We are at the beach!!!

Me & my little guys on the beach!

Dana & the boys testing the pool.  (COLD!)

We arrived at the beach earlier today.  The whole Dowdy family traveled to St. George Island in Florida.  We are a party of 15!  I was most excited about seeing the faces of ALL my guys. Neither Dana or the boys had ever viewed the ocean until today, so I was excited for them to experience the spectacular view!  The boys got so excited when they first caught sight of the ocean.  They could hardly wait until we made it to our island.  The house we are staying in is beautiful!!!  Tammy did an awesome job selecting it.  It has everything and it is RIGHT ON THE BEACH! We went and got a van load of groceries so we can stay at the house and relax all week. I can't wait to take BUNCHES of family photos on the beach later in the week.  Whitney & I think we should wait until we get a good tan first!  :-)  I am looking forward to a great week of DOWDY FAMILY VACATION 2008!  

My Basketball Boy

My sweet basketball boy!

Me and my little dudes!

Keyton has been playing on a basketball training league for boys ages 5 & 6. They played 6 games and we won 5 out of the 6! I think that is pretty awesome. The game we lost was a very close one as well and we had a little problem too...we only had 4 players at the game! It was cute though and those 4 tried their best! Tonight was the last game and all of them received a medal. He has had so much fun learning how to play the game. He doesn't like it when his family (read:me) yells tips at him. (or any other players) Oh, well..that's just what a mommy does I guess! He has been so sweet about stuff that he shouldn't really be sweet about! He don't want to try and take it away from the other team. He thinks that is cheating and that it will hurt their feelings! How cute is that?!? When he told me that, I immediately had one thought: He is too kind-hearted just like my daddy! Even though that is not the nature of the game of basketball, I did feel some pride in the fact that he cares about others so much. I hope if he continues to play this sport, however, that he will get over this somewhat! I am sure his coaches will hope for the same thing. Garrison has had such fun watching Keyton play. He was just wanting to get out there with those big boys so bad! He got to practice with them a little before the games. Keyton made sure he felt like he was part of the team too. When Keyton was on the bench, he came and got Garrison to sit with him. I love these little fellows so much and I am so very thankful of the strong love they have for one another!

Our favorite shirts

Keyton

Garrison

Sweet Brothers

Ever since I ordered these two matching shirts for the boys, both Dana & I have just loved seeing them wear them! We just think they look so dog-gone handsome in them. (We may or may not be biased.) We always make their pictures when they wear them together. We have so many pictures of them in these shirts! This past Sunday, when they got ready for church, Dana once again said, "Did you take their pictures?" This time, he wanted me to take a back-view shot because he thought they looked so cute with their belts. So, of course I took the pictures! The boys call them their "John Deere" shirts because they have green in them. They are always cute to us, but there is just something about these shirts that make us smile even more.

We love these two little guys so much!

Every Day...

Daddy's Little Girl

I miss my daddy EVERY DAY. Some days are better than others, however I have a breakdown of some sort every single day. I know people say "time heals." I guess it does in certain ways, but I know that I will never quit missing him. He was so special to me. I have been looking back at pictures of my childhood and I have discovered that every picture I had made with my daddy shows me sitting as close to him as possible. I was always such a daddy's girl. He is the kind of person I strive to be. I see a great deal of him in my children, and for that I am so very fortunate. My heart is so full when someone notices resemblances of my daddy in myself or my children. For some reason, his memory has been weighing heavier on my mind in the past few weeks. It has been like reliving his death all over again. I am very thankful to have such a great family to help me when I am sad. God is good to me and I know he is taking good care of my sweet daddy.

This is the poem I wrote on the day of his funeral.

*My Daddy*

He was so special

He was so rare,

If anyone needed help

He was always there.

He was so patient

He was so smart,

And he loved everyone

With all his heart.

He was so gentle

He was so wise,

I often thought

He was an angel in disguise.

He was My Daddy

And I was so proud

And I know he lives on

Behind the most beautiful cloud.

Written with much love by:

Misty Dowdy

April 7, 2007

THE S.W.A.T. TEAM

Officer # 1

Officer # 2

Well, it's official! I think I have had EVERY type of officer known to mankind in my house! The other night, I was once again invaded by the S.W.A.T. TEAM. I must be in BIG TROUBLE! When these invasions take place...the officers usually travel in TWOS! However, occasionally they enlist the help of their TALL CHIEF. Huh! He doesn't scare me at all! So what if he has a badge? I have a paddle! :-) And...this shows my real toughness...I teach 7th & 8th grade!!!

Two Sweet Things

Look at all of that grass on that cute little behind!

Oh my! Where are those hostas?!?

