Our Trip to the ZOO!

Saturday we decided to take a family trip to the Jacksonville Zoo. Both the girls love the Jacksonville Zoo and with our season pass ole dad bought us it is one of top picks for things to do....We had a wonderful day and the weather could not have been any better. We stopped at a good friends of Jamie's that opened a "Jersey Mikes Sub Shop" for lunch which was delicious and kept us full until we made it to Lake City on our way home that night...well I did stop at the drive thru Duncan Donuts on the way home but hey I was driving!

The stingrays exhibit is one of the girls first stops!

Caroline and Daddy trying to touch a stingray!

(Caroline gets scared and snatches her hand out the moment they come close!)

Lauren is quite the pro, she circles the pool and touches as many as she can!

My two sweet girls....well most of the time! ha!

I just love a family picture....the rest of my family doesn't but hey I make them take at least one!

This is my favorite picture of the day!!!

I am very blessed to have my two girls and my husband!

I don't know what I would do without them making me smile :)

We cracked up at this buzzard....Jamie and I could not get over at the next couple of pictures....not sure what he was doing but we laughed and then laughed some more!

?????????

You see something new every time you go to the zoo! We are proof!!!

He then did that for a few seconds and then got back up???? Crazy right?

I got to try out my new lens this time to the zoo!

Thank you honey, I am in love!

I stole a picture of them talking and checking out the animals

Jamie says "this is one more weird looking animal"

Photographer in training! I hope she loves to take pictures just like me!

Jamie says "the ugliest animal in the world...poor thing"

On our way to the butterfly hollow!

Butterfly Hollow was beautimous!

We took so many pictures and had so much fun.

They did a really good job with the exhibit.

Jamie just sat and waited while we enjoyed our selves

Miss Priss Pot!

Sweet ole sisters

I was pushing my luck on this last picture.....I got a..... "MOM"!!!

The landscaping was gorgeous at the zoo.

I think we found a future tree for our yard!!!

Lauren checking out the coy fish

And this is all Caroline wanted to do....push the stroller.....she still rides however thinks she should be able to push it around the park when we decides she wants to walk.....smh

How stinking cute are they??

Love the penguins!!!

"THE END" of our family trip to the zoo! We loved every minute of our time spent together and enjoyed all the animals we got to see

Our Day off!

We had off Monday and this is how we spent our day!

Jamie played the Wii! A little bit of boxing, golf and of course baseball.

See, the batteries had gone dead in the wii remotes and we (I) kept forgetting to pick some up.

Jamie got so into knocking out the opponents he could barley move the next day or get out of the bed Tuesday morning. I am trying not to laugh as I type this. (Ha!)

I woke up (about 9ish) and starting cooking chili and stew beef. See I was trying to get a head start on supper for Tuesday night.How nice would it be if I got home from AR to supper completed? My thoughts exactly! Oh and laundry done and the house clean? Lauren went to the cow market with her Papa William this morning about 10:30 and would be home about 5:00.

As I was cooking and cleaning up the kitchen I went to check on Caroline in her room and this is what I found....

She was cooking and feeding her new baby "Abby" she got from Nana and Papa for Christmas

I stood there listening to her talk to Abby and get her food ready.

So sweet to hear her change he little voice and take baby to Abby.

This kitchen set was Lauren's when she turned 5! How sweet to get to see Caroline playing with something Lauren use to love! I can remember sitting in Lauren's room and she would cook me food and serve me while pretending she was out of everything I ordered. (tears) my baby girl turned 11 this year and I can't believe she is not 5 anymore.

We had a great day off and it was nice to be home and spending time with my family!

Lauren got home from the cow market and we got baths and finished making Valentine's for her class. I will post pictures of that soon!

Hello 2012!!!

Hello 2012!

We welcomed the New Year in at some friends of ours home.

It was pretty low-key...a fire, some oysters, buffalo chicken dip, chocolate chips cookies and lots of laughs. We actually make it home before the ball dropped but we won't tell the girls! Ha!

I wanted something to show it was 2012, so I googled 2012 printables, printed and threw it in my bag.

Jamie and Lauren wasn't so excited to hold my goofy sign! lol

My sweet baby girls! I had fun with you tonight and I am so blessed to have you in my life!

I pray for a healthy and safe 2012 with lots of memories

I love you and I am so proud of you!

Christmas Eve!

Christmas Eve we got to eat lunch with my adoptive family!

