It wasn't ideal weather for pumpkin carving but, we took advantage of the evening and went to work in the garage.  Hicksie was visiting from Birmingham this week to join in on the fun.



Always fascinating to pull the "guts" out...




Now the real fun begins....with sleeves up, getting after it!!


Victory!!


Starting to take shape....




Putting mini-LED lights down inside to eliminate the wind-blowing-out-the-candle problem


Happy Halloween from the soon-to-be-Corbin FIVE!!

We were so fortunate to have two special visitors in October...Uncle Jeff and cousin Brandi (from Chicago and Orange County, respectively). To take full advantage of the beautiful weather and to show them around middle Tennessee, (Brandi had never been to the Nashville area before) we went to spend the morning at our local pumpkin patch.





K LOVES her cousin Brandi and wanted to be right by her side the whole weekend


Catching a ride






Uncle Jeff recently came home from a 10 day trip to China....he very generously brought gifts for both kids. Opening a present is SO exciting to our family!! (including Watson )


A "Lightening McQueen" backpack...


and a BMW racing shirt for little man. (if you know what a complete car guy Uncle Jeff is, you know that he is brainwashing his nephew from an early age )




A traditional "China doll" dress for K....


and a REAL hand painted tea set!! Soooooo thrilling to a 4 year old girl!!


Thank you, Uncle Jeff!! You are too good to us!!

Fall is my FAVORITE season for many reasons and this year, we have an especially exciting fall to look forward to as we get ready for the addition of a new baby. With a newly potty trained 2 year old, a new prima ballarina and some new wheels in the family, we've been busy getting out and enjoying the beautiful weather and foliage!!

Celebrating potty training success with a trip to our favorite frozen yogurt shop!!


Very proud of his accomplishment and his reward!!


Big sister got in on the fun, too!!


A post-reward bath was necessary to wash off all of that ice cream!!


1st day of ballet class....who is excited??


A new "big-girl" bike....so girly and perfect for K

The end of summer marks the beginning of fall and FOOTBALL, which is an exciting time in the Corbin household.  We live 1/4 of a mile from our local high school so, since we enjoy hearing the band practice every afternoon after school, we thought it would be fun to take K and A to their first home game on Labor Day weekend.  My in-laws were visiting from Indiana for the weekend and loved seeing the kids take in the band, cheerleaders, etc. for the first time. 

Walking around the track with Papaw taking in the pre-game festivities


We didn't have any FHS shakers so, K and A had to make do with Purdue and Alabama colors


The Star Spangled Banner before kick-off




The next morning, a special treat for our little guy....Thomas the Train and Sir Topham Hatt were in town at the Tennessee Railway Museum.  Papaw, Daddy and A headed out for a fun-filled morning of train rides and exhibits.






3 generations of Corbin men enjoying a Day out with Thomas


First day of preschool!! A happy day for K, A and Mommy




K's 2nd day of preschool....we were so happy to have our friend, Liam, spending the night with us!!


The big kids head off to school....notice Watson in the background

August brought our annual family beach trip with the Hicks' clan and as usual, it was a wonderfully relaxing
vacation.  On our way to and from the Florida coast, we stopped in Birmingham and celebrated my Nan's 93rd birthday...the kids enjoyed bringing her a balloon, singing to her and of course, sharing some birthday cake!! It is so special to have 4 generations celebrating my sweet grandmother together.  The beach was fabulous and we all came back feeling refreshed and ready to take on all of the exciting things we have coming this fall!!

Sitting with Nan at her dinner table the home's dining room


Nan and her tablemates listening to K tell a dramatic story


Singing for Nan....K never misses an opportunity to perform!!


2 of my favorite people


First night in our rented condo...after a long drive to the beach, relaxing in front of "Mary Poppins"


Let the fun in the sun begin!!




Taking a walk with Daddy


Pool time with Hicksie


Now it's the boys' turn...


These water wings were the HIT of the summer...with A and with Mommy


Watching the porpoises play in the late afternoon




Getting a belly pic while dressed one night for dinner...3rd trimester starts tomorrow!!






