Long time no post....

Well we are going to try and change that today.

I had placed the blog on invitation only reading but so many people that do read the blog could not get one--they weren't missing much though since I let it slide over the summer......

So what have we been up to this summer???

Well 2 days after we got home from that great beach trip, I broke my right ankle!!  That was no fun.  I mean really having to be in that hot cast in the summer was not such a great plan!!  The rest of the summer has been spent playing "don't hurt my ankle."  Again another thing we do not recommend.

Landon, true to his nature...fell and broke a tooth!!!  One more reason we call him Helmet Boy!!

Shelby met a huge milestone this summer when she went to camp for a week!!  She cried when Steve put her on the van but she had such an amazing time--we knew she would!!  She is already planning to go back next year!!  She also had a great time a music camp.

We enjoyed spending the 4th of July with the Rooneys!  It was a blast!!  Every year we have some sort of back yard games to do with the kids.  This year one of them involved eating a donut that was tied to a string and held over your head.  This was made all the better b/c they had frosting and sprinkles on them!!!  Sorry I squirted you with the hose, Jen!!

We went on a mission trip to Greenville in August for Drew's birthday again this year.  Once again it was great!  I'll post some pictures when I get some!!  I don't think I will even have any of Drew b/c I don't think anyone on his team had a camera!  I will say that for about a week before we left on the trip I didn't want to go.  Then on the day we left, if it could go wrong it did.  I almost didn't go when Landon really hurt his leg that morning!  But guess what--God blessed me so very much on that trip.  There were things on this heart that He used someone on that trip to speak directly to me and I am oh so thankful for the chat that we had!!

So now we are 7 weeks (I think) into our new school year and finally getting settled into a routine--I think.  So if you are still checking in, I will try to do better about keeping you up to date!!

Camping at the beach

We had a great time camping in Myrtle Beach with our friends.  Lots of kids, lots of stuff and tons of fun!!!

There was tons to do at the camp ground.  There was a HUGE water slide called the HIPPO SLIDE.  

We all had fun on this slide.  Well Casey took one look at it and said NO WAY.  Landon went down it one time and said NEVER AGAIN!

Drew and Shelby loved it and went down it what seemed like 100s of times!

.

Every day, all the kids (well not Drew, Casey and Landon) went to kids club for 2 hours.  They were supposed to be some type of spy on a mission.  They all seemed to have a great time. While they were at camp, we tried to keep everyone else busy.  

One morning while we were riding on the paddle boats, we saw some of the cutest little ducks.....During these mornings, we went for walks and paddle boating, and mini golf.

We also swam in the pool and played on the beach!!  We also enjoyed using the paddle boats, riding bikes and playing putt putt.

We floated right next to these baby ducks but only for a minute.  The mommy and daddy let us know that we were to close and needed to move.  Ducks make a lot of noise if you bother them.  They will also splash you with water!!

After the big kids got done with camp each day it was time to hit the pool and the beach.  

We loved getting to see our friends, Ms Mary and Mr. Lynn, who live at the beach.  We had dinner with them on Wednesday night and then Ms Mary came and went to the beach with us on Thursday.

Landon loved just digging in the sand and Casey loved filling buckets with water.  On Friday, Steve built/dug a huge bunker for the kids to play in.  That thing kept Landon busy for almost 2 hours!!

Shelby had a great time learning to wide waves.  She got pretty good at it!!  Drew, Steve and I also had fun doing this.  I was reminded that salt water and contacts just don't mesh!!  Go figure!!

Another favorite activity was to play water wars.  This is a great water balloon game.  Drew made a friend named Faith on afternoon and I think they played water wars for about an hour one day.  Casey and Landon also loved water wars but they needed help each time.  

The evenings were spent just playing on the playground, hanging out and sometimes swimming in the pool or riding bikes.  

We also played LOTS of putt putt!!!  Landon cracked us up playing putt putt.  Every time someone putted and missed he ran onto the green and put his ball 2 inches from the hole while saying "I show you!  I show you!"

Did I mention that it was hot?!!!  Well it was hot!!   Check out 2 of my guys....they look cool don't they????


Now we are back to the real world with work and VBS and broken bones.  Just for the record, breaking your ankle 2 days after vacation is better than doing it 2 days before but still not recommended!!

Before....

and 

after...

Just ignore the sucker stick!!!  

Blog Update....important

Hi Everyone,
We are doing some changing to our blog--we are going to make it a private blog.
If you read/follow this blog and would like to continue doing so then please get in contact with me.
If I don't readily know you, then please tell me how I would know you.
Thanks everyone!

Insanely Busy!!!

That's been life around here lately.
We finally finished up with co-op and dance!!!  Mommy is sooooo very excited to be done!  We planted a garden during this time.  I'll blog about that later (yea I know you are all sitting on the edge of your seats waiting...)

Until then, here is a quick photo tour of what we have been doing the past 12 days....
First was Casey's dance recital....

This was her first year of dance and she had a wonderful time!  The quality of some of these photos is not the best--sorry but we couldn't use any flash and I was a little far away!

At dance, Casey took tap and ballet.  She liked each for different reasons.  

She was very excited to get a trophy!!  It has been displayed all over the house and I have even found her sleeping with it.

