Mother's Day 2009

I woke up early this morning and this is what I saw....toys in my yard, bikes and bats in the driveway. Now ordinarily I would be quick to pick them up or have the children (grandchildren) pick them up. We have a playyard and that is what it is for....all the toys. I like the rest of my yard nice and neat, but this morning was different, this morning was Mother's day. I looked out the window, saw all the toys lying around and smiled. I think this was one of the happiest moments of my life. Not only do I have precious children, the youngest will be 6 on Thursday, but I have 6 precious grandchildren and 3 of them were here Friday and Saturday to help make this little mess with my almost 6 year old son. When they get together, we all have fun! We play, they play, it is never ending, until we all pass out. This is what Mother's Day is all about, without all these precious little children, there wouldn't be toys lying in the yard or messes to clean up.....something you will definitely miss when you are older. You think you won't, but you will. Take it from someone who has been there, who knows, and who had the nerve to do it all over again! I wouldn't change a thing! I am so blessed to be able to do it again! My oldest son will be married this July, my youngest son is finishing kindergarten! My daughter has four children....twins to start and she didn't stop...two boys after that. My step daughter has a son and a daughter, named after my husband's parents (how sweet is that!). My husband loves me, loves me, loves me (his words, not mine). Our family keeps growing. I think I am the happiest and most blessed Mother in the world!

TBall 2009

Tball 2009 - Larkin is playing at the YMCA in Athens and Brandon is playing in Meigs County...so our time is torn and some of their games overlap....it is quite an exciting season and the boys are really enjoying it. Here are a few pictures.

Larkin on playing 1st base. He has quite an arm!


On 3rd base, heading to home plate!

Running to home plate.

Swing batter, batter.....run, Brandon, run....

2nd Base..... 3rd base...........

Uncle and the Princess

and the Tater Tot....

Blue Belt

Larkin earned his blue belt. He has tested every time and passed to the next level each and every time he has tested. With T-Ball approaching, we will have to take a summer break from TaekWonDo and continue when school starts again next year. He does such an awesome job! Here he is testing for his blue belt...

My Little Sparring Man........ He won a Medal for competition in Gatlinburg this past Winter in Sparring Competition!

Easter 2009

Hunting Easter Eggs


Finding Easter Eggs


Posing in trees...pretty as a pictures...


Climbing trees


having fun...just a swingin'


Family pictures


Sweet, silly grins



More Family pictures



Group pictures with Grandmama and Granddaddy

Larkin and Caley Bug

JOJO

Fishing 2009

The boys fishing at the park....I think John is the only one who caught anything, of course they grew tired after just a little while and home we went. We sure enjoyed Clara going with us!

Mr. Sr. Green Belt.....

Larkin earned his Sr. Green belt in TaekWonDo on February 4th! Way to go Larkin! He hasn't missed a testing yet....he almost missed this one as we were away on the skiing trip with the church, but he was allowed a late testing after we returned (at our expense of course) and he did it! This is his 4th belt in a row! When he gets his blue belt we will have to change classes and practices days and times which may actually work a little better for us. When Larkin returned for his 1st class after receiving his Sr. Green belt, he was leading the class and teaching the children that were not Sr. green's yet..... Larkin loves his TaekWonDo classes....Mom just wishes she had time to go.....if I could go to the same class that Larkin goes to, I could do it!

Almost Heaven, West Virginia

So, Jeff, Larkin, and I went on a weekend retreat with EBC to West Virginia. We had a great time! Just look at this picture....it was Almost Heaven. The weather was perfect and the trip was very peaceful and lots of fun! This is one of my favorite pictures.....Awesome!Mommy and Larkin making Snow Angels....this was fun and so much easier than skiing!

Dad and Larkin sliding down the slopes on snow tubes...now this was totally awesome and really, really fast. Larkin says "you have to put your feet down near the end as you start back up the hill or you Will hit the fence! I'm serious. I mean it!"

My liitle man about to hit the slopes! Can you say "no fear!"

And he is off.....

Indi or was it Junior(?) at the Lost Sea

INDIana Jones one minute, Jr. the next.....goodness how I love this little man! Larkin, Henry, and Harrison's back at the Lost Sea Sunday, January 12,2009

Christmas in Georgia

We were in Georgia for Christmas this year and had a blast! Granddaddy and Grandmama were so happy to get to see Larkin's Santa Claus presents on Christmas morning....a treat that they don't always get to see. We had our usual family Christmas Eve at Granddaddy and Grandmama's and then Santa came to see Larkin at Granddaddy and Grandmama's house. Santa even left Larkin a gift in Tennessee at our house even though we were not at home. It was a basketball goal so it probably just fell out of his sleigh over Tennessee...it was so big and heavy! Larkin was so ecstatic and so happy to get what he asked for from Santa for Christmas....a Batman BatCave....that is it....Santa brought him a few more things, but that is all he asked for....a Batman Batcave.

Hoot finds a home in Kobbly Knob

Hoot is the beginning of our farm family. I have been wanting cows, horses (fun but too much expense and time), chickens (yes, I said chickens), and a garden for quite some time now....you know getting back to the "good old days" (even though my Granny said there wasn't anything good about them!). The way our country is going now I think this is a very good idea and I feel more and more convicted of this daily. So, last year for Christmas Jeff got me Pecan Trees and this year he got me a cow...a Holstein...Hoot...Larkin named him...a "good Casteel family name" after Papaw Hoot and him (I called Larkin "Little Hoot" because he looked so much like JM when he was born!). I wanted to name him Hamburger but Larkin wouldn't let me, but for a short while we got away with calling him Hoot Veal Casteel.....Larkin caught on and shortened his name back to a good family name just plain old Hoot Casteel. I need to take a good picture of Hoot, he is quite the cutie and will eat right out of your hand, of course when you run out of food, he will start licking your pants!

Christmas at the Casteel's

We had Christmas dinner at home last night and had such a good time! Lora, Chris, Olivia, and Jordan were here as well and Brandy and family and Seth and Katie.... Fifteen family members all at the same dinner table! Larkin was so excited to have his cousins and his niece and nephews with him for the weekend! Larkin and I also picked out Aunt Sissy's birthday present and gave it to her last night (not sure if we will see her again before her birthday....Larkin did a great job...Aunt Sissy really liked here new flat wallet....at first he wanted to get one with an S on it, but settled with one with the letter L on it for Lora!) Definitely a Christmas to remember.....one where a Mother has all her children together in the same room!

Here are a few pictures:

Our newest addition Baby DON THAN with the tradtional Christmas bow on his head!