This evening the boys wanted to play outside. (Of course!) I still don't feel real good but I have been trying to get a little bit more accomplished around here.(for some reason...things do not get done when I am sick...hmmm!)I even rearranged my house a little last night! So, as they played, I cleaned up the porch and then sat down to rest! After sitting down, I saw two sweet things:

1. Garrison: He was playing with his little tractor beside a tree. He looked so content and cute. I had to take a picture of his little behind all covered with grass. Precious boy!

2. Keyton: He asked me if I wanted him to pull weeds out of my hostas. I sure did! I have really let them go the past couple of weeks. (How does that stuff grow so fast?) He got a bit overwhelmed, so I helped him finish the job. Then he hauled it out of the yard in his wagon. Thoughtful boy!

Sick Mommy & Chocolate Muffins

Those sneaky muffin munchers!!!

My sweet messy Keyton!

My sweet messy Garrison!

Garrison's foot...how did that happen?!?

The floor! (Partial view)

Look at that face of concentration...or is it sneakiness?

Garrison got his face cleaned up and thought is was all very funny!

This is what happens when the Mommy has been sick all weekend long! I have been sick since Friday. I am not sure what is wrong, I just feel plain YUCKY! So, the house and the boys have not been kept as well as normal! Dana let them have chocolate muffins while I was resting on the couch. I felt so bad that I wasn't really paying attention until he said. "Law...look at that mess!" Then I looked...!!! Oh my! So I, in all my sickness, thought...Oh well...I could blog about this! So Dana and I captured the entire episode in pictures! I can't understand how such little muffins can make such an enormous mess! Oh well...

P.S. I said the entire episode was captured...but no photo was made of me having to get up and finish the vacuuming job because Keyton was operating it like it was a metal detector instead of a vacuum!!! Remember...he doesn't really get into that "cleaning" stuff? :-)

LITTLE BOYS... gotta love em! I sure love mine!!!

Honoring Those Who Serve...

My Sweet "Chief"

The Sherriff's Department accepting certificates...

Tonight our church had a service in remembrance of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001, and also to honor those who serve our county. It started off with the honor guard giving a presentation around the flags. Then, we had a service inside that reflected back on that tragic day in 2001. Finally, they passed out certificates to honor those who serve us in our county. These certificates went to The Sheriff's Department, The Volunteer Fire Department, The Ambulance Service, and the 911 Dispatchers. My sweet husband was presented with one of these certificates. He puts his whole heart into his job as deputy. He was recently was promoted to chief deputy and now has even more responsibility. He is very good at what he does, and he genuinely cares so much about everyone in our county. We are so pround of him! We ended the night with finger foods and desserts. This was a very special service and I am so grateful our new preacher thought of the idea. I look forward to it being an annual tradition. God Bless America!

My Little Helpers

" Butler Boys"

(Notice the cell phones...Guess they are cheking cattle prices!)

Keyton has told me ever since Garrison has been born that he doesn't want me to have any more babies. He has always said he especially didn't want any girl babies because he thinks they are too rowdy! :-) Garrison says he doesn't need any more here either. So...the other night it came as quite a surprise to me when we had the following conversation:

Me: (looking at them sitting sweetly together in the bed) "You two are the cutest boys in the world and I love you more than anything!"

Keyton: "What would you do if you had another baby?"

Me: "Well, I would love it that much too." "Why?"

Keyton: "Well, I have just been thinking that maybe you ought to think about having another baby. You might need a girl to help you clean, cause me & Garrison just really don't like doing that kind of stuff. We have a lot of farming to do around here."

Garrison: (who wants to be just like Keyton) "Yeah, get you a girl to help you clean...me and Bubba have to do lot of farming."

Me: "I don't think I have to have a girl just for that. I have all I need in the two of you. You can help me when you want to. I will be okay." "Besides, I thought you didn't want a rowdy girl in this house?"

Keyton: "Well, I just thought you might could use the help. That's all."

My boys are so funny. You never know what is going on in their sweet little minds. Keyton asked me again a few days later if I had thought about the idea any more. So......today as I was cleaning the house, (before the dust and laundry carried us away) Keyton & Garrison wanted to HELP ME CLEAN!!! What about all that farming work?!? I was glad to let them help me the best they could. They did a pretty good job. Little girls are sweet...but I have been blessed beyond measure by my two sweet boys! I wouldn't change my life for anything! I am ONE LUCKY MOMMY OF TWO PRECIOUS BOYS!!!

Cute Glimpses

I think we have a water thief around the house...

... Don't worry...Keyton is on the case!!!

My little guys are so funny! You never know what they will be doing next! We found Garrison trying to get the last drop of water out of the dispenser before we refilled it. He was so cute that I had to rush to get my camera! Then, Keyton got all decked out in hazard gear to investigate the house! Oh my! The places their imaginations take them! I hope they are always filled with clever and large imaginations and that they pursue everything they want out of life. I already have everything I ever dreamed of having...THEM! They complete me!