We're still celebrating!!!

The plan was to head to South Carolina and celebrate Christmas with Casey's parents and Grandma on the 26th. Unfortunately, 3 out of 5 of us came down with the flu the day after Christmas so our trip was delayed a couple of days. When we finally got there, there were more presents for everyone. The kids got new FSU sweatshirts and Casey and I got new FSU shirts. We're ready for some college football!!!

One of our favorite things to do in South Carolina is ride the 4 wheeler. Whitney and Hailey switch off being the driver and passenger. They are both pretty good drivers.

Tyler taking aim with his slingshot filled with a paint ball. His new thing is to get with a bunch of friends and have a slingshot paint ball war.

Casey and I getting ready to go for a ride. I've become a little more "outdoorsy" since marrying Casey.

Christmas morning - 7:00am!

One thing on Hailey's Christmas list was a new purse and wallet.

Whitney had been hoping that Santa would bring her a new pink North Face jacket - I guess she had been a good girl this past year.

Tyler really only had one wish this year and it was an electric guitar.

This Christmas Kathryn slept over at our house on Christmas Eve and opened her Christmas presents with some of her favorite neices and nephew. Mom and Dad were at Michelle's house watching her kids open their presents on Christmas morning. I think Kathryn's favorite gift was her new cell phone and her vest. I was hoping she would forget her vest when she went back to Michigan so I could wear it!!!

The festivities continued...Christmas Eve

After decorating sugar cookies, everyone (the Price family, Grandpa and Grandma Snow and Kathryn) headed over to our house to celebrate Christmas Eve. After a yummy dinner of fried turkey, thanks to Casey and Tyler, Casey and Grandpa showed the kids where Santa was delivering presents.

Jackson and Grandma and Grandpa Snow.

Grandpa Snow feeding Jackson one of many bananas over the holidays.

A tradition that we do every Chrismas Eve is have the kids put on a play about the night that Jesus was born. In the cast we have Tyler as the donkey, Jackson as baby Jesus, Kathryn as Mary, Emily as a shepard, Whitney as a wiseman, and Hailey as the angel. They all did wonderful!

Since Grandpa and Grandma would be at the Price's on Christmas morning, the kids opened one of their presents - brand new homemade blankets from Grandma Snow. Everyone has been sleeping with their new blankets plus the ones she made them when they were born ever since!

Decorating Grandma Snow's homemade sugar cookies

We all went over to Aunt Michelle's house Christmas Eve morning and decorated sugar cookies made and brought all the way from Michigan to Georgia courtesy of Grandma Snow. They are the best sugar cookies ever!!

Emily licking the extra frosting off her finger.

Jordan testing the frosting before she frosted the cookie. I think she ate more frosting than what she got on the three cookies she decorated.

Hailey creating a Christmas cookie to leave for Santa tonight.

Whitney decorating her cookies to bring home for dad to eat.

We did it!!

My neighbor and I decided in August to start training for a marathon. Our first goal was to fun in a 5K on Thanksgiving. Our main objective was to be able to cross the finish line still running and we did it! Our next goal is a 10K probably in February.

Here's my running parnter, Julie Wright and me at the starting line.

Me just about at the finish line!!

Casey almost at the finish line. He ran the 10K. He's a little more advanced than Julie and me. He finished in 47 minutes and 13 seconds...pretty speedy!

One day maybe we can run together and I will be able to keep up with Casey!!

Doesn't get much better than this....

We were lucky enough to be able to go to the Florida State Georgia Tech game a couple of weeks ago. It definitely made our "Top 10 Family Activities".

Casey and Tyler's idol - Coach Bobby Bowden!

Had to wear our "colors" to the game!!

All the cousins came over...

One evening in October we decided it would be fun to have our cousins and some friends come over and hang out at our house. The girls layed out some blankets in the front yard and the crew played freeze tag, hide and seek, and 911 (a law enforcement game made up by I'm sure you can guess - Barnes kids). Whitney and Hailey are very good at keeping everyone entertained.
After a while the neighbors left and we moved the games inside. Hailey, Emily, and Jordan are playing school. Emily and Jordan are great students.
Here's a class photo including Jackson who sometimes "attended class."
Couldn't resist putting this picture in...while Hailey was teaching school I gave Sydney a bath in the kitchen sink. We love when Stephen and Amber let her sleep over at our house.

