The Whitt Family

so i usually HATE to hear the phrase "family pictures". immediately i get stressed out about finding the perfect outfit, hoping for a good hair day, praying the kids wake up happy from their nap, etc! well this time, there were NO worries! we decided we would all wear black shirts and blue jeans. SIMPLE! and in my opinion, oh so cute! we went to twin lakes in moody, which turned out to be a fabulous location. the kids were so cooperative, and i think the scenery around the lake had a lot to do with keeping them happy (and the juice boxes and grapes, thanks aunt nae nae!) they hardly realized we were taking pictures! it was FUN. and not stressful AT ALL! my cousin page (well, really she is nate's cousin, but i claim her now!) has recently realized her passion for good photography, so we arranged for her to take these previously dreaded family pics! ;) and page, wow, she really outdid herself! i will say that we got a much later start than planned b/c of the alabama game. by time it was over we were really pushed for sunlight! but we are def gonna get together and shoot some more pics soon, when there's plenty of daylight left! i still am SO happy with the way they turned out. even if the boys weren't really smiling in our family shots, i love them!! i haven't seen ALL the pics, but here's most of the ones page edited for us. i am guessing that there were plenty that she didn't even bother to use, b/c with 8 adults and 6 kids ages 4 and under, it's hard to get everyone looking the same direction, much less smiling! can't help but wander how many outcast pics would fit in on awkward family photos. has anyone ever seen that website? hilarious! :)

so without further ado, here are the Whitt Family Pictures, 2010 Edition!

meme and grandaddy and their little loves

all of us walking down the road. love it!

the "other" whitt's!

my sister shannon, nate's brother josh, and their kids caden (4) and laura grace (2) and yes, if by some chance you didn't know, my sister and i are married to brothers. and our kids are double first cousins! *maybe i have a new blog reader or friend who doesn't know this. so i always have to share! :)
the bowling family
nate and josh's sister rachel, her husband dalton, and their kids kenley (3) and mason (1)

again, dancing walking in the street!

all 6 monkeys... so cute! i hate that lucas is crying in the 2nd shot, but it's still so funny and cute to me still!

here lucas was in a pretty serious mood. but hey, at least mama looks good. ;o) just sayin'...

the "big boys" as we call them. absolutely LOVE this picture of caden and trace! they are so handsome!

love these! the fence was a perfect place for a big group shot! (and yes, i realize nate and i are not smiling in the bottom picture. guess she caught us off guard! hate we ruined the pic!)

the kiddos looking at the lake! (i kept throwing rocks in the lake and asking them if they saw the fish jump! hey, i had to get their attention somehow! ha!)

ummm. i hate to break it to ya trace, but this was supposed to be a smiling pic, not a stick your tongue out silly pic! apparently lucas didn't get the memo either! ;o)

me, lucas (1) trace (3) and nate

and last BUT not least... my fav of them all...

the jumping pic! the kids loved doing this! we probably took this shot 45 times and maybe 1 or 2 actually worked, with all the kids up in the air!

again, page, thank you, again, SOOO much for the awesome photos! and for teaching me that family pictures don't always have to be stressful! :)

3 john 1:4 "i have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth."

FaLL survey

this is one of the only trees in our yard that knows it is now officially FaLL! :) trace actually noticed how pretty the leaves were the other day! :) can't wait til the rest start turning to beautiful oranges, reds, and yellows!

i've been in such a blogging slump lately... and here's why. #1) i usually post cute recent pics of the boys on my blog, but since i also post them on fb, it feels redundent (is that the word i'm thinking of?) #2) i haven't taken any new pics lately ( or maybe i have, and they are still on my camera??) and we haven't done anything too interesting. nate and i both went to tres dias and had great weekends away, with refreshment and encouragement. but that's kinda personal so i didn't really wanna blog about it. BUT if you are reading this and don't know what tres dias is and want more info, just ask and i'll gladly share with you! #3) i know in my head i have this blog for my family, and to preserve our memories. but to be honest, i feel like noone else really reads it. (wait, what, you are reading this? then PULEEEZE leave me a comment, FOR THE LOVE! or i might just quit this whole blog... seriously. i've been debating it.) so anyways, that kinda makes me apathetic when i see "0 comments." i know... sad, but true. so there ya have it. and since only 1 or 2 friends read this blog, i really don't have to explain my slump anyways, b/c i doubt anyone has noticed it. but i still felt the need to explain. ok... i'm really just rambling now. so on with the FaLL survey! i got this from jonah's mom. and thought since i had nothing better to blog about, i'd participate!

