House Full of Boys!

We are a little late wishing everyone a Merry Christmas, so we thought we would wish you all a very wonderful, fabulous and Happy New Year!!!!! And since I haven't been very good at getting out my Christmas cards the past few years, here is our most recent family picture. Love - The Shelton's

When left on vacation this is what our house looked like: When we got back from vacation this was the progress: Finishing w/ the plywood on the front and shingles on the roof Back view - some of the windows are cut out yet in the plywood From a distance Living room They are moving along rather quickly on our house. They worked through Christmas Eve to get the roof on because there was a big snow storm expected on Christmas Day. We love our builders. They have been so wonderful throughout this whole process. They are at the job site every time we drive by and they are keeping us updated on the progress. The windows will go in today. Electrical will start on Monday, we meet with the cabinet guy on Wednesday and the plumbing will following at the end of the week. We are getting really excited!!!!

Before the Christmas break I had the opportunity to tag along with Adley on his first school field trip. This was Adley's very first time riding a school bus as well. We first went to Fuddrucker's for lunch and then off to The Grove Park Inn to view the gingerbread houses. Eating lunch The gingerbread houses were amazing, although not all of them were houses. These were a few of our favorites - the house from the movie "Up" and "Noah's Ark". And just for fun.....can anyone guess who used a permanent black marker in the back of my van.... I think he may have left his signature!!!!! :-) Lucky for me the Magic Eraser took it off.

Wow it has been a busy busy week! Adley celebrated his 6th birthday on Monday. We let him pick where we went out to dinner - he chose Fatz. Grandma & Grandpa joined us and we had a great time. He opened up some of his presents - his new favorite is Kung Zhu. He got a hamster and I had one for Eli as well - Eli ended up opening up his and then Aidan opened his up early. I wasn't sure if Liam would like them, but of course he did so we had to go get him one too. Our house is very noisy with 4 hamsters running around making various noises. Adley opening his presents Handsome boys - above and below! On Thursday we had our very first 'friend' birthday party. We rented a bounce house place and invited kids from school, church and work. We had a pretty good turn out and the kids had a blast. We let them play for awhile - ate pizza/salad, then cake/ice cream and then more playing time! Birthday parties are definitely A LOT of work, but the smiles on the kids faces m...

Last week was EB awareness week. On Friday Kendra, Lacey and I drove to Winston-Salem, NC to meet Jonah and his family and also the Ringgold's (Bella's family). We had such a wonderful time eating and talking with everyone. I have to admit it seemed a little weird going there knowing so much about 2 families that really don't even know me back. Although after being there 15 minutes that didn't seem to matter anymore. They were all very welcoming and great to talk with. We have been following these families for so long it was great to finally meet them. Ali (Bella's sister) & Jonah Tim and Ali After the EB gathering we drove the 2.5 hours home and woke up early the next morning for our EB awareness 5K race. It was a very chilly 32 degrees that morning with frost on the grass. After about 1/4 mile I couldn't feel my face, hands or toes. By about the 2nd mile I was regaining feeling everywhere but my hands. Next year gloves will be a necessity. Even thou...

This week is EB awareness week! EB stand for Epidermolysis Bullosa. It is a rare, genetic skin disease that involves the connective tissues of your skin. The slightest friction to the skin can cause severe blistering. The EB kids are referred to as 'Butterfly children' because their skin is so fragile. To learn more go to http://www.debra.org/ . I came across this disease through a blog about little Jonah. You can follow Jonah by clicking on his picture to the right. I have since come across several EB kids that I follow on a regular basis. EB is a horrible, painful disease. This week I will be running in a 5K race in support of EB. A few of my friends from work and myself made shirts that have the kids we follow on the back. Unfortunately shortly after the shirt was made little sweet Bella passed away. She was at the University of Minnesota for a clinical trial for an EB bone marrow transplant. I think she was patient #12. So far this is the only hope these kids have. I miss B...

Labor Day was over a month ago, but here's what we were up to: I ran in another race, this time the Apple Festival 8K. My time was 49:33. I was happy to be under the 50min mark. It was the hardest race I've done thus far. It had quite a few hills and was rather cold and windy that morning. Next up - a 5K race on the 30th to support EB kids (see my side bar). A picture that was taken at the finish line Then after the race we headed up to Big Creek on the NC/Tenn border to go camping with Jared's family. We had a great time. We took some adventurous day trips up windy dirt roads but it was worth it for what we saw: Elk have been reintroduced into the wild in this area - they first started out with 17 I think and are now over 50. Max's Patch - what a beautiful view. I will be happy to take any that want to visit me up to this place for a picnic. The cousins Eli & mommy taking in the sun and fresh air Hiking down Arts & crafts - thanks to Aunt Emily & Je...