Sickness in the Mahler Household

Today both kids were diagnosed with Strep Throat and the Swine Flu. Carson is feverish, coughing, soar throat, sleeping in the middle of the day, all the normal things you would expect of a sick child. Laura Joan on the other hand has a fever but is still eating like a horse and running around getting into anything she can and had to be forced to take a nap. I am on my second round of antibotics, still coughing and running a fever. Chris is currently healthy but I don't expect that to last too long.
We were planning on going on a camping trip this weekend but have canceled those plans. Please keep us in your prayers. The local Alcoa school system was closed due to the spread of illness. Maryville Christian has not had to close. Let me know how ya'll are doing?

More of Our Summer Tour

Mark, Cadence, Tonya and Andy enjoying the sites at Yellowstone National Park.




Yes the Buffalo was that close. Yellowstone is amazing!

He is losing his winter coat. They are so big, you have to see them for yourself.

Pikes Peak Colorodo - Summer Tour 2009

This America the Beautiful Memorial is at the top of Pikes Peak. The weather had changed so dramatically and so quickly I was the only one willing to stay out in the cold and wind to get my picture taken by it.


The view at the top of Pikes Peak which is so beautiful our camera can not even close to showing you.

Chris at the top as the weather is changing quickly.


Laura Joan and I at the top. I think Carson must be headed back to the car. As you can see it is very cold and windy. When we got up here and went into the gift shop it was beautiful, when we came out of the gift shop just 30 minutes later the weather and changed remarkably.


The Mahler's - proof we made it to the top. There are no guard rails on the road going up. Chris is an awesome driver! Alot of people are too scared to drive it so they have a train ride. Driving it yourself is alot of fun and you can stop and look around at your own pace.


This is near an area at Pikes Peak that I planted a letterbox.


No real bears spotted yet on our trip. The kids loved this one.


One of the stops on our way up to the Peak. This was in June!
These animals are in the gift shops on the way up to the top of Pikes Peak. They were very life like in person.

New Mexico Summer Tour 2009

Yes, I found another letterbox! Yahoo!






These Cavarn pictures did not come out good. You are not allowed to use a flash if I remeber correctly so I had to lighten them with the computer. This is another one of these amazing places you just have to see in person. Only eyes that our creator made can see the awesomeness of these places. Not our camera!

Texas Summer Unemployment Tour 2009

My Mom and Bob with the kids riding the golf cart, which the kids love to do. In Pecan Plantation you can ride the golf cart any where.

Deer come right up to my parents home. It is amazing to see. They have to keep an electric fence around their garden to keep them out.

Beginng of summer road trip

Folks, we began our journey on June 15, with a drive to Jackson, Mississippi. We spent two days there - enough time to say "goodbye" to the wonderful folks at the Jackson boxplant. This is where Chris was Controller at the beginning of his career with Weyerhaeuser. We saw friends Lee and Julie Hall (below) and Gay and Bobby Williams. Gay is a beautician who removed Chris' hair against his will, at Evelyn's request.

Our third day found us in Waskam, Texas.

Lee and Julie Hall - our Mississippi friends and among the select few who attended our wedding in 1991.

Evelyn's alma mater.

Laura Joan and friend outside a Santa Fe Cafe in Alabama.

Our waitress in the Santa Fe Cafe.

Official Tiger Cub

Carson has now earned his Tiger Cub Ranking in Cub Scouts. To earn this rank and patch he and Daddy and/or Mommy have accomplished and learned alot. It has been a good year of learning and adventures for all of us. Robyn Parker pictured here has been our Cub Master, she is now retiring. Pack 789 will be disbanding and most of us will be moving on to pack 88 or crossing over to Boy Scouts.

Carson our Jr. Ranger

Carson is now an official Jr. Ranger. Living near the Great Smoky Mountains is so awesome with wonderful outdoor activities available like the Jr. Ranger Day.
We are loving it.

Easter 2009

Family gathered together at Easter is such a wonderful blessing. Easter 2009 brought us Leslie (Chris's sister), Tom ( our newphew) and his family Melanie, ORyan , and Carrisa. Also after dinner our neighbor Jaden came to play as well. It was such a georgeos day outside the kids had fun hunting Easter eggs. I loved it too because Aunt Leslie helped cook the meal. A fun time was had by all.



Carson loves to play on the computer, so while he waited for family to arrive after church, this is where he could be found.

This is how Daddy and Laura Joan waited.

If you look closely at LJ's knee you can see she fell in the mud right before picture time. Happily her dress was not ruined.


Our family Easter pictures. Taken by our neighbor Penny in front of her dogwood tree.

My sweet, sweet boy.

Our Princess

Laura Joan checking on her Daddy.

Laura Joan just loves this ballarina princess dress as she calls it. She dresses up in it at least once a day. Today she wanted me to take pictures of her with it on. She is so passionate and full of life.