A sandy somersault

This summer was long...and hot...and FUN!!  Some of the highlights were visiting friends and family in Indiana and having several friends visit us in Tennessee.  We also enjoyed some day trips here and there to pass the time and stay busy while S adjusted to his new job and traveled some.  You will see in the pictures---K and A thoroughly enjoyed visiting with many special people!!

Hanging with Dave and Sarah in Indiana....little Levi Schroeder was born about 3 weeks after this picture was made


A long time family friend, Cece Grinstead, spent a few days with us in TN...we had to take her picture outside our favorite frozen yogurt shop, Sweet Cece's!!

 
Miss Cece has many nieces and nephews and K and A immediately knew they had someone here who adores children!!


We spent a day in Decatur, AL visiting one of my best friends from high school and her family. K,
Mary Lane and Caroline had a blast at preschool day at the local skating rink


Dancing to the "Chicken Dance" and the "Hokey-Pokey"


Sweet Payne sitting on the floor taking it all in


K loves Mrs. Katie


K and ML running around the rink at full speed to "Wipe Out"


Doing the "Gator" at the end of Wipe Out

Our family loves the 4th of July and have had several memorable ones in the past few years. This year was completely boring and noneventful and we were so thankful!! We all enjoyed being together and visiting with neighbors during the patriotic bike parade and at the pool. The highlight for the kids was following the fire truck through the neighborhood and getting to explore inside it afterwards. The highlight for S and I was grilling out some yummy food and just enjoying some family time. We woke K up this year to let her watch the fireworks with us for the first time and, while she was afraid of the loud "booms" (she covered her ears and asked us to 'tect her from the noise ), she loved all of the bright lights and colors. Hope you all had a great holiday----Happy Birthday America!!

Chatting with her friend Ellie before the parade started


Taking Ellie's bike for a quick spin

 
Early on in the parade, K and A had ditched their wheels (a scoot bike and a grocery cart, respectively) and
decided to walk.  Thank goodness S had the forethought to bring the wagon for a carry all in case of this
very occurance!! (it's like he's been a dad for a few years or something?!! )


Our little man decided to catch a ride in a neighbor's stroller while her daughter rode her bike


Checking out the controls on the fire truck...A was a litle timid at first




Good friends, neighbors and coworkers, the Panaia family.

 
Actually getting IN the fire truck....notice the death grip on Daddy's shirt


A little more relaxed with big sissy in the driver's seat with him...he even let out a few siren sounds

If you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you have figured out that we are beach people.  And I get it honest---my parents met and got married in the panhandle of Florida and they absolutely adore the beach too.  When I was growing up, our family vacation every year was to that region of the Gulf and when vacation time and finances allow, we go more than once a year!!  So, needless to say, K and A love the beach too and have been going since they were infants.  It is fun to see them enjoy the beach more each year as they become more independent and capable of capitalizing on all of the fun the beach offers. 

When S had to be away for almost a week for work during the first of June, PLUS spend the weekend before he left working to prepare for his meeting and interview, I quickly started looking for ways to stay busy as a single parent that week.  I was DELIGHTED when my parents called to say that because of a last minute opening in a friend/client's condo, they were going to FL that week and wanted to see if the kids and I would like to join them.  I think I managed to say "yes" before I slammed the phone down to start packing and off we went!! After a quick stop in Birmingham to say hello to my sweet grandmother, we headed south and enjoyed a wonderful few days by the ocean. We missed having Daddy with us but, we had a nice vacation with my family and look forward to having the whole family together in August. 

Our visit with Nan


K and A joined right into Nan's bingo game


Miss Sun Fun playing in the surf on the first day




Helping Hicksie make breakfast


Resting in the beach chair and having a snack


K loved being buried in the sand

 
and wanted to bury others...








Playing volleyball with some sweet high school girls who invited K to join their game


We were there in June but, I was trying to get an early 4th of July picture...I didn't have any luck


Go USA!!


