Starting in the South...

The latest adventure in the Stuart story has begun over the last few busy weeks. (Have I mentioned at all in this blog how busy we seem to be!?!) As soon as I found out we were headed south and I told Peyton, he drew this cute little sign for his Daddy. The other two would be less than thrilled to say the least. 

We were heading to Nashville, Tennessee where Tad will become the new pilot of Sky5. It will change the course of our lives for sure but it is a much welcomed change after exploring some of our other options. I know for sure, I much rather he be flying here stateside verses in Afghanistan. So we decided we were really going to do this and we loaded up and headed out! 

I am a little nervous about unloading that fine packing mess! 

24 hour drive from Salt Lake City, UT to Nashville, TN 

The cats actually enjoyed the trip! 

Drew apparently did too! He rode in the big truck with Tad and I took the other kids and pets... Who got the better deal in that one!?!

Finding a house online was not an easy task. It took weeks of constant research of the areas and schools before we could narrow it down to a few good areas. If you over look the cheap construction materials of the cookie cutter house and the horrid driveway, I would say we did okay in selecting our new Tennessee home. 

I even have a new birds nest to keep an eye on! 

We have only been here for three weeks on Thursday and we have already made it our home.... We attended our first community event, found our favorite food places, met our first country music stars in Nashville, signed Peyton up for Tackle Football, decided on new traditions for the 4th of July (fireworks in Nashville!) and have even seen some of our favorite people from Georgia. The Caley's came to Nashville for the 4th of July and Katie and her boys stopped by for a night on their summer adventures. All and all... I think Tennessee may be one of the best decisions we have made in the last two years! 

Living Spring Stuart Style

The last few months have seemed to fly by! I'd like to say can't believe mid-winter was the last time I sat down to blog about the latest ongoings in our chaotic life but we have been so busy I am not surprised!
Cheerleading kept us busy for most the winter and early spring. I was so proud of Mikayla and her cheer sisters. Infinity All Stars sure did know how to end the season with a bang! Silver Team finished out their undefeated season taking home first place at American Nationals. And Black Team ended their season with second place at the American Nationals. It was a bittersweet end to our time with the Infinity Cheer Company.

And speaking of Champs.... Spring means Baseball! Spring Training in the Stuart garage paid off. Orioles were undefeated all season long making them the division champs for their age group. Peyton had a rough season after a few bad pitches hit him but in the end he stepped up and played his heart out!

Spring time also means time for my favorite holiday of the year! Easter... After a night of coloring eggs, the bunny made his appearance with baskets that brought smiles to the faces of some very spoiled kiddies! 

 As if the kids didn't keep us busy enough, Tad had a few projects of his own going on! 

Tearing up the tree roots and flower bed....

To put in a new fire pit.... 

And plant one of his wife's favorite flowers <3

He even found time to do some truck shopping and replace the headlights and tail lights for the after market ones his wife was in love with... LOVE the new truck. It is going to be super Sexy after we finish blacking it out!

But the excitement didn't stop there! Mikayla was given the chance to be a make-up model on TV! If you missed her be sure to check out her segment http://www.kutv.com/news/features/fresh-living/main/stories/vid_385.shtml 

Finally, it was time for a little project of my own! It was time for me to get all prettied up and for my husband to take me out for a night on the town... but first a few photos from the very talented photographer Clarissa Stagg! 

We are a very busy family... Running from practice to practice, school work, trips around the world, date night, yard work, holidays! Non-stop living... sometimes you just need to know when to take a time out. And that is what we did in April. We left everything behind and took a much needed trip to Vegas and Bryce Canyon for some poolside relaxation and reconnection with mother nature! 

We even managed to get in a little play time shooting some of Tad's favorite toys....

                                      

But one of my favorite moments of spring this year was taking the time out to support a cause that is very personal to me and our family. Autism Awareness. This year we joined my friend Erin for her 3rd annual Autism Awareness Balloon Release. I was so proud of Mikayla and Peyton for wanting to participate and show their love and support to their high functioning autistic brother, Andrew. It was very touching to see how many people came out to support the cause. 

The later part of Spring has been spent chasing rainbows and making dreams come true... But we will save that for next weeks blog post ;) I can't believe spring has slipped away so soon and another season is on the horizon. I can only imagine what those Southern Summer Nights have in store for us...