We took a mini vacation today and went to Decatur, Alabama and went to the Bird Wildlife Refuge and it was the BEST weather today, perfect for an outing with the kids, Heather decided to stay home because she was too sleepy.  She can enjoy the pictures we took.

 They had a room with binoculars where you could watch the birds closely in the bird feeder.

 Telescopes to see the birds on the water.  We saw a lot of Canadian Geese on the water.

 Cypress Trees in a swamp area.

 A Red Hawk that was injured, so the Wildlife Refuge is taking care of him. 

I loved the nature trails and the sounds of the birds chirping loudly and the smell of honeysuckle.

Trey's sixth grade graduation from West Elementary School.

Pictures from Lauren's graduation and my birthday celebration!  Thanks to my brother Dion for the Cracker Barrel gift card!

http://daniellemiddleton.mydealscenter.com/ This is a webpage that shows internet deals and will change from time to time as companies want to share their information.  Please check once in a while to see if there is anything you would like to browse.

Another busy day at the dental office.  Tomorrow is my day off so I can get some housecleaning done.  The laundry is stacked pretty high.  It's hard to get my kids to help me during the day! School is out for Lauren and Heather and Trey will be out of school next Friday.  The weather is getting cloudy outside.  Tornadoes hit Texas recently so the storms are probably on their way to Alabama. Lauren graduates from High School this Saturday at 2:00 p.m. I want to take some senior pictures soon and then I will post them.  She has some cards but they will be mailed late.

I had the most amazing lunch today.  I usually go to the park to eat my lunch at a picnic table by a big pond across the street from where I work.  The ducks always gather around for food.   It's cute to see the baby ducks with the mom but today was extra special for me because a Blue Herron was staying with me today while I threw bread crumbs into the pond, he was so close to me and waded in the water to spear a couple fish.  He was fishing and caught two fish while I watched him.  I was just sad because I didn't have my camera and video camera with me. I want to keep them with me from now on because something like this could happen again.  Blue Herron's are usually very shy and don't come close to people, but today I was amazed at how close he came to me and stayed for ten minutes or so.  Thankful for God's beautiful creations and to enjoy them.  I love this beautiful bird and I'm thankful to be able to watch one so closely today!!!  A picture of a Blue Herron from internet, looks just like the one I saw in person today! :)

 Family gardening project for Family Home Evening.  Hopefully we will get some good vegetables this year from our garden.

 The rotatiller that has helped us over the years.

The chickens enjoyed the sunshine while we worked in the garden, we have to stay close by because of the cat nearby.

happy mother's day!! mom -trey

Happy Mother's Day!!! I love my mom so much, she is a very good example to me and has helped me through the years.  I'm thankful for her encouragement and love.  I'm also thankful to be a parent of three beautiful children.  At times it becomes very stressful.  My children didn't come with instructions but I'm learning so much! I'm thankful to be a mom.  Lauren is graduating from High School this year, Heather is going to be a Sophmore in High School next year and Trey will be in Middle School and has the priesthood now.  They are growing up so fast, time really goes by quickly sometimes. Actually a friend told me that our kids do come with instructions and they are Family Prayer, Family Scripture Study and Family Home Evening!  "I the Lord am Bound when you do what I say, but when you do not what I say, ye have No Promise!"

Heather's race.

 Chicken's are getting bigger I found some survivors hiding in the garage.

 Homemade chicken coop until Jeff builds a better one soon hopefully!

 Our house not finished yet!

 The back of our house!

 Trees that I planted: A pecan tree that is giving us pecans in the fall, I love it!

 My beautiful Japanese maple tree!

 I planted tons of cedar and pine trees on our land and they are growing big!

 Our dog, Timmy.  He was the runt of all the puppies.

 Our neighbor dog that comes to play with Timmy and likes it at our house.

 Trey at the kitchen table.

 Old Nissan Sentra that I drive to work. I like that it cost us only $750.00 paid for and the gas is cheap.

Tall pine trees.

Today is Military Spouse awareness day.  I'm thankful for the United States of America and for all the sacrifices made in the military!  My mom was a military spouse and was very brave and courageous as well as my dad.  I have a husband in the military now and I know what it is like to be away from your husband for a year and have full responsibility for the kids and the house.  I love  America and I'm thankful for all the Veterans that have served over the years.  The military has also helped us out financially over the years and I'm thankful that Jeff is a part of it.  He has been in the National Guard for several years since we have married.  My daughter joined the Jr. Rotc and learned some about service to this country.  This weekend is also Father and Son Campout at Camp Hulaco and Jeff and Trey will be going tonight.  Heather will spend the night at a friends house Laura Dube.  This is Mother's Day weekend and I'm so very thankful for my mom.  My mom is a wonderful example to me and has such faith and devotion to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and has set such a wonderful example over the years!! I live far away from her since I married 18 years ago and it has been a big trial to live so far away. I love my mom for so many things and I want to thank her this Mother's Day!

It's a beautiful sunny day today and I got out of work early and tomorrows my day off work.  There is so much housework to be done though.  We still have our chickens.  I thought our dog ate them all but a lot of them were hiding in the garage and came out later on.  Out of  20 chickens we have about 10 now.  Jeff is working for FEMA a temporary position until July sometime and then after that he has some National Guard jobs that will keep him busy and schools for a couple of months.  I am busy at the dental office doing all sorts of work and helping the dentist Pete Dube. I enjoy my job but my back gets really sore and one of my arms that I use a lot. Lauren will be graduating from High School this year, tomorrow is her last day of seminary.  Heather got some cool awards and a plaque from Good Hope High School recently.