Julianna's Entertainment

Julianna is awesome. She knows nothing other than being drug to soccer games, basketball games, volleyball matches, tennis matches, etc. You get the picture. She's so good natured about it all for the most part. Of course there are times that it's not her favorite thing to do, but overall, she handles things very well.

Volleyball was a bit more demanding time wise than soccer and let me just say the seating situation is much worse than soccer. Those benches are NOT comfortable. But fortunately, we all survived with an iPod Touch, coloring books, and a big bag of snacks! I took these pictures of Julianna at different times of the season - she's just so funny. Everyone loved her, too.

Playing at White House Heritage

At Cheatham County Middle School

Springfield Middle School



We went to the middle of nowhere to Cheatham County Middle school for a game. It was SO hot in the gyms - remember this is August in Middle Tennessee and most of these gyms have NO air conditioning. There was a big fan in the corner and she'd been begging me if she could go over there. I let her during a time out and if you have a minute, you should watch. She's so funny - she just goes into her own little world. What a blessing she is!

Rebecca's Volleyball Season

I previously posted a blog about Rebecca making the Middle School Volleyball Team (Click here for the blog on the Volleyball Play Day).

These are some pictures taken during the season. We were so glad she got this opportunity. She was by far the smallest and the youngest on the team, however, playing with these girls all season and learning under Coach Clark was excellent for her. By the end of the season, she had definitely improved and hopefully with a little growth and strength over the next year, she'll be a more valuable player as a 7th grader.


At the very first game of the season - Rebecca is number 20

Rebecca serving the ball. She is the only one on the team allowed to serve underhand. She continued to practice overhand and by the end of the season would occasionally get one over.

Getting a little action on the court

Subbing in for Rachel

Another chance to serve...

Ready....

I was able to go to the Pep Rally at the Middle School. We had an away match that afternoon so I came early to drive the girls and got to be there. The volleyball tam was announced first and it was really fun to hear Rebecca's name called out. We're very proud of her.

The girls went to an all day tournament (I was out of town with Christian at soccer and Matthew was with Julianna) and one of the girl's Moms took this picture of the team between games.

The Volleyball team sponsored the first dance of the year and they each had to make a poster. Rebecca and I worked very hard to make this and it turned out really good. Of course we had to take a picture of it!

I don't know if you can tell - I took this picture with my phone, but there was one game where the girls were not playing well and wouldn't really go for the ball. So when Coach called a time out, she made them all stay in this squatting position during the 60 second time out to help them remember to move to the ball!!!

Julianna's friends

Julianna has many special friends. A couple of them are boys whose brothers are also on Christian's soccer team, so they see a lot of each other in the spring and fall.

This is Zeke, Julianna & Cayman - this was taken at one of the soccer tournaments!

Zeke & Cayman play soccer and played against each other one Tuesday night so we went. We had so much fun cheering them both on. Julianna also saw a few girls from her school that she knew there that were on their teams and prior to then, soccer has only been a "game for boys" (much to her 2 aunt's dismay) but now that she's seen some of her girl friends playing, she's a little more open to it being a girl's sport!

Chloe took quite a tumble - wonder if it was Zeke that caused it!!

This is Chloe - she is one week older than Julianna. Her Mom was a Medical Assistant at my doctor's office and we were pregnant at the same time - she just got induced a week earlier than me! They also go to the same school.

Cayman is running with the ball - the boy in white who is coming from behind with his arms straight out - cracks me up!!!

Julianna hangs with the team a little during their breaks!! The girl she is talking to is a girl from her school, too

The two coaches - Parents on our soccer team! They are so funny together.

Julianna playing with them after the game

Growing Up....

In the Fall of 2004, the Edgar family was traveling around raising support to go to Nicaragua and stopped in Tennessee and stayed with us. So it was very important that we recreate the picture during this visit.

However, we had to get up really early for school and they had to head out early so it was quite the early morning picture if you can't tell. But it's just way too cute!!!

A Visit from Special Friends

In September, one of my best friends from college, Laura Coachman Edgar & her family came for a visit. They currently are missionaries in Nicaragua and are home for a few months. On their way from Florida to Ohio, they stopped and stayed with us. It was a very short visit, but we will take anything we can get. We were so excited about seeing them all.

Another girlfriend from college, Sheri Howell Jones, lives about an hour or so from me, so she came up that evening and hung with our families, too.

It was so much fun having them all here and we enjoyed every possible minute of our time together.

Sheri, Laura & Katie

By the time I returned from picking up Rebecca from volleyball, the Band Hero had already been pulled out and the boys, Peter, Bruce & Christian were enjoying.

Emma jumped in on the drum so Peter sang a little Beatles for us!

