Some of our favorites

Here are some of the scarecrows we liked best at the Botanical Gardens (There were actually much cooler ones but these were among the few that didn't terrify Lily.):



SEC Sports Fan (I only picked him because of his Vanderbilt flag.)



Scarecrow made by the Morris Brandon Bees (where Sam and Lily will go to elementary school)



Sam's favorite: MarioKart

Awwwwww.....

A birthday card from a little girl in Sam's class:

Birthday Booty

Sam opens his first present- a disc shooting robot


Karate uniform (No he does not take "kara-TAY" ,as he pronounces it, but has been asking for a uniform for ages!)


Nerf gun!!!


Saved the best for last- Mario Party DS game. Think he's excited?

Who wore it best?

The Family Tuck

The family minus Jaedyn :(



Katie and precious Phoebe



Teresa and Jackson, the best dressed man in the room



The grandkids from left to right-
Jackson, Jaedyn, Trey (well the top of Trey's head), Sam, Lily, the Phoebster

90 is the 70

Grandpa Van turned 90 years young last weekend so we had a big party to celebrate. Almost every member of his family came to town. It was truly an honor to be a part of his birthday celebration.


The birthday boy



Grandma and Grandpa Van with their beautiful daughters



Ellen tells stories about Grandpa



Lisa takes the wheel



Jeannie's turn

Dinosaur Roar!

You may not know this, but my mother-in law, Carol, is a rather famous paleontologist. On a dig in Montana a few years ago, she discovered a toe bone of what turned out to be one of the few juvenile T. Rex's ever found. After her discovery, several more digs were planned and finally the dinosaur's skeleton was revealed. After thousands of hours of work, the T. Rex, dubbed "Jane," was excavated, delivered to the Burpee Museum in Rockford, assembled, and proudly displayed. Jane is now the star attraction of the museum and the city. And Carol found her!!! Amazing, huh? I bet your mother-in-law never did anything that cool! Just kidding, I'm sure she is great ;)


Close up of Jane


Jane in all her majesty


What Jane may have looked like


Taking the kids to see Nonnie's dinosaur