Whitney turns 12!!!

It's hard to believe but Whitney turned 12 years old on October 27, 2008!! I'm not sure where the time went but I do know that it has gone by too fast. I keep begging my kids to stop growing and stay just as they are but for some reason they don't listen to me. Whitney celebrated her birthday a couple of times over the course of a week. We started off the celebration at her favorite restaurant, Longhorn Steak House, with her favorite meal - steak. She had her aunts, uncles, and cousins from Georgia and her best friend from school, Brooke, there to help celebrate.
From L - R we have: Emily Price, Whitney, Hailey, Brooke Harrison, and Jordan Price. The only girl we are missing is Sydney in this picture. Whitney loves her cousins and they love her.
After we all stuffed ourselves we had Amber take our family picture outside Longhorn. It was the perfect birthday meal.
The celebration continued 2 days later with a family party on Whitney's actual birthday. For her birthday dinner she requested steak (of course), wild rice, and fruit. Dad, once again, did a good job of grilling the steaks. She also wanted a birthday cookie with frosting on top. It was another great time with family celebrating the day Whitney was born.
We had to celebrate Whitney's birthday one more time with our traditional family first Sunday of the month dinner at Stephen and Amber's house. Aunt Amber made a delicious meal for everyone and Uncle Stephen made a soccer ball cake complete with candles to blow out. The Prices gave Whitney some cute jewelry that she wore to school on Monday and the Snows gave her a small soccer ball and special wrap for soccer. Whitney is so lucky to be surrounded by so many aunts, uncles, and cousins who love her.

Tom Brady...I mean Tyler Barnes' ACL & MCL injury

We got a call from Tyler's football coach September 10, 2008, saying that Tyler had been hurt at practice and had to be carried off the field after a hit. We met the coach and trainer in the locker room and found Tyler laying on the table with an already swollen knee and instructions to see the orthopaedist the next morning. On September 11, 2008, Tyler met with the doctor and had a MRI and found that his ACL was torn, his meniscus was damaged, and a possible MCL tear. We had to wait for the swelling to go down so surgery was scheduled for October 2, 2008. This is a picture of Tyler after the doctor had "popped" his knee and he finally had some pain relief.

October 2, 2008, Tyler had his ACL replaced using a hamstring, his meniscus "fixed", and found that his MCL was sprained. The only way to fix a sprained MCL to let it heal itself by not putting any weight on it for 4-6 weeks. The surgery was 3 1/2 hours long and the doctor said it went well. The first couple of days were pretty painful but around the 5th day Tyler was off his pain medication and taking Advil. We moved a mattress downstairs in the family room and that's where he spent his first week after surgery. He is back to school and ready to be walking on both legs.

A few days after surgery we went back to the doctor and had the bandages taken off and we saw exactly how the doctor performed the surgery. His knee is looking better each day and he is going to physical therapy twice a week. We will go back to the doctor on the 27th for a 3 week post op appointment and progress report. Tyler is anxious to throw away the crutches and be able to walk on both legs!! We are told he should be fully recovered in 6 months - just in time for spring football!!!!

How we spend our weekends...

Hailey is playing another season of softball and likes being one of the oldest in her age group. She has come a long way since her first game 3 years ago! We all enjoy going to the ballpark and cheering on the "Pink Panthers!"

Whitney is playing on a travel soccer team this season and is getting lots of good coaching from her new coaches and of course, her Aunt Amber. She has learned some new foot skills and it is really fun to watch her team play. She is very competitive out there on the field and we wonder...hmm...who did she get that from!?!?!

This is one of the few times that Tyler actually was able to wear his game uniform. After going to summer workouts, staying after school for practice 4 days a week, and playing in one game, he tore his ACL! Unfortunately, he is out for the rest of the season. He had surgery October 2nd and will hopefully be completely recovered in 6 months.

The Barnes have arrived!!!

After much thought and a little extra time on my hands, I decided our family was ready to have a family blog. It won't be anything fancy since I just mastered attaching pictures to my emails, but it will have the happenings of "The 126 Family."