It didn't take Julianna long to drag Ms. Laura back to her room for a nice game of Cooties

Laura & Julianna with their completed Cooties!

Julianna & Emma watch as the boys shoot the soccer ball

It's not real easy getting pictures on the trampoline but this one turned out okay.

After pizza, we went out and played Corn Hole. Bruce & Matthew throwing here...

Rebecca & Emma

Peter & Christian played with their Dads - they did well.

Sheri, Laura & Julianna look on (BTW - Julianna doesn't wear pj's all day usually - it was homecoming week at her Preschool and it was Pajama day!!)

The girls giving it a try!

Now it's the Mom's turn...

Sheri played too - I love this picture!

Laura & Sheri

Ms. Sheri brought in a big container of candy and the kids took a break to pick theirs out and watch the game.

Bruce must have won!!

A little more Band Hero

The kids stayed up WAY late, especially for a school night, but they were having so much fun together, we didn't want to make them go to bed! Nice smile, Peter!

Ms. Laura read to Julianna before bedtime.

What a wonderful visit we had with a special family. I see Laura every year on our girlfriend's weekend, but there's something really neat about getting our families together. Hopefully we'll do it again one day!!!

Homemade Popcorn

This past January, Rebecca did her final Science Fair project on Popcorn (click here if you want to see my blog on it as a refresher!) She tested different types of popcorn.

In her research, she read that you can grow your own popcorn, as simply as planting a kernel of popcorn in the ground. She asked my Mom if she might do that for her when they planted their garden this summer.

My mom, Nonie, agreed and took home some Orville Redenbacher kernels to plant. She planted them this summer, although she did a little research on her own and decided to plant the popping corn in a separate location than her regular corn.

Fast forward a couple of months and here I sit, blogging while eating a yummy bowl of popcorn...homegrown that is! Thanks to my Mom & Dad for allowing us this experiment, plus a few pictures to enhance my blog!!!

Here is Mom & Dad's garden. Isn't it beautiful? You will see a partial row of corn on the far right of the picture about half way up. You can see it's in a different location that the rest of the corn in the garden.

After the corn was picked and shucked, it had to dry out for a few weeks. This laid in my Mom's bonus room for a while!

When Nonie delivered the popcorn to us, she had put it in this great jar with a "From the Kitchen of Nonie" sticker on it.

Nonie had come up here prior to the corn being ready and brought Rebecca and ear of the corn so she could see what it looked like while it dried. So this was our ear.

The kids were so excited about popping it. Here they are!

As you can see, we're enjoying it. We've popped it in the popcorn popper and in the microwave. Very yummy.

So a special thanks goes out to Pops & Nonie for helping us with this fun project. We love you!!

The Robertson County Fair

Well, it's Fair time again in Tennessee and despite our extremely busy schedule, we were able to squeeze it in one evening after Rebecca's volleyball match. (Just for fun, click here to see my blog from last year's trip to the fair - Fair Blog)

We met the Locke's there again, however it was a bit different this year. After one kiddie ride with Julianna, the boys ran into a few girls from the youth group and headed off with them. Then the Locke's kept running into people they knew and Julianna kept pulling us on to the next ride, so at least for me, it was the Julianna show. She LOVED all the rides - even rode some big people ones. She was so funny.

I did my best to get some pictures with my little camera, so here they are!

First ride of the night....

Before the ride began, the Locke kids showed up and jumped in the strawberry with them.

We ran into these girls from church and the guys decided it would be more fun to ride rides with them than their parents and sisters.....go figure!

Julianna got a little daring on one of her rides - ha!

I know it's hard to see but up near the top on the far left, you will see Brandi (in purple shirt), then a small space and me next to her - that's Julianna in that small space. Christian HATED this ride but Julianna absolutely loved it. It was so much fun with her!

Ran across the boys and took their picture with Kayla! (Mimi - this is the Scrambler!!!)

Julianna rode this with Ms. Brandi last year, so they got to ride it together again this year!

Julianna & Daddy on the bumper cars

Morgan, Rebecca, Christian & me on a ride I can't remember it's name!

Julianna and Mr. Chris having a little fun while the big kids ride a ride.

Rebecca & Morgan on the Ferris Wheel

Christian & Michael

Julianna's first ride on the Ferris Wheel

With Mom

Chris & Brandi waiting on the rest of us on the Ferris Wheel

My beautiful Julianna

We rode the Carousel together while the big kids rode another big ride (that she was too short for).

Slowing down..... waiting on one last ride!

Rebecca & Katie - we went on one last ride together and were waiting for Christian in that thing behind us!

On our way out, we ordered one order of Fried Oreos and a Fried Snickers.

Matthew shared one bite of his Fried Snickers with me - man, it was good!!


This video is so funny (& short) - sorry about my cackling, but you probably will too!!!