Out of the Mouths of Babes....

I just wanted to share the conversation I just had with my sweet almost 4 year old this fine morning.

R: Momma what comes on next?

M: Clifford the Big Red Dog

R: DAMMIT!!!

Don't worry we had a discussion about how even Mommy's and Daddy's should not say that word.

Easter Pics

Here are some pictures from Easter. We had a great Easter at the Setzer compound here in MB. Sisters
"K" Cousins (Kaleb Karson and Kaitlyn)

Posing

Family

"K" cousins + Riley

Fire

(Highway 31 to our house)
Well we made it through the fire. It has been a little touch and go at times in the past few days. As of tonight the fire is 85% contained. The fire started on Wednesday about 4 miles from our house. The day it started the it was very dry around here as we have not had rain in over a week and the wind was gusting around 30 miles per hour. Although the fire started close to us the wind carried it North and East of us the first night. Which is where it destroyed some many homes up at Barefoot Resort. Then on Friday when we woke up things seemed okay around here. However, as the day wore on the wind changed and began to push the fire to the south back towards us. It came within 3/4 of a mile from our house. They evacuated all the school across the street from our neighborhood and a nursing home. I began to pack a couple of suit cases and all the pictures just in case we got the evacuation orders. Luckily, we never did. There were 5 black hawk helicopters dropping water for three days it was like being in a war zone. This has been a stressful scary week around here. We are SO blessed that our neighborhood was spared. We are also blessed that with more than 20,000 acres burned, 70 homes completely destroyed, 100 more homes severely damaged, and more than 4,500 people displaced not one person lost their lives this week.

(view from our front yard)

I really hope that we don't have to go through this again. Thank you for all the calls, prayers, and words of concern this past week. We greatly appreciate everyone thinking of us. Just continue to pray for those who lost their homes, and the fire fighters who continue to work at getting this fire knocked out.

So much to say...so little time :)

Well gosh where do I even begin. As you can see by the last two posts it has been a very rough few weeks for the Setzer clan. First John's Uncle lost his battle with cancer and then his grandfather passed away after suffering from a period of declining health. That was John's last living grandparent. We were sadden by death but after watching Papaw go through several years of dementia I know he is in a better place and has his full mind and body back.

I also reached a milestone on April 4th I said good bye to my twenties. I don't feel any older. Maybe a little wiser :). We went to Asheville to see my parents and my grandparents. Below is my favorite picture that I took of Grandma Patty and Lyla. We also got to go to the Biltmore house. The tulips were in bloom and they have opened up several new rooms. It was a great day. Someone asked Riley what she saw at the Biltmore house her answer was "beds and beds and beds and beds."

Riley continues to keep me on my toes. She seems to at times be one step ahead of me. I think she has been reincarnated as my Grandma Tissie. (GOD help me!) We ALWAYS argue about cleaning up toys and her room. The other day I asked her to go and clean her room she responded by bending over the arm of the chair and saying: "Aww mommmmm just go ahead and spank me."

John got to go to the Master's practice round in Augusta on Wednesday. Needless to say, I think this made his year. Thanks to our good friend Max who had an extra ticket! He has also been brewing more and more.

Above is a picture I think the Biltmore should use in the advertising campaign. Riley now has to "model" and "pose" for all pictures being taken of her. No more can we just have unscripted cuteness. She is so vain :).

Lyla is doing great. She is my petite little baby as was her sister. She is on the verge of crawling. Her current mode of transportation looks much like the worm dance and is in a backward motion. She is very sweet however, she does have a blood curdling scream that could wake the dead when she gets upset. She is a mama's girl and can even be heard saying mama. I was so thrilled to hear mama first this time as opposed to Riley who said dada first.

I love this picture. Riley was very determined to smell EVERY flower in the garden that day. I turned around at one point and Riley had veered WAY off the path and was in the middle of a flower bed smelling flowers.

It is now way after midnight and I have a cake to frost, baskets to fill, Easter dresses and "lacy slocks" to lay out, and hopefully some sleep before getting up for the big day tomorrow. I hope everyone has a happy Easter and can reflect on the true meaning of this special day. Thank you God for so many blessings on this Easter eve!

Dennis Setzer Sr. (John's Grandfather)

It has been a tough month for the Setzer's. Less than a month ago we lost John's uncle Curtis to Cancer and this weekend Papaw died after a period of declining health. I have so much to write but I am wiped out. Maybe tomorrow.

Lincolnton - Mr. Dennis Lee Setzer Sr., 85, of the Brian Center in Lincolnton and formerly of Crestview Drive, Lincolnton died Friday, April 3, 2009.

His funeral will be 11 a.m. Monday, April 6, 2009, at Emmanuel Lutheran Church with the Rev. Gary Dittman officiating. Entombment will follow at Forest Lawn Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday at Warlick Funeral Home in Lincolnton.

Mr. Setzer was born in Caldwell County and was the son of the late C. R. and Mary Braswell Setzer. He was preceded in death by a son, Curtis Setzer and three brothers, Banks Setzer, Howard Setzer and Clyde Setzer. Mr. Setzer was the owner of Setzer ' s Buick-Pontiac in Lincolnton and was a veteran of World War II having served in the United States Army.

He is survived by a son, Dennis L. Setzer Jr. and wife, Jeanne, of Myrtle Beach; two daughters, Kaye Setzer Bach and husband, Ronald, of Lincolnton and Frieda Setzer Cooper and husband, Steve, of Weaverville; a daughter-in-law, Teresa Setzer of Lincolnton; two brothers, Max Setzer of High Shoals and Ned Setzer of Lincolnton; three sisters, Lena Jones of Lincolnton, Evelyn Tino of Gastonia and Mary Nell Bell and husband, Ken, of High Shoals; 10 grandchildren; and 17 greatgrandchildren.

Memorials may be made to Hospice of Lincoln County, 107 N. Cedar Street, Lincolnton, NC 28092 or to the Alzheimer ' s Association, Western Carolina Chapter, P.O. Box 6014, Charlotte, NC 28260-1444.

Warlick Funeral Home in Lincolnton is serving the Setzer family.