St. George Island

One of the things we promised ourselves after Greg graduated was to take the children on a long deserved vacation. We looked high and low for places and finally agreed upon St. George Island. We booked Gull Cottage for a week and dragged along my mom and dad for support. We saw dolphins during the day and crabs at night. Jake even captured one on our last night there. The week was restful and a lot of fun. We did have one mishap with Jake and his head. So what if he has a scar on his eyebrow for the rest of his life. Maddie's nightmares over the trama have stopped and she can now sleep with waking up screaming....just kidding. We ate fresh seafood almost every night (Jake even tried his first raw oyster) and played at the beach everyday (check out the sandcastle we saw). We loved it so much that we are going back next year....

4th of July with the Buckalews

One of the first things I have to say is never have surgery around a holiday. On the 2nd of July I underwent ACL replacement. A few months back I had injured my knee and in order to be fully functional for school I needed to have the surgery over the summer. I WILL NEVER DO THAT AGAIN! That off my chest, I will begin to tell you about the 4th with Jake and Maddie. The morning starts out with a bunch of activities in our subdivision. They have a fishing contest, a basketball contest, a parade, etc. Jake, Greg and Maddie went down to watch the fishing contest and basketball contest but after that Maddie needed a nap. So Jake and Greg decided that Jake was going to enter the bike parade. They went to the store and bought a bunch of 4th of July stuff and decorated his bike. Jake was a little cranky and unfortunately when he took 3rd place he was pouting but otherwise it was a good morning. Later that night they shot off fireworks over the lake and everyone had a great time, except for me.....the only thing I remember is pain and percocet.

The Evans Family Visits the Buckalews

Wade, one of my best friends from Florida, happens to be a career Marine and has been stationed in Japan for the past 3 years. He finally has been given his new orders and they are coming back to the states. As usual he contacted me the day before he and his wonderful family (Mindi and Ava) were to arrive in Georgia. Greg took time off from work and we invited them to stay at the house. After a missed flight and a connection or two they finally arrived Tuesday night.

Jake and their little girl Ava are only a few weeks apart in age. The last time they were together they were about 2 so this time we were hoping they would get along a little better and we were right. We went to see Kung Fu Panda, ate BBQ Ribs from the egg, made home made pizzas, fed the ducks, danced, and did a lot of running around in the backyard. Our time with them was short but we are already planning a trip to North Carolina in October.

Welcome Back Wade, Mindi and Ava.

Gibbson's 1st Birthday Party

One of Jake's favorite things in life right now is a really awesome birthday party. Gibson's Mommy definitely made this one of the best ones he has been to in quite awhile. Cupcakes, BBQ1, Star shaped PB & J's, Sparkles the clown, face painting, balloon art, and Elmo made the day quite fantastic. Only Lisa would not only have goody bags for the kids but the families as well. :-) After is was all over, we all took a nap, now that is a party.

Buckalews at the Bahamas

Greg and I finally got a chance to be alone for 10 days straight since our honeymoon and we are still in love and still married. For those of you who did not know right after school let out for the both of us we went to the Sandals in the Bahamas. It was awesome!!
All you can eat and drink with no little people running down the hallway at 6am in the morning. I even slept to 9am one day :-). Greg went scuba diving three different days and I was able to finish 6 books of the 7 that I brought with me (courtesy of my many gift cards from my wonderful parents at school).
We met a lot of very nice people that we hope to stay in touch with while we were there. A lot of them we met through Greg's wonderful talent of singing, dancing and humor. One one of our last days he singlehandedly created a disco party....go figure. Greg even participated in the talent show and rocked the house with Twist and Shout.
Thank you to my mom and Greg's mom for taking care of the children for us so that we could have this wonderful vacation. Without them we would not have been able to go and have a good time with no worries. Kiss :-)

Greg finally graduates!!!!

For those of you who have known us over the past few years you know that Greg has been in school getting his degree in Electrical Engineering. We have been married for 6 years and he has been in school for 5 1/2 of them. We have had two children, moved into a new house, and inherited a mother/mother-in-law.
Finally on May 10th it has all come to a huge end. Greg graduated from Southern Poly Technic University with a 4.0. He walked on Saturday afternoon Summa Cum Laude and people from all over come to see the big event. Greg, myself, Jake, Maddie, Greg's Mom and Dad, my mom, my dad, Mike "da" P, Nick, Katie, Ty, Uncle Paul, Aunt Elizabeth, Greg's boss John and his fiance Karina, Ron and his wife Jennifer all were in attendance for the ceremony. Most of us had to stand but we got to see him walk across the stage and the pride swelled amongst the group.
Later that night we threw a typical "buckalew" bash at our neighborhood clubhouse with almost 90 people in attendance. Ty did an excellent job with the tunes. The food and margaritas were to die for and the last person left at 1am. Now that is a party.
Congratulations to Greg, we love you!

My Three Favorite Buckalews

There are times in the Buckalew Family that the stars completely align. Today was that day. I was finally able to get a picture of Jake, Maddie, and Greg all looking at camera at one time. This in itself is soooo hard to do. I was also able to get one of Jake and Greg and one of Maddie and Greg. Can you believe it? Oh yeah, and Dazey was there as well :-) Anyway, here they are.

Two Birthday Parties in one Day....never again

I know that when you get to a certain age that birthday parties will become more of a staple in a child's life. However, going to two in one day, not so much. Keelan's 8 year old birthday party was at Pump It Up and we had one of Jake's school friends at My Gym. By the time we left, I was tired and Jake was so done. At Pump it Up, Jake had a blast on the slides and when Kee opened his presents. At My Gym, he is all about the ball pit but I think that the zip line was his favorite.

