Grant's Birthday

If there is birthday at our house, Shea has to decorate a cake.

Grant's birthday was March 9th (and yes, I do realize it's August) so we made him a cake that day and she got busy.
We didn't have enough candles so we made do with what we had.

Shea thought Grant needed some help blowing out the candles. Imagine the trouble he would have had if we would have put ALL 46 candles on there. hahaha
Zach, Shea and Grant ready to dig into some chocolate cake.

Loving my family,
Charlene

Do you think I can complete a 5K again?

In a few months Zach and I will again be participating in the St Jude 5K in Memphis. (I will be walking, don't think I can run 3 miles.) I am hoping to raise at least $1000 for St. Jude so I need some help. I just happen to have a quick and easy way for you to donate and I will be glad to tell you how.

Click on this link: www.mystjudeheroes.org/ckillgore and it will take you right to the page you need to be to donate. Just click on the orange DONATE NOW button and follow the directions. Any amount is appreciated!!

Or Zach's link is: www.mystjudeheroes.org/killgore

This is part of an email I received from St. Jude today and I wanted to share some of it with you.

Hello St. Jude Memphis Marathon Weekend Hero!

We hope you've enjoyed your Heroes experience so far. In just a few months, you'll have the reward of seeing all of your training and fundraising efforts pay off. As you race through the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital campus, you'll see the children and families you've helped. And when you achieve your personal goal of finishing a race, you'll know that you are helping St. Jude to come one step closer to our goal of curing childhood cancer.

Every dollar you raise helps make a difference in the lives of our precious patients. You can feel proud knowing that those gifts are funding world-class research, treatment and care. There are many ways we put donor dollars to work for the kids of St. Jude. Below are some examples of how you are helping:

• "No Mo Chemo" Party - $100
• Meals for one week for a St. Jude family - $210
• Child-size wheelchairs - $700
• Airfare for a parent and child - average $1,000

If you can't help with a donation, I ask that you help by keeping the children, their families, and the doctors and nurses of St Jude in your prayers.

ALWAYS BELIEVING,
Charlene

Lovin' on the puppies born 8-9-10.

Guess what we have at our house? What could be in that box, Shea? It's PUPPIES!!! Five puppies...and Shea fell in love immediately. There isn't a lot of things that makes a little girl happier than a bunch of newborn puppies, well, not this little girl anyway. Hummm, I wonder where in the world she got that from?She wanted me to take a picture of the heart on this puppy, can you see it? Puppy #1.Of course, if you are going to take a picture of one puppy, you have to take a picture of them all. Can't leave one out now can we? And besides, that gave her a reason to hold all five of them. Puppy #2Puppy #3. Puppy #4.

Last, but certainly not least, is Puppy #5. This is the one Shea has laid claim to. Everyone, please met Toby.Toby has a heart shaped patch on his side too.Actually he has one on both sides but one is an upside down heart and you have to use your imagination to see it but Shea sees it plain and clear.

This is the look I got when she thought there was not a girl puppy in the litter. She was so happy when she found out there was a girl. One girl and four boys...she said "Mama, that's just like you. That little girl puppy has 4 brothers." Bless that little puppies heart...just sayin'

And this is the face I have to look at every time I tell her to put the puppies down so they can eat.

Mama dog is one of Jason's hunting dogs but she came to my house to have the pups. I told Jason she would probable be a pet instead of a hunting dog before she left here. She is such a sweet little dog and doesn't mind Shea loving all her the babies.

This is where I left Shea. It's to darn hot for me to be out there to long but I guess Shea would stay as long as I let her.

Anybody need a puppy? I know where you can get one, or two.

