Red Rover with Daddy

I just thought that I would share, this very simple father son bonding time. As simple as this game was, it was so much fun for Joshua.
On Sunday, I was cleaning the house getting ready for community group that night and I heard Joshua and his daddy playing a game. Joshua had a recent discovery of all the many hot wheels he owned and decided to line them all up. Brandon got on the floor to play with him and re-invented the game red rover. It was so precious to watch. Joshua had so much fun with his daddy and it brought me so much joy to watch them together. It made Joshua's day...he could have played all day long.
Brandon, you are such an amazing father. You add so much happiness to our lives. Joshua and Aby just love you and look up to you so much. We love you, sweetheart.

Time with the Kentucky Bishops

This past weekend Brandon, the kids, and I went up to Kentucky to visit Ryan and Kelli. As always we had so much fun.

Kelli was off from work for 2 out of the 3 days we were there, so I was able to spend some bonding time with her. We went to a scrapbook store called Archivers. We don't have a store like this in Tennessee so I made sure to stock up on all that I could. While we were gone, the kids were sleeping, so Brandon and Ryan played video games, which is always a great time for them.

On Friday, Brandon and Ryan offered to watch the kids, while Kelli and I went up to a Gap Clereance store in Ohio. I was amazed at how cheap everything was. I was able to get a ton of shirts for the family for only a dollar each. I even got a pair of boots for a dollar.

While we were gone Brandon and Ryan took the kids to the park. I am sure this was the highlight of the kid’s weekend. They had their Daddy, Uncle Rynie, and Wally to play with them. It was so precious to see the pictures when we got back home.


Aside from shopping, we spent a lot time playing games. We played Killer Uno, ASAP (I am terrible at this game), Sequence, and Stab your Neighbor (which is a card game). Playing games with Ryan and Kelli always turns out to be a huge laugh fest. Brandon and Ryan are so hilarious, that I almost cry every time we play a game.

We are so thankful that Ryan and Kelli live close to us now. It has really been a very special time of bonding for us.

Cousins Sleepover

On New Year's Night, Aspin and Dawson came over to our house to spend the night. All four of the kids were so excited. They all got sleeping bags for Christmas, so Aspin, Dawson, and Joshua all wanted to sleep on the floor in Joshua's room.They stayed up pretty late, Brandon and I could hear them making noises and laughing at each other. Around 11:00, I went in to check on them and they were all sprawled out fast asleep on the floor. It was really sweet.
The next morning they watched some cartoons and then played outside on the fort. It was so special to watch my kids and my niece and nephew bonding with each other.
I hope over the years, they all remember this time together.

New Year's Eve

This New Year's Eve we spent at my mom's house with my brother and his family. Brandon and Paul watched some old UFC fights together, they struck a common bond with this.

Paul made dinner for us which was delicious (I still need the recipe for this one, Pauly).


The rest of the evening we spent playing Catch Phrase, Scatagories, and Apples to Apples. Catch Phrase was my favorite I couldn't stop laughing.
The kids ran around playing
and when it got late they all sat down and watched Cars (Joshua's favorite movie).

Bishop Family Christmas

On December 27th, the Bishop family had Christmas morning all over again. Ryan, Kelli, and Gamgy drove down for two days from Kentucky. (It has been so great to see Ryan and Kelli more often since they live so close now.) They drove down the night before and we all woke up to a sea of presents under the tree. We all had fun watching each other open their presents, especially Joshua and Aby. After presents where opened, Brandon made yummy pancakes for all of us, which we all devoured. Later that afternoon, while mom spent special time with her grandbabies, we played racquetball with Ryan and Kelli, which was and experience in itself. Brandon and Ryan hit the ball so fast that Kelli and I spent a lot of time hugging the walls. Our stomachs hurt from laughing so hard. It was so much fun. We also played a ton of games while they were here.

Christmas at the Chericos

All of my family came into town this year for Christmas. It had been two years since everyone had seen each other and I don't know how long since we had been under the same roof for Christmas. Joshua and Aby fell in love with their cousins instantly. Joshua looked up to Dawson and wanted to do everything he did, especially play game boy and nerf guns with him. Aby just adored Aspin and Aspin took such good care of her.
It was definitely a rowdy house with all four of them running around. We all managed to laugh at the chaos and ended the night with very tired kids

Christmas Morning 2007

Our Christmas morning was so special this year. It was the first year that Joshua could understand what Christmas is really about and Aby loved being able to open as many presents that she could, whether they has her name on it or not. Joshua was up really early curious about what was under the tree while Aby was fast asleep. Having little ones make Christmas morning so much fun. We were able to re-live our childhood through their eyes. We are so thankful for our little blessings!