A Fun Weekend

Hi y'all! (yes, some of that southern accent is starting to creep back in!) Hope you had a great weekend. We kicked off a long, 3 day weekend on Friday after school and are so happy that we don't have school tomorrow! (Monday) A ton of people are down at the beach for Fall Break, so it has been hustling and bustling around town.

Saturday morning started off with an early morning soccer game. This is Miss Sis sporting her new headband from my friend back in Indiana who started a company with her sister making cute accessories. Check out sassyfras creative creations on facebook for their cute stuff!



Another new Florida friend just opened her new shop in Grayton Beach. She makes women's and kids clothing-- and Caroline is wearing one of her cute designs! Check out Nicole Paloma on Facebook or here on her blog. Super cute things.

Here is my soccer man ready for action. He played goalie the first half. Goalie and offense are his favorite positions. He did a great job defending the goal and had some great saves.

After soccer, Caroline got ready to go to her friend Grace's birthday party. It was a dance party and she had so much fun getting ready for it. Here is the outfit she put together...

Afterwards, she brought home a cd with all of the music from the party. Cute idea! And we got to listen to the cha-cha slide about a billion times. 'everybody clap your hands.....'

This was taken before church today.....

The rest of the afternoon we spent at the beach. It was a red flag so it was really too rough to go out, but the we made some new friends from Atlanta. They have a house in our neighborhood and come down several times a year. They all played really well together.

We also brought Pepper down and let her run free for a few minutes. She happily chased the seagulls up and down the beach. We had to take her home when she spotted someone out in the surf and jumped in to join them. I think she kind of scared them!

The kids are all tuckered out and tucked in and mom is praying for an extra hour of sleep in the morning!

A Little Fun

I thought you all would like to see some of the pictures from our Pizza by the Sea photo shoot. We will be using these pictures in our advertising and marketing for the restaurant. These are some of my favorites! (All of these photos were taken at Grayton Beach by our photographer, Jackie Ward.)


This first one was shot after the shoot--- all of the kids ran out into the ocean for a swim after two long, hot hours posing for me and the photographer!



Our youngest model-- she is so precious!




Alex's friend Trip... isn't this one gorgeous!

All of the kids sitting on the edge of the dune lake....

Trip and his little brother, Hargett. This one is going to be on the front of the local newspaper this weekend!

I think this one is so sweet... it's like they are sharing a funny story between them.

Love this one of Miss Sis....

Brotherly love....

This captures his personality!

Just having fun!

Hope you enjoyed these! I love this part of my new job! :)

Remember When....

I have been trying to be more intentional about creating memories with the kids. It just kind of hit me that they will look back on this time in their childhood and remember the things we did together. So often it is easy to sit back and let them play together and not engage in their fun. Moms, you know that we are so involved in other aspects of parenting (helping with homework, baths, meals, etc.) that when it comes time for playing, sometimes we just feel like kicking up our feet and watching.

Anyway, I took the two ruffians down to the beach by myself last Sunday. And as much as that beach chair was calling my name, I did not sit down much.


We made sand castles....

And buried a mummy......

And went swimming in the turquoise waters and tried to catch a fish....

We played frisbee and football and went for a walk down the beach and chased seagulls. It was fun. :)

I need to remember to wear all of my "Mom" hats, not just the organizer, family caretaker ones.

Sometimes that "Fun Mom" hat gets lost in the closet!

What are your favorite ways to make memories with your kids?

Birthday Party Fun

Caroline had her birthday party at Pizza by the Sea on Friday after school. She and the girls from her class made their own pizzas, played outside, and had cake. My camera ran out of juice about halfway through the party, and my phone was dead as well (can you see a pattern here? I have issues about keeping electronics charged.) But I did manage to capture a few shots.



Her beloved Pokemon cake....


Lining up to wash hands.....



Ready to make a pizza!

Our manager Roy was great with the girls!

Enjoying the finished product!

Love this pic... one of Caroline's little friends ate out the center of her pie.

7 years ago........

we welcomed our daughter into the world. She has been such a blessing in the life of our family!
She is sweet, independent, spunky, smart, full of energy, full of attitude, tough enough to hang with the boys, loves Pokemon and Barbies, dislikes eating breakfast and going to bed, and can eat more sushi than most adults. I cannot wait to see what God has planned for her!

Here a few of my favorite pictures of Miss Caroline Marie.....

School, Soccer, and Sea Creatures

Hello! Hope everyone is having a good week so far. This weekend just flew by-- can we please just slow down time a little? Whew.

We started the weekend Friday with the Fun Fest at school. I was so impressed with it! It is one of the major fundraisers for Bay Elementary, and the PTO does it up right. Games, bounce houses, horse rides, bungee jumps, food, silent auction items, cupcake walk, to name a few.


I love this pic-- Caroline is not too sure about holding this guinea pig, but Alex looks right at home!



Can you say sugar overload? Ay Carumba!

The bungee is always a hit, even if you have to stand in line for at least 45 minutes.

Saturday morning, Alex had his first soccer game. The Sting put in a great effort and had a good time out on the field. Unfortunately the Celtic overpowered them in a 6-0 loss for the Sting. He had a good attitude about it though. Proud of him!

After a little shopping at Target for Caroline's birthday party favors, we had some beach time.


The water was magnificent! Clear and smooth.

After many failed attempts, Alex finally caught a big crab out in the water.

He entertained us for a while after the jellyfish floated up and we had to get out of the water. Doesn't it look like he's playing tug -of-war?

Sunday was church, housework, and homework! We are getting ready for a birthday this week (okay, maybe 2, but one doesn't count!) More to come!

Daily Blessings

Whew! It was a busy week. Nothing really extraordinary going on, but just the daily routine of caring for the family, working, activities, etc. You all know how it is-- trying to keep everything balanced. So tonight, I am like my friend here to the left. Trying hard to keep my eyes propped open. {I actually took this picture at Black Pine Animal Refuge last spring}.

In lieu of anything exciting other than my everyday life, I am recapping some random pictures and thoughts.
Blessings from the past few months.






We miss Mrs. P. our piano teacher of 6 years. She is amazing and has such a way with my children. And I miss her as a friend and sister in Christ.

Here she is with my kids during a group lesson. She made learning so much fun for them.

Yes, we have found a piano teacher here in Florida and she is great! But we still REALLY miss Mrs. P.

She was a blessing to us for many years!

My kids at Easter. Jason was already living in Florida so it was just the three of us. As hard as this time was for us, the kids and I really learned some things -- I learned that I could do a lot of things by myself, and the kids learned to be independent and be good helpers to me. I could not have done it without my God and the help of friends and family. I definitely grew in my relationship with Jesus during this time. Trusting in Him and his timing strengthened my love for him and my patience in general. My Scripture spiral got worn out!

My girl learned to ride her bike with no training wheels in April, too! I love how determined she looks here. We had lots of fun practicing in the afternoons while Alex was still in school.

This was taken the first week we moved down to Florida. As soon as Alex saw the dish pit at the restaurant, he was in heaven. {For those of you who do not know my first born, he is facinated by plumbing, dishwashers, machines in general}. So we let him strap on an apron and wash a few dishes.

Love this picture, and can't wait to show this to his future wife! :)

I am so thankful that God led us on this path. Even though we miss our family and friends terribly, we know this is where we are supposed to be. We have found a great church with lots of ministry opportunities, and we look forward to meeting more people. Still praying that God places poeple in our lives who will help us continue to be His disciples here in FL, and help us serve others through our business.

Whew. Sorry for the novel. Thank you for sticking with me:) You are a blessing to me. Nighty Nite!