Madi's August Visit

All Smiles at Poppie's house!

What a life...barefoot, swinging on the front porch and eating chips!

It's all in a day at Pa's house!

Welcome Brady Christian Shanks

Brady Christian arrived on Monday, August 2, 2010, at 6:45 pm.  He weighed 6 lbs 9 ozs; 20 inches long.  Portia was a trooper during the whole birth.  She maintained her hair-do, makeup and even wore earrings.  Dr. Johnson was impressed!  :)  There were approximately 25 people in the waiting room anxiously awaiting Brady's arrival. 

Parents-to-be

The time is very near when Brady Christian will enter the world.  In just a few days, Johnny and Portia will become parents...Daddy and Mommy!  I can't wait!  Motherhood is the greatest of blessings!

Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.
Proverbs 22:6

Sticks & hawks...

Madi in her hat and covered in sunscreen throwing sticks into the water

On Sunday afternoon, in the heat of the day, we walked down to the lake to throw rocks into the water.  But since there were no rocks, Madi settled for sticks instead.  It was fun because she could see the sticks floating in the water and watch them float away.
At one point we heard the water splashing and looked just in time to see a hawk catch its lunch.  It circled the neck of the lake three times and then flew directly over our heads.  That's when I got the picture!  You can see the fish perfectly and it's a big one!  
The air conditioner never felt so good when we got back in the house! 

Brady's Nursery

We are ready for Brady Christian to arrive!  His nursery is just sooo sweet!  Don't you agree?

Fun in the Sun and on the Water

We enjoyed a fun day at Lake Holiday.  The weather was perfect for water play.  The boys really enjoyed riding the jet ski.  I'm not a water person so a soft seat and an umbrella to shade me from the sun was ideal.  The girls soaked up the sun and when the heat got unbearable, they floated in the water.  Afterwards, we came home and had a great meal: grilled steaks, baked sweet pototoes, corn on the cob, salad, strawberry pie and lemon icebox pie!  Yummy!
A perfect day!

Father's Day

Portia, Dad and Tandi

Johnny and, his dad, John

Steve and Stacy

We all met in Cookville to eat at The Mandarin Palace for a late lunch.  It was nice to honor all the Dad's on their special day.