Peyton Field and Swimming

See Grant... Audrey really wants to be a TIGER!!

Audrey, Madison, and Ella swimming in a freezing swimming pool

All of us at Emily's

Audrey just watching them being crazy!

Hey.. let's use Emily as a trampoline!!!

Audrey trying to get away from me.. see Grant she has the LSU cap on AGAIN!!!! I told you she wants to be a TIGER!

Columbia Wildcats..

Austin and Jay.. making their plans!

Enough of this.. I am too hot...!

Two bits, 4 bits, hey, 6 bits a dollar..all for the wildcats, stand up and HOLLER!!!

Austin in front of the statue

Jay, Austin, Ella, and Madison, with the Walter Peyton statue...

Okay.. so we go to Columbia all the time.. but for some reason have never visited the Columbia High Football Field, so to speak! After leaving the park on Saturday we crossed the street to Peyton Field and Austin got to play on the same field as Walter Peyton. They now have a statue at the end of the field in his honor. Jay and Austin spent a little time playing.. I think Jay did more running at 12 o'clock in the heat of the day than he really wanted to, but he was a great sport about it. Austin ran 60, 70 yards for touchdowns.. and was so excited! He also got to go in the locker room to see where the Wildcats put their helmets, etc.... cool..cool! Meanwhile, Emily and Audrey had made their way back to the car to get the drinks, and Ella and Madison spent their time cheering for the Wildcats!!! (What do you want? T D, What's that? Touch Down!) They had a fun time.. and all in Columbia!!

After we all had more heat than we could stand.. we went back to Emily's for a while. .. They had fun playing "pile on" Emily. And, then, when we got back to the house, they all decided they needed a swim.. well, all except Austin who was waiting on going to the USM football game. Ella, Madison, and Audrey all wanted a quick dip in the pool... they almost skinny dipped... panties, and birthday suits...it was freezing.. but it didn't bother them one bit! Rob and Austin later went to the USM game. Austin was in heaven.. not that he is a huge fan of USM, and don't worry, LSU was being tivo'd..(but we know what happened to LSU). He got to go on the Eagle field and form a rally line, which the players came back through after half-time. He and Reagan, his cousin, had a blast.... Okay..so that is our weekend. It was a fun, eventful weekend.

Day in Columbia at the Park

Austin patiently waiting for girls to get tired of playing.

Ella and Madison..getting a little hot!!

Audrey... "Hey look at me!"

We are ready for our lunch now.. thanks Emily!

"hm!...let me see.. I have one, two, three... fingers!"

As I mentioned earlier, Amber had a trip to Boston and was there over this past weekend. Their trip was a huge success and you can see updates to that on her blog at http://www.pittmanposts.blogspot.com/ or www.mastokids.org/blog. So as expected, this weekend, Grant had come to Columbia and Madison and Audrey were there to play with Ella and Austin. Rob and Grant had work to do in the woods on Saturday, so Emily (younger sis) and her husband, Jay, and I decided to go the park for a picnic lunch and a little playtime with the kids.

Ella's class trip to the Cotton Field and Park

Ella at the park

Ella with her cotton pickin bag.. she was stuffing it in!

Ella at the cotton field

Ella's class took a field trip to the cotton fields and to the park on Friday. We were so excited about going. I had planned to meet them there and spend the day with them. Of course, our plans can not ever be without a glitch. Austin woke up Friday morning with fever and complaining of a sore throat. I told Ella that he would have to stay home from school, and that I was going to have to stay with him.. which of course, threw her into a fall out fit on the floor of the kitchen. After a few fits of my own, and what to do, what to do moments.. I called Rob and we worked it out that he could come home from work and sit with Austin while I haul tailed it to Pelahatchie for a time and spend it with Ella. It worked out well. I wasn't able to stay with her the whole day..but was there just enough to make it count! She was pleased, so that is all that mattered. They did have a fun time. It was muddy because it had rained the day or two before. But, the kids didn't seem to mind. When I got there I had to locate her class in the cotton fields. Luckily, Ella was wearing a pink bow in her hair..so I could spot her a little more easily. All the kids were scattered throughout the field eagerly picking cotton. The teacher read a book to them..I Wish I was a Buzzard..at the end, which described what it was like to really pick cotton.

They all seemed to have a great time!

Amber's trip to Boston!

As some of you know, my sister, Amber, has a 2 year old daughter, Audrey, who was diagnosed with Mastocytosis, a very rare skin disorder, when she was 4 months old. Because the disorder is so rare, information is very limited and alot of doctors have not even seen any cases of it. Amber and a group of 3 other ladies are traveling to Boston for a conference to hopefully, bring awareness and offer more information about this disorder. Mastokids.org, the organization that she is apart of, was really a great help and source of information when Audrey was first diagnosed. The information about this condition is so limited, so really just speaking with other family members was a great source of comfort and relief. Amber serves on a board with mastokids.org, and their mission this weekend is to provide doctors and the medical community with resources that they themselves can use and also give to families to be of a help to them in the initial diagnosis. Amber is in the air right now as I type this.. and of course, had a hard time leaving Audrey and Madison and Grant. She will return on Monday. I am praying for her as she is gone that they all will have traveling safety, and that the weekend will bring them the outcome that they hope to achieve. As for Madison, Audrey, and Grant, they will, (I think) be going to Columbia for the weekend.. and me, Rob, Austin, and Ella, will be going to offer our help.
Austin and Ella can't wait to see Madison and Audrey. Please keep them all in your prayers over this weekend. Thanks.

Happy Birthday Pop Pop (October 7)

The Bourne siblings.. Damea, Jack, Blythe, Rob (sorry Rob, you should have opened your eyes)

All 8 of the grandchildren last year at Thanksgiving...so worth the work to get this picture!!

Pop Pop and Tee-Tah with all their grandchildren....

birthday greetings from Austin

Ella's birthday picture for you... if you can't tell it says.. "happy birthday pop pop love, ella"

The order in which it is written is just not quite right!

We hope you have a wonderful birthday. Have a great day celebrating and having fun!!

Love, All