First Weekend of Summer.... just a little late.

This post was meant for last weekend but it got CRAZY busy this week... so I will show you now...
Our first weekend of summer!


 

We got Vivian's three month photo's done.
Vivian was three months on June first.... Bella wore this when she was just 6 weeks.
Which means either Bella was a tank, or Vivi is a peanut... I think its a little of both.

.

 We are making a trip to the beach soon and we... ok well I am having a hard enough time with the thought of four little wiggly bodies in a car for seven hours... 

we can't do it without climate control.

This van hasn't had a working ac in the three plus years we have owned it.

We drove it to Tennessee in the heat of summer in 2008 with just two kids.
We drove at night and had the windows down most of the time because it was still hot... it was exhausting having that noise and wind blowing in for six hours.... not this time people... not this time.

So while Daddy labored endlessly we cooled off at the last resort and kicked off the summer right.

With water, sun, food, and family.

And friends who feel like family,  Brian... Isabella only sees him every few months and she always acts shy at first. 

Then by the end of the day they are best buddies.

hu

Tommy acted nuts about getting in the water in anything less than the inner tube he was in last year..

no arm floaties, 

no swimming vest, 

nuts is an understatement. He screamed like a wild child.

Where did I get this kid!? I think I was swimming alone when I was Bella's age.

The seem to forget everything about swimming every winter.

This year though, Bella has taken to it like... well, like a fish to water.

Hardy har har.... anyway she loves it and I am proud and relieved!

There is some unexplainable joy in seeing my kids love the things I love!

I'm especially happy seeing them love each other....

and their Aunt's and Uncle's.

And last but not least we dined on hot dogs, watermelon and baked beans.

                                                                Welcome back summer.

A Living Memorial

Sunshine, warm weather, shorts,

Sandbox fun, flip flops, and lounging in the grass.

Summer is upon us.

Flowers, swimming, cool breezes,

Staying up late, catching lightening bugs, rocking sleeping babies by the campfire.

Watching summer storms with wide eyed little boys, or Aunt Julie giving the swimming lessons.

Getting sticky, sweet post popsicle kisses, watching parades and fireworks,

all while wearing our red, white, and blue.

Sometimes it seems that the meaning of Memorial day has been lost on us.

It's a day off work.

It's  a day for picnicking,

It's when the pool finally gets open.

Don't forget what today is about. There are people who are missing sons, daughters, husbands and wives today. They defended us and gave it all so that we could live in this country.

Beautiful, flawed, diverse, filled with controversy, but forever united.

I will teach my children as they grow that we should never forget, never become complacent.

We should mourn these losses and be grateful to all who serve for our freedom.

But I think with the true meaning always in mind that it is fitting to honor their sacrifice by celebrating life with those we love. Really enjoying time together, good food, funny kids and sweet babies.

Savoring the freedom they gave us to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Not just today, we should everyday try to live our lives to the fullest to honor the fact that we are free.

The Flag still floats unblotted with defeat!
But ah the blood that keeps its ripples red,
The starry lives that keep its field alight.
~Rupert Hughes

Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time, testify to the present or to the coming generations, that we have forgotten, as a people, 

the cost of a free and undivided Republic.

  ~John A. Logan

If My Cell Phone Could Talk....

My phone decided to put itself put of its misery a few weeks days ago... 

I don't blame it, life here is hard.... and sticky.

So when I got my replacement Tom had to transfer photos to my laptop. 

Technology and me aren't friends... I knew it could be done but didn't know how.

To give you an example of the depth of my problem, Isabella had to show me how control the volume on Julie's ipad the other day.....
yeah, that bad.

Anyway I had a few hundred on that little thing, spanning 5 years so get ready for some random.

Lots of baby photo's...

 Bella

Tommy

Daniel

Vivian

Taking pictures to send to Daddy to show him how our day is going...
We document the damages....ouch...

Sometimes taking pictures while they cry is all I can do to keep from crying myself...

Sometimes laughter is the best medicine... for instance every time I see this I get a good laugh.

Calm down... he wasn't hurting her. She is a tad high strung... want further evidence?

This was much ado about nothing.... tiny little scrape on her foot.
But I gave her an ice pack anyway.
And then she needed all her animals too... and she was back up in two minutes.
Back to her weird funny self...

"Look Mama! I've got nipples like yours!"
She is nothing if not creative....

"Hey honey... remember that loud noise last night while we were watching tv? Figured it out!"

And of course sending picture messages is a good way to bribe a man too.

"Honey look what I made you....

I am such...

...a good wife!

Sooooo.... can you buy me these?

or these?

"Cause don't forget you did this to me so you owe me...
and shoes are the only clothes I can still enjoy shopping for at this size."

And then he sends me pictures like this and says things like,
"look what I have to go through to make a buck... leave me alone and quit spending my money!"

That's not true... he says how much? or can it wait till Friday... and I say no.... gimme gimme gimme..

And further more those earrings and shoes were bought pre-pregnancy.... for our anniversary weekend last year, and actually may have been part of the reason we got pregnant with Vivian.... to much info?


Anyway... some of my favorite pictures of all time are on this phone.
Daniel, to tired to hold his head up anymore.

Summertime with Aunt Julie.

Weird...

and weirder...

Bald... and wearing his big sisters high heels!

Saturday mornings.

And the first of many naps together... this was right after we got home from the hospital.
I think he has done this with every baby within an hour of getting home.

This hat is obviously Bella's but the boys always seem to wear it more.

Lots of pictures of church outfits to send to our Nana who is sadly often at work.

Reading their Bible before bed, we try to do it every night but we fail often.

This one has survived three or four phones now, Tom and Izzy, one of my favorites.

Playing in the puddles, and working on the patio last summer.

Ice cream at King Cone's Castle last year..... we go for the ice cream and stay for the cow rides.

Daniel... so tiny and bald. We haven't figured out the formula for making baby's with hair.

Going home from church last spring. She is this girly all on her own.

Aren't we cute... this is when Daniel was the baby.

Lunch at Chili's with just one kid... pretty much a date in my book.

 

Christmas play at church... a sheep, an angel, and a cow.

I was so cute it almost killed me!

 

Playing at Nana's.... they did this to themselves, that's a stuffed snake Aunt Julie made.

Now that your eyes are watering and I've wasted a good few minutes of your life I will end this abruptly and weirdly as it began.... good night people.