view of the neighborhood, courtsey of the AJC, it shows Dave's parents' home (the ninth home from the bottom of the picture, on the right...bluish colored siding). You can also see Dave in his canoe on the top, left, as he was going out to the house on Tuesday morning.



Here is their car...it had been totally submerged in the water.



This is a picture taken from Dave's canoe, early on Tuesday morning, as he was going to the house to try to salvage some things from the second floor.