So excited that Christmas Eve fell on a Saturday and everyone could come to lunch at Gaga's and Big Daddy's! We had lots of laughs and lots of yummy food! After lunch the kids rode the mule and played outside while the adults caught up while cleaning up (some took naps on the couch) After we got cleaned up we got ready to make our gingerbread house before heading home to get ready for Christmas Eve at Nana and Papa's

Franne, Bryn, Trip, Sheree, Major, Howell, Deen

Caroline, Mariah, Landen, Lauren and Matthew

Gaga and Big Daddy with the Grand's

Deen, Gaga, Major, Big Daddy

Lena, Matthew

Mariah and Caroline

making our annual gingerbread house!

Every Christmas Eve the girls and I make a Gingerbread house!

This year we took it and make it a Gaga's and Big Daddy's house

Mariah joined us in the fun!

I use to put it together with the icing but after a couple of years of our house falling to the ground and seeing so sad little girls I started glueing it together with HOT GLUE!

Yes it isn't safe to eat but all they really want to enjoy is the candy! Right?

We had so much fun and I love doing it as a tradition!

They ate more candy than they put on the house! I had to monitor closely! Lol

Lauren Anne with our masterpiece

Matthew, Big Daddy, Lauren, Caroline, Gaga and Mariah

We had so much fun making memories and keeping traditions

Hey Ya"ll!

The Martin family decided to take Grandma on a weekend trip to Savannah and Charleston before Christmas. We all took off from work that Friday so we would have 3 whole days to drag off and get away! We left as soon as Jerry got off from work and headed to Savannah! We didn't make it far before we had to stop and eat before we had to make the long drive after working all day! Ha! Akins in Bell! We ate and loaded back up to arrive in Savannah around midnight!

Friday morning we got up early! (Grandma likes to get up at out of the room early)

We all loaded up and ate a quick breakfast at Cracker Barrell before driving into Savannah to spend our day walking around the parks and shopping! Oh and don't let me forget our early supper at "The Lady and Sons"

Uncle Jerry giving Caroline a ride to the SCAD Store

It was quite the long walk, but a beautiful one!

Jamie and Jerry set out to find it while we sat at Starbucks enjoying a nice cup of coffee! They got lost several times but finally found their way through the help of the iphone gps.

My sweet husband and his sweet momma!

I love how close they are and how funny Jamie is with his momma! (Poor Nana...he aggravates her all the time....but I don't think she would take anything for it!)

Okay so....here come the Hey Ya'll part.....We pull up to drop off Grandma at "The Lady and Sons" and the line is wrapped around the building! So we go in the restaurant and low and behold guess who is there signing her new cookbook???? Paula and Bobby and Jamie!!!!! Talk about excited I was soooo excited I could hardly enjoy my meal. After eating I got a yellow wrist band and bought her new cookbook and stood in line for 2 1/2 hours to get to meet her and have her sign some things. It was a neat experience and I was so glad Aunt JoAnn and Mrs. Virginia stood in line with me to meet her. They were so nice and friendly!

Notice the background of were we were standing in line? The blinds were falling down...we were in an alley that was by run down buildings but....who cared we were going to meet Paula Deen so it was worth the wait and scenery for that matter!

My awesome husband saw how excited I was and bought me a cookbook to have signed by her!

Thank you Honey!

While waiting in line the rest of the Martin's sat on this bench waiting...patiently on us.

Grandma couldn't get over why we would wait in line to meet Paula Deen? "I just watched her on TV last week she said?" She even said to Jamie..."Tell Franne lets go...I will sign her cookbook!" lol

I LOVE this picture of Nana and her boys!!!!!

My family that God blessed me with!

They really get sick of my camera I drag with me everywhere but despite that they still love me!

The Martin Family!

This was the picture without Uncle Joe

He had to circle the park to loose the cop so he could illegally park the car in the road to RUN get in the family picture! Way to go... Uncle Joe!

Can you tell I loved this picture? I uploaded it twice??

Franne, Nana and Jamie

Paula was so kind and sweet! Even after all the fans she meet and signed books she still gave us that beautiful smile and greeted us with her Southern Hospitality.

She really is a beautiful Lady!!

Umm.... yes I love this picture!

The boys were super nice and very real to talk with!

After all that! I get outside to regret not getting a picture with Nana and all of us girls! So I go back through the exit way to ask Bobby if we can get one more picture! (The sign clearly stated NO personal cameras but I asked Bobby and he said sure and handed it to his professional photographer and here it is...a picture with Nana in it! (She like to have died with Aunt JoAnn and I dragging her through the wrong way but look...what a great picture and memory!

Thank you Paula, Jamie and Bobby Deen for making our day to Savannah a trip we will never forget!