slideshow {spencer's bday scavenger hunt}

Yup, another scavenger hunt… I thought about not doing one this year…then I decided “why not?”. Yes, he expects. Yes, he makes fun of me. Yes, he acts annoyed…but is he really? I don’t think so. And maybe, just maybe, he’ll look back one day, with a nostalgic smile, and say “Remember when you used to make me do those silly scavenger hunts every year for my birthday presents???”.

photo {spencer's bday at school}

For Spencer's birthday at school (actually the day before, since his was on a Saturday this year), his teacher let him wear this 'birthday hat'. He was the first birthday in the class so I think he had a lot of fun with it. I asked him if he wore it all day and he said "pretty much"!

This is also the same day that his teacher won over my heart. She had sent us several pictures of him in the hat by 8:15 a.m. - gotta love that in a teacher!!!

photos {bees first game - spencer pitches}

Two weeks ago, Spencer's baseball team (the Bees) had their first real game of the season. They played the Mudcats, a team with whom they had scrimmaged and lost. They pulled off a win and it was an exciting game for Spencer because he got to pitch. I took a ton of pictures and just figured out how to add a slideshow...very cool!

photos {spencer's birthday party}

Spencer had his 9th birthday party at a place called Sports Connection. He and his friends played flag football, basketball, relay races and laser tag. They played really hard for two hours. Lots of fun though.

I didn't get a ton of great photos because of all the motion and its in a big warehouse with poor lighting...but you can see a few more here.

photo {baseball team}

here is a cheat shot of spencer's baseball team. we haven't gotten the professional ones in yet - but I'm sure they'll be better (at least i hope so considering what i paid for them!)

they are the salt lake city bees...bzzzz...

spencer is in the back row, far left, next to one of the coaches.

photos {gamecocks vs georgia}

Two weeks ago, our beloved USC gamecocks defeated the UGA Bulldogs. GO COCKS!!! We had a gathering at our house to watch the game. Here are just a few snapshots...

1 - Little neighbor with Spencer's gamecock wig
2 - Goofy neighbors
3 - My friend and I enjoying a bottle of "Spurrier Cock N Fire" red wine that we opened after the victory!

update {walk now for autism}

The Carolinas Walk Now for Autism event is quickly approaching...less than two weeks away now! I am happy to report that I was able to meet and surpass my original personal goal of $150 - which I've now increased to $200. Our team goal is $1000 and we are almost there. If anyone wants to help out Team Dalton...click here. You can make an online donation with a credit card or mail in a check to Autism Speaks.

For those of you that are not geographically close to me, definitely look into seeing if there is a walk near you!

P.S. If you donate, be sure to find out if you or your spouse's company will match the gift!

calendar page {august}

i added photos to the august calendar page (calendar was done by my sister).

list journaling for august was:

List those regular daily items you wish you never had to buy again...

"anything at the grocery store - i hate grocery shopping

car repairs - not fun $ to spend

highlights

printer ink & photo paper"

{best wrapped gift ever}

my mom gave me some stamps for my birthday...super cute but i must confess that they were, by far, the best wrapped gift ever. check out this box she made and decorated. wow. wow. wow.

card {happy birthday}

this is the birthday card my mom made me (several months ago). isn't it just gorgeous?!?! not mention, super fun.

{real}

this is me today...totally real.

comfy clothes (stain on shirt)

no makeup

no effort on the hair at all

glasses

bra straps hanging out

camera never too far away

this is me.

photos {grandma's funeral}

1 - This is a memorial canvas that my mom made of her mom. It was on display at the visitation. I think it was therapeutic for her to work on this during the week between my grandma's passing and the funeral.

2 - The whole family after the funeral. Many of us wore purple to honor my grandmother who adored the color.

3 - Mom and I before the funeral at my house (she never smiles in pictures - I hate that).

4 - Matt and I before the funeral at my house. My eyes are closed, I'm hoping mom got a better photo. It's an extreme rarity for me to wear a dress...

photos {the dogs}

just in case anyone forgot what my two precious babies look like... ha ha!

rio has his look of just playing hard -- ears back, tongue out. just random picture of cooper.

photo {random spencer}

This is Spencer’s “I’m watching TV and nothing else in the world exists” look. I see it all too often… especially when I’m asking him to do something. In this case, I think he was supposed to be putting on his shoes.

photos {opening of football season}

Watching the first Carolina game of the season. I didn't take many pictures but did get a couple silly ones with these wigs. That thing is the best $10 we ever spent! Anyway, our neighbor wanted his own wig so Spencer gave him his Winthrop one...not exactly the right color, but oh well. I swear, I think he wore it the entire game. Doesn't he look like one of those trolls that used to be popular, especially with the "hair" pushed back???
Anyway, we won this game though we didn't play great.

photos {hanging out in the street}

This is one of the reasons I am really enjoying our neighborhood...sometimes, for no reason and without warning, we all end up just hanging out in the street - talking, drinking, kids playing...sometimes it even leads to eating together (I think this night ended up with a group pizza order). The pictures don't do the 'crowd' justice because we actually had about 6 houses worth of folks. But most of the pictures I took were of the kids. And bless Spencer's heart...he gets stuck playing with these youngers kids and he does so well with them!

link {crop photos}

I forgot to post this here... photos from my fundraising crop can be found on the crop's blog.

photos {father's day}

I just realized that these pictures from Father's Day never got posted.

Do you like our matching outfits? It was an accident!

3 Generations... Matt's parents in the middle - Matt & Spencer on the left - Matt's brother and nephew on the right (Matt's niece wasn't there)

update {spencer's new world}

Since I went into such detail on Spencer's new "rules", I thought I should give an update. So far, so good. He isn't doing a great job of keeping track of what he has earned/used, but I think that will come with time, as it becomes more of a habit. But the last weekend that he was at our house, he spent more time outdoors than I think he ever has in one weekend at our house. He actually has several hours of video game time built up right now that he hasn't used. So...I think it's working...