This time next week...

We will be celebrating Everett's First Birthday! Oh, and Joel turns 35:)  As usual we can't believe another year has gone by.  I don't know why this continues to surprise us!  This video has an end that is one of our favorites...enjoy!

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Let Summer time begin!

So we have a list for our "Not So Bummer Summer".  Anyone seen the movie Judy Moody or read the books?  Our list is similar to Judy's.  The kids selected a list of activities they want to participate in this summer.  After we participate in the activity we issue points, bonus points, and loser points depending on our experience. This has been a lot of fun!

Today we were able to do Sky Hike at Stone Mountain! While there, we also enjoyed the Geyser Towers. We are starting our summer off with loads of FUN!

Elena and I did the first and second level you see here. 

Here we goooooo!!!

Elena was so brave.  I could not believe it when she asked to continue to the second level!

It is WAYYYY higher than it seems...WOW was Elena brave.

While Mommy and Elena were doing the big kids sky hike, Ethan and Emily were doing the kids sky hike with PaPa.  It was so nice to have Nana watching Everett so Mommy could do some big kid stuff with Elena.

Ethan is so brave!



Emily insisted on doing things herself!

Nothing better than ending with a zipline!

We cooled off at the Gesyer towers after all our hardwork at the Sky Hike.

Everett enjoyed watching his siblings.

Once again, Nana and PaPa being there allowed Mommy to play!  What a nice little present for me:)

Elena's First Communion

What a joy it was to watch Elena receive her first communion.  She was radiant in her gown, tiara, jewelry, healed shoes, SOOO grown up and beautiful. WOW, speechless and tearful. When we reflect on how much she has overcome with her health, we are even more speechless.  God has held her hand and ours every step of the way. How very wonderful that now Elena can enjoy this blessed sacrament.

She is so beautiful...we can hardly stand it!

WAYYYY to grown up.

She was so excited about her big day!  On the car ride home she asked if we could go to Mass again tomorrow. 
Joel got up with her and took her to 8am Mass this morning.  It was so cute! 
Now, she is actually excited at the thought of going to daily Mass.

Family shot!  We are so so so blessed.

Mommy and her big girl,

Daddy/ Daughter cuteness

So glad that Grama Great lives close by to witness her great grand kids special days! 
Just another one of the many reasons we are blessed.

The Ladies.

Nana (Julie's Mom) and Mommy with the special girl!

Grama and Grampa.

Aunt Anne and Uncle Brent

Nana and Papa.

The whole gang!  Thanks to everyone who came out and witnessed Elena's big day.  You made her feel extra special. 

Athens...love me a bit of nostagia

When Joel and I were in college back in the 90's, we would dream about visiting campus with our family of four kids (yes, we actually had that number in our day dreams).  We had the joy of living this moment recently.  Joel and I decided to spend some time in Athens on our Alma Mater campus, UGA. We threw the Frisbee on North Campus.  Lunch in downtown, shopping in downtown, more play time on campus, a visit to see my Garbage Pail Kids cards in Wuxtry (yup, they are still there in the same pages and in the same order that I sold them years ago), nursing Everett on North Campus (didn't have THAT part in my dreams back then), and then deciding to stay for dinner because everyone was having such a great day. Puts a smile on my face just typing about it.

The Arch..a photo MUST do every visit.

Such a beautiful day!

We tried a new hair style and Elena was loving it!  She enjoyed sitting on North Campus and sketching, funny since Mommy use to do this.

Emily, rarely seen without her purple juice cup and giant dimple faced smile.

Preparing to capture the frisbee, he is really getting good at throwing a frisbee straight!

Ma mama ma ma...

Not all our outings are this full of bliss and joy; there is usually whining and crying somewhere during the day.  However, God must have known that we ALL needed a nice, fun, and relaxing family time.  He definitely provided! We were surrounded by our four loving and adorable kids that God has given us in his own way, ways that Joel and I could not have imagined 14 years ago when we walked around campus day dreaming of our family together. WOW, God REALLY is good all the time.  REALLY!

Emily's Birthday Weekend!

Emily woke up on her birthday and Daddy said, "Emily, It's your birthday!" and she said, "I like that."  Then Daddy said again, "Emily, It's your brithday!" and she said, "Not Ethee's."  That about sums it up...she was happy to have an entire weekend devoted to her, EMILY!  She spent her birthday eating only where she wanted and what she wanted.  She enjoyed birthday cupcakes, homemade birthday chocolate pops with pretzels, and birthday cake.  Of course, there was also some other not so sugary food in there like donuts;)  All Emily really wanted was to spend the day with family.  When asked what she wanted for her birthday she replied, "Me family at me house."   She enjoyed time with her family at her house and then Sunday we spent the day with MORE family in Dahlonega for the Bluegrass festival. Emily was digging the tunes!  All of us were..it was truly wonderful music and good fun.  Thanks to the grandparents for keeping an eye on all the kiddos with us, taking us out for some great eats, and of course the family time is always a joy!  We not only got time with our parents but Anne, Brent, and Logan were at the festival, too!  Logan was so cute with his cousins.  So many faces to kiss and kiddos to hug...he didn't know where to begin!  So, he just hugged and kiss on them most of the day! :)

Birthday Girl enjoying her birthday song.  She had NO interest in blowing out her candles,
 so her cousin Logan did that for her.

Breakfast at Crimson Moon!  Our favorite breakfast place in Dahlonega.



Aunt Anne and Uncle Brent at the little boy's table!

So sweet!  So much love in this family. :)

After about 20 pictures, we got one where ALMOST all of the grandkids were looking the right direction AND smiling...Everett had other things on his mind.

The candles are out, now let's eat cake!

We could lounge on the grass outside the music tent and listen to the tunes.  It was a perfect cool and cozy day beneath the shade of the giant trees on the square.

Aunt Anne shared her icecream with Everett, he has a new best friend now!
 It was like he said, "MOM...did you KNOW that Milk can taste like THIS!!!"

Our little monkey!

A little quiet time for Mommy and Daddy.

Emily, three....next thing I know she will be sassy and 16 (note, she is already sassy so she is halfway there!)

Ba-lee turns three! Now for an Irish jig...

Make a video - it's fun, easy and free!
www.onetruemedia.com

Beach Bums

Thanks Mom and Dad for a great beach trip!  You guys found the perfect place for us to be beach bums all week!!

Big Boy enjoyed the beach and only ate sand twice before he decided it was gross.

Ethan was happy to play in the sand and splash in the VERY shallow water.  After questioning him every day, we finally got him to tell us why he wouldn't go in the water with us, but not until the day before we left.  He was afraid of getting stung by sting rays.

His fear of sting rays didn't keep him out of the sand!

We celebrated Easter while at the beach.  Everett loved sucking on the plastic eggs.

Our Easter family portrait...another beautiful day!

Easter egg hunt on the beach!!

Will had the great idea to have an aluminum foil boat building contest.  We had to see who's boat would float the longest. 

My Grandma lives in PC.  So, she was able to join us for 3 days.  The kids LOVED their time with her.  Ethan and Emily snuggled with her for hours on the couch while the big kids played on the beach.  It was mega-sweet!

Sunset sweetness with Daddy.

Mommy with her happy boys.

Everett's butt schooch is a very effective form of transport, even on sand.  We loved his butt schooch trail.

Thanks Nana and Papa!!

The cousins with our mega castle.



We enjoyed crabbing with our flashlights at night!

We found several of these crabs.

Cousins at breakfast.

Joel and I continue to be amazed at how much Elena is growing. 

We were all sad to go but so happy to be home in our own beds. 
Thanks Nana and PaPa!