1. do you like starbucks? and are you a fan of their seasonal coffees?
no, and no. i do not like starbucks (or any type of coffee for that matter.) the only time i ever buy anything from there is when i'm surprising nate with a caramel frappachino- his fav! all together now- awwwwww. :)

2. how do you decorate and prepare for fall?
we have a few fall decorations... mainly just cute plaques that say something about giving thanks. and we have a few halloween type things too. i think i'm gonna buy a few pumpkins and put them outside this year. but ya'll, we live IN THE WOODS. so it's so hard to get motivated to decorate outside when my family is the only one who will enjoy them. but i bet the kids will love them, so i'm gonna suck it up and decorate, for their sake. oh, and CANDY CORN is a must you guys!

3. will you participate in your college's homecoming activites?
bahahaha! i went to harvard on the hill (jeff state community college for all you people not from around here!) i doubt they have a homecoming...

4. what is your fav fall clothing item or accessory?
hmmmmm. i've lost a lot of weight since this time last year (2 pants sizes!) so i'm in need of some new clothes. but i'm loving my skinny jeans with my new cute flats. of course it's been 9000* so i haven't had a chance to wear them much! and of course my new boots so i can't wait to wear them more!

5. what was your fav halloween costume as a kid?
wow. i have NO idea. i'd need to look back at pics... b/c i really don't remember! i know i was a cat a few years, and one year i was a ballerina. and a clown. wow, i'm never gonna let/make my kids be clowns! :)

6. do you like halloween/horror movies? do you have a fav?
i have never liked scary movies. i am the biggest chicken ever. but for some reason, when i was in like FIFTH grade my friends and i LOVED the hand that rocks the cradle. seriously... what were our moms thinking letting us watch that movie so young? i still like that movie, but haven't seen it in years!! i will watch an occassional scary movie with nate, but it involves me yelling and screaming a LOT, and acting like a big scaredy cat!

7. what is your fav fall activity?
well i LOVE the cooler weather, if it would ever come. and the leaves changing colors. i know that's not an activity so maybe the pumpkin patch? we didn't get to go last year, but we went the year before... but i was pregnant with lucas and wow, it was kinda a rough trip for me. but i'm def looking forward to going sometime this year. i don't particularly love it myself, but seeing the kids excitement makes it worth the drive, the crowd, the heat, the dirt, the price, etc etc etc :)

8. what is your favorite fall recipe?
wow. i'm not sure i can pick a fav. i def enjoy something that someone else makes. ha! and i'm not big on football, but i do love the yummy appetizers and food at football parties! one of my fav is apple dip... have you ever had it? here's the recipe... go make some if you have never tasted it before. and if you make some, please share it with me. and in my opinion, you don't even have to have the apples with it, the dip goes nicely on your finger spoon! :)

alrighty then. i'm sure that was the most exciting thing you've read all day! if i tag you, have some fun and take a minute to fill out the survey on your blog! (or FB if you prefer...)

page, silena, laine, shalita, lindsay, and holly! and anyone else i may not have tagged, feel free!

☼ PaRk FuN ☼

we took the boys to the park the other day when the weather was cooler. they had a blast! it is so funny b/c they almost always took off in 2 different directions! so i chased lucas while nate played with trace, then we'd swap! i did manage to get a few pics of the boys together. in those cases, lucas was determined to do whatever his big brother was doing! whether swinging, climbing the poles or making his way up the rock wall! they had so much fun, and we all really enjoyed the first tastes of fall. i wish the temps would cool down for good, these 90+ degree days in september are getting old! but, soon enough it will be cold and then i'm sure i will be wishing for hot days again! ;)

i'm so thankful for nate... he is a great husband and daddy. he adores our boys and i love watching them play together!
♥♥♥ luc luc ♥♥♥
♥ mommy and tracecar ♥

psalm 118:24 "this is the day the lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it!"

(whitt) boys of fall

twins?

lucas and trace

trace was 23 months old in this picture, and lucas was 3 weeks. now, lucas, 19 months old, is wearing the same pj's trace wore. where has time gone???

love this boy who is growing up before my very eyes.
just for fun, who thinks trace and lucas look just alike? they could almost pass for twins i think. of course, twins separated by 22 months :)