Maddie's 1st Birthday

The Easter Egg Hunt is over, Jake and Maddie have taken naps and now it is time to party. Friends, family and neighbors came from far and near to celebrate the big day with our little girl. She was surrounded by loved ones and lots of presents. The girl will not want for a long time. Greg cooked on the infamous big green egg and hamburgers and hot dogs were the fare.
Maddie was doing good until Mommy tried to put a hat on her head...no go. Lots of tears later and a good hugging from Melissa and Maddie was back to her smiley self. Now it is time for the cake, I was hoping that Maddie would handle getting icky better than Jake did for his but she is just like her mommy...messy is not an option.
Jake of course still reeling from his earlier nose busting did even more damage by falling off the hammock. I swear the boy is a klutz. Two Scooby Doo band aides later and he was off and running.

Easter Egg Hunt...Jake Busts his nose AGAIN!

Okay, this was not the best morning. Jake got up at 5am and this led to a very grumpy kid. He was whiny at the egg hunt on this gorgeous morning. Maddie was her usual smiley self. I think that by the end of the hunt both were definitely ready for lunch and a nap. Jake got his golden ticket and picked out a ball, green of course. He started to ride his bike home but unfortunately he did not quite make it...he fell off his bike and busted his nose again. Blood everywhere. UGH!

Maddie's first pair of real shoes

Nana likes to buy the kids their first pair of shoes. Jake's adventure was hysterical because we tried to get his picture but he was gone before the camera finished clicking. Plus the batteries died on us...this time we brought extra batteries and Maddie is not nearly as mobile as Jake. She is walking but not nearly at the pace that Jake was at this time. She is a lot more cautious in her walking. She was having a blast at Stride Rite, all that attention is her forte. When she finally got the shoes she wanted, she headed for the doors.....on her knees.

Jake and Daddy Make Easter Eggs

Somehow this year Jake and Maddie have to share their Birthday spotlight with Easter. This makes the week seem really busy. Jake and Greg had to make Easter eggs Tuesday night without me because I had Bunco. All the other days of the week were packed with getting the house ready for Maddie's BBQ Birthday party. Jake made Maddies as well since she is too little to dip the eggs. Gigi as usual took all the pictures. If not for her I would not have anything to look at when I am old and grey...opps that is now. I love the egg that Jake said is him...classic.

Sunday Driving in Marietta

Jake's big birthday party was over but he still insisted he wanted another toy. 16 presents were not enough for this broken nose little man. He received in the mail a gift certificate to Toys R Us so we had to go spend it right away. After what seemed liked hours, he finally decided on a Bob the Builder type costume. The boy is counting the days to Halloween.
On another note, Maddie is big enough now to have her seat turned around and boy was she happy. P.S. That is Fiona from Shrek that she is totally biting the head off of.

Jake's 1st Bike

Nana and Pop Pop got Jake his first bike for this birthday. It was green of course along with a green Diego helmet and pads. Avery also got one for her birthday so the two of them met at the park for a bike date. He was a little awkward at first but after about a half and hour he was off riding around the lake like a champ. I think we will have a great spring and summer on this bike.

Jake's Birthday 4th Party

Since Jake turned 3 he decided that he wanted his 4th birthday at Chuckie Cheese. Jake got what he wished for and his birthday took place today at Chuckie Cheese. 30 of his closet friends and family came for the big occasion (even Gramps). Jake had a blast, he even got a stuffed chuckie with his tickets that he earned. Jake is now into Transformers (thanks Garner) and he had a Optimus Prime Birthday Cake. Watch out for that icing everyone, it is rough on the mouth and the tummy.

Jake Busts his nose

My son is a little klutzy. He decided that he wanted to play ring around the rosy, by himself, on one foot. Needless to say he lost his balance, got dizzy and smashed his nose on the floor. BLOOD everywhere. After the blood stopped flowing his nose was a little red but it looked fine. Next Jake went to the Y to play in the play area. He tripped over a plastic fire engine and busted his nose again. More blood and this time he looked like it was broken. We went to the doctor's the next day but are still waiting to see if it is broken...he might have to have an MRI.

Avery's B-Day Party

Jake and Maddie were invited to Avery's 4th Birthday party. Avery is a week younger than Jake and very sweet. This was Maddie's first birthday party that she has been too and she did pretty well. She played with the hula hoops and played in the playroom. Jake as usual played in the ball pit and on the balance beam.

Another one of those amazing days in Atlanta.

This was a rare day where the sky was blue, the sun was shinning and Jake was looking into the camera. Greg and I sat on the hammock for awhile, Jake played on the swing set and Maddie took a nap. When the Maddie Monster woke up, the fun began. Jake and Maddie played on the grass, Maddie tried to walk and we fed the ducks. Jake also tried reading to Maddie but she kept pulling his hair. This had to be the best day we have had to date.

A Gorgeous Day at the Park

Okay so again, we have a small problem Jake will not look at the camera or even be near the camera unless I bribe him with something. This day I did not have anything so the only child who would smile was the Maddie Monster. It was one of those days in Atlanta that the sun was shinning and the sky was blue so the park is where we went. Maddie loved the swing as you can see. She lets us see those 8 snagglepuss teeth.

Maddie's First Hair Bow

I have to say I wish my wonderful son would look at the camera when I take a picture. His sister, the ham, is still in the stage where she does not get tired of it but she will soon. Maddie went to the hairdresser for the third time and Ms. Kim insisted on putting a hair bow on my poor child. Greg made me buy the doggone thing. I do have to admit that she looks absolutely adorable (I went out the very next day and bought some bows.....UGH) Anyway, here are some pictures of Maddie and her bow as well as her trying to break out of jail. Daddy, Jake and Daisy were down on the grass playing and she wanted to be there but I thought it was too wet. Sorry Maddie.