Happy Birthday Ryan

September 10th was my first born 17th birthday... I can't believe it sometimes that I have a child that old I still don't think it has hit me.... We celebrated his bday at Chief's with the his friend Zack Hewitt and his family and his friend Roger. We are sending him to the August Burn Red concert in Atlanta with 2 other boys in October giving him his ticket and spending money.

I was so excited when I found our I was pregnant was him. I had a great pregnancy expect for swollen beyond recognition feet and ankles and him being stubborn not wanting to come out.. His due date was September 4th but I was induced with him on September 10 he was 9lbs 3 oz and 21 1/2 in long. His name is Ryan Yates his dad and I could not come up w/ a boy name we both agree on and the girls names were Allison Yates or Samantha Ryan so we took the 2 middle names and named him. Yates is my mom maiden name and my grandmother died while I was pregnant with him so I wanted to honer her. Our first 4 weeks were heck and I wonder what was I doing but I found out he was starving my release glands did not work so he was never eating and I was hurting as soon as I gave him a bottle w/ formula in it he has slept through the night ever since... He was honestly the most perfect baby never cry unless something was wrong, he was always happy, would entertain himself for hours.From the time he could talk he was interested in cars and trucks when going down the highway he would say " biiiiiiiiig truck mommy" it would be in a deep low voice. He knew all the race car drivers by sponsors and # by the time he was 4 if it has anything to do w/ cars he can tell you about it for this reason I hate that we didn't name him the name I wanted to give to him Cam (a car part). He has try sports but by the end of elm school he realize that was not his calling. He is a wonderful artist well he can draw any kind of car or truck you want him to, he loves playingthe bass, acoustic guitar and wants to start I think it is called electric. He loves God and is not scare of dying cause he looks it as a win/win situation he dyes he gets to go home to his Savior, he can tell you anything you want to know about the bible. The kid is SMART but as most teenagers he does not apply himself he just gets by with what he can. I guess all those car games and his love has given him a need for speed and I pray for him every day when he is driving (I did this before he started driving alone).. He is not a big social kid, he doesn't care about the going ons of people around him. His thing if you are asking questions you are being nosey and it ain't your business. He is 17 now and I have to be honest our last 6 months have been the hardest on us. Me and Ryan have always been close but the last 6 months we have been at each other throats. I am praying it is a stage and maybe now he will grow out of it.. He will do anything for you and not complain, he can be the greatest friend an encourager. He has the world in his hands and my prayer is that God will use him to do work in His kingdom, he will put his all into his last 2 years of high school, he will continue to go on w/ his dreams even though they are not mine or what I would choose for him (he wants to go into automotive technology but I want him to go into Engineering (the kid has the brain to do it)). Right now he is taking automotive tech 1 and next year will be II then he will be certified to work in a shop. He goals for that is to work while he goes to NGU for Mass communications. He is taken a 12th grade Alg. If he will do after school classes for Spanish if they have it then next year he can leave school for his math and go to Wofford for college credits. He has always been a good kid never any partying, drinking, drugs or anything and he is NOT tempted to do those things and I stand up and applaud him for that, he know his Lord and he stands firm on his faith. I know that we will make it through this hard teenage years and one of these days we are going to laugh about everything. I just pray it soons... Happy Birthday to my first born baby boy Ryan Yates Shelton lover of God, youth group, Day6, Ready to Rise, hard core christian music, guitar, snickers, cars, video games, money, mission trips and food....

Labor Day Weekend

This labor day weekend we went camping w/ our good friends Scott & Kim Hewitt and thier kids to lake Hartwell Coneross Campground. They in there big camper and us in our tents.. Scott & Eric left earlier on Friday than Kim and I with all the kids so by the time we got there they basically had our homes for the weekend set up. We had plan on all 5 of us sleeping in 1 tent but we took an extra one just in case and the one we thought was bigger enough wasn't so the 1st one was Ryan & Stephen and they slept on cots and the 2nd 1 was mine, Eric's & Tyler's and the 3 of us slept on a queen blow us matteress just like home..lol






Saturday we rented a boat from 11-7 so we got up and packed lunches and got everything together and spent the day out of the lake. We went out on a tour of the lake and in a boat that went like 10 miles an hour. I believe they had a governer on it or something. People were passing us left and right. But we had a blast and alot of laughs from the "slowness" of the boat, Scott trying to flood and then he conconvice the kids it would go faster if they all moved to the back w/ us, the spider over Kim's head esp when she has a "fetish" of spider (she meant fear), Ryan trying taking driving the boat so serious and like it was a speed boat, "Ryan, TYler could drive this boat" and Tyler makeing sure that the lake does not have a drought problem. The adults, the kids and Captain Scott





We stop after lunch and let the kids jump off and swim around and I don't pictures of this cause lake girl decided she was going to jump into and swim well this boat had a ladder but guess what just like the speed of the boat the ladder was broken too sooooooooo it took alot to get back onto the boat. Then we stop again at a loading dock and the kids jump off the boat the dock and had a good time swimming, Tyler finally got in and so did Kim.. I figure out how to climb back up using the dock and the boat but Kim swam to shore and walked back..

Stephen & Tyler jumping in, Kim after her walk back and "how do we get back up"




Clemson had a home game this is how you tailgate..


My sweet baby after a long day


On Sunday we invite Ree & Sean Davis and their kids and Ginger & Tim Darwin and their kids and Kim sister Denise & Doug down to cook out w/ us. They all got there around 1 and sat around and talk, the kids played some games, Austin fish, and we took the kids over to the beah part to go swimming. The day was filled w/ good friends and good food..










At night we played Mexican Trian which is Tyler favorite thing now, Rumbix Cube and just chilled out. The older boy's played Xbox in Kim's camper.






