Just a night at our house...

Just your average night at the Flynt house...all the kids piled on dad.  No really, they spend most of their time dog piling Chris or something of that sort.  I think the other night he said "why don't you all walk on my back", so that they did.  I love this picture, all the kids standing in a line, well except Molly...

 This is what we were doing...lounging on the couch...Don't pay attention to her hair, the girl will not leave her hair up!

Love the crazy yet peaceful nights at home with my family!

Sweet Nicole...

Our friend Joe and Nicole are moving to Kazakhstan in February, can you believe it?  I can't imagine moving that far away from my friends and family, but what a great adventure they will have over there.  Joe got a promotion for Mars, so they are selling pretty much everything they own and moving abroad.  We decided at this month's bunco to honor Nicole!  We all brought pictures for a scrapbook, and then took some very fun pictures together. 

Joe and Chris have known each other since back in the day at good ole Decatur!  We have had some great memories with them over the years, and although happy for them sad at the same time.  Wishing them nothing but the best!

We love you Nicole!

I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends, and get together to celebrate the BIG times in our lives.  Although all of our friends weren't there, we had a blast with the ones that were.

Fun in the Woods...

Last weekend, Chris and the kids went out to the land, and the Addingtons joined them.  Can we say fun?  So it was Dane and Chris and 7 kids...woohoo!  The kids are loving the land, well all except the thorns on the trees.

 

I just thought this picture of these 2 was priceless...they have the best conversations I am sure, I just wonder what this one was all about?  Apparently all the kids have now gone to the bathroom both 1 and 2 out at the land...its the little things in life.  :)

A little late...Holiday Party...

A couple of weeks ago my office had their Holiday Party.  We were supposed to have it back in December, but because of the bad weather we got, we had to push it back.  So, we celebrated it in Jan, and we had such a good time.  It was Casino Royale Theme, and I think everyone had a great time.  We had a company come in and setup poker games, and let me tell you I am not a gambler at all, but I had a lot of fun!  I was on a roll and was doing really well, and at the end of the night I had $14,500 dollars...too bad it wasn't real.

 

Chris had been in CO the week leading up to the party, and he literally walked in the door at 4:00PM and my party was at 6:00PM.  So, after a lot of begging from the kids (didn't take much), he stayed home with them while I went to the party. 

 

It was a lot of fun, but I sure do wish that Chris would have been there with me. 

 

 Jennifer my friend used to be a dealer for the company that came to our office when we were in college...SMALL WORLD!  So, while our dealer went to the bathroom Jennifer tested her skills again!

Christmas with Auntie Renae...

My friend Renae, aka Auntie Renae, had surgery on her arm again over Christmas so she wasn't able to come in like normal.  So, she was finally able to travel last week, and we took advantage of her being in town.  She headed out after work last Friday, and we had dinner and opened gifts.  She is so sweet to endure my kids during dinner...that can sometimes be crazy, but they actually did really well.  I am pretty sure it is because she said they had to eat to get gifts...she is SO SMART!

 

So, after dinner we then opened gifts, and the kids loved all their stuff.  The girls each got a Cabbage Patch Kid (30 year anniversary, can you believe that), and Carter got legos...they were in love.  And as always they got books, she is always our book replenisher for birthdays and Christmas.

 

We had such a great time, and so excited she took some time out of her trip to come visit!

 

 Check out Kennedy's face..seriously pray NOW!!!

 And then they all had to give Auntie Renae a makeover...

What a good sport!  Thanks for hanging out Renae, we love you!

Winterpark Fun...

Last week Chris spent the week in Winterpark, CO with 2 of his friends...Dane and Shaun.  They left early Tuesday morning and got back Saturday late afternoon.  I think this was probably one of his best trips skiing, as there was no one there since it was during the week.  They also stayed at the bottom of the slopes, and had people bring them their skis, seriously what a life!