We stumbled upon somebody's sandcastle and thought our flag would add just the right touch




Papa and little man

This week, we had the opportunity to visit the Hatcher Family Dairy Farm, which is about 20 miles southeast of our home.  We've had an unusually hot late May/early June (heat index of 105 some days) so, it was HOT but, we all really enjoyed the outing.  We got to see the cows up close and personal and then see how they are milked, how the milk is processed and bottled and better understand the process of getting it to the stores and then to our table.  The heat, plus the farm smells, about did this pregnant lady in and we ALL went straight to bed for a nap when we got home. But, we had a blast and look forward to going back....maybe next time in April or October!!

Before our tour started, A examined the plastic cow and was curious about the udders...


Taking a closer look and enjoying how the water came out in the bucket when he squeezed


Snack time for our cow friends. The females were all named after celebrities and the males were named after
rock stars


this was the pasture where the momma cows spend their last couple of months of gestation (they are
pregnant for 9 months, too!!) This brown cow was expected to deliver in about a month...I felt for these
ladies....it was HOT and they were HUGE!!




14 year old Emma was the lucky bovine that all the kids got to touch. She is also pregnant and due
in about 3 months.  The average lifespan of a dairy cow is 8 years so, she was considered one of the
more mature "seasoned" gals on the farm. ADC LOVED Emma and talked about her all day---he even
prayed for her that night!!


K was most interested in the baby cow that was inside Emma's belly and wanted to know when
it was going to come out!!


Our sweet friends and neighbors, the Dennys, enjoyed the farm with us!! Noah is almost 4 and Aaron is almost 2.


In the stable that they called the "nursery". This little guy was born last week!!


K & A really enjoyed watching the baby cow being fed by a bottle.


Inside the house of steel where the gigantic contraption can milk 12 cows at one time!!




some fresh butter made from the milk of the cows we had just seen!! K and A enjoyed trying it on crackers. 


Sampling some of the milk....A was convinced that the chocolate milk he drank was from his favorite cow, Emma K really liked the whole milk. It was all delicous and I came home with some milk, ice cream and butter from the dairy store.  I love supporting the local farmers plus, their products were wonderful!!


Carolyn and Aaron enjoying some refreshing cold milk after 90 minutes in the hot sun

This was our 7th year participating as a family in the American Brain Tumor Association's 5K Path to Progress Fundraiser in Chicago, Illinois.  (the organization's first year to do this was in 2005, about 10 months after my mother-in-law was diagnosed with a stage 4 glioblastoma multiforme)  We've certainly had better weather in previous years but, we had a sunny outlook nonetheless as we were all blown away by the amazing growth we've witnessed since that inaugural year.  In 2005, there were probably 200 people and they raised about $5000.  In 2011, there were about 5500 people and they raised almost A MILLION dollars!! We were especially proud of S's brother, Jeff (who lives in Chicago and hosted all the Corbins for an entire weekend!!) who was the ABTA's #1 individual fundraiser.  He raised over $17,000 this year alone and his fundraising efforts from all 7 years combined is over $50K!!  AWESOME to see so much money raised for such a wonderful cause....with so many people we know and love affected by brain tumors (the most recent friend of mine diagnosed the day before we left for Chicago), it has been really neat to see this fundraiser grow exponentially in participation and money collected for more research.  We give God ALL the glory for doing a miracle in Jenni's brain but, we are also thrilled that this money can be used in so many good ways to further treatment options in the future. 

Riding the Thomas the Train engine on Navy Pier




Jeff and Jenni on Race Day.  Very cold, very windy, threatening to rain, 7 a.m.  Yes, we believe in this cause!!


S and his family


I was proud of the kiddos...no complaining about the cold until the VERY end from K and A. (and we were
out there 2+ hours)


a post race chocolate chip cookie.  Excuse the remnant's in K's teeth


Waiting on Unlce Jeff to make his speech. Soldier Field is in the background....'Da Bears!!


Jeff and Jenni being introduced by the President of the ABTA (this man's son is a 35 year brain
tumor survivor!!)


Jeff telling Jenni's story to the crowd.  Praise God for her defiance of all odds!!


Back at Jeff's place and thawing out a bit....without the heavy coats, you can finally see our ABTA shirts