Charlene

Trace and Martina

Maybe you don't know this, I LOVE TRACE ADKINS. Grant got me tickets to a concert in Shreveport. He was appearing with Martina McBride and since Grant bought the tickets, I decided he could go with me.I was so excited about the concert for two reasons...1) I was going on a date with my husband, which we don't do near enough and 2) I was going to see and hear Trace sing. Unfortunately, that morning on the way to the arena, Trace's band was involved in a head-on crash when a vehicle crossed the center line and hit the bus. Two men in the other vehicle were killed. Trace was not on the bus and was not hurt but several of his band members were taken to the hospital and later released. Trace is from this area and was going to go ahead and perform by himself but his band wanted to perform with him. We were sitting near the stage and could see the guys walking up and they were definitely hurting. Trace mentioned the crash and sang a song in memory of the two men killed. Trace and the band only performed about 4 or 5 songs. I was so afraid they were not going to be able to make it and I was glad they were able to come out for that long. My cousin, Laura, was supposed to see him in Pensacola but she wasn't so fortunate. They were supposed to perform there the next night and had to cancel their entire set.


It was pretty sad, we could tell how shaken Trace was about the entire ordeal. But that little firecracker, Martina, came out and put on a heck of a show. Maybe she was trying to help out Trace and his crew or maybe all her concerts are that good, I don't know, I've never seen her live before but it was great.This was pretty neat, she got on this crescent moon and rode it to a stage in the middle of the arena, right in the big middle of all the fans. Keith and Melissa had tickets on the floor and was right next to the center stage. Cool, huh???

We had a lot of fun that night, just wish I could have heard more Trace.

Charlene

Sadie's 15th Birthday

My niece, Mercedes' 15th birthday was way back in February. (I though she may have her official drivers' licences before I got this post done.) I have, in fact, seen the drivers' permit though.

Anybody that knows Sadie, knows she is a country girl, so she had some friends over for a game of "Bump" for her birthday. I don't know all the rules to the game, something like, everyone that's playing lines up in a row, the person to your right shoots and if they miss the skeet, you shoot and if you hit it then they got a "bump". Then after so many "bumps" you were out of the game...or something like that.?.? She and Lady Bug are set and ready to go.

Sure looks like she knows how to handle that gun.

Baby Colt came out for the fun. He was ready with his ear protection...isn't that the cutest thing? He didn't seem to mind them at all.Colt's sweet mama, Stephanie, holding him. Why are you trying to hide, Steph? Ema was doing the pulling for the day. A fine job she did, I might add.Michelle is ready to beat the guys.

Sadie's friend, Kylie, was there on crutches. She had just had surgery on her knee. Softball is hard on the ol' knees. I think she is still having trouble with that knee so just a quick request for you to keep her in your prayers please.Zach and Harley are up next. Cool picture of Zach. I think Sadie took this one.One of John David's friends, Tony, Ema and Rachel's dad (you'll meet Rachel later in the post) was waiting his turn to shoot. And don't you for a minute think those guys were trying to take it easy on the girls. Of course, none of the girls playing would have wanted them to either.Ohhhh kkkkkk, let me tell you what happened here...hehehe. As you can see, Michelle is on the ground, trying to get some good video of the action when ALL OF THE SUDDEN, she became the action. Seems as though she found an ant bed to lay in. Lets just say this is probable the first time Sadie has had a stripper at one of her birthday party. bawhahaha No, really it didn't get that bad, but close.

Anyway, back to the shooters. Cookie, Zach and Harley were battling it out.

This is Cookie, Colt's dad.Lady Bug was there for all the fun. Sadie took this picture.

John David trying to get the skeet so Sadie couldn't bump him. I'm telling you, no mercy, not even for the birthday girl.Time for Harley to reload. I love this old barn at John David and Michelle's house. (Not really relevant to the story, just a pretty picture.)Here are two of the "bumpees", Zach and Michelle, not sure who the "bumpers" were.

Baby Rachel didn't have ear protection small enough for that sweet little head so she had to stay in the house with her mama, Leigh Ann. You know I had to go on in the house to get some baby suga. oh, and pictures. Just think, in only 6 short months Sadie will be a full-fledged driver. Well, it will be 6 short months for some of us (right, Michelle?) but it will be 6 loooooong months for her I'm sure.

I'm glad you had a good birthday, pretty girl.

Charlene (aka Leenie)