 

Chris started this last year, and I think it will continue to be an annual thing.  To me, he gets to download before he starts the crazy tax season, and he is the one that enjoys skiing from open to close of the slopes everyday.  Seriously though, they start at 9 and end at 4 or after...not for me.  I like to ski, but prefer the beach.  Besides, I am the one that hates to wear a coat, and I hate to be cold...I know doesn't make sense.

 

Back to the boys trip...I am so glad that he gets to do this with his friends.  Thanks Shaun for making it 2 years with him skiing, and hopefully this will just continue to be their thing, and they can get more and more friends to go.

 

 Dane and Shaun...

 Seriously...notice the empty lifts...

Too Cool...

This little lady thinks that she is TOO cool during a basketball game last week at Gravette.  Gotta love this sweet girl...

 

 

My kids love the gym and going to the games, especially because they love all the people that get to see while they are there.  Thanks to Christine for letting Molly swipe your sunglasses for the night!

Shooting and Stitches...

First of all, if you get weak at the sight of blood then just bypass this blogpost...

Last Sunday Chris went out to his dad to do a few things, and one of them was shoot his new rifle he got for Christmas (from me mind you).  And as I am relaxing folding laundry and cleaning I get a call saying Chris has a gash on his head and is going to need stitches.  Once I realized he was ok, the next thing I thought about was the fact that he had the girls with him.  What was going through their mind?  So, I got in the car and headed to get him to take him to the doctor.  Then he changed his mind and said he would drive himself...men!  None the less, I went and got Carter from his friends house and then to get the girls. 

This is my sweet, adorable husband before he left to go to the ER...

 And here he is after stitches...seriously what am I going to do with this guy...

Apparently the gun backfired more than he thought and the scope got him in the head...let's hope this doesn't happen again.  Thankfully he is ok!

Family Planking & P90X...

So, a couple weeks ago I mentioned that my friend was doing a 30 day plank challenge, well Chris and I decided to do it too.  And of course we were about to start our plank challenge and the kids wanted to join in, so now are are planking as a family...that just sounds SO wrong.

 

This is us right after our first plank of 20 secs...and we look happy right?!?!.  I promise Chris was there too, he just didn't want in the picture I guess...

 Chris has been doing P90X to prepare himself for his ski trip, and the other night he was doing doing a little multi-tasking...as was I.  We were watching the National Championship game, while he was doing exercise from his computer, and I was at the bar eating him mom's homemade rolls and honey.  I am thinking at this point that I should put down the roll and go workout, but the ROLL is SO good I just couldn't.  Aren't I so sad and lazy?

The kids typically do p90x with him as well, but since it was late and they were in bed he decided to just do it on his own.  I love that they are learning to exercise and that it can be fun!

Purging...

With us moving hopefully sometime this year, Chris and I really needed to purge some rooms in our house and the attic.  The best way to do this is taking one day and doing as much as we can.  So, the kids went to my cousin Misty and Lance's house to play for the day!  Let me tell you they had the best time.  They sure do know how to entertain kids.  Ashlyn came home from a friends house to play with them...now that is love.  They had a day full of fun, Kennedy went with Misty and Lance to a BB game, Molly and Bailey went with Ashlyn to Walmart to get supplies and Carter stayed at the house and played with my cousin Amanda.  Seriously, my cousins are brave.  None the less, they made cookies, cupcakes, bridal gowns, and flower bouquets.  I am pretty sure they didn't want to leave with me when they were done.

 

Here are the girls in their "wedding" gowns..

 Literally, as soon as we got in the car this little bride fell quickly asleep.

What a blessing our families are to hang with our kids so we could clean out the house.  By the way, we got to everything except the kids rooms.  They are going to be needed for that.  It was a good day, and our house felt SO much cleaner and lighter after the purge, we should do this more often.

Owner of land...

The land is officially ours...we are now the PROUD owners of 15 acres of land.  And although wooded it may be, we are to make it our home.  There is A LOT of things that have to be done in the next month before we start building, but we are grateful for the ability to embark on this great adventure.  Chris has already done so much to make sure that we are prepared to get things going, and I am SO glad that he has. 