On Sunday, Shelby had a spring choir preformance.  She did wonderful.

She has worked very had in choir this year.  She learned the first verse to 8 different hymns (some of which I don't think I had heard) in addition to all of the music she had to learn for choir.  For such a great accomplishment, she was presented with a hymnal that has her name engraved on the front.  A certain mommy forgot her camera but will upload pictures at a later date because Mimi came to the rescue and had hers!!

Shelby also earned a trophy for attendance and received that at a pizza party the following Wednesday night--sorry no pictures of that either but I wasn't invited!

Drew has also been busy hanging out with friends and choir also.

After we finished with dance and choir, one of us was ready for a chance to slow down but 4 others were ready for new adventure.  What is a mom to do while a wonderful dad goes to work?  Go on adventures I guess....

So what did we do next?  We went to the zoo of course.  I mean hey it's May, schools are planning and going on field trips why wouldn't we want to go to the zoo!!

Notice that there are very few pictures of animals from the zoo!!  We got a new zoo membership that allows the kids to enjoy all of the "extra" things that we usually say NO to because of the $$$$$!!  

Casey and Landon got to enjoy riding on the ponies.  Poor Shelby (who really wanted to ride) was to tall!!  

Casey rode on Bear the Pony 2 times and Landon rode on Spooky the Pony 2 times.  

I really thought they might be scared but neither one of them was the least bit scared!!

Shelby and Drew both climbed the rock wall a couple of times.  Shelby doesn't really care of heights so I was very surprised that she wanted to do this!!  She got her feet about 5 feet off the ground and almost backed out but she had a huge cheering section (we ran into some of our friends while we were at the zoo) so she kept climbing to all of the cheering (and her mom saying something about paying money for her to do this).  After she did it once she was ready to do it again and again and again!!  

After climbing alone, Drew and Shelby had a little race to the top.  Shelby won this time but it was very close.  See.....

While at the zoo, we also fed the giraffes and the lorikeets.  While feeding the lorikeets, one landed on Casey's head.  She didn't care for that let me tell you.  If only I had been able to get a picture of her!!  Landon and Drew wanted nothing to do with either activity.  Drew did take some great pictures for us.....

Shelby loved feeding the lorikeets.  At one point she had 3 sitting on her arm and some on her shoulder.  You can see a little bit of Casey's reaction in this picture.  Landon is also showing how much he enjoyed all of this!

We did get close to the "minkos" (and no we do not have the camera zoomed in we were this close).  Shortly after I took this picture, he (or she) tapped my camera with it's beak!

We also rode the zoo train a billion times--well that's how it felt to mom but Landon could have ridden it a billion more times.  

Drew and Shelby also enjoyed riding the train--although in the picture they were planning a post trip stop for milkshakes....

I think all in all they had a great day.  I had only intended to stay for a couple of hours be we left 6 hours later.  I don't think the little ones made it out of the parking lot before they were fast asleep!!!

Now maybe we can get some relaxing in......

but from the looks of things, maybe not!!

Until next time.........

Mothers

Borrowed from a friend....

Why did God make mothers? 

 1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is. 

2.  Mostly to clean the house. 

3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make mothers?

1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.

2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.

3. God made my mom just the same like he made me. 

He just used bigger parts.

 What ingredients are mothers made of?

1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and

everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.

2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your mother and not some other mom?

1. We're related.

2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's mom like me.

What kind of a little girl was your mom?

1. My mom has always been my mom and none of that other stuff.

2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.

3. They say she used to be nice.

What did mom need to know about dad

before she married him?

1. His last name.

2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? 

Does he get drunk on beer?

3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs

and YES to chores?

Why did your mom marry your dad?

1. My dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my mom eats a lot

2. She got too old to do anything else with him.

3. My grandma says that mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?

1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because dad's such a goof ball.

2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.

3. I guess mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.

What's the difference between moms and dads?

1. Moms work at work and work at home and dads just go to work at work.

2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.

3. Dads are taller and stronger, but moms have all the real

power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friends.

4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your mom do in her spare time?

1. Mothers don't do spare time.

2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your mom perfect?

1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some

kind of plastic surgery.

2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about

your mom, what would it be?

1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. 

I'd get rid of that.

2. I'd make my mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister

who did it not me.

3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on

the back of her head.

One day at a time....

Well she made it all night with out her thumb and baby (well almost).
She really didn't want to sleep alone so we let her get in the bed with Shelby--that lasted for about 15 minutes and then the giggles and fussing and giggles got to be so loud that I don't think they would have gone to sleep.
After getting back in her bed the tears started.  She finally asked for her doll and said that she wasn't going to suck her thumb, just rub her nose.  So I gave her the doll.  She rubbed for a minute and then handed me back her baby and asked for a different one.  I told her I wasn't looking for a different baby and the tears started again.
Then I was at a loss for what to do....get up and look for the doll she wanted, tell her to suck her thumb or help her stick it out.  So I just started rubbing her back and in a couple of minutes she was fast asleep and stayed that way all night.
She was so proud of her self when she got up today!!!  We are all proud of her!!!
Now on to tackle the rest of day (we've made it an hour so far)......