Kim thought this was funny... she can't decide if a redneck thing or a blonde thing.. But YES I did shave my legs via solo cup w/ help from Stephen rinising out and fillng back up.. The bathhouse I didn't feel like walking back up to and I didn't want to mess Kim's bathroom up so I did it like this..



Tyler and Eric sleeping. He fell asleep early on Sunday night so on Monday he was up by 7 but mommy wasn't ready so by 8 I told him he had to go back to bed and he finally did.


Don't see this often but the boys work together to take down their tent.


We had a great time and we even made it even though I heard there was a snake near our tent Saturday afternoon and while I was showering my husband and Scott were kiling it and then they killed a mamma scoprion and its babies so 2 thinks that freak me out I still slept out in the tent and would do it again.. But next year for labor day us adults we will be on cruise... It will be a long way from sleeping in a tent and walking up to a bathhouse to begin on a boat that with everything at your finger tips... Dream, I will see you in my dreams...............

Tyler Birthday Day

On the day of Tyler's birthday we started off like him and his daddy also does... Quick backwards... Eric thinks Tyler bday should be a national holiday. On his bday he does not work and the day is devoted totally to him which has been ok but in 2 yrs it will be on a school day so I don't know what he will do then.. I have always work just a half day if I had to work so I have messed out on the morning stuff so this year I was thrill to join in. Back on to his day.... We started out at Krispy Kreme and YES the hot sign was on and they were great... Tyler order glazed, glazed w/ chocolate and glaze w/ chocolate w/ sprinkles.. YUMMY.. My idea of this since they are like glue sticking to your hips you have to have 2 to keep the hips even..lol...



After Krispy Kreme Tyler and Eric went to Lowes to build a school bus, while they were there and I wanted to give them a little daddy/son bonding time I went and had a pedi done.. They came and got me and we headed to Toy R Us to pick out his bday gift he got Mario Party for his DS and a pack of Stylus (think that is the name of of the pens for DS) he also got but that was suppose to be a surprise at his party but he has hawk ears and heard his daddy telling Mrs. Nancy at the karate place which numchuck he wanted and to hold until I got there. He heard so he got them on Friday. I have to teach my husband how to lie and tell him he was not getting them for him or he was just looking at them... Oh well, I guess it was a good thin not to get at his party cause he swings those things around.. After Toy R Us they went with me shopping to get his bday supplies. We had started out w/ a pirate theme but when I couldn't find stuff to decorate with we went to Spongebob so we got some goodies of Spongebob and stuff for goodie bags with Tyler help of what to put in them. After all that shopping we went to Ryan's after we sat down he made a comment it was not really Ryan's he wanted but Golden Carrol the one of the other side of WalMart.. Oh well sorry.. I wish I had took pictures through the day but I didn't...

We came back home intending for him to take a nap but he didn't but daddy did while I finish getting everything together and making goody bags and blogging.. Tyler played with his new game the whole time..

We left the house an hour before the party to go and get the pizza, cake, balloons and ice we decided to get the cake first.. We got to Sam's and after I had stood there on Thursday night and went over with the lady in the bakery how I wanted the cake and ask could it be done she said yes and even wrote exactly what we wanted. I get there and instead of blue cake it is a white cake, instead of Spongebob and 3 friends it is just the face of Spongebob, the border, the writing were 2 different colors and they didn't even match. The cake was UGLY... Tyler said he wanted a blue cake so he was getting a blue cake even if his bday was in 50mins.. I complain and let them know it was not about the money yes they wanted to give me that cake for half price but it was about what he wanted for his bday.. So Kim Hewitt one of my very bf came to the rescue and went back and picked up the right cake for me.. Now she did give me a hard time cause she makes cakes and they are BEAUTIFUL and DELICIOUS but we started out w/ a pirated no supplies and so we decided on a Spongebob and he had picked out what he wanted and we just went with it.. Yes, I should had gotten her to the $50 cake he wanted of Spongebob and like not getting the pictures all day this was another big regret... I have 2 more bday so I am going to her to make them a cake.. Here is the cake we wanted..



We had the birthday party at Stoneledge Park in Duncan we had never been there but had rode by and heard all about it. It is a very pretty park and I am sure we will be going back.. Then we move it over to Shipwreck Cove

Tyler w/ Macyi, you just say her name and you get the cutest smile


Tyler w/ Macyi and her sister Abby and then one of bf Caroline (couldn't get a pic to much of her brother Jake which he loves too cause he was keeping an eye on the waterpark..lol



His friends since he was 2 Sydney and Kaylen



His buddy Jonthan



His new buddy Andrew



His other new friends from church but got to know in WV Coleman & Charlee



and then it takes me an hour to warm up to you but you are my friend Katelyn



His big friend Cassie and his brother Ryan (Stephen was at 6 Flags w/ friends) were also there you might see them in background pictures. I had plan to get a group shot and and him w/ each guess but that didn't happen either. The kids played barely ate cause they were to excited to play and also were ready to go to the Shipwreck Cove Waterpark where the party was headed to next so after quickly eating pizza, ice-cream, cake and opening presents they headed over to go and play.. They all seem to love the water park it is nice small one that it kid gear.. The party in front of us was Addie Laney and all her friends came to the water park too so he got to play with the Martin and Cothran boys and The Stribling boys were there too so he had a great day and alot of good friends.








Thank you all that made his day special we love and thank you. I will have to say I a don't have ADD until it comes up event and then for some reason I do.. I was all over the place, trying to keep bees away, everybody happy, socializing, making sure all the kids have fun, and hoping I am not hurting anybody feeling for not talking to them so for now on I think we are back to the Chuckie Cheese places where they do all for you... Love the park and the water park and can't wait until next year to go back...