Funny/Surreal story:

So, we walk into closing with the buyers (we have met the husband and son), and the wife introduces herself to me as Cheryl Brooks.  Well, I actually know her, but never put her with Jim (the husband) that we had met, as he is VERY Boston (the accent).  Anyway, the best part is I have known her since before I graduated HS.  I went to school with her son Corey, who tragically passed away his Senior year of HS.  I ended up getting his scholarship my Senior year.  Not only that but I worked with her during the summer of HS at Walmart, as did some of my family.  After we reacquainted ourselves she said this was the hardest piece of land that they had to sell, which is why they kept this last piece of land for so long.  She then went on to explain that Corey had found that pond on this land, and it had become Corey's pond since he was 9 or 10.   How amazing is it, that she knows the neighbors that she will now have, and that I was one of the recipients of his scholarship and now I own "his" land.  I feel very blessed to have known Corey and now to be neighbors with his mom and stepdad.

Please pray for us over the next few months, especially Chris as he is going to want to be very involved in the initial setup of the land, but will also be starting tax season!  It will definitely be like no other tax season we have had, but in the end it will be all worth it! 

Date Night in Mena...

I know you are thinking..Date Night in Mena?, what is there to do (at least that is what Chris thought)?  But there are actually several things to do there, but we settled for dinner with Tiffany and Kevin.  Normally, the kids and I go over to Tiffany's house and hang out one of the days that I am there, but this time since Chris was with me we decided to make it a date night for the big kids.  We haven't been out on a double date since they lived in Farmington about 10 years ago...TOO LONG!!!

 

It was a lot of fun, we went to this Italian place in town, and had the best time just hanging out and talking!  I wish we could do this more.  Thanks Tiffany and Kevin for a great night out!

 

Melissa and them were gracious enough to hang with the kids while we went out, and let me tell you they had a really good time too.  Edd spun them around on the dinner pallet...so much fun!

 

This girl and I have been friends for what seems to be forever.  I was thinking the other day how crazy it is that we were so good at writing and talking on the phone even though we lived 2 1/2 hours away.  I am forever grateful for my Aunt Lavon and Uncle Jerry living across the street from her sweet family, and allowing me to spend at least 2 weeks during the summer with them!

 

I sure do love this girl!

Baking, Airplanes, and Planking...

We decided that after Christmas we would take a trip to Mena, and hang with some of my family.  Chris doesn't normally get to go with us during Spring Break (very busy time for him), and he hasn't been since my friend Tiffany's wedding which was 12 years ago.  So, off we went to Mena, and we had such a good time.  I love hanging out with Shane and Melissa and their families, and they always make us feel so welcome!

Last Spring Break Edd was baking pies, and let Kennedy help him, so I guess this is becoming their thing...they made homemade biscuits and gravy on Sunday morning before church for us...yummy...they know how to keep me coming back!

 He is so sweet and patient while teaching her and letting her help...

 Night 2 we went over to Shane's new house to eat and hang out...let me tell you it was a fun filled night. We started out with airplane rides...

 Then did a little planking... (one of my friends is starting a 30-day planking challenge, so they decided to time each other)

 I love this picture of the kids...I love that Daryan and Seth (2 oldest) let our kids take over their lives for a few days.  Kennedy and Bailey actually ended up staying the night with Daryan and had the best time.  Again, I sure do love my family!

 And finished it off our last night with some more baking...this time some more pies...

 Such a cute pic!

Thanks Pucketts and Torix's for letting us invade your space for a few days, we had such a good time!!!!

More Christmas Fun...

We had such a wonderful time with all our families over the Holidays...

 

Next Christmas stop...Nana Flynt's house.  The kids did a white elephant type gift exchange this year, this is them waiting patiently for their turn to pick a gift.  We had all gender neutral gifts for them to chose from, and I think they all liked what they ended up with, well except poor Laurel, she probably had no idea how to play Jenga :).  They were all then blessed with gifts from Nana...they are all spoiled...

Our last party was at Papa Flynt's house...we were going to be out of town when the others got together, so we met with them earlier.  These 4 again waiting to nicely for their gifts to be handed out and then opened them.  They loved all of them.  Again, we are so blessed!

 

 

Thanks to all of our families that made this Christmas one to remember.  I got to see my cousin from Alaska and her family, and so many more.  I cherish these times with each of our families, and so do our kids.  I say this a thousand times, but we love our families, and getting to hang out with them is always a blast.  I am so glad that on both sides of our families our kids have a lot of cousins that love them and love to play together.  Love our family time!

Christmas morning...

We always wake up on Christmas morning and do Christmas with just us, and then my parents and sister and her kids come over for breakfast and gifts.  So, this year was like every other, the kids woke up and saw what santa and us had gotten them.  They are so good with what they get, even when it is clothes that they open.  I love that about them, yes they want more gifts, but they never complain about what they get, I hope that is always the case. 

My sweet family...

 Opening their santa gifts... (Carter a tablet and girls Leapsters)

 When I say Carter likes to read it is an understatement...he LOVES it, and is very good at reading.  Sometimes I have to remind myself that he is only in 1st grade, because of the level at which he reads.  So, this year we got him some chapter books, and he was so excited!

 Look at that hair...

 So focused...

 So excited!!!

 The big kids got to go to the Holiday Shoppe at their school that the PTO puts on each year.  Its a way for kids to be able to get their parents something special for Christmas without having to spend too much, and something they can pick out on their own.  Well, the girls got Chris these santa and penquin bobble heads and he loved them!

 I do have to pride myself this year...I listen to what Chris has be HINTING to me for about 2 months now and got him that for Christmas.  I think he never in a million years thought I would go to the store, ask the gun counter for a rifle and bring it home.  Well, that is exactly what happened, I was so excited that he was surprised by my gift.  Can you tell he is a little happy?  He is so ready to go out and shoot it...weird I know, but that's what he wanted...

Webb Family Christmas...

We had our annual Christmas Eve gather with the Webb's at my cousins Misty & Lance's house.  It is always a good time with the family.  The kids all ran around playing games inside and out, and the bigger kids adults played cards, dominoes and ate non-stop.  I even got Chris to play double handed Canasta with me, and if you know Chris you know how much he dislikes that game because of how long it takes...well the icing on the cake, we won!!!  So, he is stuck playing with me, as we are unstoppable when on the same team, at least this time.  :)

These are my cousins Marie (L) and Ashlyn (R) with the girls.  They are so grown up, and my girls love both of them so much!  They definitely entertained them while we played...

 And this is my cousin Jennifer's (the one in Alaska) youngest...Isn't she adorable?  She really did like Chris, you just can't tell by her face.  I just wanted to squeeze those cheeks...

This was the kick-off to our Christmas', and it definitely started out strong.  I love my family and all the times that we get together and the fun we have!

On another note, my cousin Sherri has a birthday today!  Happy Birthday Sherri!!!!

Progressive Birthday Dinner...

My sweet friend Danielle had a birthday on the 27th, but because of the holiday we celebrated the Monday before Christmas.  We had a progressive dinner at some of her favorites to celebrate.  We started with appetizers at Mojitos, dinner at Houlihans, and dessert at Starbucks (we tried Bliss, but they were closed). We had some good laughs, and ended our night with some funny YouTube videos which is one of our favorite things to do.  Thanks to this group of ladies (and the ones that weren't able to make it), you are so fun to be around.

Our group at Houlihans...

 This coaster was so funny...Lauren is probably the furthest person I know that would get beer pressured...so funny!

Happy late Birthday post Danielle, it was great celebrating you!

Kickin it off with clean teeth...

We started out our Christmas vacation with our annual teeth cleaning!  They all did so good and, except for the fillings that I never got filled last time, there were no new cavities.  Now to get Kennedy and Bailey in for fillings...Carter was supposed to have his today, but he came down with the stomach bug, so no dentist appt for him. 

Look at all those pearly whites...